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4 @settitle Red Gnus 0.74 Manual
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233 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
240 \thispagestyle{empty}
242 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
244 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
245 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
246 are preserved on all copies.
248 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
249 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
250 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
251 permission notice identical to this one.
253 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
254 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
263 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
265 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
267 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
268 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
269 are preserved on all copies.
272 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
273 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
274 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
275 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
278 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
279 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
280 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
281 permission notice identical to this one.
283 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
284 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
290 @title Red Gnus 0.74 Manual
292 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
295 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
296 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
298 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
299 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
300 are preserved on all copies.
302 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
303 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
304 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
305 permission notice identical to this one.
307 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
308 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
317 @top The Red Gnus Newsreader
321 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
322 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
323 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
326 This manual corresponds to Red Gnus 0.74
337 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
338 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
340 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
341 being accused of plagiarism:
343 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
344 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
345 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
346 even read news with it!
348 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
349 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
350 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
351 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
352 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
359 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
360 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
361 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
362 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
363 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
364 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
365 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
366 * Various:: General purpose settings.
367 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
368 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
369 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
370 * Key Index:: Key Index.
374 @chapter Starting Gnus
379 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
380 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
383 @findex gnus-other-frame
384 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
385 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
386 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
388 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
392 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
393 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
394 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
395 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
396 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
397 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
398 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
399 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
400 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
401 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
402 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
406 @node Finding the News
407 @section Finding the News
410 @vindex gnus-select-method
412 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
413 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
414 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
415 native method. All groups that are not fetched with this method are
418 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
419 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
422 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
425 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
428 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
431 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
432 certainly be much faster.
434 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
436 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
437 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
438 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
439 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
440 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
441 that fails as well, Gnus will will try to use the machine that is
442 running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
444 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
445 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
446 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
447 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
449 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
450 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
451 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
452 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
453 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
454 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
456 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
458 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
459 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
460 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
461 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
462 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
463 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
465 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
467 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
468 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
469 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
470 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
471 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
472 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
475 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
476 would typically set this variable to
479 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
484 @section The First Time
485 @cindex first time usage
487 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
488 be subscribed by default.
490 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
491 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
492 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
493 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
496 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
497 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is here
498 defined as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
500 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
501 help you with most common problems.
503 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
504 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
508 @node The Server is Down
509 @section The Server is Down
510 @cindex server errors
512 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
513 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
514 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
516 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
517 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
518 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
519 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
520 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
521 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
522 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
524 @findex gnus-no-server
525 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
527 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
528 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
529 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
530 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
531 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
532 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
537 @section Slave Gnusae
540 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
541 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
542 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
543 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
545 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
548 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
549 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
550 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
551 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
552 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
553 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
554 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
556 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
557 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
558 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
559 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
560 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
561 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
562 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
563 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
565 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
566 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
569 @node Fetching a Group
570 @section Fetching a Group
571 @cindex fetching a group
573 @findex gnus-fetch-group
574 It it sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
575 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
576 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
577 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
578 It takes the group name as a parameter.
586 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
587 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
588 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
589 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
590 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
591 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
592 is @code{t} by default. If you set this variable to @code{always}, then
593 Gnus will query the backends for new groups even when you do the @kbd{g}
594 command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
597 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
598 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
599 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
603 @node Checking New Groups
604 @subsection Checking New Groups
606 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
607 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
608 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
609 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
610 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
611 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
612 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
613 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
614 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
615 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
617 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
618 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
619 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
620 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
621 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
622 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
623 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
624 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
625 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
626 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
627 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
629 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
630 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
631 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
632 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
633 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
634 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
637 @node Subscription Methods
638 @subsection Subscription Methods
640 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
641 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
642 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
644 This variable should contain a function. Some handy pre-fab values
649 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
650 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
651 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
652 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
653 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
655 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
656 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
657 Subscribe all new groups randomly.
659 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
660 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
661 Subscribe all new groups alphabetically.
663 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
664 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
665 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
666 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
667 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
668 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
669 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
670 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
671 up. Or something like that.
673 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
675 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
676 you about @strong{all} new groups.
678 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
679 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
684 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
685 A closely related variable is
686 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
687 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
688 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
689 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
692 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above to
693 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
694 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
697 @node Filtering New Groups
698 @subsection Filtering New Groups
700 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
701 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
702 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
705 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
708 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
709 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
710 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
711 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
712 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
713 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
714 subscribing these groups.
715 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
716 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
718 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
719 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
720 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
721 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
722 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
723 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
724 and if the the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
725 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
727 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
728 Yet another variable that meddles here is
729 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
730 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
731 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
732 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
733 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
734 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
735 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
736 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
738 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
739 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
742 @node Changing Servers
743 @section Changing Servers
744 @cindex changing servers
746 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
747 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
748 very flaky and you want to use another.
750 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
751 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
755 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
756 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
757 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
758 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
761 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
762 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
763 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
764 functions more than absolutely necessary.
766 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
767 @findex gnus-change-server
768 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
769 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
770 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
771 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
772 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
774 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
775 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
776 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
777 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
778 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
780 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
781 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
782 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
783 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
784 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
785 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
789 @section Startup Files
790 @cindex startup files
795 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
796 information is traditionally stored in this file.
798 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
799 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
800 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
801 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
802 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
803 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
804 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
806 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
807 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
808 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
809 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
811 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
812 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
813 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
814 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
815 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
816 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
818 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
819 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
820 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
821 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
822 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
823 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
824 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
825 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
826 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
827 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
828 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
829 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
831 @vindex gnus-startup-file
832 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
833 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
834 file being whatever that one is with a @samp{.eld} appended.
836 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
837 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
838 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
839 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
840 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
841 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
842 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
843 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
844 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
845 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
848 (defun turn-off-backup ()
849 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
851 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
852 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
855 @vindex gnus-init-file
856 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
857 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus.el} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
858 (@file{~/.gnus.el} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
859 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{.emacs} and
860 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff.
868 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
869 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
870 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
871 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
872 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
875 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
876 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
879 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
880 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
881 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
883 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
884 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
885 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
886 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
887 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
888 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
891 @node The Active File
892 @section The Active File
894 @cindex ignored groups
896 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
897 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
898 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
900 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
901 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
902 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
903 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
904 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
905 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
906 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
909 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
910 @c if you set it to anything else.
912 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
914 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
915 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
916 reading the active file. This variable is @code{t} by default.
918 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
919 you actually subscribe to.
921 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
922 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
923 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
924 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
926 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
927 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
928 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
929 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
930 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
931 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
933 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
934 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
935 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
936 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
937 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
938 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
940 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
941 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
944 @node Startup Variables
945 @section Startup Variables
950 @vindex gnus-load-hook
951 A hook that is run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
952 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
953 times you start Gnus.
955 @item gnus-startup-hook
956 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
957 A hook that is run after starting up Gnus successfully.
959 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
960 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
961 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
962 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
963 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
964 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
965 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
966 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
968 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
969 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
970 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
971 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
972 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
973 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
975 @item gnus-no-groups-message
976 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
977 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
979 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
980 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
981 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
983 @item gnus-startup-jingle
984 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
985 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
986 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
991 @node The Group Buffer
992 @chapter The Group Buffer
995 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
996 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
997 long as Gnus is active.
1000 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1001 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1002 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1003 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1004 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1005 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1006 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1007 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1008 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1009 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1010 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1011 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1012 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1013 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1014 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1015 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1016 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1020 @node Group Buffer Format
1021 @section Group Buffer Format
1024 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1025 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1026 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1030 @node Group Line Specification
1031 @subsection Group Line Specification
1032 @cindex group buffer format
1034 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1035 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1037 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1040 25: news.announce.newusers
1041 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1046 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1047 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1048 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1049 asterisk at the beginning of the line?)
1051 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1052 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1053 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1054 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1055 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1056 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1058 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1060 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1061 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1062 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1063 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1066 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1067 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1068 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1070 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1075 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1078 Whether the group is subscribed.
1081 Level of subscribedness.
1084 Number of unread articles.
1087 Number of dormant articles.
1090 Number of ticked articles.
1093 Number of read articles.
1096 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1097 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1100 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1103 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1112 Newsgroup description.
1115 @samp{m} if moderated.
1118 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1127 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1131 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1134 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1135 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1136 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1137 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1138 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1141 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1143 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1147 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1151 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1152 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
1153 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1154 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1155 paratere as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1156 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1161 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1162 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1163 group, or a bogus native group.
1166 @node Group Modeline Specification
1167 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1168 @cindex group modeline
1170 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1171 The mode line can be changed by setting
1172 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1173 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1177 The native news server.
1179 The native select method.
1183 @node Group Highlighting
1184 @subsection Group Highlighting
1185 @cindex highlighting
1186 @cindex group highlighting
1188 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1189 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1190 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1191 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1192 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1194 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1198 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1200 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1201 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1202 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1204 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1206 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1208 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
1211 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1218 The number of unread articles in the group.
1222 Whether the group is a mail group.
1224 The level of the group.
1226 The score of the group.
1228 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1230 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1233 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1234 topic being inserted.
1237 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1238 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1239 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1241 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1242 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1243 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1244 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1245 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1248 @node Group Maneuvering
1249 @section Group Maneuvering
1250 @cindex group movement
1252 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1253 expected, hopefully.
1259 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1260 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1261 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1267 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1268 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1269 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1273 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1274 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1278 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1279 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1283 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1284 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1285 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1289 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1290 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1291 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1294 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1300 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1301 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1302 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1307 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1308 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1309 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1313 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1314 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1315 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1318 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1319 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1320 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1321 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1325 @node Selecting a Group
1326 @section Selecting a Group
1327 @cindex group selection
1332 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1333 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1334 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1335 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1336 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1337 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1338 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1339 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1340 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1341 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1345 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1346 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1347 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1348 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1349 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1353 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1354 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1355 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1356 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1357 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1358 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1359 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1360 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer.
1361 This might be useful if you want to toggle threading before entering the
1365 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1366 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1367 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1368 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1369 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1372 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1373 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1374 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1375 doing any processing of its contents
1376 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1377 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1378 manner will have no permanent effects.
1382 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1383 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1384 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1385 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1386 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1387 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1388 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1389 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1392 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1393 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1394 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1395 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1400 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1401 full summary buffer.
1404 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1407 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1411 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1412 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1413 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1417 @node Subscription Commands
1418 @section Subscription Commands
1419 @cindex subscription
1427 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1428 Toggle subscription to the current group
1429 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1435 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1436 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1437 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1438 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1444 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1445 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1451 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1452 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1455 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1456 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1457 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1458 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1459 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1465 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1466 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1470 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1471 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1474 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1475 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1476 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1477 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1478 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1479 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1480 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1481 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1482 @file{.newsrc} file.
1486 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1496 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1497 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1498 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1499 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1500 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1505 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1506 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1507 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1511 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1512 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1513 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1515 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1516 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1517 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1518 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1519 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1520 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1527 @section Group Levels
1531 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1532 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1533 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1534 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1535 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1537 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1543 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1544 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1545 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1546 prompted for a level.
1549 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1550 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1551 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1552 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1553 Gnus considers groups on between levels 1 and
1554 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1555 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1556 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1557 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1558 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (default 9),
1559 completely dead. Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly
1560 the same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what
1561 articles you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and
1562 living groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely
1563 for reasons of efficiency.
1565 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1566 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1568 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1569 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1570 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1572 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1573 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1574 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1575 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1576 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1577 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1578 relevant legal ranges.
1580 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1581 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1582 will only move to groups that are of the same level (or lower). In
1583 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1584 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1585 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1588 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1589 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1590 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1593 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1594 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1595 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1596 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1599 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1600 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1601 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1602 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1604 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1605 Gnus will normally just activate groups that are on level
1606 @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to activate
1607 unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable to
1608 5. The default is 6.
1612 @section Group Score
1615 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1616 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1617 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1620 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1621 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1622 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1623 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1624 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1625 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1626 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1628 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1629 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1630 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1631 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1632 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1633 action after each summary exit, you can add
1634 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1635 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1636 slow things down somewhat.
1639 @node Marking Groups
1640 @section Marking Groups
1641 @cindex marking groups
1643 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1644 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1645 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1646 bidding on those groups.
1648 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1649 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1650 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1658 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1659 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1665 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1666 Remove the mark from the current group
1667 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1671 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1672 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1676 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1677 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1681 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1682 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1686 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1687 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1688 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1691 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1693 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1694 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1695 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1696 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1697 the command to be executed.
1700 @node Foreign Groups
1701 @section Foreign Groups
1702 @cindex foreign groups
1704 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1705 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1706 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1707 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1714 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1715 @cindex making groups
1716 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1717 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1718 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1722 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1723 @cindex renaming groups
1724 Rename the current group to something else
1725 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is legal only on some
1726 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1732 @findex gnus-group-customize
1733 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1737 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1738 @cindex renaming groups
1739 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1740 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1744 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1745 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1746 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1750 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1751 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1752 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1756 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1758 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1759 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1764 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1765 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1769 @cindex (ding) archive
1770 @cindex archive group
1771 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1772 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1773 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1774 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1775 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1776 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1777 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1781 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1783 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1784 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1785 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1786 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1790 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1792 Read an arbitrary directory as if with were a newsgroup with the
1793 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1794 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1798 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1799 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1801 Make a group based on some file or other
1802 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1803 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1804 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1805 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs}, and
1806 @code{forward}. If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will
1807 guess at the file type. @xref{Document Groups}.
1811 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1816 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1817 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1818 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1819 search engine type and the search string. Legal search engine types
1820 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1821 @xref{Web Searches}.
1824 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1825 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1826 This function will delete the current group
1827 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1828 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1829 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1830 absolutely sure of what you are doing.
1834 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1835 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1836 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1840 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1841 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1842 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1845 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1848 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1849 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1850 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1851 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1852 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1855 @node Group Parameters
1856 @section Group Parameters
1857 @cindex group parameters
1859 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1864 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1865 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1866 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1867 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1868 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1869 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1870 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1871 copies of your followups.
1873 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1874 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1875 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1876 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1877 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1878 list address instead.
1882 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1883 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1884 doing a @kbd{a} in any group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1885 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1886 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1888 @item broken-reply-to
1889 @cindex broken-reply-to
1890 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1891 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1892 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1893 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1894 broken behavior. So there!
1898 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1899 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1903 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
1904 all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
1905 useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
1909 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1910 @code{t}, new composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1911 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1912 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1913 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence over
1914 any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later).
1918 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
1919 . t)}, , all articles that are read will be marked as expirable. For an
1920 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
1923 @cindex total-expire
1924 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
1925 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
1926 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
1931 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
1932 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
1933 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
1934 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
1935 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
1936 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
1939 @cindex score file group parameter
1940 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
1941 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. This
1942 means that all score commands you issue will end up in that file.
1945 @cindex adapt file group parameter
1946 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
1947 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
1948 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
1951 When unsubscribing to a mailing list you should never send the
1952 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
1953 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
1954 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
1957 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} says which articles to
1958 display on entering the group. Legal values are:
1962 Display all articles, both read and unread.
1965 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
1970 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
1971 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
1972 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
1975 @item @var{(variable form)}
1976 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
1977 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
1978 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
1979 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
1980 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
1981 @code{eval}ed there.
1983 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
1984 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
1985 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
1986 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
1987 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
1991 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
1993 Also @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
1996 @node Listing Groups
1997 @section Listing Groups
1998 @cindex group listing
2000 These commands all list various slices of the groups that are available.
2008 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2009 List all groups that have unread articles
2010 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2011 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2012 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2013 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2020 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2021 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2022 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2023 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2024 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2025 unsubscribed groups).
2029 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2030 List all unread groups on a specific level
2031 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2032 with no unread articles.
2036 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2037 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2038 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2039 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2044 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2045 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2049 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2050 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2051 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2055 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2056 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2060 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2061 List absolutely all groups that are in the active file(s) of the
2062 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2063 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2064 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2065 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list group that
2066 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they are killed groups.
2067 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2071 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2072 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2073 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2077 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2078 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2079 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2083 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2084 @cindex visible group parameter
2085 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2086 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2087 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2088 get the same effect.
2090 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2091 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2092 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2093 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2094 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2097 @node Sorting Groups
2098 @section Sorting Groups
2099 @cindex sorting groups
2101 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2102 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2103 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2104 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2105 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2106 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2111 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2112 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2113 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2115 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2116 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2117 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2119 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2120 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2121 Sort by group level.
2123 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2124 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2125 Sort by group score.
2127 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2128 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2129 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2130 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2132 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2133 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2134 Sort by number of unread articles.
2136 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2137 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2138 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2143 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2144 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2148 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2149 some sorting criteria:
2153 @kindex G S a (Group)
2154 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2155 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2156 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2159 @kindex G S u (Group)
2160 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2161 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2162 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2165 @kindex G S l (Group)
2166 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2167 Sort the group buffer by group level
2168 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2171 @kindex G S v (Group)
2172 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2173 Sort the group buffer by group score
2174 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2177 @kindex G S r (Group)
2178 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2179 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2180 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2183 @kindex G S m (Group)
2184 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2185 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2186 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2190 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2192 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2196 @kindex G P a (Group)
2197 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2198 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2199 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2202 @kindex G P u (Group)
2203 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2204 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2205 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2208 @kindex G P l (Group)
2209 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2210 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2211 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2214 @kindex G P v (Group)
2215 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2216 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2217 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2220 @kindex G P r (Group)
2221 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2222 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2223 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2226 @kindex G P m (Group)
2227 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2228 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2229 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2235 @node Group Maintenance
2236 @section Group Maintenance
2237 @cindex bogus groups
2242 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2243 Find bogus groups and delete them
2244 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2248 @findex gnus-find-new-newsgroups
2249 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-find-new-newsgroups}). If
2250 given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server for
2254 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2255 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2256 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2257 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2260 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2261 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2262 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2263 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2268 @node Browse Foreign Server
2269 @section Browse Foreign Server
2270 @cindex foreign servers
2271 @cindex browsing servers
2276 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2277 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2278 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2279 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2282 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2283 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2284 will be use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2285 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2287 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2292 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2293 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2297 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2298 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2301 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2302 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2303 Enter the current group and display the first article
2304 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2307 @kindex RET (Browse)
2308 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2309 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2313 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2314 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2315 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2321 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2322 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2326 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2327 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2328 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2333 @section Exiting Gnus
2334 @cindex exiting Gnus
2336 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2341 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2342 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2343 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2344 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2348 @findex gnus-group-exit
2349 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2353 @findex gnus-group-quit
2354 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2355 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2358 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2359 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2360 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2361 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2362 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2367 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2368 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2369 trying to customize meta-variables.
2374 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2375 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2376 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2382 @section Group Topics
2385 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2386 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2387 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2388 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2389 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2390 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2398 2: alt.religion.emacs
2401 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2403 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2404 13: comp.sources.unix
2407 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2409 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2410 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2411 is a toggling command.)
2413 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2414 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2415 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2416 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2419 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2420 the hook for the group mode:
2423 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2427 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2428 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2429 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2430 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2431 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2435 @node Topic Variables
2436 @subsection Topic Variables
2437 @cindex topic variables
2439 Now, if you select a topic, if will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2440 really neat, I think.
2442 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2443 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2444 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2457 Number of groups in the topic.
2459 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2461 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2464 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2465 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2466 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2469 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2470 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2472 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2473 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2474 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2477 @node Topic Commands
2478 @subsection Topic Commands
2479 @cindex topic commands
2481 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2482 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2483 definitions slightly.
2489 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2490 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2491 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2495 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2496 Move the current group to some other topic
2497 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2498 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2502 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2503 Copy the current group to some other topic
2504 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2505 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2509 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2510 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2511 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2512 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2516 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2517 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2518 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2522 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2523 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2524 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2528 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2529 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2530 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2533 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2534 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2535 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2536 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2540 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2542 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2543 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2544 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2545 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2546 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2547 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2550 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2551 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2552 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2553 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2554 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2558 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2559 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2560 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2564 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2565 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2566 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2571 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2572 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2575 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2576 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2577 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2581 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2582 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2583 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2587 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2588 @cindex group parameters
2589 @cindex topic parameters
2591 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2592 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2598 @subsection Topic Sorting
2599 @cindex topic sorting
2601 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2607 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2608 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2609 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2610 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2613 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2614 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2615 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2616 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2619 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2620 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2621 Sort the current topic by group level
2622 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2625 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2626 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2627 Sort the current topic by group score
2628 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2631 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2632 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2633 Sort the current topic by group rank
2634 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2637 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2638 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2639 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2640 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2644 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2647 @node Topic Topology
2648 @subsection Topic Topology
2649 @cindex topic topology
2652 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2658 2: alt.religion.emacs
2661 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2663 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2664 13: comp.sources.unix
2667 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2668 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2669 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2674 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2675 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2679 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2680 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2681 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2682 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2683 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2684 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2686 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2687 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2688 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2691 @node Topic Parameters
2692 @subsection Topic Parameters
2693 @cindex topic parameters
2695 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2696 ancestor) topic parameters. All legal group parameters are legal topic
2697 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2699 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2700 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2701 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2702 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2708 2: alt.religion.emacs
2712 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2714 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2715 13: comp.sources.unix
2719 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2720 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2721 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2722 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2723 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2724 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2726 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2727 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2728 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2729 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2730 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2732 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2733 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2734 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2735 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2736 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2737 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2738 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2739 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2742 @node Misc Group Stuff
2743 @section Misc Group Stuff
2746 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2747 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2748 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2749 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2756 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2757 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2758 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2762 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2763 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). The current
2764 group name will be used as the default.
2768 @findex gnus-group-mail
2769 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2773 Variables for the group buffer:
2777 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2778 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2779 @code{gnus-group-mode-hook} is called after the group buffer has been
2782 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2783 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2784 @code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} is called after the group buffer is
2785 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2788 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2789 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2790 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2791 whether they are empty or not.
2796 @node Scanning New Messages
2797 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2798 @cindex new messages
2799 @cindex scanning new news
2805 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2806 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2807 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2808 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2809 command will force a total rereading of the active file(s) from the
2814 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2815 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2816 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2817 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2818 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2819 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2821 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2822 @cindex activating groups
2824 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2825 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2830 @findex gnus-group-restart
2831 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
2832 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
2833 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
2837 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2838 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2840 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2841 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2845 @node Group Information
2846 @subsection Group Information
2847 @cindex group information
2848 @cindex information on groups
2856 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2857 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2860 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2861 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2862 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2863 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2864 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2865 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2866 for fetching the file.
2868 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2869 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2874 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
2875 @cindex describing groups
2876 @cindex group description
2877 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2878 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2879 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2883 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2884 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2885 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2890 @findex gnus-version
2891 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
2895 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
2896 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
2899 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
2902 @findex gnus-info-find-node
2903 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
2907 @node Group Timestamp
2908 @subsection Group Timestamp
2910 @cindex group timestamps
2912 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
2913 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
2914 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
2917 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
2920 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
2922 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
2923 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
2926 (setq gnus-group-line-format
2927 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
2930 This will result in lines looking like:
2933 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
2934 0: custom 19961002T012713
2937 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
2938 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
2942 (setq gnus-group-line-format
2943 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
2948 @subsection File Commands
2949 @cindex file commands
2955 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
2956 @vindex gnus-init-file
2957 @cindex reading init file
2958 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
2959 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
2963 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
2964 @cindex saving .newsrc
2965 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
2966 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
2967 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
2970 @c @kindex Z (Group)
2971 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
2972 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
2977 @node The Summary Buffer
2978 @chapter The Summary Buffer
2979 @cindex summary buffer
2981 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
2982 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
2984 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
2985 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
2987 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
2990 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
2991 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
2992 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
2993 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
2994 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
2995 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
2996 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
2997 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
2998 * Threading:: How threads are made.
2999 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3000 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3001 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3002 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3003 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3004 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3005 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3006 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3007 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3008 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3009 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3010 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3011 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3012 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3013 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3014 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3015 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3016 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3020 @node Summary Buffer Format
3021 @section Summary Buffer Format
3022 @cindex summary buffer format
3025 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3026 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3027 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3030 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3031 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3032 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3033 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3034 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3035 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined function exist:
3036 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3037 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3038 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3039 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3040 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3042 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3043 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3044 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3045 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
3048 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3049 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3051 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3052 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3053 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3054 lines a a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3055 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3057 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3059 The following format specification characters are understood:
3067 Subject if the article is the root or the previous article had a
3068 different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3069 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
3071 Full @code{From} header.
3073 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3075 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3076 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3077 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3078 may be more thorough.
3080 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3083 Number of lines in the article.
3085 Number of characters in the article.
3087 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3089 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3090 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3092 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3093 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3095 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3096 for adopted articles.
3098 One space for each thread level.
3100 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3108 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3109 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3110 default level. If the difference between
3111 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3112 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3120 The @code{Date} in @code{YY-MMM} format.
3122 The @code{Date} in @code{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS} format.
3128 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3129 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3131 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3132 article has any children.
3136 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3137 be a letter. @sc{gnus} will call the function
3138 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3139 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3140 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3141 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3144 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3145 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3146 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3147 that. This means that it is illegal to have these specs after a
3148 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3149 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3151 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3152 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3154 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3157 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3158 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3160 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3161 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3162 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3163 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3165 Here are the elements you can play with:
3171 Unprefixed group name.
3173 Current article number.
3177 Number of unread articles in this group.
3179 Number of unselected articles in this group.
3181 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3182 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3183 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3184 and no unselected ones.
3186 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3187 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3189 Subject of the current article.
3193 Name of the current score file.
3195 Number of dormant articles.
3197 Number of ticked articles.
3199 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3201 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3205 @node Summary Highlighting
3206 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3210 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3211 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3212 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3213 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3214 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3216 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3217 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3218 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3219 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3221 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3222 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3223 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) that is used to
3224 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3226 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3227 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3228 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3229 list where the elements are on the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3230 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3231 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3233 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3234 ((> score default) . bold))
3236 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3237 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3241 @node Summary Maneuvering
3242 @section Summary Maneuvering
3243 @cindex summary movement
3245 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3246 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3248 None of these commands select articles.
3253 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3254 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3255 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3256 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3257 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3261 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3262 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3263 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3264 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3265 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3270 @kindex G j (Summary)
3271 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3272 Ask for an article number and then go to that article
3273 (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3276 @kindex G g (Summary)
3277 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3278 Ask for an article number and then go the summary line of that article
3279 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3282 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3283 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3284 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3285 to the group buffer.
3287 Variables related to summary movement:
3291 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3292 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3293 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3294 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3295 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3296 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3297 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3298 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3299 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3300 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3301 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3302 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3303 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3304 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3306 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3307 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3308 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3309 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3310 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3311 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3312 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3314 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3315 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3316 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3317 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3318 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3320 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3321 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3322 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3323 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3324 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3325 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3326 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3327 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3333 @node Choosing Articles
3334 @section Choosing Articles
3335 @cindex selecting articles
3338 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3339 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3343 @node Choosing Commands
3344 @subsection Choosing Commands
3346 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3347 and they all select and display an article.
3351 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3352 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3353 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3354 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3359 @kindex G n (Summary)
3360 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3361 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3366 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3367 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3372 @kindex G N (Summary)
3373 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3374 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3379 @kindex G P (Summary)
3380 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3381 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3384 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3385 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3386 Go to the next article with the same subject
3387 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3390 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3391 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3392 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3393 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3397 @kindex G f (Summary)
3399 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3400 Go to the first unread article
3401 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3405 @kindex G b (Summary)
3407 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3408 Go to the article with the highest score
3409 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3414 @kindex G l (Summary)
3415 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3416 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3419 @kindex G p (Summary)
3420 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3421 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3422 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3423 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3424 history as you like.
3428 @node Choosing Variables
3429 @subsection Choosing Variables
3431 Some variables that are relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3434 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3435 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3436 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3437 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3438 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3439 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3441 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3442 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3443 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3444 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3446 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3447 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3448 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3449 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3450 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3451 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3452 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3453 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3454 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3455 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3456 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3457 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3458 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3459 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3464 @node Paging the Article
3465 @section Scrolling the Article
3466 @cindex article scrolling
3471 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3472 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3473 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3474 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3475 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3478 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3479 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3480 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3483 @kindex RET (Summary)
3484 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3485 Scroll the current article one line forward
3486 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3490 @kindex A g (Summary)
3492 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3493 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3494 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3495 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3496 the way it came from the server.
3501 @kindex A < (Summary)
3502 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3503 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3504 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3509 @kindex A > (Summary)
3510 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3511 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3515 @kindex A s (Summary)
3517 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3518 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3519 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3524 @node Reply Followup and Post
3525 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3528 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3529 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3533 @node Summary Mail Commands
3534 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3536 @cindex composing mail
3538 Commands for composing a mail message:
3544 @kindex S r (Summary)
3546 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3547 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3548 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3553 @kindex S R (Summary)
3554 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3555 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3556 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3557 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3560 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3561 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3562 Forward the current article to some other person
3563 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3564 headers of the forwarded article.
3569 @kindex S m (Summary)
3570 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3571 Send a mail to some other person
3572 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3575 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3576 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3577 @cindex bouncing mail
3578 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3579 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3580 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3581 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3582 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3583 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3584 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3585 very well fail, though.
3588 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3589 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3590 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3591 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3592 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3593 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3594 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3595 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3596 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3597 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3599 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3600 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3601 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3602 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3603 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3606 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3607 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3608 Digest the current series and forward the result using mail
3609 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3610 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3613 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3614 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3615 @cindex crossposting
3616 @cindex excessive crossposting
3617 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3618 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3620 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3621 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3622 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3623 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3624 command understands the process/prefix convention
3625 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3630 @node Summary Post Commands
3631 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3633 @cindex composing news
3635 Commands for posting a news article:
3641 @kindex S p (Summary)
3642 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3643 Post an article to the current group
3644 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3649 @kindex S f (Summary)
3650 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3651 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3655 @kindex S F (Summary)
3657 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3658 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3659 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3660 process/prefix convention.
3663 @kindex S n (Summary)
3664 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3665 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3666 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3669 @kindex S n (Summary)
3670 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3671 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3672 message through mail and include the original message
3673 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3674 the process/prefix convention.
3677 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3678 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3679 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3680 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3681 headers of the forwarded article.
3684 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3685 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3686 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3687 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}).
3690 @kindex S u (Summary)
3691 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3692 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3693 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3697 @node Canceling and Superseding
3698 @section Canceling Articles
3699 @cindex canceling articles
3700 @cindex superseding articles
3702 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3703 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3705 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3707 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3709 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3710 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3711 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3712 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3714 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3715 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3718 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3719 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3720 your original article.
3722 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3724 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3725 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3726 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3729 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3730 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3731 have posted almost the same article twice.
3733 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3734 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3735 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3736 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3737 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3738 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3739 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3740 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3741 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3742 canceled/superseded.
3744 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3747 @node Marking Articles
3748 @section Marking Articles
3749 @cindex article marking
3750 @cindex article ticking
3753 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3755 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3756 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3757 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3759 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3762 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3763 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3764 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3768 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3772 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3773 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3777 @node Unread Articles
3778 @subsection Unread Articles
3780 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3785 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3786 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3788 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3789 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3790 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3791 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3792 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3796 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3797 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3799 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3800 are followups to it.
3803 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3804 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3806 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3811 @subsection Read Articles
3812 @cindex expirable mark
3814 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3819 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3820 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3821 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3824 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3825 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3828 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3829 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3830 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3833 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3834 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3837 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3838 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3841 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3842 Marked as read by having a too low score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
3845 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
3846 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
3849 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
3850 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
3853 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
3854 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
3857 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
3858 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
3862 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
3863 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
3864 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
3868 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
3869 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
3871 One more special mark, though:
3875 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
3876 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
3878 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
3879 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
3880 control the expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
3881 articles that are marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
3887 @subsection Other Marks
3888 @cindex process mark
3891 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
3897 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
3898 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
3899 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
3900 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
3901 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
3904 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
3905 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
3906 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
3907 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
3910 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
3911 Articles that are stored in the article cache will be marked with an
3912 @samp{*} in the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}).
3915 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
3916 Articles that are ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
3917 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
3918 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}.
3921 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
3922 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
3923 It the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
3924 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
3925 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
3928 @vindex gnus-process-mark
3929 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}. A
3930 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
3931 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
3932 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
3933 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
3937 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
3938 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
3939 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
3941 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
3942 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
3943 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
3947 @subsection Setting Marks
3948 @cindex setting marks
3950 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
3956 @kindex M t (Summary)
3957 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
3958 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
3963 @kindex M ? (Summary)
3964 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
3965 Mark the current article as dormant
3966 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}).
3970 @kindex M d (Summary)
3972 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
3973 Mark the current article as read
3974 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
3978 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
3979 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
3980 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
3985 @kindex M k (Summary)
3986 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
3987 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
3988 and then select the next unread article
3989 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
3993 @kindex M K (Summary)
3994 @kindex C-k (Summary)
3995 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
3996 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
3997 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4000 @kindex M C (Summary)
4001 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4002 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4005 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4006 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4007 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4008 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4011 @kindex M H (Summary)
4012 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4013 Catchup the current group to point
4014 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4017 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4018 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4019 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4020 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4023 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4024 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4025 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4026 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4030 @kindex M c (Summary)
4031 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4032 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4033 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4034 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}).
4038 @kindex M e (Summary)
4040 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4041 Mark the current article as expirable
4042 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4045 @kindex M b (Summary)
4046 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4047 Set a bookmark in the current article
4048 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4051 @kindex M B (Summary)
4052 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4053 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4054 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4057 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4058 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4059 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4060 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4063 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4064 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4065 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4066 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4069 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4070 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4071 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4072 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4073 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4076 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4077 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4078 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4079 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4080 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4081 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4082 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4083 The default is @code{t}.
4086 @node Setting Process Marks
4087 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4088 @cindex setting process marks
4095 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4096 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4097 Mark the current article with the process mark
4098 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4099 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4103 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4104 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4105 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4106 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4109 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4110 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4111 Remove the process mark from all articles
4112 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4115 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4116 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4117 Invert the list of process marked articles
4118 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4121 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4122 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4123 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4126 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4127 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4128 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4131 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4132 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4133 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4134 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4137 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4138 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4139 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4140 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4143 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4144 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4145 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4146 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4149 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4150 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4151 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4154 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4155 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4156 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4157 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4160 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4161 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4162 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4165 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4166 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4167 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4168 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4171 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4172 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4173 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4174 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4177 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4178 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4179 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4180 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4183 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4184 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4185 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4186 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4195 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4196 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4197 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4204 @kindex / / (Summary)
4205 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4206 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4207 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4210 @kindex / a (Summary)
4211 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4212 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4213 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4217 @kindex / u (Summary)
4219 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4220 Limit the summary buffer to articles that are not marked as read
4221 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4222 buffer to articles that are strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4223 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4226 @kindex / m (Summary)
4227 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4228 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4229 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4232 @kindex / n (Summary)
4233 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4234 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4235 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4236 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4239 @kindex / w (Summary)
4240 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4241 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4242 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4246 @kindex / v (Summary)
4247 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4248 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4249 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4253 @kindex M S (Summary)
4254 @kindex / E (Summary)
4255 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4256 Display all expunged articles
4257 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4260 @kindex / D (Summary)
4261 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4262 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4265 @kindex / d (Summary)
4266 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4267 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4270 @kindex / c (Summary)
4271 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4272 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4273 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4276 @kindex / C (Summary)
4277 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4278 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4279 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4280 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4288 @cindex article threading
4290 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put replies to
4291 articles directly after the articles they reply to---in a hierarchical
4295 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4296 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4300 @node Customizing Threading
4301 @subsection Customizing Threading
4302 @cindex customizing threading
4308 @item gnus-show-threads
4309 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4310 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4311 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4312 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4313 slower and more awkward.
4315 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4316 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4317 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4318 more old headers---headers to articles that are marked as read. If you
4319 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4320 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4321 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4322 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4323 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4324 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4325 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4326 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4328 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4329 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4330 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4331 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4332 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4333 articles that belong in the same thread together. This will leave
4334 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4335 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4336 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4337 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4338 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4339 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4340 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4341 @code{nil} by default.
4343 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4344 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4345 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4346 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4347 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4348 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4349 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subjects lines. If
4350 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4351 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4352 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4353 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4355 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4356 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4357 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects.
4359 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4360 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4361 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4362 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4363 simplification is used.
4365 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4366 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4367 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4368 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4370 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4372 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4378 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4379 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4380 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4381 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4386 (mapconcat 'identity
4387 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4389 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4392 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4395 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4396 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4397 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4398 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4399 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4400 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4401 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process. The
4402 default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4404 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4405 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4406 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4407 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4408 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4409 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4410 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever includes unrelated
4411 articles, but it's also means that people who have posted with broken
4412 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4416 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4417 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4418 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4419 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4421 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4422 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4423 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4426 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4430 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4431 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4434 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4435 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4436 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4437 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4438 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4439 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4441 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4442 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4443 There are four possible values:
4445 @cindex adopting articles
4450 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4451 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4452 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4453 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4456 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4457 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4458 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4459 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4460 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4461 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4462 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4465 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4466 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4467 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4471 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4472 display them after one another.
4475 Don't gather loose threads.
4478 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4479 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4480 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4483 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4484 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4485 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4488 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4489 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4490 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4491 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4492 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4495 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4496 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4497 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4502 @node Thread Commands
4503 @subsection Thread Commands
4504 @cindex thread commands
4510 @kindex T k (Summary)
4511 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4512 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4513 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4514 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4515 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4520 @kindex T l (Summary)
4521 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4522 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4523 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4524 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4527 @kindex T i (Summary)
4528 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4529 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4530 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4533 @kindex T # (Summary)
4534 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4535 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4536 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4539 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4540 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4541 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4542 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4545 @kindex T T (Summary)
4546 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4547 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4550 @kindex T s (Summary)
4551 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4552 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4553 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4556 @kindex T h (Summary)
4557 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4558 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4561 @kindex T S (Summary)
4562 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4563 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4566 @kindex T H (Summary)
4567 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4568 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4571 @kindex T t (Summary)
4572 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4573 Re-thread the thread the current article is part of
4574 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4575 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4578 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4579 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4580 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4581 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}.
4585 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4586 understand the numeric prefix.
4591 @kindex T n (Summary)
4592 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4593 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4596 @kindex T p (Summary)
4597 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4598 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4601 @kindex T d (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4603 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4606 @kindex T u (Summary)
4607 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4608 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4611 @kindex T o (Summary)
4612 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4613 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4616 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4617 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4618 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4619 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4620 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4621 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4622 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If is
4623 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4624 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4625 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4626 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4627 that have subjects that are fuzzily equal will be included.
4633 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4634 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4635 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4636 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4637 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4638 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4639 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4640 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4641 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4642 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4643 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4644 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4645 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4646 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4648 Each function takes two threads and return non-@code{nil} if the first
4649 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4650 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4651 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4652 in the list. You should probably always include
4653 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4654 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4655 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4656 ascending article order.
4658 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4659 number, you could do something like:
4662 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4663 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4664 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4665 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4668 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4669 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4670 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4671 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4672 which the articles arrived.
4674 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4678 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4680 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
4681 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
4684 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
4685 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
4686 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
4687 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
4690 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
4691 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
4692 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
4693 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
4694 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
4695 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
4696 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
4697 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
4698 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
4699 is uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
4700 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
4701 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
4702 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
4704 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
4708 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
4709 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
4710 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
4715 @node Asynchronous Fetching
4716 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
4717 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
4718 @cindex article pre-fetch
4721 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
4722 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
4723 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
4724 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
4725 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
4727 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
4728 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
4730 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
4731 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
4732 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
4733 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
4734 connection is blocked.
4736 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
4737 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
4738 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
4739 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
4741 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
4742 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
4743 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
4744 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
4747 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
4750 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
4751 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
4752 happen automatically.
4754 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
4755 You can control how many articles that are to be pre-fetched by setting
4756 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
4757 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
4758 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
4759 pre-fetch all the articles that it can without bound. If it is
4760 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be made.
4762 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
4763 @findex gnus-async-read-p
4764 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
4765 articles, for instance. Which articles to pre-fetch is controlled by
4766 the @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable. This function should
4767 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
4768 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
4769 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
4770 data structure as the only parameter.
4772 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles that are
4773 shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
4776 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
4777 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
4778 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
4779 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
4782 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
4785 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
4786 preferrably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
4787 It's also probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
4789 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
4790 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
4791 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
4792 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
4796 Remove articles when they are read.
4799 Remove articles when exiting the group.
4802 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
4804 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
4805 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
4806 from the next group.
4809 @node Article Caching
4810 @section Article Caching
4811 @cindex article caching
4814 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
4815 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
4816 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
4817 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
4818 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
4820 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
4822 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
4823 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
4824 @vindex gnus-use-cache
4825 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
4826 all articles that are ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
4827 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
4828 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
4829 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
4831 When re-select a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
4832 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
4833 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
4834 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
4835 as dormant, and don't worry.
4837 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
4839 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
4840 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
4841 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
4842 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
4843 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
4844 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
4845 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
4846 articles that are marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
4847 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
4848 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
4850 @findex gnus-jog-cache
4851 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
4852 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
4853 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, and store them in
4854 the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this command if 1)
4855 your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really, really slow
4856 and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk. Seriously.
4858 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
4859 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
4860 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
4861 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
4862 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
4863 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
4864 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
4867 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
4868 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
4869 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
4870 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
4871 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
4872 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
4873 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
4874 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
4875 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
4879 @node Persistent Articles
4880 @section Persistent Articles
4881 @cindex persistent articles
4883 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
4884 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
4885 useful in my opinion.
4887 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
4888 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
4889 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
4890 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
4891 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
4892 the expiry going on at the news server.
4894 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
4895 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
4896 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
4902 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
4903 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
4906 @kindex M-* (Summary)
4907 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
4908 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
4909 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
4913 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
4915 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
4916 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
4917 interested in persistent articles:
4920 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
4924 @node Article Backlog
4925 @section Article Backlog
4927 @cindex article backlog
4929 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
4930 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
4931 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
4932 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
4933 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
4934 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
4935 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
4936 increase memory usage some.
4938 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
4939 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
4940 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
4941 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
4942 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
4943 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
4944 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
4946 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
4949 @node Saving Articles
4950 @section Saving Articles
4951 @cindex saving articles
4953 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
4954 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
4955 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
4956 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
4957 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
4959 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
4960 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
4961 unwanted headers before saving the article.
4963 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
4964 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
4965 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
4966 deleted before saving.
4972 @kindex O o (Summary)
4974 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
4975 Save the current article using the default article saver
4976 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
4979 @kindex O m (Summary)
4980 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
4981 Save the current article in mail format
4982 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
4985 @kindex O r (Summary)
4986 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
4987 Save the current article in rmail format
4988 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
4991 @kindex O f (Summary)
4992 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
4993 Save the current article in plain file format
4994 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
4997 @kindex O F (Summary)
4998 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
4999 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5000 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5003 @kindex O b (Summary)
5004 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5005 Save the current article body in plain file format
5006 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5009 @kindex O h (Summary)
5010 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5011 Save the current article in mh folder format
5012 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5015 @kindex O v (Summary)
5016 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5017 Save the current article in a VM folder
5018 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5021 @kindex O p (Summary)
5022 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5023 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5024 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5027 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5028 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5029 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5030 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5031 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5032 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5033 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5034 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5035 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5036 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5037 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5038 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5042 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5043 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5044 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5045 functions below, or you can create your own.
5049 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5050 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5051 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5052 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5053 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5054 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5055 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5057 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5058 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5059 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5060 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5061 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5062 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5064 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5065 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5066 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5067 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5068 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5069 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5070 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5072 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5073 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5074 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5075 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5076 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5078 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5079 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5080 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5081 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5082 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5085 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5086 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5087 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5088 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5089 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}. The former creates capitalized names, and
5090 the latter does not.
5092 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5093 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5094 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5095 reader to use this setting.
5098 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5099 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5100 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5101 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5104 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5105 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5106 available functions that generate names:
5110 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5111 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5112 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5114 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5115 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5116 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5118 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5119 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5120 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5122 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5123 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5124 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5127 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5128 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5129 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5130 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5131 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5135 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5136 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5137 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5138 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5141 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5142 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5143 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5144 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5145 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5146 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5147 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5148 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5149 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5151 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5152 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5153 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5154 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5156 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5157 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5158 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5161 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5162 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5163 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5164 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5165 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5166 all the files in the toplevel directory
5167 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5168 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5169 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5170 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5172 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5173 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5174 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5175 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5176 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5179 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5183 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5184 (setq gnus-default-article-save 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5187 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5188 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5189 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5190 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5193 @node Decoding Articles
5194 @section Decoding Articles
5195 @cindex decoding articles
5197 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5198 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5201 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5202 * Shared Articles:: Unshar articles.
5203 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5204 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5205 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5208 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5209 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5210 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5211 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5212 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5214 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5215 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5216 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5218 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5219 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5220 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5222 Subjects that are nonstandard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5223 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5224 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5227 @node Uuencoded Articles
5228 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5230 @cindex uuencoded articles
5235 @kindex X u (Summary)
5236 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5237 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5240 @kindex X U (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5242 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5243 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5246 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5248 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5251 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5252 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5253 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5254 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5257 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5258 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5259 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5260 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5261 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5263 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5264 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5265 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5266 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5269 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5270 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5271 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5272 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5273 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5274 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5278 @node Shared Articles
5279 @subsection Shared Articles
5281 @cindex shared articles
5286 @kindex X s (Summary)
5287 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5288 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5291 @kindex X S (Summary)
5292 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5293 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5296 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5297 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5298 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5301 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5302 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5303 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5304 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5308 @node PostScript Files
5309 @subsection PostScript Files
5315 @kindex X p (Summary)
5316 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5317 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5320 @kindex X P (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5322 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5323 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5326 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5327 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5328 View the current PostScript series
5329 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5332 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5333 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5334 View and save the current PostScript series
5335 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5339 @node Decoding Variables
5340 @subsection Decoding Variables
5342 Adjective, not verb.
5345 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5346 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5347 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5351 @node Rule Variables
5352 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5353 @cindex rule variables
5355 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5356 variables are on the form
5359 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5366 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5367 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5369 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5370 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5373 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5374 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5377 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5378 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5379 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5380 user and default view rules.
5382 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5383 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5384 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5389 @node Other Decode Variables
5390 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5393 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5395 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5396 All functions in this list will be called right each file has been
5397 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5398 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5399 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5403 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5404 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5407 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5408 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5409 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5412 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5413 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5414 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5415 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5416 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5419 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5420 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5421 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5423 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5424 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5425 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5426 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5427 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5430 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5431 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5432 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5434 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5435 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5436 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5437 looking for files to display.
5439 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5440 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5441 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5444 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5445 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5446 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5449 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5450 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5451 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5454 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5455 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5456 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5459 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5460 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5461 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark articles that were
5462 unsuccessfully decoded as unread.
5464 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5465 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5466 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5467 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5469 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5470 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5472 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5473 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5474 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5475 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5477 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5478 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5479 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5480 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5481 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5482 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5483 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5484 simply dropped them.
5489 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5490 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5494 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5495 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5496 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5497 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5498 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5499 for you when you post the article.
5501 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5502 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5503 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5504 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5506 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5507 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5508 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5509 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen are able
5510 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5511 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5512 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5514 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5515 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5516 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5517 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5518 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5519 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5520 Default is @code{t}.
5526 @subsection Viewing Files
5527 @cindex viewing files
5528 @cindex pseudo-articles
5530 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5531 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5532 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5533 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5534 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5535 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5536 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5538 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5539 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5540 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5541 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5543 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5544 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5545 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5547 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5548 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5549 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5550 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5551 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5553 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5554 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5555 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5556 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5557 a list of parameters to that command.
5559 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5560 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5561 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5563 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5564 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5565 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5568 @node Article Treatment
5569 @section Article Treatment
5571 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5572 object of newsreaders are to actually, like, read what people have
5573 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5574 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5575 these articles easier.
5578 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5579 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
5580 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5581 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5582 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5583 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5584 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5588 @node Article Highlighting
5589 @subsection Article Highlighting
5592 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5593 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5598 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5599 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5600 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5603 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5604 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5605 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5606 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5607 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5608 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5609 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5610 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5611 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5612 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5613 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5616 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5617 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5618 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5620 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5623 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5625 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5626 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5627 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5629 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5630 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5631 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
5633 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
5634 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
5635 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
5637 @item gnus-cite-face-list
5638 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
5639 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
5640 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
5641 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
5644 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
5645 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
5646 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
5648 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5649 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
5650 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
5652 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5653 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
5654 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
5655 that it's a citation.
5657 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5658 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
5659 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
5661 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5662 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
5663 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
5665 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
5666 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
5667 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
5668 cited text belonging to the attribution.
5674 @kindex W H s (Summary)
5675 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
5676 @vindex gnus-signature-face
5677 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
5678 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
5679 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
5680 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
5681 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
5687 @node Article Fontisizing
5688 @subsection Article Fontisizing
5690 @cindex article emphasis
5692 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
5693 @kindex W e (Summary)
5694 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
5695 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
5696 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
5697 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
5699 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
5700 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
5701 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
5702 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
5703 that says what regular expression grouping used to find the entire
5704 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
5705 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
5706 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
5710 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
5711 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
5712 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
5715 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
5716 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
5717 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
5718 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
5719 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
5720 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
5721 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
5722 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
5723 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
5724 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
5725 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
5726 @code{gnus-emphasis-undeline-bold}, and
5727 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
5729 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
5730 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
5731 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
5735 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
5739 @node Article Hiding
5740 @subsection Article Hiding
5741 @cindex article hiding
5743 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
5744 too much cruft in most articles.
5749 @kindex W W a (Summary)
5750 @findex gnus-article-hide
5751 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
5754 @kindex W W h (Summary)
5755 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
5756 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
5760 @kindex W W b (Summary)
5761 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
5762 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
5763 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
5766 @kindex W W s (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
5768 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
5772 @kindex W W p (Summary)
5773 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
5774 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}).
5777 @kindex W W P (Summary)
5778 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
5779 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) gruft
5780 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
5783 @kindex W W c (Summary)
5784 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
5785 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
5786 customizing the hiding:
5790 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5791 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
5792 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
5793 50), hide the cited text.
5795 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5796 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
5797 The cited text must be have at least this length (default 10) before it
5800 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5801 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
5802 Gnus adds buttons show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
5803 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
5804 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
5809 Start point of the hidden text.
5811 End point of the hidden text.
5813 Length of the hidden text.
5816 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
5817 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
5818 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
5823 @kindex W W C (Summary)
5824 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
5825 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
5826 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
5827 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
5828 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
5832 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
5833 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
5834 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
5836 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
5837 citation customization.
5840 @node Article Washing
5841 @subsection Article Washing
5843 @cindex article washing
5845 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
5846 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
5848 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
5849 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
5855 @kindex W l (Summary)
5856 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
5857 Remove page breaks from the current article
5858 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
5861 @kindex W r (Summary)
5862 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
5863 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
5864 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
5867 @kindex W t (Summary)
5868 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
5869 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
5870 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
5873 @kindex W v (Summary)
5874 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
5875 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
5876 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
5879 @kindex W m (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
5881 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
5882 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
5885 @kindex W o (Summary)
5886 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
5887 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
5890 @kindex W w (Summary)
5891 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
5892 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
5893 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
5894 late and certainly after any highlighting.
5897 @kindex W c (Summary)
5898 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
5899 Remove CR (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
5902 @kindex W q (Summary)
5903 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
5904 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
5907 @kindex W f (Summary)
5909 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
5910 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
5911 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
5912 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
5913 Look for and display any X-Face headers
5914 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
5915 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
5916 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
5917 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
5918 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
5919 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
5920 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
5921 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
5922 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
5923 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
5924 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
5925 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
5926 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
5930 @kindex W b (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
5932 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
5935 @kindex W B (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
5937 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
5938 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
5941 @kindex W E l (Summary)
5942 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
5943 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
5944 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
5947 @kindex W E m (Summary)
5948 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
5949 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
5950 lines with a single empty line.
5951 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
5954 @kindex W E t (Summary)
5955 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
5956 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
5957 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
5960 @kindex W E a (Summary)
5961 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
5962 Do all the three commands above
5963 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
5968 @node Article Buttons
5969 @subsection Article Buttons
5972 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
5973 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
5974 with the minimum of fuzz.
5976 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
5977 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
5978 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
5983 @item gnus-button-alist
5984 @vindex gnus-button-alist
5985 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
5988 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
5994 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
5995 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that match embedded URLs:
5996 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
5999 Gnus has to know which parts of the match is to be highlighted. This is
6000 a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp that is to be
6001 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6004 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6005 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6006 avoid false matches.
6009 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6012 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6013 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6017 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6020 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6023 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6024 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6025 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6026 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6027 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6030 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6033 @var{header} is a regular expression.
6035 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6036 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6037 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6038 default values of the variables above.
6040 @item gnus-article-button-face
6041 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6042 Face used on buttons.
6044 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6045 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6046 Face is used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6052 @subsection Article Date
6054 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6055 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6056 when the article was sent.
6061 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6062 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6063 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6064 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6067 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6068 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6069 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6072 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6073 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6074 Say how much time has (e)lapsed between the article was posted and now
6075 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
6078 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6079 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6080 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6081 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and is
6082 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6083 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6084 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6089 @node Article Signature
6090 @subsection Article Signature
6092 @cindex article signature
6094 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6095 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6096 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6097 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6098 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6099 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6100 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6101 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6102 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6105 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6106 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6107 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6108 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6109 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6110 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6111 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6112 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6115 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6118 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6119 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6124 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6127 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6130 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6131 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6133 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6134 in question is not a signature.
6137 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6141 @node Article Commands
6142 @section Article Commands
6149 @kindex A P (Summary)
6150 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6151 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6152 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}).
6157 @node Summary Sorting
6158 @section Summary Sorting
6159 @cindex summary sorting
6161 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6162 can't really see why you'd want that.
6167 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6168 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6169 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6172 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6174 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6177 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6179 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6182 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6183 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6184 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6187 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6188 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6189 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6192 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6193 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6194 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6197 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6198 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6199 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6200 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6201 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6205 @node Finding the Parent
6206 @section Finding the Parent
6207 @cindex parent articles
6208 @cindex referring articles
6210 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6212 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6213 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6214 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6215 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6216 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6217 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6218 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6219 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6221 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6222 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6223 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6224 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6225 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6228 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6229 @kindex A R (Summary)
6230 You can have Gnus fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References}
6231 header of the article by pushing @kbd{A R}
6232 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6234 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6235 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6237 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6238 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6239 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6240 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6241 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6242 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6243 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6245 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6246 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6247 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6248 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6249 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the same
6250 as the one that keeps the spool you are reading from updated, but that's
6251 not really necessary.
6253 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6254 not do a particularly excellent job of it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6255 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6256 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6257 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6258 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6261 @node Alternative Approaches
6262 @section Alternative Approaches
6264 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6265 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6268 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6269 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6274 @subsection Pick and Read
6275 @cindex pick and read
6277 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{nn}) use a two-phased
6278 reading interface. The user first marks the articles she wants to read
6279 from a summary buffer. Then she starts reading the articles with just
6280 an article buffer displayed.
6282 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6283 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6284 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6285 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6286 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6287 it makes one additional command for switching to the summary buffer
6290 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6295 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6296 Pick the article on the current line
6297 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6298 go to the article on that line and pick that article. (The line number
6299 is normally displayed on the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6302 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6303 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6304 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6305 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6309 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6310 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6314 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6315 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6319 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6320 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6324 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6325 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6329 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6330 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6334 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6335 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6339 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6340 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6344 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6345 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6349 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6350 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6354 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6355 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6359 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6360 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6361 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6362 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6363 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6364 will still be visible when you are reading.
6368 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6371 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6374 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6375 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6377 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6378 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6379 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6381 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6382 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different than the
6383 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6384 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6385 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6386 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6387 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6391 @subsection Binary Groups
6392 @cindex binary groups
6394 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6395 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6396 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6397 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6398 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6399 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6400 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6403 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6404 In fact, the only way to see the actual articles if you have turned this
6405 mode on is the @kbd{g} command (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6407 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6408 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6412 @section Tree Display
6415 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6416 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6417 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6418 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6421 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6424 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6425 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6426 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6428 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6429 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6430 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6431 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of legal specs, @pxref{Summary
6434 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6435 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6436 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6437 default is @code{modeline}.
6439 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6440 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6441 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6442 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6443 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6444 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6445 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6451 The name of the poster.
6453 The @code{From} header.
6455 The number of the article.
6457 The opening bracket.
6459 The closing bracket.
6464 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6466 Variables related to the display are:
6469 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6470 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6471 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6472 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6473 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6474 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6476 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6477 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6478 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6479 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6483 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6484 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6485 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6486 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6487 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6488 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}.
6490 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6491 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6492 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6493 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6494 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6495 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6496 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6500 Here's and example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6503 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6513 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6517 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6518 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6520 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6522 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6528 @node Mail Group Commands
6529 @section Mail Group Commands
6530 @cindex mail group commands
6532 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
6533 illegal in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
6535 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
6536 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6541 @kindex B e (Summary)
6542 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
6543 Expire all expirable articles in the group
6544 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
6547 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
6548 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
6549 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
6550 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
6551 articles that are eligible for expiry in the current group will
6552 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
6555 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
6556 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
6557 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
6558 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
6559 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
6562 @kindex B m (Summary)
6564 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
6565 Move the article from one mail group to another
6566 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6569 @kindex B c (Summary)
6571 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
6572 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
6573 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
6576 @kindex B C (Summary)
6577 @cindex crosspost mail
6578 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
6579 Crosspost the current article to some other group
6580 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
6581 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
6582 be properly updated.
6585 @kindex B i (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
6587 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
6588 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
6589 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
6592 @kindex B r (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
6594 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
6598 @kindex B w (Summary)
6600 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
6601 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
6602 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
6603 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
6604 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}).
6607 @kindex B q (Summary)
6608 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
6609 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
6610 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
6611 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
6614 @kindex B p (Summary)
6615 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
6616 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
6617 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
6618 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
6619 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
6620 article from your news server (or rather, from
6621 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
6622 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
6623 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
6624 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
6625 just not have arrived yet.
6629 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
6630 @cindex moving articles
6631 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
6632 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
6633 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
6634 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
6635 suggestions you find reasonable.
6638 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
6639 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
6640 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
6641 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
6645 @node Various Summary Stuff
6646 @section Various Summary Stuff
6649 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
6650 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
6651 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
6652 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
6656 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
6657 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
6658 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
6660 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
6661 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
6662 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
6663 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
6664 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
6665 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
6668 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6669 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
6670 Is is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
6671 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
6672 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
6677 @node Summary Group Information
6678 @subsection Summary Group Information
6683 @kindex H f (Summary)
6684 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
6685 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
6686 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
6687 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
6688 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
6689 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
6690 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
6691 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} probably will be used for
6695 @kindex H d (Summary)
6696 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
6697 Give a brief description of the current group
6698 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
6699 rereading the description from the server.
6702 @kindex H h (Summary)
6703 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
6704 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
6705 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
6708 @kindex H i (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-info-find-node
6710 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
6714 @node Searching for Articles
6715 @subsection Searching for Articles
6720 @kindex M-s (Summary)
6721 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
6722 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
6723 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
6726 @kindex M-r (Summary)
6727 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
6728 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
6729 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
6733 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
6734 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
6735 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
6736 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}).
6739 @kindex M-& (Summary)
6740 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
6741 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
6742 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
6745 @node Summary Generation Commands
6746 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
6751 @kindex Y g (Summary)
6752 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
6753 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
6756 @kindex Y c (Summary)
6757 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
6758 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
6759 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
6764 @node Really Various Summary Commands
6765 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
6770 @kindex C-d (Summary)
6771 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
6772 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
6773 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
6774 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
6775 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
6776 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
6777 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages on
6778 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
6782 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
6783 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
6784 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
6785 several documents into one biiig group
6786 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
6787 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
6788 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
6789 command understands the process/prefix convention
6790 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6793 @kindex C-t (Summary)
6794 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
6795 Toggle truncation of summary lines
6796 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
6797 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
6798 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
6802 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
6803 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
6804 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
6809 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
6810 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
6811 @cindex summary exit
6812 @cindex exiting groups
6814 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
6815 group and return you to the group buffer.
6821 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
6823 @findex gnus-summary-exit
6824 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
6825 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
6826 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
6827 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
6828 called before doing much of the exiting, and calls
6829 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
6830 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exiting
6835 @kindex Z E (Summary)
6837 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
6838 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
6839 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
6843 @kindex Z c (Summary)
6845 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
6846 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
6847 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
6850 @kindex Z C (Summary)
6851 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
6852 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
6853 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
6856 @kindex Z n (Summary)
6857 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
6858 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
6859 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
6862 @kindex Z R (Summary)
6863 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
6864 Exit this group, and then enter it again
6865 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
6866 all articles, both read and unread.
6870 @kindex Z G (Summary)
6871 @kindex M-g (Summary)
6872 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
6873 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
6874 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
6875 articles, both read and unread.
6878 @kindex Z N (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
6880 Exit the group and go to the next group
6881 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
6884 @kindex Z P (Summary)
6885 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
6886 Exit the group and go to the previous group
6887 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
6890 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
6891 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
6894 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
6895 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
6896 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
6897 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
6898 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
6899 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
6900 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
6901 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
6902 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
6903 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
6904 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
6905 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
6907 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
6909 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
6910 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
6911 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
6912 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
6913 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
6914 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
6915 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
6916 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
6917 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
6920 @node Crosspost Handling
6921 @section Crosspost Handling
6925 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
6926 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
6927 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
6928 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
6929 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
6930 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
6933 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
6934 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
6935 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
6936 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
6937 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
6939 @cindex cross-posting
6942 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
6943 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
6944 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
6945 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
6946 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
6947 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
6948 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
6949 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
6950 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
6951 the cross reference mechanism.
6953 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
6954 @cindex overview.fmt
6955 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
6956 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
6957 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
6958 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
6959 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
6960 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
6963 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
6964 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
6965 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
6970 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6973 @node Duplicate Suppression
6974 @section Duplicate Suppression
6976 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
6977 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
6978 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
6979 approach may not work satisfactorily for some users for various
6984 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
6985 is evil and not very common.
6988 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
6989 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
6992 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
6993 different @sc{nntp} servers.
6996 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
6999 I'm sure there are other situations that @code{Xref} handling fails as
7000 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7002 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7003 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7004 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7005 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7006 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7007 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7008 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7011 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7012 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7013 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7014 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7015 article as read the the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7019 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7020 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7021 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7023 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7024 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7025 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7026 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7027 However, this means that only duplicate articles that is read in a
7028 single Gnus session are suppressed.
7030 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7031 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7032 This variables says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7033 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7035 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7036 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7037 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list. The
7038 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7041 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7042 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7043 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7044 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7045 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7046 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7047 to you to figure out, I think.
7050 @node The Article Buffer
7051 @chapter The Article Buffer
7052 @cindex article buffer
7054 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7055 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7056 tell Gnus otherwise.
7059 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7060 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7061 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7062 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7063 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7067 @node Hiding Headers
7068 @section Hiding Headers
7069 @cindex hiding headers
7070 @cindex deleting headers
7072 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7073 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7075 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7076 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7077 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7078 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7079 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7080 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7081 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7082 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7083 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7085 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7089 @item gnus-visible-headers
7090 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7091 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7092 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7093 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7095 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7096 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7099 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7102 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
7105 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7106 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7107 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7108 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7109 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7110 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7112 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7113 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7116 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7119 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers that are to
7122 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7123 variable will have no effect.
7127 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7128 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7129 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7130 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7131 the headers are to be displayed.
7133 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7134 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7137 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7140 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7141 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers that
7142 are listed in this variable.
7144 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7145 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7146 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7147 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7148 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7149 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7150 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7151 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7152 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7154 These conditions are:
7157 Remove all empty headers.
7159 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7162 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7163 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7165 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7168 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7172 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7175 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7176 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7179 This is also the default value for this variable.
7183 @section Using @sc{mime}
7186 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7187 while people stand around yawning.
7189 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7190 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7192 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7193 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7194 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7196 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7197 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7198 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7199 @findex metamail-buffer
7200 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7201 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7202 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7203 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7204 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7205 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7206 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7207 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7209 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7210 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7211 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7212 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7213 comes streaming out out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7214 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7215 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7216 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7217 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7219 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7222 @node Customizing Articles
7223 @section Customizing Articles
7224 @cindex article customization
7226 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7227 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7228 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7229 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7231 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7232 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7233 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7234 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7235 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7236 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7237 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7238 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7239 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7241 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7242 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7243 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7244 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7245 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7248 @node Article Keymap
7249 @section Article Keymap
7251 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7252 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7253 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7254 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7257 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7262 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7263 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7264 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7267 @kindex DEL (Article)
7268 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7269 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7272 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7273 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7274 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7275 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7276 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7279 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7280 @findex gnus-article-mail
7281 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7282 given a prefix, include the mail.
7286 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7287 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7288 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7292 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7293 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7294 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7297 @kindex TAB (Article)
7298 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7299 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}. This
7300 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7303 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7304 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7305 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}.
7311 @section Misc Article
7315 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7316 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7317 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7318 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7321 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7322 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7323 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7324 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7325 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7326 the contents of the article buffer.
7328 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7329 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7330 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7331 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7332 hiding headers, and the like.
7334 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7335 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7336 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7338 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7339 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7340 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7341 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7343 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7344 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7345 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7346 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7347 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7351 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7352 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7356 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7358 @item gnus-break-pages
7359 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7360 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7361 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7362 paging will not be done.
7364 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7365 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7366 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7371 @node Composing Messages
7372 @chapter Composing Messages
7377 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7378 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7379 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7380 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7381 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7382 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7383 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7386 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7387 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7388 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7389 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7390 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7391 @c * Posting Styles:: An easier way to configure some key elements.
7392 @c * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7393 @c * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7396 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7397 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7403 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7406 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7407 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7408 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7409 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7417 Variables for composing news articles:
7420 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7421 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7422 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7423 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7424 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7425 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to sent the
7426 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7427 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7428 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7431 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7432 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7433 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7434 file. It is 1000 by default.
7439 @node Posting Server
7440 @section Posting Server
7442 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7443 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7445 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7447 @vindex gnus-post-method
7449 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7450 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7451 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7452 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7453 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7456 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7459 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7460 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7461 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7462 the ``current'' server for posting.
7464 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7465 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7467 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7468 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7473 @section Mail and Post
7475 Here's a list of variables that are relevant to both mailing and
7479 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7480 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7481 @cindex mailing lists
7483 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists that are
7484 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7485 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7486 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7487 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7488 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that match the groups that
7489 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7490 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7491 still a pain, though.
7495 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
7496 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
7497 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
7500 @findex ispell-message
7502 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
7506 @node Archived Messages
7507 @section Archived Messages
7508 @cindex archived messages
7509 @cindex sent messages
7511 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail you send.
7512 The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to store
7513 the mail. If you want to disable this completely, you should set
7514 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}.
7516 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
7517 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
7518 use to store sent messages. The default is:
7522 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
7525 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
7526 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
7527 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
7528 directory chosen, you could say something like:
7531 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
7532 '(nnfolder "archive"
7533 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
7534 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
7535 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
7538 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
7540 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
7541 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
7542 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
7544 This variable can be:
7548 Messages will be saved in that group.
7549 @item a list of strings
7550 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
7551 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
7552 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
7554 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
7559 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
7561 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
7564 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
7566 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
7569 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
7571 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7572 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
7573 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
7574 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
7579 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7580 '((if (message-news-p)
7585 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
7586 messages in one file per month:
7589 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
7590 '((if (message-news-p)
7592 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
7593 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
7596 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
7597 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
7598 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
7599 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
7600 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
7601 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
7602 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
7603 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
7604 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
7605 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
7607 That's the default method of archiving sent mail. Gnus also a different
7608 way for the people who don't like the default method. In that case you
7609 should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil}; this will
7612 XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
7613 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.
7616 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
7617 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
7618 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
7619 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
7620 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
7623 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
7624 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
7625 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
7630 @c @node Posting Styles
7631 @c @section Posting Styles
7632 @c @cindex posting styles
7635 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
7637 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
7638 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
7639 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
7642 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
7643 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
7644 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
7645 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
7646 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
7651 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
7652 @c (organization . "What me?"))
7654 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
7655 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
7656 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
7659 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
7660 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
7661 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
7662 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
7663 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
7664 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
7665 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
7666 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
7668 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
7669 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
7670 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
7671 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
7672 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
7673 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
7676 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
7677 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
7678 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
7679 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
7680 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
7683 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
7684 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
7685 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
7687 @c So here's a new example:
7690 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
7692 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
7693 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
7694 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
7695 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
7697 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
7698 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
7699 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
7700 @c (posting-from-work-p
7701 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
7702 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
7703 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
7705 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
7712 @c If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
7713 @c you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
7714 @c craazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save the
7715 @c message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some other
7716 @c day, and send it when you feel its finished.
7718 @c Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
7719 @c some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
7720 @c automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
7721 @c If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
7722 @c article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
7726 @c @vindex gnus-draft-group-directory
7727 @c The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
7728 @c @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
7729 @c @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{gnus-draft-group-directory}
7730 @c controls both the name of the group and the location---the leaf element
7731 @c in the path will be used as the name of the group. What makes this
7732 @c group special is that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any
7733 @c articles as read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
7735 @c If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
7738 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
7739 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
7740 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
7741 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
7742 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
7743 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
7744 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
7745 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
7746 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
7747 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
7748 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
7749 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
7750 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
7751 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
7753 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
7754 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
7755 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
7757 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-draft
7758 @c @kindex S D c (Summary)
7759 @c When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
7760 @c draft group and push @kbd{S D c} (@code{gnus-summary-send-draft}) to do
7761 @c that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
7763 @c Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
7766 @c @findex gnus-summary-send-all-drafts
7767 @c If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
7768 @c doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{S D a} command
7769 @c (@code{gnus-summary-send-all-drafts}). This command understands the
7770 @c process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7773 @c @node Rejected Articles
7774 @c @section Rejected Articles
7775 @c @cindex rejected articles
7777 @c Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
7778 @c doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
7779 @c @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
7780 @c Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
7782 @c These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
7783 @c (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
7784 @c fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
7785 @c you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
7786 @c articles until some later time when the server feels better.
7788 @c The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
7789 @c (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
7790 @c typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
7793 @node Select Methods
7794 @chapter Select Methods
7795 @cindex foreign groups
7796 @cindex select methods
7798 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group that is not read by the usual (or
7799 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
7800 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
7801 personal mail group.
7803 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
7804 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
7805 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
7806 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
7807 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
7808 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
7810 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
7811 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
7813 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
7816 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
7817 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
7818 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
7819 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
7820 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
7822 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
7825 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
7826 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
7827 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
7828 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
7829 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
7833 @node The Server Buffer
7834 @section The Server Buffer
7836 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
7837 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
7838 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
7839 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
7840 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
7841 backend represents a virtual server.
7843 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
7844 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
7845 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
7846 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
7848 These select methods specifications can sometimes become quite
7849 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
7850 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
7851 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
7852 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
7853 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
7854 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
7856 To enter the server buffer, user the @kbd{^}
7857 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
7860 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
7861 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
7862 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
7863 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
7864 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
7865 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
7868 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
7869 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
7872 @node Server Buffer Format
7873 @subsection Server Buffer Format
7874 @cindex server buffer format
7876 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
7877 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
7878 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
7879 variable, with some simple extensions:
7884 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
7887 The name of this server.
7890 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
7893 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
7896 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
7897 The mode line can also be customized by using the
7898 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
7909 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
7912 @node Server Commands
7913 @subsection Server Commands
7914 @cindex server commands
7920 @findex gnus-server-add-server
7921 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
7925 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
7926 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
7929 @kindex SPACE (Server)
7930 @findex gnus-server-read-server
7931 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
7935 @findex gnus-server-exit
7936 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
7940 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
7941 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
7945 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
7946 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
7950 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
7951 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
7955 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
7956 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
7960 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
7961 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
7962 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
7967 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
7968 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
7969 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
7970 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
7975 @node Example Methods
7976 @subsection Example Methods
7978 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
7981 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
7984 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
7990 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
7991 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
7994 After these two elements, there may be a arbitrary number of
7995 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
7997 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
7998 port 15 from that machine. This is what the select method should
8002 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8005 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8006 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example.
8008 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8009 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8010 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8014 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8017 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8020 Here's the method for a public spool:
8024 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8025 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8028 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8029 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8030 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8031 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8032 should probably look something like this:
8036 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8037 (nntp-open-server-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8038 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8039 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8040 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8045 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8046 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8048 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8049 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8051 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8052 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8053 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8055 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8057 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8058 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8059 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8060 will contain the following:
8070 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8071 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8072 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8075 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8076 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8077 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8080 @node Servers and Methods
8081 @subsection Servers and Methods
8083 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8084 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8085 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8086 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8090 @node Unavailable Servers
8091 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8093 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8094 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8095 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8096 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8097 actually the case or not.
8099 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8100 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to the server
8101 @samp{nepholococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8102 away from you, the machine is quite, so it takes 1 minute just to find
8103 out that it refuses connection from you today. If Gnus were to attempt
8104 to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't attempt to do
8105 that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'', it will
8106 regard that server as ``down''.
8108 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8109 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8111 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8112 with the following commands:
8118 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8119 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8120 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8124 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8125 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8126 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8130 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8131 Mark the current server as unreachable
8132 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8135 @kindex M-o (Server)
8136 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8137 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8138 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8141 @kindex M-c (Server)
8142 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8143 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8144 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8148 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8149 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from all servers
8150 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8156 @section Getting News
8157 @cindex reading news
8158 @cindex news backends
8160 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8161 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8162 or it can read from a local spool.
8165 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8166 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8171 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8174 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8175 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8176 server as the, uhm, address.
8178 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8179 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8180 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8181 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8183 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8184 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8185 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8187 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8192 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8193 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8194 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8196 @cindex authentification
8197 @cindex nntp authentification
8198 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8199 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8200 @code{nntp-server-opened-hook} is run after a connection has been made.
8201 It can be used to send commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has
8202 been contacted. By default is sends the command @code{MODE READER} to
8203 the server with the @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function.
8205 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8206 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8207 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8208 server. Available functions include:
8211 @item nntp-send-authinfo
8212 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8213 This function will used you current login name as the user name and will
8214 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
8216 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8217 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8218 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
8220 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8221 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8222 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8223 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
8226 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8227 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8228 This is an list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8229 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8230 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8233 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8237 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8239 The default value is
8242 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8243 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8246 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8247 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8249 @item nntp-maximum-request
8250 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8251 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8252 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8253 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8254 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8255 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8256 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8258 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8259 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8260 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8261 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8262 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8263 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8264 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8265 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8266 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8267 no timeouts are done.
8269 @item nntp-command-timeout
8270 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8271 @cindex PPP connections
8272 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8273 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8274 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8275 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8276 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8277 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8278 then, if it sits waiting longer than that number of seconds for a reply
8279 from the server, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8280 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8281 likely number is 30 seconds.
8283 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8284 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8285 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8286 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8289 @item nntp-server-hook
8290 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8291 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8294 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8295 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8296 @item nntp-open-server-function
8297 @vindex nntp-open-server-function
8298 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Two pre-made
8299 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8300 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8301 is @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an rlogin on the remote system,
8302 and then does a telnet to the @sc{nntp} server available there.
8304 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8305 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8306 If you use @code{nntp-open-rlogin} as the
8307 @code{nntp-open-server-function}, this list will be used as the
8308 parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8310 @item nntp-end-of-line
8311 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8312 String to use as end-of-line markers when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8313 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8314 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8316 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8317 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8318 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8322 @vindex nntp-address
8323 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8325 @item nntp-port-number
8326 @vindex nntp-port-number
8327 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8330 @item nntp-buggy-select
8331 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8332 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8334 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8335 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8336 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8337 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks whether @sc{nov}
8338 can be used automatically.
8340 @item nntp-xover-commands
8341 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8344 List of strings that are used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8345 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8349 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8350 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8351 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8352 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8353 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8354 lines that you do not want, and will not use. This variable says how
8355 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8356 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8357 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8358 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8359 @code{nntp} will never split requests.
8361 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8362 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8363 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8365 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8366 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8367 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8368 server closes connection.
8374 @subsection News Spool
8378 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8379 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8380 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8383 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8384 anything else) as the address.
8386 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8387 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8388 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8389 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8393 @item nnspool-inews-program
8394 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8395 Program used to post an article.
8397 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8398 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8399 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8401 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8402 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8403 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8404 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8406 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8407 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
8408 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
8409 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
8411 @item nnspool-lib-dir
8412 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
8413 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
8415 @item nnspool-active-file
8416 @vindex nnspool-active-file
8417 The path of the active file.
8419 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
8420 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
8421 The path of the group descriptions file.
8423 @item nnspool-history-file
8424 @vindex nnspool-history-file
8425 The path of the news history file.
8427 @item nnspool-active-times-file
8428 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
8429 The path of the active date file.
8431 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
8432 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
8433 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
8436 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8437 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
8439 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
8440 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
8441 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
8447 @section Getting Mail
8448 @cindex reading mail
8451 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
8455 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
8456 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
8457 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
8458 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
8459 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
8460 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
8461 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
8462 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
8463 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
8464 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
8465 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
8469 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
8470 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
8472 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
8473 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
8474 and things will happen automatically.
8476 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a one file per
8477 mail backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
8480 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
8481 '((nnml "private")))
8484 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
8485 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
8486 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
8487 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
8488 like any other group.
8490 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
8493 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8494 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8495 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8499 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
8500 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
8501 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
8504 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
8505 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though,
8506 especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
8509 @node Splitting Mail
8510 @subsection Splitting Mail
8511 @cindex splitting mail
8512 @cindex mail splitting
8514 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
8515 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
8516 to be split into groups.
8519 (setq nnmail-split-methods
8520 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
8521 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
8525 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
8526 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
8527 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
8528 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
8529 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
8531 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
8532 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
8535 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
8536 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
8537 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
8538 mail belongs in that group.
8540 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
8541 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any
8542 mails that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps.
8544 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
8545 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
8546 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
8547 message. The function should return a list of groups names that it
8548 thinks should carry this mail message.
8550 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent
8551 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
8552 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
8553 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
8555 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
8556 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
8557 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
8558 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
8559 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
8561 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
8564 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
8565 the crossposted articles. However, not all files systems support hard
8566 links. If that's the case for you, set
8567 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
8568 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
8570 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
8571 @kindex nnmail-split-history
8572 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
8573 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
8575 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
8576 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
8577 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
8578 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
8579 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
8580 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
8581 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
8582 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
8586 @node Mail Backend Variables
8587 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
8589 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
8593 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8594 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
8595 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
8596 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
8598 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
8599 @item nnmail-spool-file
8603 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
8604 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
8605 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
8606 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
8607 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
8608 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
8609 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
8610 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
8611 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
8612 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
8613 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
8614 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
8615 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
8616 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
8617 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
8619 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
8620 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
8623 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
8624 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
8625 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
8626 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
8627 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
8628 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
8630 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
8631 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8632 @item nnmail-use-procmail
8633 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
8634 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
8635 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
8636 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
8639 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
8640 @item nnmail-crash-box
8641 When the mail backends read a spool file, it is first moved to this
8642 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
8643 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
8646 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8647 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
8648 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
8649 used for, well, anything, really.
8651 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
8652 @item nnmail-split-hook
8653 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
8654 @findex RFC1522 decoding
8655 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
8656 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
8657 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
8658 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
8659 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{article-decode-rfc1522}
8660 is one likely function to add to this hook.
8662 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8663 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8664 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8665 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
8666 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
8667 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
8668 starting to handle the new mail) and
8669 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
8670 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
8671 default file modes the new mail files get:
8674 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
8675 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
8677 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
8678 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
8681 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
8682 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
8683 This variable says where to move the incoming mail to while processing
8684 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
8685 inhabits (i.e., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
8686 it will be used instead.
8688 @item nnmail-movemail-program
8689 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
8690 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
8691 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
8693 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
8694 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
8697 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
8698 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
8699 @cindex incoming mail files
8700 @cindex deleting incoming files
8701 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
8702 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{nil} by
8703 default for reasons of security.
8705 Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
8706 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
8707 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point.) By not deleting the
8708 Incoming* files, one can be sure to not lose mail -- if Gnus totally
8709 whacks out, one can always recover what was lost.
8711 Delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
8713 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
8714 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
8715 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
8716 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories like
8717 @file{mail.misc/}. If it is @code{nil}, the same group will end up in
8720 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
8721 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
8723 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
8728 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
8729 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
8730 @cindex mail splitting
8731 @cindex fancy mail splitting
8733 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
8734 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
8735 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
8736 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
8737 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
8738 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
8740 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
8743 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
8744 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
8745 ;; from real errors.
8746 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
8748 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
8749 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
8750 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
8751 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
8752 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
8753 ;; Other mailing lists...
8754 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
8755 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
8757 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen"))
8758 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
8762 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
8763 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
8764 the five possible split syntaxes:
8769 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
8772 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8773 element is a string, then that means that if header FIELD (a regexp)
8774 contains VALUE (also a regexp), then store the message as specified by
8778 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8779 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
8780 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
8781 be stored in one or more groups.
8784 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
8785 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
8788 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
8789 this message anywhere.
8792 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
8793 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
8794 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
8799 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
8800 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
8801 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
8802 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
8803 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
8805 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
8806 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
8807 are expanded as specified by the variable
8808 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
8809 the car of the cells contains the key, and the cdr contains a string.
8811 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
8812 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
8813 when all this splitting is performed.
8815 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
8816 information in the headers, you can say things like:
8819 (any "debian-\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
8822 That is, do @code{replace-match}-like substitions in the group names.
8825 @node Mail and Procmail
8826 @subsection Mail and Procmail
8831 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
8832 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
8833 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
8834 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
8835 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
8837 This also means that you probably don't want to set
8838 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
8841 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
8842 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
8843 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends (except
8844 @code{nnmh}) actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
8845 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
8846 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
8848 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) what groups
8851 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example.
8853 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
8854 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
8856 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
8857 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
8858 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
8859 to include all your mail groups.
8861 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
8862 method will be created automatically.
8864 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
8865 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
8866 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
8867 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
8868 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
8869 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
8870 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
8871 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
8873 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
8874 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
8875 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
8876 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
8877 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
8879 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
8880 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directory into an @code{nnmh}
8881 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
8882 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
8883 ever expiring the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is quite,
8886 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
8887 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i. e., the incoming
8888 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
8889 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
8890 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
8893 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
8894 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
8895 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
8896 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
8897 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
8901 @node Incorporating Old Mail
8902 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
8904 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
8905 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
8906 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
8909 Doing so can be quite easy.
8911 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
8912 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
8913 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
8914 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
8915 your @code{nnml} groups.
8921 Go to the group buffer.
8924 Type `G f' and give the path of the mbox file when prompted to create an
8925 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8928 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
8931 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group (@pxref{Setting
8935 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
8936 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
8939 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
8940 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
8941 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
8942 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
8943 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
8945 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
8946 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
8947 using the new mail backend.
8951 @subsection Expiring Mail
8952 @cindex article expiry
8954 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
8955 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
8956 different approach to mail reading.
8958 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
8959 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
8960 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
8961 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
8962 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
8963 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
8966 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
8967 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
8968 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
8969 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
8970 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
8971 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
8972 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
8973 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
8975 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8976 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
8977 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
8978 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
8979 articles that are marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
8980 column in the summary buffer.
8982 Note that making a group auto-expirable don't mean that all read
8983 articles are expired---only the articles that are marked as expirable
8984 will be expired. Also note the using the @kbd{d} command won't make
8985 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
8986 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
8988 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
8989 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
8992 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
8993 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
8996 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
8997 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
8999 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9000 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9001 doesn't really mix very well.
9003 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9004 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9005 expirable article has to live. The default is seven days.
9007 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9008 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9009 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9010 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9013 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9015 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9017 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9019 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9021 ((string= group "important")
9027 The group names that this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9028 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9030 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9031 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can be either a number (not
9032 necessarily an integer) or the symbols @code{immediate} or
9035 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9036 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9038 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9039 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9040 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9041 easier for procmail users.
9043 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9044 By the way, that line up there about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9045 articles is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9046 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9047 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9048 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9049 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9050 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9051 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9052 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9053 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9054 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9055 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9058 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9062 @subsection Washing Mail
9063 @cindex mail washing
9064 @cindex list server brain damage
9065 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9067 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9068 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9069 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9070 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9071 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9072 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9074 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9075 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9076 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9079 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9080 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9081 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9082 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9085 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9086 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9087 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9088 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9091 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9092 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9093 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9094 Emacs running on MS machines.
9098 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9099 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9100 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9101 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9104 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9105 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9106 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9107 headers too make them look nice. Aaah.
9109 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9110 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9111 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9112 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9113 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9114 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9115 also be a list of regexp.
9117 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
9118 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
9121 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
9122 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
9125 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
9126 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
9127 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
9131 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9132 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9133 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
9137 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
9138 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
9139 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
9146 @subsection Duplicates
9148 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
9149 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
9150 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
9151 @cindex duplicate mails
9152 If you are a member of a couple of mailing list, you will sometime
9153 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
9154 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
9155 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
9156 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
9157 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
9158 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
9159 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
9160 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
9161 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
9162 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
9163 will generate a brand new @code{Message-ID} for the mail and insert a
9164 warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks that this is a
9165 duplicate of a different message.
9167 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
9168 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
9169 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
9170 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
9172 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
9175 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
9176 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
9180 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
9181 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
9182 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
9183 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
9184 (any mail "mail.misc")
9191 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9192 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
9197 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
9198 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
9199 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
9200 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
9201 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
9204 @node Not Reading Mail
9205 @subsection Not Reading Mail
9207 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
9208 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
9209 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
9211 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
9212 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
9214 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9215 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9216 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9217 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9218 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9219 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
9220 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
9221 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
9222 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
9223 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
9224 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
9226 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
9227 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
9231 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
9232 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
9234 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
9235 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
9236 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
9239 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
9240 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
9241 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
9242 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
9243 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
9248 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
9250 @cindex unix mail box
9252 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9253 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9254 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
9255 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
9256 which group it belongs in.
9258 Virtual server settings:
9261 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
9262 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9263 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
9265 @item nnmbox-active-file
9266 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9267 The name of the active file for the mail box.
9269 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
9270 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9271 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
9277 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
9281 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9282 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9283 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
9284 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
9285 article to say which group it belongs in.
9287 Virtual server settings:
9290 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
9291 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9292 The name of the rmail mbox file.
9294 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9295 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9296 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9298 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9299 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9300 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9305 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9307 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9309 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9310 format. It should be used with some caution.
9312 @vindex nnml-directory
9313 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files;
9314 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the correct
9315 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9316 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9318 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9321 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9322 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9323 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9324 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9325 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9326 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9327 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9328 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9330 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9331 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9332 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes is the fastest
9333 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9335 Virtual server settings:
9338 @item nnml-directory
9339 @vindex nnml-directory
9340 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9342 @item nnml-active-file
9343 @vindex nnml-active-file
9344 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9346 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9347 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9348 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9351 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9352 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9353 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9355 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9356 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9357 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9359 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9360 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9361 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9363 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9364 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9365 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9369 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9370 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9371 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9372 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9373 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9374 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
9375 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
9380 @subsubsection MH Spool
9382 @cindex mh-e mail spool
9384 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
9385 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
9386 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
9387 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
9389 Virtual server settings:
9392 @item nnmh-directory
9393 @vindex nnmh-directory
9394 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
9396 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
9397 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9398 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
9401 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
9402 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
9403 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
9404 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
9405 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
9406 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
9407 to set this variable to @code{t}.
9412 @subsubsection Mail Folders
9414 @cindex mbox folders
9415 @cindex mail folders
9417 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
9418 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
9419 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
9422 Virtual server settings:
9425 @item nnfolder-directory
9426 @vindex nnfolder-directory
9427 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
9429 @item nnfolder-active-file
9430 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
9431 The name of the active file.
9433 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9434 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
9435 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
9437 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
9438 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9439 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
9442 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
9443 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
9444 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
9445 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
9446 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
9447 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
9451 @section Other Sources
9453 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
9454 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
9458 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
9459 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
9460 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
9461 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
9462 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
9463 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
9467 @node Directory Groups
9468 @subsection Directory Groups
9470 @cindex directory groups
9472 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
9473 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
9476 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp}, that most
9477 wonderful of all wonderful Emacs packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I
9478 didn't think much about it---a backend to read directories. Big deal.
9480 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
9481 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
9482 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the the directory name,
9483 @code{ange-ftp} will actually allow you to read this directory over at
9484 @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
9486 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
9488 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
9489 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
9490 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
9491 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
9494 @node Anything Groups
9495 @subsection Anything Groups
9498 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
9499 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
9500 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
9503 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
9504 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
9505 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
9506 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
9507 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
9508 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
9509 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
9510 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
9511 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
9512 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
9515 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
9516 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
9517 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
9518 in the article buffer, just as usual.
9520 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
9521 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
9522 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
9523 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
9525 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
9526 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
9527 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
9528 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
9529 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
9530 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
9531 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
9532 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
9537 @item nneething-map-file-directory
9538 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
9539 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
9540 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
9542 @item nneething-exclude-files
9543 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
9544 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
9545 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
9547 @item nneething-map-file
9548 @vindex nneething-map-file
9549 Name of the map files.
9553 @node Document Groups
9554 @subsection Document Groups
9556 @cindex documentation group
9559 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
9560 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
9567 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
9572 The standard Unix mbox file.
9574 @cindex MMDF mail box
9576 The MMDF mail box format.
9579 Several news articles appended into a file.
9582 @cindex rnews batch files
9583 The rnews batch transport format.
9584 @cindex forwarded messages
9593 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
9594 @cindex RFC 341 digest
9595 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
9597 @item standard-digest
9598 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
9601 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
9604 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
9605 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
9606 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
9609 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
9610 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
9611 group. And that's it.
9613 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
9614 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
9615 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
9616 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
9617 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
9618 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
9619 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
9620 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
9621 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
9622 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
9624 Virtual server variables:
9627 @item nndoc-article-type
9628 @vindex nndoc-article-type
9629 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
9630 @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{news}, @code{rnews},
9631 @code{mime-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, or @code{guess}.
9633 @item nndoc-post-type
9634 @vindex nndoc-post-type
9635 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
9636 a mail group. There are two legal values: @code{mail} (the default)
9641 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
9645 @node Document Server Internals
9646 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
9648 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
9649 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
9650 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
9651 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
9653 First, here's an example document type definition:
9657 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
9658 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
9661 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
9662 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
9663 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
9664 types can be defined with very few settings:
9668 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
9669 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
9673 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
9674 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
9676 @item head-begin-function
9677 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
9680 @item nndoc-head-begin
9681 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
9684 @item nndoc-head-end
9685 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
9686 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
9688 @item body-begin-function
9689 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
9693 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
9696 @item body-end-function
9697 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
9701 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
9703 @item nndoc-file-end
9704 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
9705 regexp will be totally ignored.
9709 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
9710 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
9711 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
9712 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
9713 something that's palatable for Gnus:
9716 @item prepare-body-function
9717 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
9718 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
9719 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
9721 @item article-transform-function
9722 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
9723 meant to be used how more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
9724 body of the article.
9726 @item generate-head-function
9727 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
9728 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
9729 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
9730 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
9734 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
9739 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9740 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
9741 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
9742 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
9744 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
9745 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
9746 (subtype digest guess))
9749 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
9750 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
9751 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
9752 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
9753 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
9755 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
9756 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
9757 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
9758 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
9759 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for each
9760 type. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
9761 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
9762 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
9763 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
9764 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
9765 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest legal number.
9773 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
9774 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
9775 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
9777 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
9778 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
9779 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
9782 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
9783 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
9784 that interested in doing things properly.
9786 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
9787 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
9790 First some terminology:
9795 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
9796 get news and/or mail from.
9799 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
9800 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
9803 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
9807 @item message packets
9808 These are packets made at the server, and typically contains lots of
9809 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
9810 default, where @var{X} is a number.
9812 @item response packets
9813 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
9814 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
9815 default, where @var{X} is a number.
9825 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
9826 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
9827 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
9828 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
9831 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
9834 You put the packet in your home directory.
9837 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
9838 the native or secondary server.
9841 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
9842 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
9845 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
9849 You transfer this packet to the server.
9852 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
9855 You then repeat until you die.
9859 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
9860 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
9863 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
9864 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
9865 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
9870 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
9872 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
9876 @kindex G s b (Group)
9877 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
9878 Pack all unread articles in the current group
9879 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
9880 process/prefix convention.
9883 @kindex G s w (Group)
9884 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
9885 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
9888 @kindex G s s (Group)
9889 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
9890 Send all replies from the replies packet
9891 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
9894 @kindex G s p (Group)
9895 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
9896 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
9899 @kindex G s r (Group)
9900 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
9901 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
9904 @kindex O s (Summary)
9905 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
9906 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
9907 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
9908 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9913 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
9918 @item gnus-soup-directory
9919 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
9920 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
9921 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
9923 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
9924 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
9925 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
9926 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
9928 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
9929 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
9930 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
9933 @item gnus-soup-packer
9934 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
9935 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9936 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
9938 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
9939 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
9940 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
9941 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
9943 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
9944 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
9945 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
9947 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9948 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
9949 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
9950 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
9956 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
9959 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
9960 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
9961 you can read them at leisure.
9963 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
9967 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
9968 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
9969 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
9970 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
9972 @item nnsoup-directory
9973 @vindex nnsoup-directory
9974 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
9975 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
9977 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
9978 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
9979 All replies will stored in this directory before being packed into a
9980 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
9982 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
9983 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
9984 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
9985 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
9986 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
9988 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
9989 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
9990 The index type of the replies packet. The is @samp{?n}, which means
9991 ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
9993 @item nnsoup-active-file
9994 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
9995 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
9996 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
9997 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
9998 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10000 @item nnsoup-packer
10001 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10002 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10003 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10005 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10006 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10007 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10008 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10010 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10011 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10012 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10015 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10016 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10017 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10024 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10026 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10027 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10028 more for that to happen.
10030 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10031 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10032 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10035 In specific, this is what it does:
10038 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10039 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10042 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10043 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10044 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10048 @subsection Web Searches
10052 @cindex InReference
10053 @cindex Usenet searches
10054 @cindex searching the Usenet
10056 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10057 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10058 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10059 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10060 searches without having to use a browser.
10062 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10063 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10064 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10065 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10066 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10068 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10069 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10070 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10071 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10072 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@code{Duplicate
10073 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10074 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10075 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10076 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10077 header---mark all articles that were posted before the last date you
10078 read the group as read.
10080 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10081 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10082 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10083 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10084 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10085 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10087 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10088 to use @code{nnweb}.
10090 Virtual server variables:
10095 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10096 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
10099 @vindex nnweb-search
10100 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10102 @item nnweb-max-hits
10103 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10104 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10107 @item nnweb-type-definition
10108 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10109 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10110 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
10115 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
10119 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
10122 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
10125 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
10129 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
10136 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
10137 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
10138 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
10141 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
10142 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
10143 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
10145 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
10151 @item nngateway-address
10152 @vindex nngateway-address
10153 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
10155 @item nngateway-header-transformation
10156 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
10157 News headers have often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
10158 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
10159 transformation should be called, and defaults to
10160 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
10161 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
10164 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
10165 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address---an article with this
10166 @code{Newsgroups} header:
10169 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
10172 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
10175 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
10180 So, to use this, simply say something like:
10183 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
10187 @node Combined Groups
10188 @section Combined Groups
10190 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
10194 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
10195 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
10199 @node Virtual Groups
10200 @subsection Virtual Groups
10202 @cindex virtual groups
10204 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
10207 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small group, you can
10208 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
10209 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
10211 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
10212 regexp to match component groups.
10214 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
10215 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
10216 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
10217 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
10218 the virtual group.)
10220 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
10221 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
10224 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
10227 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
10228 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
10230 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
10231 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
10232 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
10233 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
10236 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
10239 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
10240 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
10241 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
10242 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
10243 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}.
10245 One limitation, however---all groups that are included in a virtual
10246 group has to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
10247 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
10249 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
10250 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
10251 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
10252 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
10253 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
10254 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
10255 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
10256 effect if you have two virtual groups that contain the same component
10257 group. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
10258 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
10259 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
10262 @node Kibozed Groups
10263 @subsection Kibozed Groups
10267 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
10268 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
10269 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
10270 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
10272 @kindex G k (Group)
10273 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
10276 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
10277 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
10278 @code{nnkiboze} group. There most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
10279 and @code{nnvirtual} ends.
10281 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
10282 must have a score file to say what articles that are to be included in
10283 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
10285 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
10286 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
10287 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
10288 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
10289 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
10290 all the articles in all the components groups and run them through the
10291 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
10292 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
10294 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
10295 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
10296 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
10297 Stranger things have happened.
10299 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
10300 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
10302 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
10303 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
10304 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
10305 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
10306 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
10307 on what groups that have been searched through to find component
10310 Articles that are marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have their
10311 @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
10318 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
10319 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
10320 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
10323 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
10324 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
10325 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
10326 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
10327 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
10329 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
10330 before generating the summary buffer.
10332 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
10333 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
10334 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
10336 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
10337 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
10338 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
10339 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
10342 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
10343 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
10344 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
10345 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
10346 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
10347 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
10348 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
10349 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
10350 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
10351 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
10352 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
10353 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
10354 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
10355 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
10356 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
10357 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
10361 @node Summary Score Commands
10362 @section Summary Score Commands
10363 @cindex score commands
10365 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
10366 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
10367 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
10368 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
10369 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
10371 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
10372 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
10373 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
10374 score file the current one.
10376 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
10381 @kindex V s (Summary)
10382 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
10383 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
10386 @kindex V S (Summary)
10387 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
10388 Display the score of the current article
10389 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
10392 @kindex V t (Summary)
10393 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
10394 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
10395 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
10398 @kindex V R (Summary)
10399 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
10400 Run the current summary through the scoring process
10401 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
10402 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
10403 effect you're having.
10406 @kindex V a (Summary)
10407 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
10408 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
10409 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
10412 @kindex V c (Summary)
10413 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
10414 Make a different score file the current
10415 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
10418 @kindex V e (Summary)
10419 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
10420 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
10421 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
10425 @kindex V f (Summary)
10426 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
10427 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
10428 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
10431 @kindex V F (Summary)
10432 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10433 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
10434 after editing score files.
10437 @kindex V C (Summary)
10438 @findex gnus-score-customize
10439 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
10440 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
10443 @kindex I C-i (Summary)
10444 @findex gnus-summary-raise-score
10445 Increase the score of the current article
10446 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-score}).
10449 @kindex L C-l (Summary)
10450 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
10451 Lower the score of the current article
10452 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-score}).
10455 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
10460 @kindex V m (Summary)
10461 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
10462 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
10463 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
10466 @kindex V x (Summary)
10467 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
10468 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
10469 expunge all articles below this score
10470 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
10473 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
10474 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
10479 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
10480 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
10482 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
10483 keys are available:
10487 Score on the author name.
10490 Score on the subject line.
10493 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
10496 Score on thread---the References line.
10502 Score on the number of lines.
10505 Score on the Message-ID.
10508 Score on followups.
10518 The third key is the match type. Which match types are legal depends on
10519 what headers you are scoring on.
10531 Substring matching.
10563 Greater than number.
10568 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
10569 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
10570 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
10574 Temporary score entry.
10577 Permanent score entry.
10580 Immediately scoring.
10585 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
10586 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
10587 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
10588 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
10590 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
10591 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
10592 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
10593 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
10594 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
10596 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
10597 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
10598 pretend they are keymaps or not.
10601 @node Group Score Commands
10602 @section Group Score Commands
10603 @cindex group score commands
10605 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
10610 @kindex W f (Group)
10611 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
10612 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
10613 all the time. This command will flush the cache
10614 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
10619 @node Score Variables
10620 @section Score Variables
10621 @cindex score variables
10625 @item gnus-use-scoring
10626 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
10627 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
10628 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
10630 @item gnus-kill-killed
10631 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
10632 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
10633 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
10634 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
10635 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
10636 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
10637 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
10639 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
10640 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
10641 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
10642 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
10643 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
10645 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
10646 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
10647 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
10648 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
10650 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10651 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
10652 @cindex score cache
10653 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
10654 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
10655 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files that are
10656 unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
10657 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
10658 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
10659 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
10662 @item gnus-save-score
10663 @vindex gnus-save-score
10664 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
10665 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
10666 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
10668 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10669 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
10670 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
10671 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
10672 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
10673 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
10674 manually entered data.
10676 @item gnus-summary-default-score
10677 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
10678 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
10680 @item gnus-score-over-mark
10681 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
10682 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
10683 default. Default is @samp{+}.
10685 @item gnus-score-below-mark
10686 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
10687 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
10688 default. Default is @samp{-}.
10690 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10691 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
10692 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
10693 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
10695 Predefined functions available are:
10698 @item gnus-score-find-single
10699 @findex gnus-score-find-single
10700 Only apply the group's own score file.
10702 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
10703 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
10704 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
10705 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
10706 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
10707 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
10708 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
10709 then a regexp match is done.
10711 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
10712 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
10714 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
10715 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
10716 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
10717 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
10719 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10720 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
10721 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
10722 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
10723 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
10726 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
10727 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
10728 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
10729 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
10730 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
10731 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
10734 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
10735 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
10736 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
10737 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
10738 are expired. It's 7 by default.
10740 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10741 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
10742 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
10743 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
10744 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
10745 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
10746 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
10749 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10750 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
10751 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
10756 @node Score File Format
10757 @section Score File Format
10758 @cindex score file format
10760 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
10761 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
10762 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
10764 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
10768 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
10770 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
10772 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
10774 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
10779 (mark-and-expunge -10)
10783 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
10784 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
10785 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
10786 (gnus-summary-make-false-root 'empty))
10790 This example demonstrates absolutely everything about a score file.
10792 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
10793 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
10794 has to be legal syntactically, if not semantically.
10796 Six keys are supported by this alist:
10801 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
10802 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
10803 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
10804 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
10805 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
10806 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
10807 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
10808 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
10809 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
10810 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
10811 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
10812 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
10813 to articles that matches these score entries.
10815 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
10816 score entry has one to four elements.
10820 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
10821 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
10825 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
10826 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
10827 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
10828 is successful. If this element is not present, the
10829 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
10830 instead. This is 1000 by default.
10833 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
10834 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
10835 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
10836 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
10837 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 ce.
10840 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
10841 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
10842 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
10843 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
10846 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
10847 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
10848 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
10849 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
10850 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
10851 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
10852 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
10853 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
10854 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
10855 instead, if you feel like.
10858 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
10859 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
10860 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
10861 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
10862 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
10863 the articles with few lines.
10866 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
10867 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
10868 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
10869 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
10870 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
10871 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
10872 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
10876 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
10877 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
10878 ISO8601 compact format first---@samp{YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS}. If you want to
10879 match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in every year, you
10880 could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string, for instance.
10881 (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so this will
10882 match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where the article
10883 was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the whole
10886 @item Head, Body, All
10887 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
10891 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
10892 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
10893 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
10894 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
10895 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
10896 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
10900 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
10901 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread that is
10902 started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
10903 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
10904 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
10905 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
10906 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
10907 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
10908 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
10909 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread.
10914 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10915 lower than this number will be marked as read.
10918 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10919 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
10921 @item mark-and-expunge
10922 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
10923 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
10926 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
10927 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
10928 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
10929 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
10930 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
10933 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
10934 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
10937 @item exclude-files
10938 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
10939 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
10943 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
10944 ignored when handling global score files.
10947 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
10948 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
10951 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
10952 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
10953 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
10954 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
10956 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
10960 (mark-and-expunge -100)
10963 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
10964 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
10965 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
10966 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
10967 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
10969 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
10970 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
10971 ordinary scoring rules.
10974 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
10975 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
10976 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
10977 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
10978 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
10979 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
10980 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
10981 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
10982 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
10983 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
10984 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
10988 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
10989 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
10990 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
10991 file for a number of groups.
10994 @cindex local variables
10995 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
10996 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
10997 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
10998 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
11003 @node Score File Editing
11004 @section Score File Editing
11006 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
11007 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
11008 with a mode for that.
11010 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
11011 additional commands:
11016 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
11017 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
11018 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
11019 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
11022 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
11023 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
11024 Insert the current date in numerical format
11025 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
11026 you were wondering.
11029 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
11030 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
11031 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
11032 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
11033 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
11038 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
11040 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
11041 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
11043 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
11044 e} to begin editing score files.
11047 @node Adaptive Scoring
11048 @section Adaptive Scoring
11049 @cindex adaptive scoring
11051 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
11052 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
11053 stupidity, to be precise.
11055 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
11056 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
11057 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
11058 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
11059 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
11060 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
11061 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
11062 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
11063 variable to @code{(word line)}.
11065 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
11066 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
11067 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
11068 might look something like this:
11071 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
11072 '((gnus-unread-mark)
11073 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
11074 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
11075 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
11076 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
11077 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
11078 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
11079 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
11080 (gnus-ancient-mark)
11081 (gnus-low-score-mark)
11082 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
11085 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
11086 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
11087 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
11088 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
11089 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
11090 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
11093 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
11094 will be applied to each article.
11096 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
11097 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
11098 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
11099 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
11101 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
11102 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
11103 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
11104 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
11106 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
11107 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
11108 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
11109 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
11111 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
11112 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
11113 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
11114 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
11115 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
11116 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
11118 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
11119 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
11120 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
11121 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
11122 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
11123 aspirins afterwards.)
11125 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
11126 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
11127 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
11129 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
11130 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
11131 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
11133 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
11134 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
11135 let you use different rules in different groups.
11137 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
11138 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
11139 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
11142 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
11143 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
11144 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
11145 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
11146 the length of the match is less than
11147 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
11148 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
11151 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
11152 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
11153 headers. If you adapt on words, the
11154 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
11155 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
11158 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
11159 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
11160 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
11161 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
11162 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
11165 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
11166 word that appears in subjects of articles that are marked with
11167 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
11168 score with 30 points.
11170 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
11171 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
11172 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
11173 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
11174 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
11176 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
11177 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
11178 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
11179 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
11181 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
11182 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
11183 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
11186 @node Home Score File
11187 @section Home Score File
11189 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
11190 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
11191 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
11192 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
11194 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
11195 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
11196 could perhaps use the same home score file.
11198 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
11199 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
11204 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
11208 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
11209 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
11213 A list. The elements in this list can be:
11217 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
11218 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
11221 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
11222 the home score file.
11225 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
11228 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
11233 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
11236 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11237 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
11240 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
11241 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
11244 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11245 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
11248 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
11250 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
11251 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
11252 their own home score files:
11255 (setq gnus-home-score-file
11256 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
11257 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
11258 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
11259 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
11262 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
11263 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
11264 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
11265 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
11266 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
11268 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
11269 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
11270 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
11271 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
11272 precedence over this variable.
11275 @node Followups To Yourself
11276 @section Followups To Yourself
11278 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
11279 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
11280 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
11281 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
11282 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
11283 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
11287 @item gnus-score-followup-article
11288 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
11289 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
11292 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
11293 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
11294 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
11298 @vindex message-sent-hook
11299 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
11300 @code{message-sent-hook}.
11302 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
11303 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
11307 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11308 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
11311 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
11312 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
11317 "<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf@@.*eyesore.no>" 1000 nil r)
11320 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
11321 is system-dependent.
11325 @section Scoring Tips
11326 @cindex scoring tips
11332 @cindex scoring crossposts
11333 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
11334 the @code{Xref} header.
11336 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
11339 @item Multiple crossposts
11340 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
11341 more than, say, 3 groups:
11343 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
11346 @item Matching on the body
11347 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
11348 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
11349 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
11350 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
11351 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
11352 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
11353 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
11356 @item Marking as read
11357 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
11358 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
11359 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
11363 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
11365 @item Negated character classes
11366 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
11367 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
11368 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
11372 @node Reverse Scoring
11373 @section Reverse Scoring
11374 @cindex reverse scoring
11376 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
11377 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
11378 like this in your score file:
11382 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
11387 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
11388 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
11391 @node Global Score Files
11392 @section Global Score Files
11393 @cindex global score files
11395 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
11396 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
11397 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
11399 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
11400 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
11401 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
11403 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
11404 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
11405 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
11406 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
11407 files are applicable to which group.
11409 Say you want to use the score file
11410 @file{/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
11411 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
11414 (setq gnus-global-score-files
11415 '("/ftp@@ftp.ifi.uio.no:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
11416 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
11419 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
11420 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
11421 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
11422 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
11423 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
11425 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
11426 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
11428 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
11429 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
11430 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
11431 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
11432 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
11433 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
11435 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
11441 Articles that are heavily crossposted are probably junk.
11443 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
11445 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
11447 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
11448 lowered out of existence.
11450 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
11451 articles completely.
11454 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
11455 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
11456 old articles for a long time.
11459 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
11460 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
11461 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
11462 holding our breath yet?
11466 @section Kill Files
11469 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
11470 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
11471 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
11473 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
11474 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
11475 files into score files.
11477 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
11478 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
11479 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
11480 that isn't a very good idea.
11482 Normal kill files look like this:
11485 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11486 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
11490 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove them from
11491 the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
11493 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
11494 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
11497 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
11502 @kindex M-k (Summary)
11503 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
11504 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
11507 @kindex M-K (Summary)
11508 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
11509 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
11512 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
11517 @kindex M-k (Group)
11518 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
11519 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
11522 @kindex M-K (Group)
11523 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
11524 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
11527 Kill file variables:
11530 @item gnus-kill-file-name
11531 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
11532 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
11533 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
11534 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
11535 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
11536 course) is called just @file{KILL}.
11538 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11539 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
11540 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
11541 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
11544 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
11545 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
11546 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
11547 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
11548 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
11549 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
11550 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
11551 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
11552 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
11554 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11555 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
11556 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
11561 @node Converting Kill Files
11562 @section Converting Kill Files
11564 @cindex converting kill files
11566 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
11567 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
11568 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
11571 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
11572 You can fetch it from
11573 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
11575 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
11576 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
11577 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
11585 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
11586 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
11587 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
11589 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
11590 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
11591 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
11592 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
11593 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
11594 Once it has found for you some people you agree with it tells you, in
11595 the form of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use
11596 this prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
11600 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
11601 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
11602 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
11603 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
11607 @node Using GroupLens
11608 @subsection Using GroupLens
11610 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
11612 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
11613 better bit in town is at the moment.
11615 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
11619 @item gnus-use-grouplens
11620 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
11621 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
11622 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
11624 @item grouplens-pseudonym
11625 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
11626 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
11627 with the Better Bit Bureau.
11629 @item grouplens-newsgroups
11630 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
11631 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
11635 Thats the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
11636 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
11637 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
11638 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
11639 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
11640 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
11643 @node Rating Articles
11644 @subsection Rating Articles
11646 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
11647 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
11648 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
11649 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
11652 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
11657 @kindex r (GroupLens)
11658 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
11659 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
11662 @kindex k (GroupLens)
11663 @findex grouplens-score-thread
11664 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
11665 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
11666 threads in rec.humor.
11670 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
11671 the score of the article you're reading.
11676 @kindex n (GroupLens)
11677 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
11678 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
11681 @kindex , (GroupLens)
11682 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
11683 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
11687 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
11688 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
11691 @node Displaying Predictions
11692 @subsection Displaying Predictions
11694 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
11695 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
11696 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
11697 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
11698 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
11700 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
11701 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
11702 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
11703 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
11704 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
11705 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
11706 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
11707 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
11708 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
11709 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
11710 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
11711 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
11712 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
11714 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
11715 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
11716 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
11717 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
11719 The following are legal values for that variable.
11722 @item prediction-spot
11723 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
11726 @item confidence-interval
11727 A numeric confidence interval.
11729 @item prediction-bar
11730 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
11732 @item confidence-bar
11733 Numerical confidence.
11735 @item confidence-spot
11736 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
11738 @item prediction-num
11739 Plain-old numeric value.
11741 @item confidence-plus-minus
11742 Prediction +/i confidence.
11747 @node GroupLens Variables
11748 @subsection GroupLens Variables
11752 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
11753 The summary line format used in summary buffers that are GroupLens
11754 enhanced. It accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format
11755 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). The default is
11756 @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
11758 @item grouplens-bbb-host
11759 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
11762 @item grouplens-bbb-port
11763 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
11765 @item grouplens-score-offset
11766 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
11767 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
11770 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
11771 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
11772 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
11777 @node Advanced Scoring
11778 @section Advanced Scoring
11780 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
11781 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
11782 about a particular subject? Or what about if you really don't want to
11783 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
11784 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
11786 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
11790 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
11791 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
11792 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
11796 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
11797 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
11799 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
11800 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
11801 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
11802 non-@code{nil} value.
11804 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
11805 operator, and various match operators.
11812 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11813 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
11814 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
11819 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
11820 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
11821 then this operator will return @code{false}.
11826 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
11827 inverse of the value of its argument.
11831 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
11832 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
11833 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
11834 current article. @code{2-} will make score fules apply to the
11835 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
11836 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) say how far back into
11837 the ancestry you want to go.
11839 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
11840 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
11841 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
11842 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
11843 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
11846 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
11847 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
11849 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
11850 when he's talking about Gnus:
11854 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11855 ("subject" "Gnus"))
11861 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
11865 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11872 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
11873 really don't want to read what he's written:
11877 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11878 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
11882 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
11883 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
11884 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
11891 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
11892 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
11893 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
11894 ("body" "white.*socks"))
11898 The possibilities are endless.
11901 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
11902 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
11904 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
11905 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
11906 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
11907 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
11908 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
11909 (@samp{body}, @code{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
11910 @samp{subject}) first.
11912 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
11913 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
11924 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
11925 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
11931 ("subject" "Gnus")))
11938 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
11939 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
11944 @section Score Decays
11945 @cindex score decays
11948 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
11949 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
11950 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
11951 use them in any sensible way.
11953 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
11954 @findex gnus-decay-score
11955 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
11956 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
11957 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
11958 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
11959 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
11960 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
11961 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
11962 definition of that function:
11965 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
11968 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
11970 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
11972 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
11975 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
11976 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
11977 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
11978 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
11982 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
11985 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
11988 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
11992 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
11993 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
11994 the new score, which should be an integer.
11996 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
11997 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
12004 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
12005 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
12006 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
12007 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
12008 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
12009 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
12010 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
12011 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
12012 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
12013 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
12014 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
12015 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
12016 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
12017 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
12018 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
12022 @node Process/Prefix
12023 @section Process/Prefix
12024 @cindex process/prefix convention
12026 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
12027 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
12029 This is a method for figuring out what articles that the user wants the
12030 command to be performed on.
12034 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
12035 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
12036 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
12037 with the current one.
12039 @vindex transient-mark-mode
12040 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
12041 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
12043 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
12044 process mark, perform the operation on the articles that are marked with
12047 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
12048 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
12050 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
12053 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
12054 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
12055 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
12056 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12058 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
12059 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
12060 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
12061 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
12062 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
12063 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
12064 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
12065 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
12069 @section Interactive
12070 @cindex interaction
12074 @item gnus-novice-user
12075 @vindex gnus-novice-user
12076 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
12077 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
12078 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
12079 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
12082 @item gnus-expert-user
12083 @vindex gnus-expert-user
12084 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
12085 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
12086 matter how strange.
12088 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
12089 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
12090 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
12091 is @code{t} by default.
12093 @item gnus-interactive-exit
12094 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
12095 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
12100 @node Formatting Variables
12101 @section Formatting Variables
12102 @cindex formatting variables
12104 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables that
12105 are called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
12106 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
12107 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
12108 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
12111 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
12112 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
12113 lots of percentages everywhere.
12116 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
12117 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
12118 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
12119 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
12122 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
12123 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
12124 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
12125 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
12126 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
12127 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
12128 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
12129 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
12131 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
12132 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
12134 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
12135 @findex gnus-update-format
12136 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
12137 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
12138 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
12139 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
12143 @node Formatting Basics
12144 @subsection Formatting Basics
12146 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
12147 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
12148 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
12150 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
12151 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
12152 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
12153 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
12154 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
12157 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
12158 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
12159 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
12160 less than 4 characters wide.
12163 @node Advanced Formatting
12164 @subsection Advanced Formatting
12166 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
12167 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
12168 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
12169 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
12171 These are the legal modifiers:
12176 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
12180 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
12185 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
12188 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
12193 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
12196 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
12199 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
12202 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
12206 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
12207 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
12208 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
12209 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
12210 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
12211 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
12212 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
12214 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
12215 last operation, padding.
12217 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
12218 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
12219 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
12220 @xref{Compilation}.
12223 @node User-Defined Specs
12224 @subsection User-Defined Specs
12226 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
12227 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
12228 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
12229 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
12230 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
12231 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
12232 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
12233 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
12234 should protect against that.
12236 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
12237 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
12238 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
12239 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
12243 @node Formatting Fonts
12244 @subsection Formatting Fonts
12246 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
12247 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
12248 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
12249 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
12252 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
12253 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
12254 default. If you say @samp{%1[} instead, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1}
12255 instead, and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes
12256 for the @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
12257 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
12259 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
12262 ;; Create three face types.
12263 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
12264 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
12266 ;; We want the article count to be in
12267 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
12268 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
12269 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
12271 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
12272 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
12274 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
12275 (setq gnus-group-line-format
12276 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
12279 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
12280 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
12282 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
12283 mode-line variables.
12286 @node Windows Configuration
12287 @section Windows Configuration
12288 @cindex windows configuration
12290 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
12292 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
12293 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
12294 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
12295 @code{t} by default.
12297 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
12298 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
12299 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
12302 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
12303 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
12304 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12308 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
12309 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
12310 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
12311 possible names is listed below.
12313 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
12314 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
12317 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
12321 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
12322 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
12323 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
12324 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
12325 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
12326 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
12327 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
12328 size spec per split.
12330 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
12333 Here's a more complicated example:
12336 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
12337 (summary 0.25 point)
12338 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
12342 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
12343 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
12344 occupy, not a percentage.
12346 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
12347 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
12348 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
12349 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
12350 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
12353 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
12356 (article (horizontal 1.0
12361 (summary 0.25 point)
12366 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
12367 @code{horizontal} thingie?
12369 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
12370 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
12371 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
12372 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
12373 the screen is to be given to this strip.
12375 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
12376 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
12377 lines from the splits.
12379 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a legal split
12383 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
12384 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
12385 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
12386 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
12387 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
12388 size = number | frame-params
12389 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
12392 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
12393 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
12394 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
12395 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
12397 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
12398 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
12399 @cindex window height
12400 @cindex window width
12401 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
12402 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
12403 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
12404 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
12405 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
12406 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
12408 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
12409 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
12410 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
12411 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
12413 @findex gnus-configure-frame
12414 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
12415 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
12416 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
12417 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
12418 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
12419 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
12420 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
12421 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
12422 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
12423 configuration list.
12426 (gnus-configure-frame
12430 (article 0.3 point))
12438 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
12439 @code{frame} split:
12442 (gnus-configure-frame
12445 (summary 0.25 point)
12447 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
12448 (user-position . t)
12449 (left . -1) (top . 1))
12454 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
12455 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
12456 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
12457 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
12458 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
12459 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
12462 Here's a list of all possible keys for
12463 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
12465 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
12466 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
12467 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
12468 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
12469 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft},
12470 @code{pipe}, @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}.
12472 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
12473 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
12474 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
12478 (message (horizontal 1.0
12479 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
12481 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
12486 @findex gnus-add-configuration
12487 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
12488 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
12489 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
12490 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
12493 (gnus-add-configuration
12494 '(article (vertical 1.0
12496 (summary .25 point)
12500 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
12501 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
12502 Gnus has been loaded.
12504 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
12505 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
12506 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
12507 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
12508 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
12512 @section Compilation
12513 @cindex compilation
12514 @cindex byte-compilation
12516 @findex gnus-compile
12518 Remember all those line format specification variables?
12519 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
12520 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
12521 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
12522 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
12523 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
12526 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
12527 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
12528 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
12529 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
12530 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
12531 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
12532 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
12536 @section Mode Lines
12539 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
12540 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
12541 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
12542 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
12543 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
12544 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
12545 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
12548 @cindex display-time
12550 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
12551 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
12552 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
12553 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
12554 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
12555 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
12556 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
12557 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
12560 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
12562 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
12563 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
12565 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
12566 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
12567 (length display-time-string)))))
12570 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
12571 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either.
12574 @node Highlighting and Menus
12575 @section Highlighting and Menus
12577 @cindex highlighting
12580 @vindex gnus-visual
12581 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the prettifying Gnus
12582 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
12583 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
12586 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
12587 following elements are legal, and are all included by default:
12590 @item group-highlight
12591 Do highlights in the group buffer.
12592 @item summary-highlight
12593 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
12594 @item article-highlight
12595 Do highlights in the article buffer.
12597 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
12599 Create menus in the group buffer.
12601 Create menus in the summary buffers.
12603 Create menus in the article buffer.
12605 Create menus in the browse buffer.
12607 Create menus in the server buffer.
12609 Create menus in the score buffers.
12611 Create menus in all buffers.
12614 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
12615 buffers, you could say something like:
12618 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
12621 If you want only highlighting and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
12624 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
12627 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
12628 in all Gnus buffers.
12630 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
12633 @item gnus-mouse-face
12634 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
12635 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
12636 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
12638 @item gnus-display-type
12639 @vindex gnus-display-type
12640 This variable is symbol indicating the display type Emacs is running
12641 under. The symbol should be one of @code{color}, @code{grayscale} or
12642 @code{mono}. If Gnus guesses this display attribute wrongly, either set
12643 this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or set the resource
12644 @code{Emacs.displayType} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12646 @item gnus-background-mode
12647 @vindex gnus-background-mode
12648 This is a symbol indicating the Emacs background brightness. The symbol
12649 should be one of @code{light} or @code{dark}. If Gnus guesses this
12650 frame attribute wrongly, either set this variable in your @file{~/.emacs} or
12651 set the resource @code{Emacs.backgroundMode} in your @file{~/.Xdefaults}.
12652 `gnus-display-type'.
12655 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
12659 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
12660 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
12661 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
12663 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
12664 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
12665 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
12667 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
12668 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
12669 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
12671 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
12672 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
12673 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
12675 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
12676 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
12677 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
12679 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
12680 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
12681 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
12692 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
12693 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
12694 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
12695 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
12696 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
12700 @vindex gnus-carpal
12701 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
12702 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
12703 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
12708 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12709 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
12710 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
12712 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
12713 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
12714 Face used on buttons.
12716 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
12717 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
12718 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
12720 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12721 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
12722 Buttons in the group buffer.
12724 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12725 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
12726 Buttons in the summary buffer.
12728 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12729 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
12730 Buttons in the server buffer.
12732 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12733 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
12734 Buttons in the browse buffer.
12737 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
12738 is either a cons cell where the car contains a text to be displayed and
12739 the cdr contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
12747 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
12748 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
12749 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
12750 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
12751 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
12753 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
12754 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
12755 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
12757 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
12758 been idle for thirty minutes:
12761 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12764 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
12768 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
12771 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter works together
12772 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
12773 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12775 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
12776 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
12777 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
12778 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
12780 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
12781 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
12782 @var{idle} minutes.
12784 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
12785 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
12788 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
12789 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
12790 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
12792 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
12793 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
12794 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
12795 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
12797 @vindex gnus-use-demon
12798 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
12799 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
12801 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
12802 your @file{.gnus} file:
12804 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
12806 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
12809 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
12810 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
12811 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
12812 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
12813 Some ready-made functions to do this has been created:
12814 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
12815 @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just
12816 put those functions in your @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
12818 @findex gnus-demon-init
12819 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
12820 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
12821 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
12822 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
12823 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
12825 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
12826 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
12827 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
12836 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
12837 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
12839 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
12840 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
12841 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
12842 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
12845 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
12846 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
12847 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
12848 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
12850 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
12851 this will make spam disappear.
12853 There are some variables to customize, of course:
12856 @item gnus-use-nocem
12857 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
12858 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
12861 @item gnus-nocem-groups
12862 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
12863 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
12864 default is @code{("alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
12866 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
12867 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
12868 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
12869 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
12870 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
12871 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
12873 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
12876 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
12877 @cindex Chris Lewis
12878 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
12879 usenet abuse than anybody else.
12882 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
12883 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
12884 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
12886 @item jem@@xpat.com;
12888 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
12891 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
12892 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
12893 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
12896 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
12897 ones you want to listen to.
12899 @item gnus-nocem-directory
12900 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
12901 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
12902 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
12904 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12905 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
12906 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
12907 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
12908 might then see old spam.
12916 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
12917 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
12918 over your shoulder as you read news.
12921 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
12922 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
12923 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
12924 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
12925 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
12930 @subsection Picon Basics
12932 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
12935 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
12936 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
12937 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
12938 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
12939 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
12940 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
12941 @code{GIF} formats.
12944 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
12945 your Web browser at
12946 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
12948 @vindex gnus-picons-database
12949 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
12950 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
12953 @node Picon Requirements
12954 @subsection Picon Requirements
12956 To use have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
12957 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
12960 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
12962 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
12963 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
12964 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
12965 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
12969 @subsection Easy Picons
12971 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
12972 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
12975 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
12976 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
12977 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
12978 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
12983 @subsection Hard Picons
12985 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
12986 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
12987 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
12988 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
12989 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
12993 @item gnus-picons-display-where
12994 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
12995 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
12996 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
12997 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
12998 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
12999 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
13000 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
13004 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
13005 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
13007 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
13008 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
13009 displayed at the right time.
13011 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
13012 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
13014 @item gnus-article-display-picons
13015 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13016 Looks up and display the picons for the author and the author's domain
13017 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to
13018 the @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
13020 @item gnus-group-display-picons
13021 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13022 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
13023 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
13024 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
13025 is set to @code{article}.
13027 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
13028 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
13029 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
13030 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
13034 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
13035 to the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
13038 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
13042 @node Picon Configuration
13043 @subsection Picon Configuration
13045 The following variables offer further control over how things are
13046 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
13047 don't need to worry about.
13050 @item gnus-picons-database
13051 @vindex gnus-picons-database
13052 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
13053 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
13054 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
13056 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
13057 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
13058 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
13061 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
13062 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
13063 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
13064 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc/MISC")} is the default.
13066 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
13067 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
13068 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
13069 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
13070 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
13072 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13073 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
13074 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
13075 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
13076 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
13077 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
13079 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
13080 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
13081 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
13082 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
13084 @item gnus-picons-buffer
13085 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
13086 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
13087 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
13096 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
13097 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
13098 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
13100 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
13101 Gnus---it's all just data that is designed to look nice to the user.
13102 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
13103 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
13104 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
13105 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
13106 @code{undo} function.
13108 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
13109 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
13110 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
13111 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
13112 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
13113 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
13114 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
13115 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
13116 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
13117 never be totally undoable.
13119 @findex gnus-undo-mode
13120 @vindex gnus-use-undo
13122 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
13123 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
13124 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
13125 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
13130 @section Moderation
13133 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
13134 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
13135 @samp{larsi@@ifi.uio.no} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
13138 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
13142 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
13145 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
13147 If you are the moderation of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
13152 You split your incoming mail by matching on
13153 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
13154 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
13157 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
13158 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
13161 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
13162 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
13166 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
13169 (setq gnus-moderated-list
13170 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
13174 @node XEmacs Enhancements
13175 @section XEmacs Enhancements
13178 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
13179 advantage of that. Relevant variables include:
13182 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13183 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
13184 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
13185 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
13186 unusual directory structure.
13188 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13189 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
13190 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
13191 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
13193 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13194 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
13195 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
13196 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
13197 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
13198 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
13200 @item gnus-use-toolbar
13201 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
13202 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
13203 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
13204 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
13206 @item gnus-group-toolbar
13207 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
13208 The toolbar in the group buffer.
13210 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
13211 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
13212 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
13214 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13215 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
13216 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
13218 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13219 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
13220 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
13226 @node Various Various
13227 @section Various Various
13233 @item gnus-directory
13234 @vindex gnus-directory
13235 All Gnus directories will be initialized from this variable, which
13236 defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or @file{~/News/}
13237 if that variable isn't set.
13239 @item gnus-default-directory
13240 @vindex gnus-default-directory
13241 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
13242 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
13243 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
13244 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
13245 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
13246 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
13249 @vindex gnus-verbose
13250 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
13251 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
13252 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
13253 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
13254 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
13256 @item gnus-verbose-backends
13257 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
13258 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
13259 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
13261 @item nnheader-max-head-length
13262 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
13263 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
13264 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
13265 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
13266 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
13267 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
13268 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
13269 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
13272 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
13273 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
13274 This variable says how big a piece of each article to read when doing
13275 the operation described above.
13277 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13278 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13280 @cindex illegal characters in file names
13281 @cindex characters in file names
13282 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
13283 For instance, if @samp{:} is illegal as a file character in file names
13284 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
13287 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
13291 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
13292 Windows (phooey) systems.
13294 @item gnus-hidden-properties
13295 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
13296 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
13297 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
13298 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
13300 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
13301 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
13302 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
13303 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
13304 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
13306 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
13307 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
13308 String used to separate to shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
13317 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
13318 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
13320 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
13322 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
13328 Not because of victories @*
13331 but for the common sunshine,@*
13333 the largess of the spring.
13337 but for the day's work done@*
13338 as well as I was able;@*
13339 not for a seat upon the dais@*
13340 but at the common table.@*
13345 @chapter Appendices
13348 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
13349 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
13350 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
13351 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
13352 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
13353 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
13354 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
13362 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
13363 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
13365 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
13366 can point your (feh!) web browser to
13367 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
13368 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
13369 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
13371 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
13372 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
13373 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
13374 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
13375 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
13376 appropriate name, don't you think?)
13378 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
13379 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
13380 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
13381 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
13383 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
13384 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution.
13386 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'') was
13387 released under the name ``Gnus 5.2''.
13389 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun.
13391 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a name that is prefixed --
13392 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Mamey Sapote Gnus''
13393 -- don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
13394 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
13395 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
13399 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
13400 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
13401 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
13402 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
13403 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
13404 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
13405 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
13412 What's the point of Gnus?
13414 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
13415 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
13416 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
13417 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
13418 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
13419 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
13420 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
13421 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
13422 keep track of millions of people who post?
13424 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
13425 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
13426 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
13427 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
13428 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
13429 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
13430 everywhere I could imagine useful. By doing so, I'm inviting every one
13431 of you to explore and invent.
13433 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x hail-emacs}.
13436 @node Compatibility
13437 @subsection Compatibility
13439 @cindex compatibility
13440 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
13441 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
13442 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
13447 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
13451 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
13454 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @pxref{Decoding
13457 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
13458 buffers. All variables that are relevant while reading a group are
13459 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
13460 important variables have their values copied into their global
13461 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
13462 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
13464 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
13465 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
13466 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
13467 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
13468 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
13472 @cindex highlighting
13473 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
13474 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
13475 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
13476 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
13477 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
13478 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
13481 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
13482 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
13483 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
13484 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
13486 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
13487 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
13488 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
13489 to stop doing it the old way.
13491 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
13493 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
13495 @cindex reporting bugs
13497 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
13498 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
13499 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
13503 @subsection Conformity
13505 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
13506 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
13513 There are no known breaches of this standard.
13517 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
13519 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13520 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
13521 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
13522 the next inspection.
13524 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
13525 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
13526 We do have some breaches to this one.
13531 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
13532 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
13535 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
13536 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
13537 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
13538 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
13539 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
13542 Gnus does line breaking on this header. I infer from RFC1036 that being
13543 conservative in what you output is not creating 5000-character lines, so
13544 it seems like a good idea to me. However, this standard-to-be says that
13545 whitespace in the @code{References} header is to be preserved, so... It
13546 doesn't matter one way or the other to Gnus, so if somebody tells me
13547 what The Way is, I'll change it. Or not.
13552 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliantly with regards to the texts
13553 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
13558 @subsection Emacsen
13564 Gnus should work on :
13569 Emacs 19.32 and up.
13572 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
13575 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
13579 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
13580 reliably, at least.
13582 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
13583 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
13584 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
13589 @subsection Contributors
13590 @cindex contributors
13592 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
13593 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
13594 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
13595 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
13596 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
13597 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
13598 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
13599 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
13600 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
13601 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
13603 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
13609 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
13612 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
13613 well as numerous other things).
13616 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
13619 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
13622 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
13623 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
13626 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
13627 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13630 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
13633 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
13636 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
13639 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
13642 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
13643 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
13646 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
13649 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
13652 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
13655 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
13659 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
13662 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
13665 Ricardo Nassif, Mark Borges, and Jost Krieger---proof-reading.
13668 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
13671 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
13675 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
13684 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
13688 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
13699 Massimo Campostrini,
13703 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
13717 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
13718 Francois Felix Ingrand,
13722 Thor Kristoffersen,
13732 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
13738 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
13746 Randal L. Schwartz,
13763 Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
13766 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
13769 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
13770 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
13774 @subsection New Features
13775 @cindex new features
13778 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
13779 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
13780 * Red Gnus:: The future---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
13783 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
13784 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
13785 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
13789 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
13791 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
13796 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
13797 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
13800 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
13801 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
13804 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
13807 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
13808 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
13809 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
13812 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
13813 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
13814 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
13815 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
13818 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
13819 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13822 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
13823 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
13824 (@pxref{The Active File}).
13827 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
13828 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
13831 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
13832 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
13833 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
13836 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
13837 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
13838 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
13841 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
13842 the @file{.emacs} file.
13845 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
13846 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13849 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
13850 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
13853 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
13854 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
13857 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
13858 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
13861 Gnus can fetch articles asynchronously on a second connection to the
13862 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
13865 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
13868 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
13869 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
13872 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
13873 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
13876 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
13877 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
13880 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
13883 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
13884 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13887 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
13891 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
13895 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
13896 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
13899 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
13905 @node September Gnus
13906 @subsubsection September Gnus
13908 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
13913 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
13914 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
13918 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
13919 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
13923 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
13927 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
13928 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
13931 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
13935 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
13938 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
13941 A @code{trn}-line tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
13944 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
13948 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
13949 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
13952 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
13956 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
13960 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
13964 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
13968 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
13971 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
13972 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
13975 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
13979 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
13980 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
13983 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
13986 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
13987 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
13988 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
13991 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
13995 The Gnus cache is much faster.
13998 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
14002 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-address and
14003 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14006 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
14007 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
14010 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
14011 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14014 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
14015 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
14016 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
14019 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
14020 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
14023 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
14026 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
14029 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14030 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
14034 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
14037 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
14040 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
14041 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
14044 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
14048 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
14051 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
14054 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
14058 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
14061 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
14065 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
14068 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
14071 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
14072 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
14075 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
14076 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
14080 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
14081 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
14084 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
14088 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
14089 buffer to allow easier treatment.
14092 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
14095 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
14099 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
14103 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
14104 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
14107 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
14111 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
14112 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
14115 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
14116 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
14119 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
14123 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
14126 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
14127 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
14131 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
14134 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
14140 @subsubsection Red Gnus
14142 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
14147 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
14150 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
14151 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
14154 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
14155 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
14159 Article washing status can be displayed in the
14160 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
14163 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
14166 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
14167 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
14170 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
14174 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
14175 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}).
14178 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
14179 Server Internals}).
14182 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
14186 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
14189 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
14190 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
14193 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
14194 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
14195 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
14198 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
14199 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14202 A way to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed when
14203 generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
14206 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
14210 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
14211 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14214 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
14215 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
14218 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
14222 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
14225 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
14229 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
14230 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
14233 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
14234 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
14237 A new command for reading collections of documents
14238 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
14239 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
14242 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
14246 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
14247 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
14250 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
14251 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
14252 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
14255 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
14256 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
14260 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
14264 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
14268 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
14272 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
14276 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
14277 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
14280 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
14283 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
14289 @node Newest Features
14290 @subsection Newest Features
14293 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
14296 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
14300 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
14302 Really do unbinhexing.
14305 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
14306 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
14308 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
14309 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
14310 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
14315 @section The Manual
14319 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
14320 either @code{texi2dvi}
14322 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
14323 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
14325 to get what you hold in your hands now.
14327 The following conventions have been used:
14332 This is a @samp{string}
14335 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
14338 This is a @file{file}
14341 This is a @code{symbol}
14345 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
14349 (setq flargnoze "yes")
14352 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
14355 (setq flumphel 'yes)
14358 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
14359 ever get them confused.
14363 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
14364 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
14365 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
14366 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
14367 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
14368 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
14369 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
14376 @section Terminology
14378 @cindex terminology
14383 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
14384 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
14385 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
14386 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
14387 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
14391 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
14392 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
14393 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
14394 not posting, and replying is not following up.
14398 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
14402 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
14407 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
14408 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
14409 is all done by the backends.
14413 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
14414 default, way of getting news.
14418 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
14419 These are groups that use different backends for getting news.
14423 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
14424 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
14428 A message that has been posted as news.
14431 @cindex mail message
14432 A message that has been mailed.
14436 A mail message or news article
14440 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
14445 The rest of an article. Everything that is not in the head is in the
14450 A line from the head of an article.
14454 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
14455 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
14459 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
14460 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
14461 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
14462 normal @sc{head} format.
14466 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
14467 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
14468 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
14469 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
14470 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
14471 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
14473 @item killed groups
14474 @cindex killed groups
14475 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
14476 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
14478 @item zombie groups
14479 @cindex zombie groups
14480 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
14483 @cindex active file
14484 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
14485 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
14486 is rather large, as you might surmise.
14489 @cindex bogus groups
14490 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
14491 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
14492 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
14496 A machine than one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
14498 @item select method
14499 @cindex select method
14500 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
14503 @item virtual server
14504 @cindex virtual server
14505 A named select method. Since a select methods defines all there is to
14506 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the things as a
14507 whole is a virtual server.
14511 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
14512 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
14515 @item ephemeral groups
14516 @cindex ephemeral groups
14517 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
14518 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
14519 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
14522 @cindex solid groups
14523 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
14524 group buffer are solid groups.
14526 @item sparse articles
14527 @cindex sparse articles
14528 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
14529 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
14534 @node Customization
14535 @section Customization
14536 @cindex general customization
14538 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
14539 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
14540 for some quite common situations.
14543 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
14544 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
14545 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
14546 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
14550 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
14551 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
14553 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
14554 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
14555 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
14559 @item gnus-read-active-file
14560 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
14561 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
14562 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14563 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
14564 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
14566 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
14567 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
14568 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
14569 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
14573 @node Slow Terminal Connection
14574 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
14576 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that
14577 runs Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce the
14578 amount of data that is sent over the wires as much as possible.
14582 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
14583 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
14584 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
14585 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
14586 horizontal and vertical recentering.
14588 @item gnus-visible-headers
14589 Cut down on the headers that are included in the articles to the
14590 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
14591 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
14592 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
14594 @item gnus-article-display-hook
14595 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
14597 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
14598 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
14599 gnus-article-hide-citation))
14602 @item gnus-use-full-window
14603 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
14604 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
14605 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
14606 want to read them anyway.
14608 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
14609 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
14612 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
14613 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
14614 lines, which might save some time.
14618 @node Little Disk Space
14619 @subsection Little Disk Space
14622 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
14623 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
14627 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
14628 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
14629 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
14630 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
14633 @item gnus-save-killed-list
14634 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
14635 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
14636 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
14637 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
14643 @subsection Slow Machine
14644 @cindex slow machine
14646 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
14647 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
14649 Set@code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
14650 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
14652 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
14653 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
14654 summary buffer faster.
14656 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
14657 processing a bit faster.
14660 @node Troubleshooting
14661 @section Troubleshooting
14662 @cindex troubleshooting
14664 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
14672 Make sure your computer is switched on.
14675 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
14676 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
14680 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
14681 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
14682 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
14683 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
14686 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
14690 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
14691 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
14692 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
14693 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
14694 something like that.
14697 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
14700 @cindex reporting bugs
14702 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14704 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
14705 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
14706 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
14707 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
14709 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
14710 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
14711 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
14712 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
14715 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
14716 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you send back
14717 just ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
14718 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
14719 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
14720 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
14722 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
14723 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
14724 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
14727 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
14728 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
14730 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
14731 @cindex ding mailing list
14732 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@ifi.uio.no}.
14733 Write to @samp{ding-request@@ifi.uio.no} to subscribe.
14736 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
14737 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
14739 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
14740 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
14741 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
14742 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
14745 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
14746 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
14747 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
14748 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
14749 and general method of operations.
14752 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
14753 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
14754 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
14755 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
14756 * Group Info:: The group info format.
14757 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
14758 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
14762 @node Backend Interface
14763 @subsection Backend Interface
14765 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
14766 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
14767 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
14768 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
14769 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
14770 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
14772 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
14773 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
14774 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
14775 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
14776 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
14777 been opened, the function should fail.
14779 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
14780 name. Take this example:
14784 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
14785 (nntp-port-number 4324))
14788 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
14789 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
14791 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
14792 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
14793 server environments that it pulls down/pushes up when needed.
14795 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
14796 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
14797 always check whether are present before attempting to call.
14799 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
14800 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
14801 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
14802 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
14803 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
14804 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
14807 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
14808 some might be said to not be. The latter are backends that generally
14809 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
14810 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
14813 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
14816 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
14819 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
14820 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
14821 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
14822 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
14823 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
14824 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
14828 @node Required Backend Functions
14829 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
14833 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
14835 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
14836 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
14837 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
14838 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
14840 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
14841 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
14842 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
14843 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
14845 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try to fetch "extra
14846 headers, in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
14847 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
14848 article number in @code{articles}, and fill in the gaps as well. The
14849 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
14850 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
14851 number, do maximum fetches.
14853 Here's an example HEAD:
14856 221 1056 Article retrieved.
14857 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
14858 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
14859 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
14860 Subject: Re: Something very droll
14861 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
14862 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
14864 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
14865 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
14866 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
14870 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
14871 these in the data buffer.
14873 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
14877 head = error / valid-head
14878 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
14879 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
14880 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
14881 header = <text> eol
14884 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
14885 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
14889 nov-buffer = *nov-line
14890 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
14891 field = <text except TAB>
14894 For a closer explanation what should be in those fields,
14898 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
14900 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
14901 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that defines this virtual server.
14903 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
14904 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
14905 server. In fact, it should do so.
14907 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
14908 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
14911 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
14913 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
14914 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
14917 There should be no data returned.
14920 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
14922 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
14923 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
14924 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
14925 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
14927 There should be no data returned.
14930 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
14932 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
14933 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
14934 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
14935 attempt to reconnect to a server that is has lost connection to.
14937 There should be no data returned.
14940 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
14942 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
14944 There should be no data returned.
14947 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
14949 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
14950 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
14951 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
14952 it would be nice if that were possible.
14954 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
14955 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
14956 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
14957 another, and Gnus mainly request articles to be inserted directly into
14958 its article buffer.
14960 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
14961 the car is the group name the article was fetched from, and the cdr is
14962 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
14963 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
14964 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
14965 on successful article retrievement.
14968 @item (nnchoke-open-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
14970 Make @var{group} the current group.
14972 There should be no data returned by this function.
14975 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
14977 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
14978 making @var{group} the current group.
14980 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
14983 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
14986 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
14989 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
14990 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
14991 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
14992 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
14993 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
14994 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
14995 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
14996 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
14999 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
15000 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
15001 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
15005 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
15007 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
15008 a no-op on most backends.
15010 There should be no data returned.
15013 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
15015 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
15018 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
15021 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
15022 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
15025 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
15026 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
15029 active-file = *active-line
15030 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
15032 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
15035 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
15036 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
15037 (@samp{=other-group} or none of the above (@samp{y}).
15040 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
15042 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
15043 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
15044 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
15045 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
15046 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
15047 clear if the posting could not be completed.
15049 There should be no result data from this function.
15054 @node Optional Backend Functions
15055 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
15059 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
15061 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
15062 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
15063 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
15065 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
15066 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
15067 former is in the same format as the data from
15068 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
15069 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
15072 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
15076 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
15078 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
15079 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
15080 information (as is the case with virtual an imap groups). This function
15081 may alter the info in any manner it sees fit, and should return the
15082 (altered) group info. This function may alter the group info
15083 destructively, so no copying is needed before boogeying.
15085 There should be no result data from this function.
15088 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
15090 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
15091 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
15092 user is following up is news or mail. This function should return
15093 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
15094 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
15095 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
15096 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
15097 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
15099 There should be no result data from this function.
15102 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
15104 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
15105 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
15106 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
15107 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
15108 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
15110 The only use for this that I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
15111 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
15112 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
15115 There should be no result data from this function.
15118 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
15120 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
15121 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
15122 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
15123 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
15124 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
15125 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
15126 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
15128 There should be no result data from this function.
15131 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
15133 The result data from this function should be a description of
15137 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
15139 description = <text>
15142 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
15144 The result data from this function should be the description of all
15145 groups available on the server.
15148 description-buffer = *description-line
15152 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
15154 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
15155 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
15156 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
15159 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
15161 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
15163 There should be no return data.
15166 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
15168 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
15169 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
15170 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
15171 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
15172 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
15175 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
15178 There should be no result data returned.
15181 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
15184 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
15185 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
15187 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
15188 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
15189 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
15190 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
15191 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
15192 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
15194 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
15195 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
15198 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
15199 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
15201 There should be no data returned.
15204 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
15206 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
15207 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
15208 this function in short order.
15210 The function should return a cons where the car is the group name and
15211 the cdr is the article number that the article was entered as.
15213 There should be no data returned.
15216 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
15218 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
15219 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
15221 There should be no data returned.
15224 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
15226 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
15227 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
15228 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
15230 There should be no data returned.
15233 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
15235 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
15236 articles that are in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
15238 There should be no data returned.
15243 @node Error Messaging
15244 @subsubsection Error Messaging
15246 @findex nnheader-report
15247 @findex nnheader-get-report
15248 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
15249 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
15250 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
15251 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
15252 there are many of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
15253 This function always returns @code{nil}.
15256 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
15258 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
15261 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
15262 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
15263 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
15264 takes one argument---the server symbol.
15266 Internally, these function access @var{backend}@code{-status-string}, so
15267 the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
15268 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
15271 @node Writing New Backends
15272 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
15274 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
15275 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
15276 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
15277 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
15278 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
15281 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
15282 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
15283 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
15285 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
15286 package called @code{nnoo}.
15288 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
15289 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
15296 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
15297 parameters. For instance:
15300 (nnoo-declare nndir
15304 @code{nndir} has here declared that it intends to inherit functions from
15305 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
15308 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
15309 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
15310 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
15312 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
15313 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
15314 a function in those backends.
15317 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15318 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15319 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15322 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
15323 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
15324 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
15326 @item nnoo-define-basics
15327 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
15331 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15335 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
15336 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
15337 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
15339 @item nnoo-map-functions
15340 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
15341 functions from the parent backends.
15344 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15345 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15346 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
15349 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
15350 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
15351 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
15352 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
15355 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
15356 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
15357 haven't already been defined.
15363 nnmh-request-newgroups)
15367 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
15368 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
15369 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
15374 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
15377 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
15378 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
15382 (require 'nnheader)
15386 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
15388 (nnoo-declare nndir
15391 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
15392 "Where nndir will look for groups."
15393 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
15395 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
15396 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
15399 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
15400 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
15401 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
15403 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
15404 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
15406 ;;; Interface functions.
15408 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
15410 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
15411 (setq nndir-directory
15412 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
15414 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
15415 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
15416 (push `(nndir-current-group
15417 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15419 (push `(nndir-top-directory
15420 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
15422 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
15424 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
15425 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15426 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
15427 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
15428 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
15432 nnmh-status-message
15434 nnmh-request-newgroups))
15440 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15441 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
15443 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
15444 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
15445 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
15446 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
15448 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
15449 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
15454 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
15457 The abilities can be:
15461 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
15463 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
15465 This backend supports both mail and news.
15467 This is neither a post or mail backend---it's something completely
15470 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
15471 articles and groups.
15473 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
15474 true for almost all backends.
15475 @item prompt-address
15476 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
15477 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
15478 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
15482 @node Mail-like Backends
15483 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
15485 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
15486 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
15487 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
15488 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
15491 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
15492 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
15493 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
15496 It simply just calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will a few parameters,
15497 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
15500 This function takes four parameters.
15504 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
15507 @item exit-function
15508 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
15510 @item temp-directory
15511 Where the temporary files should be stored.
15514 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
15515 performed for one group only.
15518 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
15519 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
15520 find the article number assigned to this article.
15522 The function also uses the following variables:
15523 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
15524 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
15525 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
15526 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
15530 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
15531 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
15535 @node Score File Syntax
15536 @subsection Score File Syntax
15538 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
15539 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
15540 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
15542 Here's a typical score file:
15546 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
15553 BNF definition of a score file:
15556 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
15557 element = rule / atom
15558 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
15559 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
15560 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
15561 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
15563 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
15564 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
15565 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
15566 date-header = "date"
15567 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15568 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15569 score = "nil" / <integer>
15570 date = "nil" / <natural number>
15571 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
15572 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
15573 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
15574 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
15575 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15576 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15577 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
15578 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
15579 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
15580 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
15581 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
15582 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
15583 exclude-files / read-only / touched
15584 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
15585 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
15586 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
15587 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
15588 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
15589 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
15590 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
15591 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
15592 adapt = "adapt" [ space "nil" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
15593 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
15594 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
15595 eval = "eval" space <form>
15596 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
15599 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
15602 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
15603 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
15604 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
15605 one looong line, then that's ok.
15607 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
15612 @subsection Headers
15614 Gnus uses internally a format for storing article headers that
15615 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
15616 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
15617 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
15619 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
15620 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
15621 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
15622 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
15623 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
15624 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
15625 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
15627 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
15628 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
15629 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
15630 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
15631 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
15633 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
15640 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
15641 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
15643 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
15644 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
15645 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
15646 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
15648 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
15652 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
15655 is transformed into
15658 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
15661 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
15662 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
15665 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
15668 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
15669 is slightly tricky:
15672 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
15678 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
15681 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
15687 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
15694 and is equal to the previous range.
15696 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
15697 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
15698 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
15702 range = simple-range / normal-range
15703 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
15704 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
15705 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
15706 number *[ " " contents ]
15709 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
15710 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
15711 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
15712 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
15713 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
15718 @subsection Group Info
15720 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
15721 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
15722 describes the group.
15724 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
15725 second is a more complex one:
15728 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
15730 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
15731 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
15733 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@ifi.uio.no")))
15736 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
15737 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
15738 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
15739 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
15740 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
15741 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
15742 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
15744 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
15745 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
15746 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
15748 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
15751 info = "(" group space level space read
15752 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
15753 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
15754 group = quote <string> quote
15755 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
15757 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
15758 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
15759 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
15760 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
15763 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
15764 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
15768 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
15769 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
15773 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
15774 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
15775 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
15777 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
15778 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
15779 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
15780 Gnus, that's very useful.
15782 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
15783 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
15784 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
15785 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
15786 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
15787 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
15788 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
15789 following function:
15792 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
15796 (,function ,@@args))
15800 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
15801 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
15802 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
15805 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
15806 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
15807 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
15810 @node Various File Formats
15811 @subsection Various File Formats
15814 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
15815 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
15819 @node Active File Format
15820 @subsubsection Active File Format
15822 The active file lists all groups that are available on the server in
15823 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
15826 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
15829 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
15830 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
15831 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
15832 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
15833 no.general 1000 900 y
15836 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
15839 active = *group-line
15840 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
15841 group = <non-white-space string>
15843 high-number = <non-negative integer>
15844 low-number = <positive integer>
15845 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
15849 @node Newsgroups File Format
15850 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
15852 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
15853 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
15854 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
15857 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
15858 Here's the definition:
15862 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
15863 group = <non-white-space string>
15865 description = <string>
15869 @node Emacs for Heathens
15870 @section Emacs for Heathens
15872 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
15873 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
15874 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
15875 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
15876 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
15877 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
15878 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
15882 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
15883 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
15888 @subsection Keystrokes
15892 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
15895 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
15898 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
15899 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
15900 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
15901 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
15902 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
15903 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
15905 The shift key is normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
15906 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
15907 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
15908 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
15909 keyboards. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
15910 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
15911 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
15913 Now, us Emacs people doesn't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
15914 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
15915 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
15916 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
15917 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
15918 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
15919 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
15921 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
15922 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
15923 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
15924 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
15925 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
15931 @subsection Emacs Lisp
15933 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
15934 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
15935 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
15936 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
15938 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
15939 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
15940 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
15941 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
15942 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
15943 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
15944 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
15947 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
15948 write the following:
15951 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
15954 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
15955 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
15956 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
15959 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
15960 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
15961 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
15962 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
15963 previous ``form'', which here is a simple @code{setq} statement.
15965 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
15966 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
15967 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
15971 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
15975 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
15978 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
15979 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
15982 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
15985 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
15986 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
15989 @include gnus-faq.texi