10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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286 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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295 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
297 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
300 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
301 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
302 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
303 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
304 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
305 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
306 License'' in the Emacs manual.
308 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
309 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
310 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
312 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
313 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
314 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
315 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
323 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
325 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
326 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
328 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
329 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
330 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
331 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
332 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
333 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
334 License'' in the Emacs manual.
336 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
337 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
338 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
340 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
341 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
342 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
343 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
351 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
354 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
357 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
359 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
360 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
361 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
362 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
363 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
364 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
365 License'' in the Emacs manual.
367 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
368 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
369 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
371 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
372 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
373 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
374 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
383 @top The Gnus Newsreader
387 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
388 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
389 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
392 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.19.
403 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
404 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
406 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
407 being accused of plagiarism:
409 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
410 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
411 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
412 can even read news with it!
414 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
415 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
416 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
417 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
418 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
424 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
425 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
426 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
427 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
428 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
429 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
430 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
431 * Various:: General purpose settings.
432 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
433 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
434 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
435 * Key Index:: Key Index.
437 Other related manuals
439 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
440 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
441 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
442 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
445 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
449 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
450 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
451 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
452 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
453 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
454 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
455 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
456 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
457 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
458 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
459 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
463 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
464 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
465 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
469 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
470 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
471 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
472 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
473 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
474 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
475 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
476 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
477 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
478 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
479 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
480 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
481 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
482 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
483 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
484 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
485 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
489 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
490 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
491 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
495 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
496 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
497 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
498 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
499 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
503 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
504 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
505 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
506 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
507 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
511 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
512 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
513 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
514 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
515 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
516 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
517 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
518 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
519 * Threading:: How threads are made.
520 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
521 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
522 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
523 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
524 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
525 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
526 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
527 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
528 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
529 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
530 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
531 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
532 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
533 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
534 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
535 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
536 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
537 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
538 or reselecting the current group.
539 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
540 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
541 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
542 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
544 Summary Buffer Format
546 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
547 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
548 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
549 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
553 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
554 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
556 Reply, Followup and Post
558 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
559 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
560 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
561 * Canceling and Superseding::
565 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
566 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
567 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
569 * Generic Marking Commands::
570 * Setting Process Marks::
574 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
575 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
576 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
580 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
581 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
583 Customizing Threading
585 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
586 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
587 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
588 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
592 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
593 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
594 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
595 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
596 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
597 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
601 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
602 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
603 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
607 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
608 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
609 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
610 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
611 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
612 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
613 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
614 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
615 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
616 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
617 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
619 Alternative Approaches
621 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
622 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
624 Various Summary Stuff
626 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
627 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
628 * Summary Generation Commands::
629 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
633 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
634 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
635 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
636 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
637 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
641 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
642 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
643 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
644 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
645 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
646 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
647 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
648 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
652 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
653 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
654 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
655 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
656 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
657 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
658 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
659 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
663 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
664 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
665 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
666 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
667 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
668 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
669 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
673 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
674 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
678 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
679 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
680 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
684 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
685 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
686 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
687 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
688 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
689 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
690 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
691 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
692 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
693 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
694 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
695 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
696 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
700 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
701 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
702 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
704 Choosing a Mail Back End
706 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
707 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
708 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
709 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
710 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
711 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
712 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
717 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
718 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
719 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
720 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
721 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
722 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
726 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
727 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
728 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
729 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
730 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
734 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
735 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
736 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
737 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
738 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
742 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
746 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
747 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
748 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
752 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
753 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
757 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
758 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
759 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
760 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
761 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
762 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
763 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
764 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
765 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
766 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
767 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
768 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
772 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
773 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
774 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
778 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
779 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
780 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
784 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
785 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
786 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
787 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
788 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
789 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
790 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
791 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
792 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
793 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
794 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
795 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
796 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
797 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
798 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
799 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
800 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
804 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
805 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
806 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
807 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
811 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
812 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
813 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
817 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
818 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
819 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
820 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
821 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
822 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
823 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
824 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
825 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
826 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
827 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
828 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
829 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
830 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
831 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
832 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
833 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
834 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
835 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
839 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
840 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
841 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
842 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
843 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
844 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
845 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
846 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
850 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
851 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
852 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
853 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
857 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
858 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
859 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
860 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
861 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
862 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
866 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
867 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
868 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
869 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
870 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
871 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
872 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
873 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
874 * Frequently Asked Questions::
878 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
879 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
880 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
881 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
882 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
883 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
884 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
885 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
886 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
890 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
891 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
892 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
893 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
894 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
898 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
899 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
900 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
901 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
905 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
906 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
907 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
908 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
909 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
910 * Group Info:: The group info format.
911 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
912 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
913 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
917 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
918 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
919 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
920 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
921 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
922 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
926 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
927 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
931 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
932 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
938 @chapter Starting Gnus
943 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
944 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
947 @findex gnus-other-frame
948 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
949 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
950 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
952 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
953 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
954 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
956 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
957 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
960 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
961 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
962 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
963 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
964 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
965 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
966 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
967 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
968 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
969 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
970 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
974 @node Finding the News
975 @section Finding the News
978 @vindex gnus-select-method
980 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
981 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
982 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
983 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
986 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
987 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
990 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
993 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
996 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
999 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1000 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1001 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1003 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1005 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1006 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1007 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1008 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1009 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1010 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1011 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1013 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1014 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1015 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1016 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1018 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1019 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1020 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1021 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1022 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1023 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1024 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1025 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1026 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1029 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1031 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1032 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1033 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1034 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1035 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1036 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1038 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1040 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1041 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1042 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1043 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1044 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1045 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1048 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1049 you would typically set this variable to
1052 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1056 @node The First Time
1057 @section The First Time
1058 @cindex first time usage
1060 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1061 be subscribed by default.
1063 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1064 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1065 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1066 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1069 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1070 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1071 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1073 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1074 help you with most common problems.
1076 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1077 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1081 @node The Server is Down
1082 @section The Server is Down
1083 @cindex server errors
1085 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1086 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1087 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1089 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1090 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1091 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1092 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1093 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1094 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1095 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1097 @findex gnus-no-server
1098 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1100 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1101 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1102 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1103 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1104 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1105 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1106 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1110 @section Slave Gnusae
1113 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1114 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1115 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1116 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1118 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1119 @file{.newsrc} file.
1121 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1122 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1123 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1124 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1125 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1126 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1127 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1130 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1131 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1132 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1133 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1134 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1135 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1136 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1137 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1139 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1140 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1142 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1143 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1144 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1145 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1146 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1148 @node Fetching a Group
1149 @section Fetching a Group
1150 @cindex fetching a group
1152 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1153 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1154 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1155 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1156 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1157 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1163 @cindex subscription
1165 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1166 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1167 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1168 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1169 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1170 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1171 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1172 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1173 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1176 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1177 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1178 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1182 @node Checking New Groups
1183 @subsection Checking New Groups
1185 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1186 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1187 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1188 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1189 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1190 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1191 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1192 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1193 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1194 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1196 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1197 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1198 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1199 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1200 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1201 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1202 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1203 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1204 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1205 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1206 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1208 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1209 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1210 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1211 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1212 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1213 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1216 @node Subscription Methods
1217 @subsection Subscription Methods
1219 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1220 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1221 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1223 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1224 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1226 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1230 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1231 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1232 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1233 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1234 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1238 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1239 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1241 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1242 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1243 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1247 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1248 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1249 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1250 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1251 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1252 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1253 up. Or something like that.
1255 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1256 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1257 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1258 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1259 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1261 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1262 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1263 Kill all new groups.
1265 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1266 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1267 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1268 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1269 topic parameter that looks like
1275 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1278 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1283 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1284 A closely related variable is
1285 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1286 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1287 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1288 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1291 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1292 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1293 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1294 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1297 @node Filtering New Groups
1298 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1300 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1301 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1302 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1305 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1308 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1309 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1310 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1311 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1312 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1313 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1314 subscribing these groups.
1315 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1316 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1318 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1319 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1320 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1321 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1322 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1323 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1324 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1325 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1327 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1328 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1329 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1330 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1331 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1332 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1333 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1334 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1335 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1336 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1339 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1340 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1343 @node Changing Servers
1344 @section Changing Servers
1345 @cindex changing servers
1347 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1348 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1349 very flaky and you want to use another.
1351 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1352 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1356 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1357 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1358 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1359 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1362 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1363 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1364 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1365 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1367 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1368 @findex gnus-change-server
1369 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1370 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1371 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1372 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1373 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1375 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1376 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1377 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1378 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1379 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1381 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1382 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1383 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1384 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1385 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1386 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1388 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1389 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1390 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1391 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1393 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1394 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1395 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1396 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1397 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1398 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1399 cache for all groups).
1403 @section Startup Files
1404 @cindex startup files
1409 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1410 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1412 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1413 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1414 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1415 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1416 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1417 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1418 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1420 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1421 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1422 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1423 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1424 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1425 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1427 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1428 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1429 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1430 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1431 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1432 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1433 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1434 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1435 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1436 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1438 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1439 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1440 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1441 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1442 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1443 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1444 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1445 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1446 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1447 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1448 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1449 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1451 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1452 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1453 @vindex version-control
1454 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1455 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1456 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1457 If you want version control for this file, set
1458 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1459 @code{version-control} variable.
1461 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1462 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1463 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1464 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1465 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1466 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1467 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1468 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1469 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1470 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1473 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1474 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1476 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1477 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1480 @vindex gnus-init-file
1481 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1482 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1483 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1484 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1485 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1486 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1487 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1488 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1489 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1490 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1496 @cindex dribble file
1499 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1500 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1501 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1502 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1503 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1506 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1507 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1510 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1511 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1512 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1514 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1515 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1516 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1517 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1518 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1519 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1521 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1522 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1523 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1526 @node The Active File
1527 @section The Active File
1529 @cindex ignored groups
1531 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1532 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1533 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1535 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1536 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1537 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1538 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1539 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1540 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1541 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1544 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1545 @c if you set it to anything else.
1547 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1549 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1550 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1551 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1553 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1554 you actually subscribe to.
1556 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1557 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1558 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1559 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1561 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1562 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1563 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1564 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1565 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1566 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1568 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1569 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1570 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1573 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1574 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1575 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1576 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1577 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1578 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1580 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1581 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1583 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1584 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1586 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1587 secondary select methods.
1590 @node Startup Variables
1591 @section Startup Variables
1595 @item gnus-load-hook
1596 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1597 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1598 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1599 times you start Gnus.
1601 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1602 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1603 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1605 @item gnus-startup-hook
1606 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1607 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1609 @item gnus-started-hook
1610 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1611 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1614 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1615 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1616 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1617 generating the group buffer.
1619 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1620 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1621 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1622 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1623 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1624 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1625 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1626 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1628 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1629 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1630 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1631 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1632 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1633 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1635 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1636 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1637 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1639 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1640 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1641 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1643 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1644 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1645 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1646 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1652 @chapter Group Buffer
1653 @cindex group buffer
1655 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1657 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1658 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1659 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1660 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1661 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1662 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1663 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1664 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1665 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1666 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1667 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1668 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1669 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1670 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1671 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1672 @c human rights at 9...
1675 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1676 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1677 long as Gnus is active.
1681 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1682 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1683 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1684 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1685 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1686 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1687 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1688 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1694 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1695 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1696 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1697 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1698 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1699 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1700 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1701 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1702 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1703 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1704 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1705 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1706 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1707 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1708 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1709 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1710 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1714 @node Group Buffer Format
1715 @section Group Buffer Format
1718 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1719 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1720 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1724 @node Group Line Specification
1725 @subsection Group Line Specification
1726 @cindex group buffer format
1728 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1729 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1731 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1734 25: news.announce.newusers
1735 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1740 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1741 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1742 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1743 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1745 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1746 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1747 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1748 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1749 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1750 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1752 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1754 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1755 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1756 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1757 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1758 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1760 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1761 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1762 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1764 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1769 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1772 Whether the group is subscribed.
1775 Level of subscribedness.
1778 Number of unread articles.
1781 Number of dormant articles.
1784 Number of ticked articles.
1787 Number of read articles.
1790 Number of unseen articles.
1793 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1794 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1796 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1797 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1798 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1799 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1800 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1801 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1802 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1803 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1806 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1809 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1818 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1819 comment element in the group parameters.
1822 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1823 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1824 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1828 @samp{m} if moderated.
1831 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1837 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1843 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1847 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1850 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1851 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1852 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1853 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1854 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1857 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1859 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1863 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1866 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1870 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1871 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1872 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1873 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1874 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1875 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1880 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1881 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1882 group, or a bogus native group.
1885 @node Group Modeline Specification
1886 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1887 @cindex group modeline
1889 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1890 The mode line can be changed by setting
1891 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1892 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1896 The native news server.
1898 The native select method.
1902 @node Group Highlighting
1903 @subsection Group Highlighting
1904 @cindex highlighting
1905 @cindex group highlighting
1907 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1908 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1909 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1910 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1911 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1913 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1917 (cond (window-system
1918 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1919 (defface my-group-face-1
1920 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1921 (defface my-group-face-2
1922 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1923 "Second group face")
1924 (defface my-group-face-3
1925 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1926 (defface my-group-face-4
1927 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1928 (defface my-group-face-5
1929 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1931 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1932 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1933 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1934 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1935 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1936 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1939 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1941 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1948 The number of unread articles in the group.
1952 Whether the group is a mail group.
1954 The level of the group.
1956 The score of the group.
1958 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1960 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1961 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1963 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1964 topic being inserted.
1967 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1968 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1969 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1971 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1972 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1973 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1974 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1975 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1978 @node Group Maneuvering
1979 @section Group Maneuvering
1980 @cindex group movement
1982 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1983 expected, hopefully.
1989 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1990 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1991 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1997 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1998 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1999 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2003 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2004 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2008 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2009 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2013 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2014 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2015 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2019 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2020 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2021 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2024 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2030 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2031 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2032 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2037 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2038 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2039 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2043 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2044 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2045 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2048 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2049 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2050 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2051 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2055 @node Selecting a Group
2056 @section Selecting a Group
2057 @cindex group selection
2062 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2063 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2064 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2065 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2066 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2067 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2068 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2069 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2070 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2071 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2073 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2074 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2075 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2077 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2078 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2083 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2084 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2085 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2086 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2087 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2091 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2092 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2093 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2094 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2095 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2096 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2097 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2098 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2099 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2100 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2103 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2104 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2105 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2106 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2107 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2110 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2111 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2112 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2113 doing any processing of its contents
2114 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2115 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2116 manner will have no permanent effects.
2120 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2121 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2122 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2123 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2124 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2125 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2126 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2127 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2130 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2131 Same as @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but only used for ephemeral
2134 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2135 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2136 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2137 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2138 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2139 Which article this is is controlled by the
2140 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2146 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2149 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2152 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2154 @item unseen-or-unread
2155 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2156 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2160 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2164 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2165 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2167 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2168 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2169 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2170 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2174 @node Subscription Commands
2175 @section Subscription Commands
2176 @cindex subscription
2184 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2185 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2186 Toggle subscription to the current group
2187 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2193 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2194 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2195 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2196 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2202 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2203 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2204 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2210 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2211 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2214 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2215 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2216 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2217 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2218 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2224 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2225 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2229 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2230 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2233 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2234 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2235 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2236 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2237 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2238 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2239 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2240 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2241 @file{.newsrc} file.
2245 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2255 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2256 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2257 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2258 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2259 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2260 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2265 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2266 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2267 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2271 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2272 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2273 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2275 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2276 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2277 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2278 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2279 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2280 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2287 @section Group Levels
2291 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2292 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2293 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2294 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2295 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2297 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2303 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2304 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2305 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2306 prompted for a level.
2309 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2310 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2311 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2312 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2313 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2314 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2315 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2316 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2317 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2318 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2319 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2320 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2321 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2322 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2323 reasons of efficiency.
2325 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2326 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2328 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2329 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2330 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2331 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2332 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2333 groups are hidden, in a way.
2335 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2336 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2337 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2338 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2339 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2340 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2342 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2343 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2344 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2345 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2346 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2347 list of killed groups.)
2349 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2350 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2351 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2353 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2354 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2355 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2356 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2357 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2358 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2359 relevant valid ranges.
2361 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2362 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2363 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2364 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2365 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2366 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2369 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2370 one with the best level.
2372 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2373 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2374 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2377 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2378 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2379 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2380 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2383 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2384 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2385 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2386 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2388 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2389 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2390 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2391 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2392 to 5. The default is 6.
2396 @section Group Score
2401 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2402 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2403 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2406 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2407 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2408 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2409 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2410 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2411 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2412 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2413 least significant part.))
2415 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2416 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2417 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2418 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2419 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2420 action after each summary exit, you can add
2421 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2422 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2423 slow things down somewhat.
2426 @node Marking Groups
2427 @section Marking Groups
2428 @cindex marking groups
2430 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2431 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2432 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2433 bidding on those groups.
2435 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2436 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2437 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2445 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2446 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2452 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2453 Remove the mark from the current group
2454 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2458 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2459 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2463 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2464 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2468 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2469 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2473 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2474 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2475 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2478 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2480 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2481 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2482 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2483 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2484 the command to be executed.
2487 @node Foreign Groups
2488 @section Foreign Groups
2489 @cindex foreign groups
2491 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2492 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2493 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2494 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2501 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2502 @cindex making groups
2503 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2504 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2505 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2509 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2510 @cindex renaming groups
2511 Rename the current group to something else
2512 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2513 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2519 @findex gnus-group-customize
2520 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2524 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2525 @cindex renaming groups
2526 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2527 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2531 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2532 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2533 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2537 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2538 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2539 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2543 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2545 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2546 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2551 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2552 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2556 @cindex (ding) archive
2557 @cindex archive group
2558 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2559 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2560 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2561 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2562 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2563 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2564 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2568 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2570 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2571 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2572 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2573 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2577 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2579 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2580 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2581 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2585 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2586 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2588 Make a group based on some file or other
2589 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2590 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2591 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2592 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2593 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2594 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2595 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2596 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2597 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2601 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2602 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2603 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2604 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2608 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2612 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2613 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2614 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2615 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2616 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2617 @xref{Web Searches}.
2619 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2620 to a particular group by using a match string like
2621 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2624 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2625 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2626 This function will delete the current group
2627 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2628 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2629 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2630 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2631 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2635 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2636 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2637 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2641 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2642 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2643 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2646 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2649 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2650 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2651 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2652 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2653 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2654 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2658 @node Group Parameters
2659 @section Group Parameters
2660 @cindex group parameters
2662 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2663 Here's an example group parameter list:
2666 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2670 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2671 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2672 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2673 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2675 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2676 is an alist of regexps and values.
2678 The following group parameters can be used:
2683 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2686 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2689 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2690 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2691 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2692 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2693 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2695 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2696 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2697 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2698 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2699 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2700 list address instead.
2702 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2706 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2709 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2712 It is totally ignored
2713 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2714 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2716 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2717 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2718 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2719 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2720 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2722 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2723 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2724 sending the message.
2726 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2727 @cindex Mail List Groups
2728 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2729 entering summary buffer.
2731 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2736 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2737 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2738 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2739 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2740 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{Mailing
2741 Lists, , Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual} for a complete
2742 treatment of available MFT support.
2744 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2745 directly uses this group parameter.
2749 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2750 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2751 of whether it has any unread articles.
2753 @item broken-reply-to
2754 @cindex broken-reply-to
2755 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2756 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2757 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2758 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2759 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2760 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2764 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2765 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2769 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2770 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2771 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2776 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2777 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2778 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2779 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2780 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2781 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2782 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2783 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2784 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2788 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2789 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2790 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2792 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2795 @cindex total-expire
2796 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2797 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2798 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2799 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2802 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2806 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2807 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2808 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2809 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2810 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2811 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2812 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2815 @cindex score file group parameter
2816 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2817 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2818 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2821 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2822 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2823 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2824 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2827 @cindex admin-address
2828 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2829 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2830 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2831 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2835 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2836 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2840 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2843 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2844 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2847 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2851 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2853 Here are some examples:
2857 Display only unread articles.
2860 Display everything except expirable articles.
2862 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2863 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2867 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2868 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2869 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2870 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2871 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2875 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2876 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2877 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2881 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2882 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2883 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2887 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2888 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2889 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2891 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2893 @item ignored-charsets
2894 @cindex ignored-charset
2895 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2896 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2897 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2899 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2902 @cindex posting-style
2903 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2904 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2905 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2906 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2907 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2909 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2910 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2911 like this in the group parameters:
2916 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2917 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2922 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2923 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2927 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
2928 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
2929 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2930 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2931 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2935 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2936 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2937 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2938 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2940 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2941 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2942 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2943 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2946 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2947 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2951 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2954 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2955 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2956 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2957 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2958 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2959 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2960 @code{eval}ed there.
2962 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
2963 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
2964 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
2965 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
2966 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
2967 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
2968 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
2969 @file{~/.gnus} file:
2971 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
2974 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2975 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2976 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2978 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
2980 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
2981 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
2982 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
2983 into the group parameters for the group.
2985 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2986 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2987 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2988 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2989 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2993 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2994 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2995 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2996 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2997 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2999 @vindex gnus-parameters
3000 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3001 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
3005 (setq gnus-parameters
3007 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3008 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3009 (gnus-summary-line-format
3010 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3014 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3018 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3022 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3025 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3026 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3029 @node Listing Groups
3030 @section Listing Groups
3031 @cindex group listing
3033 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3041 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3042 List all groups that have unread articles
3043 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3044 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3045 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3046 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3053 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3054 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3055 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3056 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3057 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3058 unsubscribed groups).
3062 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3063 List all unread groups on a specific level
3064 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3065 with no unread articles.
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3070 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3071 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3072 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3077 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3078 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3082 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3083 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3084 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3088 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3089 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3093 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3094 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3095 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3096 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3097 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3098 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3099 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3100 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3104 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3105 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3106 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3110 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3111 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3112 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3116 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3117 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3121 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3122 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3126 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3127 List groups limited within the current selection
3128 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3132 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3133 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3137 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3138 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3142 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3143 @cindex visible group parameter
3144 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3145 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3146 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3147 get the same effect.
3149 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3150 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3151 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3152 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3153 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3156 @node Sorting Groups
3157 @section Sorting Groups
3158 @cindex sorting groups
3160 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3161 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3162 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3163 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3164 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3165 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3170 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3171 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3172 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3174 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3175 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3176 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3178 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3179 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3180 Sort by group level.
3182 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3183 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3184 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3186 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3187 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3188 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3189 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3191 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3192 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3193 Sort by number of unread articles.
3195 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3196 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3197 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3199 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3201 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3206 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3207 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3211 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3212 some sorting criteria:
3216 @kindex G S a (Group)
3217 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3218 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3219 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3222 @kindex G S u (Group)
3223 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3224 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3225 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3228 @kindex G S l (Group)
3229 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3230 Sort the group buffer by group level
3231 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3234 @kindex G S v (Group)
3235 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3236 Sort the group buffer by group score
3237 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3240 @kindex G S r (Group)
3241 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3242 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3243 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3246 @kindex G S m (Group)
3247 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3248 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3249 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3252 @kindex G S n (Group)
3253 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3254 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3255 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3259 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3260 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3262 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3263 commands will sort in reverse order.
3265 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3269 @kindex G P a (Group)
3270 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3271 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3272 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3275 @kindex G P u (Group)
3276 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3277 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3278 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3281 @kindex G P l (Group)
3282 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3283 Sort the groups by group level
3284 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3287 @kindex G P v (Group)
3288 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3289 Sort the groups by group score
3290 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3293 @kindex G P r (Group)
3294 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3295 Sort the groups by group rank
3296 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3299 @kindex G P m (Group)
3300 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3301 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3302 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3305 @kindex G P n (Group)
3306 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3307 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3308 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3311 @kindex G P s (Group)
3312 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3313 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3317 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3321 @node Group Maintenance
3322 @section Group Maintenance
3323 @cindex bogus groups
3328 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3329 Find bogus groups and delete them
3330 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3334 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3335 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3336 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3337 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3338 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3342 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3343 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3344 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3345 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3346 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3347 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3350 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3351 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3352 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3353 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3358 @node Browse Foreign Server
3359 @section Browse Foreign Server
3360 @cindex foreign servers
3361 @cindex browsing servers
3366 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3367 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3368 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3369 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3372 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3373 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3374 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3375 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3377 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3382 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3383 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3387 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3388 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3391 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3392 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3393 Enter the current group and display the first article
3394 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3397 @kindex RET (Browse)
3398 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3399 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3403 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3404 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3405 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3411 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3412 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3416 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3417 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3421 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3422 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3423 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3428 @section Exiting Gnus
3429 @cindex exiting Gnus
3431 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3436 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3437 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3438 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3439 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3443 @findex gnus-group-exit
3444 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3445 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3449 @findex gnus-group-quit
3450 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3451 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3454 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3455 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3456 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3457 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3458 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3459 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3465 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3466 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3467 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3473 @section Group Topics
3476 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3477 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3478 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3479 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3480 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3481 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3485 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3486 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3497 2: alt.religion.emacs
3500 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3502 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3503 13: comp.sources.unix
3506 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3508 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3509 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3510 is a toggling command.)
3512 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3513 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3514 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3515 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3518 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3519 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3520 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3523 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3527 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3528 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3529 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3530 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3531 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3535 @node Topic Commands
3536 @subsection Topic Commands
3537 @cindex topic commands
3539 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3540 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3541 definitions slightly.
3543 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3544 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3545 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3546 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3547 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3548 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3550 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3557 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3558 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3559 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3563 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3565 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3566 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3567 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3568 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3571 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3572 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3573 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3574 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3578 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3579 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3580 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3581 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3587 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3588 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3589 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3593 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3594 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3595 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3598 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3599 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3600 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3601 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3602 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3604 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3605 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3609 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3610 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3617 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3619 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3620 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3621 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3622 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3623 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3624 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3628 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3634 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3635 Move the current group to some other topic
3636 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3637 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3641 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3642 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3646 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3647 Copy the current group to some other topic
3648 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3649 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3653 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3654 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3655 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3659 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3660 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3661 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3665 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3666 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3667 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3668 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3669 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3670 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3671 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3674 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3675 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3679 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3680 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3681 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3685 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3686 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3687 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3691 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3692 Toggle hiding empty topics
3693 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3697 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3698 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3699 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3700 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3703 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3704 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3705 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3706 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3707 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3710 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3711 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3712 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3713 expiry process (if any)
3714 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3718 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3719 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3722 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3723 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3724 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3728 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3729 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3730 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3733 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3734 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3735 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3738 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3739 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3740 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3744 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3745 @cindex group parameters
3746 @cindex topic parameters
3748 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3749 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3754 @node Topic Variables
3755 @subsection Topic Variables
3756 @cindex topic variables
3758 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3759 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3761 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3762 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3763 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3776 Number of groups in the topic.
3778 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3780 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3783 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3784 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3785 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3788 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3789 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3791 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3792 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3793 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3797 @subsection Topic Sorting
3798 @cindex topic sorting
3800 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3806 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3807 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3808 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3809 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3812 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3813 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3814 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3815 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3818 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3819 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3820 Sort the current topic by group level
3821 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3824 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3825 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3826 Sort the current topic by group score
3827 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3830 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3831 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3832 Sort the current topic by group rank
3833 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3836 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3837 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3838 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3839 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3842 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3843 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3844 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3845 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3849 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3850 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3851 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3852 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3856 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3857 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3861 @node Topic Topology
3862 @subsection Topic Topology
3863 @cindex topic topology
3866 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3873 2: alt.religion.emacs
3876 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3878 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3879 13: comp.sources.unix
3883 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3884 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3885 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3890 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3891 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3895 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3896 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3897 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3898 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3899 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3900 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3902 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3903 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3904 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3907 @node Topic Parameters
3908 @subsection Topic Parameters
3909 @cindex topic parameters
3911 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3912 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3913 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3915 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3920 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3921 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3922 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3925 @item subscribe-level
3926 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3927 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3928 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3932 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3933 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3934 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3935 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3941 2: alt.religion.emacs
3945 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3947 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3948 13: comp.sources.unix
3952 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3953 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3954 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3955 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3956 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3957 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3959 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3960 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3961 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3962 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3963 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3965 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3966 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3967 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3968 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3969 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3970 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3971 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3972 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3975 @node Misc Group Stuff
3976 @section Misc Group Stuff
3979 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3980 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3981 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3982 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3983 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3990 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3991 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3992 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3996 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3997 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3998 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3999 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4000 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4001 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4002 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4006 @findex gnus-group-mail
4007 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4008 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4009 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4010 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4014 @findex gnus-group-news
4015 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4016 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4017 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4019 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4020 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4021 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4022 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4023 for this to work though.
4027 Variables for the group buffer:
4031 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4032 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4033 is called after the group buffer has been
4036 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4037 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4038 is called after the group buffer is
4039 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4042 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4043 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4044 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4045 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4047 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4048 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4049 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4050 whether they are empty or not.
4052 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4053 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4054 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4055 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4059 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4060 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4063 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4064 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4065 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4066 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4067 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4068 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4069 default is @code{nil}.
4073 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4074 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4079 @node Scanning New Messages
4080 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4081 @cindex new messages
4082 @cindex scanning new news
4088 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4089 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4090 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4091 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4092 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4093 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4098 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4099 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4100 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4101 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4102 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4103 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4104 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4106 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4107 @cindex activating groups
4109 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4110 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4115 @findex gnus-group-restart
4116 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4117 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4118 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4122 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4123 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4125 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4126 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4130 @node Group Information
4131 @subsection Group Information
4132 @cindex group information
4133 @cindex information on groups
4140 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4141 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4144 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4145 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4146 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4147 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4148 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4149 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4150 used for fetching the file.
4152 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4153 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4157 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4158 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4160 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4161 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4164 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4165 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4166 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4170 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4171 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4172 @cindex control message
4173 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4174 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4175 group if given a prefix argument.
4177 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4178 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4179 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4180 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4182 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4183 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4184 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4188 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4190 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4191 @cindex describing groups
4192 @cindex group description
4193 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4194 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4195 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4199 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4200 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4201 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4208 @findex gnus-version
4209 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4213 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4214 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4217 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4220 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4221 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4225 @node Group Timestamp
4226 @subsection Group Timestamp
4228 @cindex group timestamps
4230 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4231 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4232 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4235 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4238 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4240 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4241 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4244 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4245 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4248 This will result in lines looking like:
4251 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4252 0: custom 19961002T012713
4255 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4256 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4260 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4261 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4264 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4265 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4269 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4270 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4271 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4272 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4274 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4280 @subsection File Commands
4281 @cindex file commands
4287 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4288 @vindex gnus-init-file
4289 @cindex reading init file
4290 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4291 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4295 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4296 @cindex saving .newsrc
4297 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4298 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4299 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4302 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4303 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4304 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4309 @node Sieve Commands
4310 @subsection Sieve Commands
4311 @cindex group sieve commands
4313 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4314 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4315 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4316 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4317 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4319 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4320 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4321 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4322 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4323 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4324 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4325 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4326 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4327 regenerate the Sieve script.
4329 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4330 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4331 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4332 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4333 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4334 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4335 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4336 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4337 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4338 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4341 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4342 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4347 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4353 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4354 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4355 @cindex generating sieve script
4356 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4357 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4361 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4362 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4363 @cindex updating sieve script
4364 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4365 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4366 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4371 @node Summary Buffer
4372 @chapter Summary Buffer
4373 @cindex summary buffer
4375 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4376 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4378 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4379 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4381 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4384 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4385 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4386 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4387 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4388 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4389 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4390 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4391 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4392 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4393 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4394 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4395 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4396 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4397 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4398 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4399 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4400 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4401 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4402 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4403 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4404 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4405 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4406 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4407 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4408 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4409 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4410 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4411 or reselecting the current group.
4412 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4413 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4414 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4415 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4419 @node Summary Buffer Format
4420 @section Summary Buffer Format
4421 @cindex summary buffer format
4425 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4426 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4427 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4433 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4434 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4435 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4436 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4439 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4440 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4441 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4442 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4443 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4444 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4445 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4446 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4447 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4448 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4449 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4452 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4453 'mail-extract-address-components)
4456 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4457 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4458 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4459 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4462 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4463 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4465 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4466 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4467 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4468 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4469 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4471 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4472 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4473 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4474 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4475 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4476 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4478 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4480 The following format specification characters and extended format
4481 specification(s) are understood:
4487 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4488 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4490 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4491 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4492 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4494 Full @code{From} header.
4496 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4498 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4501 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4502 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4503 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4504 may be more thorough.
4506 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4509 Number of lines in the article.
4511 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4512 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4514 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4515 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4517 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4519 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4520 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4533 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4534 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4535 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4536 line-drawing glyphs.
4538 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4539 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4540 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4541 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4543 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4544 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4545 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4546 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4548 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4549 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4550 Used for the root of a thread if it is a false root. If @code{nil},
4551 use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4553 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4554 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4555 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4556 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4558 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4559 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4560 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4562 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4563 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4564 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4566 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4567 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4568 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4570 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4571 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4572 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4577 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4578 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4580 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4581 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4583 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4584 for adopted articles.
4586 One space for each thread level.
4588 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4590 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4593 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4594 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4595 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4598 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4600 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4601 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4602 default level. If the difference between
4603 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4604 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4612 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4614 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4620 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4621 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4623 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4624 article has any children.
4630 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4631 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4633 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4634 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4635 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4636 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4637 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4638 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4641 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4642 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4643 There can only be one such area.
4645 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4646 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4647 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4648 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4649 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4650 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4652 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4653 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4655 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4658 @node To From Newsgroups
4659 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4663 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4664 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4665 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4666 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4667 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4671 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4672 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4673 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4677 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4678 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4681 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4682 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4685 @findex gnus-extra-header
4686 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4687 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4688 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4691 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4695 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4696 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4697 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4698 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4699 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4700 headers are used instead.
4704 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4705 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4706 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4707 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4708 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4709 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4712 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4713 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4714 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4715 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4717 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4721 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4723 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4724 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4725 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4726 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4730 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4733 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4734 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4737 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4738 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4739 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4745 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4746 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4749 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4750 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4752 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4753 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4754 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4755 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4757 Here are the elements you can play with:
4763 Unprefixed group name.
4765 Current article number.
4767 Current article score.
4771 Number of unread articles in this group.
4773 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4776 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4777 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4778 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4779 and no unselected ones.
4781 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4782 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4784 Subject of the current article.
4786 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4788 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4790 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4792 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4794 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4796 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4800 @node Summary Highlighting
4801 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4805 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4806 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4807 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4808 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4809 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4811 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4812 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4813 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4814 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4816 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4817 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4818 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4819 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4821 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4822 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4823 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4824 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4825 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4826 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4829 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4830 ((> score default) . bold))
4832 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4833 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4837 @node Summary Maneuvering
4838 @section Summary Maneuvering
4839 @cindex summary movement
4841 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4842 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4844 None of these commands select articles.
4849 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4850 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4851 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4852 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4853 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4857 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4858 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4859 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4860 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4861 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4864 @kindex G g (Summary)
4865 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4866 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4867 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4870 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4871 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4872 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4873 to the group buffer.
4875 Variables related to summary movement:
4879 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4880 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4881 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4882 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4883 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4884 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4885 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4886 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4887 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4888 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4889 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4890 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4891 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4892 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4894 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4895 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4896 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4897 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4898 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4899 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4900 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4902 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4904 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4905 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4906 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4907 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4908 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4910 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4911 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4912 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4913 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4914 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4915 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4916 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4917 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4920 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4921 the given number of lines from the top.
4926 @node Choosing Articles
4927 @section Choosing Articles
4928 @cindex selecting articles
4931 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4932 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4936 @node Choosing Commands
4937 @subsection Choosing Commands
4939 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4940 and they all select and display an article.
4942 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4943 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4947 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4948 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4949 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4950 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4952 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
4953 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
4954 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @pxref{Paging the Article}.
4959 @kindex G n (Summary)
4960 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4961 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4962 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4967 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4968 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4969 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4974 @kindex G N (Summary)
4975 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4976 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4981 @kindex G P (Summary)
4982 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4983 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4986 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4987 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4988 Go to the next article with the same subject
4989 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4992 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4994 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4999 @kindex G f (Summary)
5001 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5002 Go to the first unread article
5003 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5007 @kindex G b (Summary)
5009 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5010 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5011 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5012 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5017 @kindex G l (Summary)
5018 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5019 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5022 @kindex G o (Summary)
5023 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5025 @cindex article history
5026 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5027 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5028 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5029 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5030 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5031 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5036 @kindex G j (Summary)
5037 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5038 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5039 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5044 @node Choosing Variables
5045 @subsection Choosing Variables
5047 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5050 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5051 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5052 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5053 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5054 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5055 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5057 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5058 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5059 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
5060 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article. If you would
5061 like each article to be saved in the Agent as you read it, putting
5062 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this hook will do so.
5064 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5065 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5066 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5067 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5068 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5069 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5070 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5071 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5072 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
5073 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5074 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5075 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5076 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5077 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5082 @node Paging the Article
5083 @section Scrolling the Article
5084 @cindex article scrolling
5089 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5090 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5091 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5092 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5093 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5095 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5096 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5097 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5098 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5099 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5100 what is considered uninteresting with
5101 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5102 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5105 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5106 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5107 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5110 @kindex RET (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5112 Scroll the current article one line forward
5113 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5116 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5118 Scroll the current article one line backward
5119 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5123 @kindex A g (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5126 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5127 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5128 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5129 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5130 the way it came from the server.
5132 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5133 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5134 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5137 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5142 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5147 @kindex A < (Summary)
5148 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5149 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5150 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5155 @kindex A > (Summary)
5156 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5157 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5161 @kindex A s (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5164 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5165 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5169 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5170 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5175 @node Reply Followup and Post
5176 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5179 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5180 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5181 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5182 * Canceling and Superseding::
5186 @node Summary Mail Commands
5187 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5189 @cindex composing mail
5191 Commands for composing a mail message:
5197 @kindex S r (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5200 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5201 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5202 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5203 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5208 @kindex S R (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5210 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5211 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5212 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5213 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5216 @kindex S w (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5218 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5219 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5220 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5221 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5224 @kindex S W (Summary)
5225 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5226 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5227 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5228 the process/prefix convention.
5231 @kindex S v (Summary)
5232 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5233 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5234 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5235 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5236 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5237 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5240 @kindex S V (Summary)
5241 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5242 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5243 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5244 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5247 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5248 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5249 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5250 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5251 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5252 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5253 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5254 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5257 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5258 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5259 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5260 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5261 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5265 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5266 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5267 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5268 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5269 Forward the current article to some other person
5270 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5271 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5272 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5273 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5274 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5275 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5276 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5277 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5278 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5284 @kindex S m (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5286 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5287 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5288 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5289 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5294 @kindex S i (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5296 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5297 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5298 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5300 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5301 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5302 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5303 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5304 for this to work though.
5307 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5309 @cindex bouncing mail
5310 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5311 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5312 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5313 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5314 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5315 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5316 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5317 very well fail, though.
5320 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5322 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5323 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5324 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5325 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5326 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5327 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5328 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5329 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5331 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5332 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5333 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5334 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5335 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5337 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5338 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5341 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5342 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5343 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5344 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5345 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5348 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5349 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5350 @cindex crossposting
5351 @cindex excessive crossposting
5352 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5353 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5355 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5356 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5357 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5358 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5359 command understands the process/prefix convention
5360 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5364 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5365 Manual}, for more information.
5368 @node Summary Post Commands
5369 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5371 @cindex composing news
5373 Commands for posting a news article:
5379 @kindex S p (Summary)
5380 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5381 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5382 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5383 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5384 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5389 @kindex S f (Summary)
5390 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5391 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5392 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5396 @kindex S F (Summary)
5398 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5399 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5400 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5401 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5402 process/prefix convention.
5405 @kindex S n (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5407 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5408 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5411 @kindex S N (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5413 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5414 message through mail and include the original message
5415 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5416 the process/prefix convention.
5419 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5420 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5421 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5422 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5423 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5424 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5425 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5426 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5427 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5428 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5429 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5430 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5431 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5434 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5435 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5437 @cindex making digests
5438 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5439 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5440 process/prefix convention.
5443 @kindex S u (Summary)
5444 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5445 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5446 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5447 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5450 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5451 Manual}, for more information.
5454 @node Summary Message Commands
5455 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5459 @kindex S y (Summary)
5460 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5461 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5462 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5463 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5464 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5469 @node Canceling and Superseding
5470 @subsection Canceling Articles
5471 @cindex canceling articles
5472 @cindex superseding articles
5474 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5475 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5477 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5479 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5481 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5482 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5483 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5484 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5485 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5486 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5488 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5489 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5492 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5493 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5494 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5496 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5497 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5498 your original article.
5500 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5502 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5503 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5504 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5507 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5508 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5509 have posted almost the same article twice.
5511 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5512 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5513 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5514 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5515 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5516 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5517 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5518 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5519 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5520 canceled/superseded.
5522 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5524 @node Delayed Articles
5525 @section Delayed Articles
5526 @cindex delayed sending
5527 @cindex send delayed
5529 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5530 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5531 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5532 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5535 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5538 @findex gnus-delay-article
5539 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5540 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5541 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5542 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5546 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5547 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5548 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5549 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5552 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5553 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5554 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5557 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5558 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5559 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5560 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5561 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5562 that means a time tomorrow.
5565 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5566 couple of variables:
5569 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5570 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5571 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5572 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5574 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5575 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5576 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5577 formats described above.
5579 @item gnus-delay-group
5580 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5581 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5582 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5583 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5585 @item gnus-delay-header
5586 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5587 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5588 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5589 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5592 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5593 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5594 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5595 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5596 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5598 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5599 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5600 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5601 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5602 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5603 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5604 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5607 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5608 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5609 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5610 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5611 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5612 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5613 argument is ignored.
5615 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5616 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5617 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5621 @node Marking Articles
5622 @section Marking Articles
5623 @cindex article marking
5624 @cindex article ticking
5627 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5629 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5630 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5631 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5633 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5636 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5637 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5638 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5642 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5646 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5647 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5648 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5652 @node Unread Articles
5653 @subsection Unread Articles
5655 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5660 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5661 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5663 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5664 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5665 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5666 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5667 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5668 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5669 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5672 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5673 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5675 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5676 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5677 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5678 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5682 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5683 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5685 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5690 @subsection Read Articles
5691 @cindex expirable mark
5693 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5698 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5699 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5700 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5703 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5704 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5707 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5708 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5709 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5712 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5713 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5716 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5717 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5720 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5721 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5724 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5725 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5728 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5729 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5732 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5733 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5736 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5737 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5741 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5742 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5743 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5747 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5748 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5750 One more special mark, though:
5754 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5755 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5757 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5758 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5759 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5760 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5766 @subsection Other Marks
5767 @cindex process mark
5770 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5776 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5777 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5778 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5779 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5780 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5783 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5784 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5785 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5786 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5789 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5790 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5791 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5794 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5795 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5796 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5799 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5800 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5801 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5802 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5805 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5806 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5807 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5808 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5809 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5810 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5813 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5814 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5815 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5816 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5819 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
5820 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, articles may be
5821 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
5822 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
5823 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
5827 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5828 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might
5829 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
5830 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
5831 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
5832 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
5835 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5836 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5837 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5838 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5839 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5840 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5844 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5845 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5846 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5847 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5848 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5851 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5852 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5853 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5854 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5855 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5856 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5860 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5861 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5862 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5864 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5865 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5866 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5870 @subsection Setting Marks
5871 @cindex setting marks
5873 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5878 @kindex M c (Summary)
5879 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5880 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5881 @cindex mark as unread
5882 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5883 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5889 @kindex M t (Summary)
5890 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5891 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5892 @xref{Article Caching}.
5897 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5898 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5899 Mark the current article as dormant
5900 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5904 @kindex M d (Summary)
5906 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5907 Mark the current article as read
5908 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5912 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5913 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5914 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5919 @kindex M k (Summary)
5920 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5921 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5922 and then select the next unread article
5923 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5927 @kindex M K (Summary)
5928 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5929 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5930 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5931 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5934 @kindex M C (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5936 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5937 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5940 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5942 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5943 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5946 @kindex M H (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5948 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5949 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5952 @kindex M h (Summary)
5953 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5954 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5955 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5958 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5959 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5960 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5961 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5964 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5965 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5966 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5967 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5971 @kindex M e (Summary)
5973 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5974 Mark the current article as expirable
5975 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5978 @kindex M b (Summary)
5979 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5980 Set a bookmark in the current article
5981 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5984 @kindex M B (Summary)
5985 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5986 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5987 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5990 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5991 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5992 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5993 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5996 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5997 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5998 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5999 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6002 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6003 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6004 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6005 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6006 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6009 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6010 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6011 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6012 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6013 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6014 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6015 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6016 The default is @code{t}.
6019 @node Generic Marking Commands
6020 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6022 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6023 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6024 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6025 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6026 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6029 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6030 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6033 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6034 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6035 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6036 to list in this manual.
6038 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6039 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6040 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6041 article, you could say something like:
6045 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6046 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6047 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6054 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6055 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6059 @node Setting Process Marks
6060 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6061 @cindex setting process marks
6063 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6064 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6065 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6066 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6067 commands into the cache. For more information,
6068 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6075 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6076 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6077 Mark the current article with the process mark
6078 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6079 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6083 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6084 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6085 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6086 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6089 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6090 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6091 Remove the process mark from all articles
6092 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6095 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6096 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6097 Invert the list of process marked articles
6098 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6101 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6102 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6103 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6104 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6107 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6108 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6109 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6110 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6113 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6114 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6115 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6119 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6120 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6123 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6124 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6125 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6126 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6129 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6130 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6131 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6132 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6135 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6136 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6137 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6138 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6141 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6142 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6143 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6146 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6147 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6148 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6149 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6152 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6153 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6154 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6157 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6158 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6159 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6160 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6163 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6164 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6165 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6166 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6169 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6170 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6171 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6172 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6175 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6176 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6177 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6178 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6182 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6183 set process marks based on article body contents.
6190 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6191 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6192 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6195 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6196 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6197 additional articles.
6203 @kindex / / (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6205 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6210 @kindex / a (Summary)
6211 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6212 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6213 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6217 @kindex / x (Summary)
6218 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6219 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6220 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6221 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6226 @kindex / u (Summary)
6228 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6229 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6230 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6231 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6232 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6235 @kindex / m (Summary)
6236 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6237 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6238 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6241 @kindex / t (Summary)
6242 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6243 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6244 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6245 articles younger than that number of days.
6248 @kindex / n (Summary)
6249 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6250 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6251 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6252 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6255 @kindex / w (Summary)
6256 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6257 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6258 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6262 @kindex / . (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6264 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6265 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6268 @kindex / v (Summary)
6269 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6270 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6271 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6274 @kindex / p (Summary)
6275 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6276 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6277 group parameter predicate
6278 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6279 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6283 @kindex M S (Summary)
6284 @kindex / E (Summary)
6285 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6286 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6287 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6290 @kindex / D (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6292 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6293 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6296 @kindex / * (Summary)
6297 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6298 Include all cached articles in the limit
6299 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6302 @kindex / d (Summary)
6303 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6304 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6305 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6308 @kindex / M (Summary)
6309 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6310 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6313 @kindex / T (Summary)
6314 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6315 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6318 @kindex / c (Summary)
6319 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6320 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6321 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6324 @kindex / C (Summary)
6325 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6326 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6327 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6328 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6331 @kindex / N (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6333 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6334 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6337 @kindex / o (Summary)
6338 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6339 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6340 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6348 @cindex article threading
6350 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6351 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6352 hierarchical fashion.
6354 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6355 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6356 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6357 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6358 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6359 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6360 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6362 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6366 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6369 A tree-like article structure.
6372 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6375 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6376 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6377 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6378 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6379 called loose threads.
6381 @item thread gathering
6382 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6384 @item sparse threads
6385 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6386 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6392 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6393 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6397 @node Customizing Threading
6398 @subsection Customizing Threading
6399 @cindex customizing threading
6402 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6403 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6404 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6405 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6410 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6413 @cindex loose threads
6416 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6417 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6418 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6419 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6420 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6421 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6423 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6424 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6425 There are four possible values:
6429 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6430 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6431 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6432 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6433 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6438 @cindex adopting articles
6443 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6444 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6445 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6446 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6449 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6450 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6451 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6452 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6453 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6454 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6455 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6456 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6457 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6458 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6461 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6462 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6463 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6467 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6468 display them after one another.
6471 Don't gather loose threads.
6474 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6475 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6476 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6477 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6478 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6479 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6480 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6481 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6482 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6483 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6484 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6486 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6487 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6488 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6491 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6492 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6493 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6494 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6495 simplification is used.
6497 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6498 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6499 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6500 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6502 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6504 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6510 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6511 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6512 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6513 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6518 (mapconcat 'identity
6519 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6521 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6524 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6527 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6528 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6529 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6530 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6531 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6532 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6534 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6537 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6538 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6539 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6541 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6542 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6545 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6546 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6547 Remove excessive whitespace.
6549 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6550 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6551 Remove all whitespace.
6554 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6557 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6558 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6559 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6560 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6561 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6562 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6563 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6564 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6566 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6567 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6568 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6569 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6570 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6571 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6572 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6573 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6574 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6578 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6579 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6580 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6581 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6583 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6584 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6585 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6588 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6592 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6593 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6599 @node Filling In Threads
6600 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6603 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6604 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6605 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6606 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6607 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6608 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6609 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6610 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6611 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6612 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6613 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6614 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6617 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6618 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6619 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6621 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6622 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6623 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6626 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6627 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6628 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6629 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6630 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6631 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6632 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6633 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6634 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6635 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6636 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6637 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6638 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6639 @code{nil} by default.
6641 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6642 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6643 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6644 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6645 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6646 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6647 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6649 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6650 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6651 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6656 @node More Threading
6657 @subsubsection More Threading
6660 @item gnus-show-threads
6661 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6662 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6663 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6664 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6665 slower and more awkward.
6667 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6668 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6669 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6672 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6673 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6674 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6679 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6680 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6681 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6684 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6685 unread, but you get my drift.)
6688 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6689 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6690 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6691 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6692 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6693 threads are expunged.
6695 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6696 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6697 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6700 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6701 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6702 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6703 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6704 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6705 result in a new thread.
6707 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6708 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6709 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6712 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6713 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6714 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6715 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6716 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6717 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6718 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6719 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6720 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6721 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6722 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6727 @node Low-Level Threading
6728 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6732 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6733 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6734 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6736 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6737 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6738 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6739 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6740 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6741 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6742 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6743 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6744 meaningful. Here's one example:
6747 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6749 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6750 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6752 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6754 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6761 @node Thread Commands
6762 @subsection Thread Commands
6763 @cindex thread commands
6769 @kindex T k (Summary)
6770 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6771 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6772 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6773 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6774 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6779 @kindex T l (Summary)
6780 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6781 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6782 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6783 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6786 @kindex T i (Summary)
6787 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6788 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6789 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6792 @kindex T # (Summary)
6793 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6794 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6795 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6798 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6799 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6800 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6801 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6804 @kindex T T (Summary)
6805 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6806 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6809 @kindex T s (Summary)
6810 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6811 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
6812 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6815 @kindex T h (Summary)
6816 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6817 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6820 @kindex T S (Summary)
6821 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6822 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6825 @kindex T H (Summary)
6826 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6827 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6830 @kindex T t (Summary)
6831 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6832 Re-thread the current article's thread
6833 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6834 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6837 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6838 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6839 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6840 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6844 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6845 understand the numeric prefix.
6850 @kindex T n (Summary)
6852 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6854 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6855 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6856 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6859 @kindex T p (Summary)
6861 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6863 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6864 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6865 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6868 @kindex T d (Summary)
6869 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6870 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6873 @kindex T u (Summary)
6874 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6875 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6878 @kindex T o (Summary)
6879 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6880 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6883 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6884 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6885 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6886 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6887 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6888 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6889 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6890 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6891 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6892 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6893 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6894 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6898 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6899 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6901 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6902 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6903 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6904 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6905 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6906 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6907 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6908 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6909 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6910 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6911 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6912 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6913 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6915 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6916 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6917 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6918 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6919 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6920 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6921 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6922 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6924 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6925 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6926 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6928 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6929 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6930 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6931 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6932 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6933 ascending article order.
6935 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6936 by number, you could do something like:
6939 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6940 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6941 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6942 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6945 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6946 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6947 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6948 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6949 which the articles arrived.
6951 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6955 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6957 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6958 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6961 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6962 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6963 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6964 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6967 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6968 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6969 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6970 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6971 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6972 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6973 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6974 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6975 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6976 variable. It is very similar to the
6977 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6978 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6979 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6980 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6981 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6982 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6983 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6985 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6989 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6990 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6991 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6996 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6997 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6998 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6999 @cindex article pre-fetch
7002 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7003 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7004 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7005 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7006 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7008 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7009 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7011 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7012 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7013 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7014 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7015 connection is blocked.
7017 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7018 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7019 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7020 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7022 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7023 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7024 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7025 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7028 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7031 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7032 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7033 happen automatically.
7035 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7036 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7037 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7038 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7039 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7040 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7041 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7043 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7044 @findex gnus-async-read-p
7045 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7046 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7047 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7048 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7049 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which
7050 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7051 article data structure as the only parameter.
7053 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7054 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7057 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7058 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7059 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7060 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7063 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7066 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7067 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7068 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7070 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7071 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7072 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7073 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7077 Remove articles when they are read.
7080 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7083 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7085 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7086 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7087 @c from the next group.
7090 @node Article Caching
7091 @section Article Caching
7092 @cindex article caching
7095 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7096 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7097 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7098 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7099 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7101 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7103 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7104 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7105 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7106 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7107 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7108 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7109 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7110 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7112 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7113 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7114 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7115 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7116 as dormant, and don't worry.
7118 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7120 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7121 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7122 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7123 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7124 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7125 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7126 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7127 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7128 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7129 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7131 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7132 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7133 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7134 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7135 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7136 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7137 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7138 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7139 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7140 not then be downloaded by this command.
7142 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7143 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7144 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7145 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7146 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7147 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7149 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7150 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7151 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7152 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7153 variables, the group is not cached.
7155 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7156 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7157 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7158 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7159 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7160 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7161 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7162 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7163 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7166 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7167 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7168 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7169 where, isn't that cool?
7171 @node Persistent Articles
7172 @section Persistent Articles
7173 @cindex persistent articles
7175 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7176 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7177 useful in my opinion.
7179 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7180 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7181 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7182 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7183 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7184 the expiry going on at the news server.
7186 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7187 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7188 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7194 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7195 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7198 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7200 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7201 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7205 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7207 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7208 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7209 interested in persistent articles:
7212 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7216 @node Article Backlog
7217 @section Article Backlog
7219 @cindex article backlog
7221 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7222 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7223 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7224 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7225 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7226 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7227 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7228 increase memory usage some.
7230 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7231 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7232 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7233 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7234 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7235 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7236 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7238 The default value is 20.
7241 @node Saving Articles
7242 @section Saving Articles
7243 @cindex saving articles
7245 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7246 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7247 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7248 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7249 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7251 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7252 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7253 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7255 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7256 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7257 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7259 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7260 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7261 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7262 deleted before saving.
7268 @kindex O o (Summary)
7270 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7271 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7272 Save the current article using the default article saver
7273 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7276 @kindex O m (Summary)
7277 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7278 Save the current article in mail format
7279 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7282 @kindex O r (Summary)
7283 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7284 Save the current article in Rmail format
7285 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7288 @kindex O f (Summary)
7289 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7290 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7291 Save the current article in plain file format
7292 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7295 @kindex O F (Summary)
7296 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7297 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7298 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7301 @kindex O b (Summary)
7302 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7303 Save the current article body in plain file format
7304 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7307 @kindex O h (Summary)
7308 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7309 Save the current article in mh folder format
7310 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7313 @kindex O v (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7315 Save the current article in a VM folder
7316 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7320 @kindex O p (Summary)
7322 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7323 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7324 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7325 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7326 complete headers in the piped output.
7329 @kindex O P (Summary)
7330 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7331 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7332 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7333 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7334 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7335 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7336 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7340 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7341 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7342 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7343 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7344 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7345 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7346 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7347 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7348 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7349 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7350 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7351 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7355 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7356 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7357 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7358 functions below, or you can create your own.
7362 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7363 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7364 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7365 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7366 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7367 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7368 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7370 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7371 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7372 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7373 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7374 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7375 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7377 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7378 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7379 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7380 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7381 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7382 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7383 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7385 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7386 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7387 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7388 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7389 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7390 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7392 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7393 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7394 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7395 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7396 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7398 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7399 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7400 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7401 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7402 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7405 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7406 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7407 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7408 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7409 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7411 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7412 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7413 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7414 reader to use this setting.
7417 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7418 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7419 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7420 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7423 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7424 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7425 available functions that generate names:
7429 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7430 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7431 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7433 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7434 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7435 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7437 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7438 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7439 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7441 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7442 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7443 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7445 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7446 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7447 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7450 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7451 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7452 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7453 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7454 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7458 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7459 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7460 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7461 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7464 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7465 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7466 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7467 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7468 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7469 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7470 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7471 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7472 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7474 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7475 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7476 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7477 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7479 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7480 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7481 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7484 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7485 lots of mail groups called things like
7486 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7487 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7488 following will do just that:
7491 (defun my-save-name (group)
7492 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7493 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7495 (setq gnus-split-methods
7496 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7501 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7502 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7503 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7504 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7505 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7506 all the files in the top level directory
7507 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7508 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7509 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7510 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7512 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7513 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7514 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7515 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7516 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7519 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7523 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7524 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7525 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7528 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7529 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7530 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7531 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7534 @node Decoding Articles
7535 @section Decoding Articles
7536 @cindex decoding articles
7538 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7539 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7542 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7543 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7544 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7545 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7546 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7547 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7551 @cindex article series
7552 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7553 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7554 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7555 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7556 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7558 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7559 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7560 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7562 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7563 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7564 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7566 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7567 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7568 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7571 @node Uuencoded Articles
7572 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7574 @cindex uuencoded articles
7579 @kindex X u (Summary)
7580 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7581 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7582 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7585 @kindex X U (Summary)
7586 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7587 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7588 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7591 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7592 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7593 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7596 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7597 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7598 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7599 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7603 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7604 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7605 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7606 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7607 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7609 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7610 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7611 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7612 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7615 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7616 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7617 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7618 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7619 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7620 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7624 @node Shell Archives
7625 @subsection Shell Archives
7627 @cindex shell archives
7628 @cindex shared articles
7630 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7631 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7632 some commands to deal with these:
7637 @kindex X s (Summary)
7638 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7639 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7642 @kindex X S (Summary)
7643 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7644 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7647 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7648 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7649 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7652 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7653 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7654 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7655 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7659 @node PostScript Files
7660 @subsection PostScript Files
7666 @kindex X p (Summary)
7667 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7668 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7671 @kindex X P (Summary)
7672 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7673 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7674 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7677 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7678 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7679 View the current PostScript series
7680 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7683 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7684 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7685 View and save the current PostScript series
7686 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7691 @subsection Other Files
7695 @kindex X o (Summary)
7696 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7697 Save the current series
7698 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7701 @kindex X b (Summary)
7702 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7703 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7704 doesn't really work yet.
7708 @node Decoding Variables
7709 @subsection Decoding Variables
7711 Adjective, not verb.
7714 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7715 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7716 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7720 @node Rule Variables
7721 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7722 @cindex rule variables
7724 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7725 variables are of the form
7728 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7735 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7736 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7738 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7739 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
7742 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7743 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7746 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7747 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7748 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7749 user and default view rules.
7751 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7752 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7753 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7758 @node Other Decode Variables
7759 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7762 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7764 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7765 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7766 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7767 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7768 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7772 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7773 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7776 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7777 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7778 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7781 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7782 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7783 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7784 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7785 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7788 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7789 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7790 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7792 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7793 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7794 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7795 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7796 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
7799 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7800 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7801 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7803 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7804 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7805 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7806 looking for files to display.
7808 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7809 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7810 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7813 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7814 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7815 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7818 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7819 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7820 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7823 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7824 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7825 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7828 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7829 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7830 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7831 decoded articles as unread.
7833 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7834 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7835 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7836 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7838 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7839 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7840 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7842 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7843 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7845 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7846 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
7847 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7848 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7850 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7851 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7852 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7853 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7854 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7855 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7856 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7857 simply dropped them.
7862 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7863 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7867 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7868 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7869 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7870 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7871 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7872 for you when you post the article.
7874 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7875 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7876 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7877 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7879 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7880 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7881 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7882 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7883 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7884 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7885 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
7887 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7888 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7889 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7890 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7891 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7892 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7893 Default is @code{t}.
7899 @subsection Viewing Files
7900 @cindex viewing files
7901 @cindex pseudo-articles
7903 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7904 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7905 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7906 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7907 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7908 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7909 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7911 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7912 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7913 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7914 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7916 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7917 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7918 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7920 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7921 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7922 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7923 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7924 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7926 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7927 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7928 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7929 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7930 a list of parameters to that command.
7932 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7933 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7934 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7936 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7937 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7938 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7941 @node Article Treatment
7942 @section Article Treatment
7944 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7945 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7946 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7947 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7948 these articles easier.
7951 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7952 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7953 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7954 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7955 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7956 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7957 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
7958 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7959 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7960 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7961 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7965 @node Article Highlighting
7966 @subsection Article Highlighting
7967 @cindex highlighting
7969 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7970 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7975 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7976 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7977 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7978 Do much highlighting of the current article
7979 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7980 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7983 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7984 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7985 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7986 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7987 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7988 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7989 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7990 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7991 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7992 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7993 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7994 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7997 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7998 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7999 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8001 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8004 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8006 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8007 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
8008 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8010 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8011 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8012 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8014 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8015 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8016 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8017 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8018 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8019 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8021 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8022 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8023 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8025 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8026 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8027 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8029 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8030 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8031 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8032 that it's a citation.
8034 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8035 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8036 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8038 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8039 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8040 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8042 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8043 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8044 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8045 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8051 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8052 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8053 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8054 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8055 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8056 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8057 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8058 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8063 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8066 @node Article Fontisizing
8067 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8069 @cindex article emphasis
8071 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8072 @kindex W e (Summary)
8073 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8074 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8075 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8076 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8078 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8079 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8080 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8081 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8082 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8083 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8084 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8085 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8089 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8090 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8091 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8100 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8101 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8102 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8103 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8104 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8105 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8106 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8107 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8108 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8109 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8110 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8111 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8112 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8114 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8115 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8116 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8120 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8123 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8125 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8126 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8127 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8128 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8130 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8133 @node Article Hiding
8134 @subsection Article Hiding
8135 @cindex article hiding
8137 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8138 too much cruft in most articles.
8143 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8144 @findex gnus-article-hide
8145 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8146 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8147 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8150 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8151 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8152 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8156 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8157 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8158 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8159 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8162 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8163 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8164 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8168 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8169 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8170 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8171 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8172 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8173 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8174 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8175 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8179 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8180 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8181 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8182 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8187 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8188 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8189 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8190 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8193 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8194 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8195 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8196 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8199 @cindex stripping advertisements
8200 @cindex advertisements
8201 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8202 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8203 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8204 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8205 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8206 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8207 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8208 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8209 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8210 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8213 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8214 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8215 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8219 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8220 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8221 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8222 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8223 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8224 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8225 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8226 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8227 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8228 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8229 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8232 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8233 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8239 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8240 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8241 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8242 customizing the hiding:
8246 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8247 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8248 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8249 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8250 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8251 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8252 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8257 Starting point of the hidden text.
8259 Ending point of the hidden text.
8261 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8263 Number of lines of hidden text.
8266 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8267 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8268 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8269 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8270 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8275 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8276 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8278 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8279 following two variables:
8282 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8283 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8284 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8285 50), hide the cited text.
8287 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8288 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8289 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8294 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8295 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8296 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8297 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8298 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8299 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8303 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8304 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8305 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8307 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8308 citation customization.
8310 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8314 @node Article Washing
8315 @subsection Article Washing
8317 @cindex article washing
8319 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8320 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8322 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8323 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8326 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8327 articles by default.
8332 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8333 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8337 Force redisplaying of the current article
8338 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8339 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8340 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8341 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8344 @kindex W l (Summary)
8345 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8346 Remove page breaks from the current article
8347 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8351 @kindex W r (Summary)
8352 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8353 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8354 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8355 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8356 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8357 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8359 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8360 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8361 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8362 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8365 @kindex W m (Summary)
8366 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8367 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8371 @kindex W t (Summary)
8373 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8374 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8375 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8378 @kindex W v (Summary)
8379 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8380 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8381 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8384 @kindex W o (Summary)
8385 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8386 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8389 @kindex W d (Summary)
8390 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8391 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8393 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8395 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8396 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8397 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8398 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8401 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8402 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8403 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8404 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8407 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8408 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8409 @cindex Outlook Express
8410 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8411 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8412 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8415 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8416 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8417 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8418 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8419 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8420 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8421 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8422 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the miminum and
8423 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8424 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8427 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8428 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8429 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8430 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8433 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8434 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8435 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8436 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8439 @kindex W w (Summary)
8440 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8441 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8443 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8447 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8448 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8449 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8452 @kindex W C (Summary)
8453 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8454 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8455 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8458 @kindex W c (Summary)
8459 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8460 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8461 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8462 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8463 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8466 @kindex W q (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8468 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8469 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8470 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8471 makes strings like @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which
8472 doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually done
8473 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8474 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8475 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8478 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8479 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8480 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8481 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8482 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8483 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8484 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8485 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8488 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8489 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8490 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8491 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8492 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8495 @kindex W u (Summary)
8496 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8497 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8498 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8499 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8500 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8503 @kindex W h (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8505 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8506 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8507 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8509 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8511 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8512 The default is to use the function specified by
8513 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8514 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8515 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8516 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8524 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8527 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8530 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8533 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8538 @kindex W b (Summary)
8539 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8540 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8541 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8544 @kindex W B (Summary)
8545 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8546 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8547 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8550 @kindex W p (Summary)
8551 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8552 Verify a signed control message
8553 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8554 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8555 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8556 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8557 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8558 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8561 @kindex W s (Summary)
8562 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8563 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8564 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8565 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8568 @kindex W a (Summary)
8569 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8570 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8571 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8574 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8575 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8576 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8577 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8580 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8581 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8582 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8583 lines with a single empty line.
8584 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8587 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8588 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8589 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8590 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8593 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8594 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8595 Do all the three commands above
8596 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8599 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8600 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8601 Remove all blank lines
8602 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8605 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8606 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8607 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8608 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8611 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8612 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8613 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8614 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8618 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8621 @node Article Header
8622 @subsection Article Header
8624 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8629 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8630 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8631 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8634 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8635 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8636 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8637 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8640 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8641 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8642 Fold all the message headers
8643 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8647 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8648 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8649 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8654 @node Article Buttons
8655 @subsection Article Buttons
8658 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8659 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8660 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8661 button on these references.
8663 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8664 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8665 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
8666 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
8667 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
8671 @item gnus-button-alist
8672 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8673 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8676 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8682 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8683 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8684 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8685 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8686 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
8689 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8690 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8691 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8694 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8695 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8696 avoid false matches. Often variables named
8697 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
8698 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
8700 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
8703 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8706 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8707 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8711 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8714 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8717 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8718 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8719 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8720 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8721 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8724 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{nutton-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
8727 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8730 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
8733 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
8734 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
8736 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
8738 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8739 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8740 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8741 default values of the variables above.
8743 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
8745 @item gnus-button-man-handler
8746 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8747 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
8748 argument with a string naming the man page.
8750 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
8752 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8753 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
8754 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
8756 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8757 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
8758 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
8759 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
8760 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
8761 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
8762 a mail address, respectivly. If this variable is set to the symbol
8763 @code{ask}, always query the user what do do. If it is a function, this
8764 function will be called with the string as it's only argument. The
8765 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
8766 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
8767 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8769 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8770 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
8771 Function that guesses whether it's argument is a message ID or a mail
8772 address. Returns @code{mid} it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if it's a
8773 mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the string is
8776 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8777 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
8778 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
8779 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
8781 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
8783 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
8784 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
8785 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
8786 argument, the string naming the URL.
8789 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
8790 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
8791 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
8795 @item gnus-article-button-face
8796 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8797 Face used on buttons.
8799 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8800 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8801 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8805 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8808 @node Article Button Levels
8809 @subsection Article button levels
8810 @cindex button levels
8811 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
8812 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
8813 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
8814 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
8815 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
8816 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
8817 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
8818 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
8821 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
8822 (setq gnus-parameters
8823 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
8824 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
8825 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
8830 @item gnus-button-browse-level
8831 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
8832 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
8833 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
8834 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
8835 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
8837 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
8838 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
8839 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
8840 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
8841 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
8842 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
8843 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
8844 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
8845 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
8846 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
8847 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
8848 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
8849 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
8851 @item gnus-button-man-level
8852 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
8853 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
8854 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
8856 @item gnus-button-message-level
8857 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
8858 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
8859 Related variables and functions include
8860 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
8861 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
8862 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
8863 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
8865 @item gnus-button-tex-level
8866 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
8867 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
8868 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
8869 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
8870 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
8871 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
8877 @subsection Article Date
8879 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8880 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8881 when the article was sent.
8886 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8887 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8888 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8889 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8892 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8893 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8895 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8896 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8899 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8900 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8901 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8904 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8905 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8906 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8907 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8910 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8911 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8912 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8913 @findex format-time-string
8914 Display the date using a user-defined format
8915 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8916 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8917 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8918 for a list of possible format specs.
8921 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8922 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8923 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8924 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8925 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8926 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8929 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8932 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
8933 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8934 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8937 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8938 into wonderful absurdities.
8940 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8943 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8946 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8947 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8951 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8952 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8953 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8954 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8955 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8956 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8957 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8961 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8962 preferred format automatically.
8965 @node Article Display
8966 @subsection Article Display
8971 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8972 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8974 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8975 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8977 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8978 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8980 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8981 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8983 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
8988 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8990 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8991 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8994 @kindex W D d (Summary)
8995 @findex gnus-article-display-face
8996 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
8997 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9000 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9001 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9002 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9005 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9006 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9007 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9010 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9011 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9012 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9013 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9016 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9017 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9018 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9019 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9022 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9023 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9024 Remove all images from the article buffer
9025 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9031 @node Article Signature
9032 @subsection Article Signature
9034 @cindex article signature
9036 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9037 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9038 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9039 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9040 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9041 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9042 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9043 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9044 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9047 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9048 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9049 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9050 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9051 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9052 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9053 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9054 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9057 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9060 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9061 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9062 signature when displaying articles.
9066 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9069 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9072 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9073 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9075 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9076 in question is not a signature.
9079 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9080 listed above. Here's an example:
9083 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9084 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9087 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9088 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9089 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9090 signature after all.
9093 @node Article Miscellania
9094 @subsection Article Miscellania
9098 @kindex A t (Summary)
9099 @findex gnus-article-babel
9100 Translate the article from one language to another
9101 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9107 @section MIME Commands
9108 @cindex MIME decoding
9110 @cindex viewing attachments
9112 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9113 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9119 @kindex K v (Summary)
9120 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9123 @kindex K o (Summary)
9124 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9127 @kindex K c (Summary)
9128 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9131 @kindex K e (Summary)
9132 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9135 @kindex K i (Summary)
9136 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9139 @kindex K | (Summary)
9140 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9143 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9148 @kindex K b (Summary)
9149 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9150 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9154 @kindex K m (Summary)
9155 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9156 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9157 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9158 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9159 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9162 @kindex X m (Summary)
9163 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9164 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9165 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9166 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9169 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9170 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9171 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9172 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9175 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9176 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9177 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9178 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9181 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9182 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9183 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9184 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9186 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9187 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9188 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9189 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9190 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9191 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9194 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9195 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9196 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9197 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9204 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9205 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9206 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9207 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9210 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9213 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9217 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9218 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9219 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't required the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9220 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9221 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9222 default is @code{nil}.
9224 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9225 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9226 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9227 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9228 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9229 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9230 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}.
9232 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9233 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9234 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9235 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9236 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9237 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9238 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9239 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9241 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9242 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9243 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9244 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9245 displayed. This variable overrides
9246 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9247 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9250 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9251 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9252 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9254 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9255 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9256 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9257 default value is @code{nil}.
9259 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9260 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9261 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9262 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9263 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9264 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9265 save all jpegs into some directory).
9267 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9270 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9271 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9273 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9274 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9275 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9276 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9277 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9280 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9281 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9282 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9284 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9285 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9286 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9287 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9289 Ready-made functions include@*
9290 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9291 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9292 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9293 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9294 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9295 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9296 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9297 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9298 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9299 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9300 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9301 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9303 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9304 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9306 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9307 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9308 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9311 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9312 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9313 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9314 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9318 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9327 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9328 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9329 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9330 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9331 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9332 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9333 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9335 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9336 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9337 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9338 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9340 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9341 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9342 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9343 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9344 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9345 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9346 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9347 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9348 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9350 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9351 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9352 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9353 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9354 quoted-printable header encoding.
9356 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9357 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9358 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9362 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9365 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9366 means encode all charsets),
9368 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9369 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9370 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9377 @cindex coding system aliases
9378 @cindex preferred charset
9380 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9382 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9383 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9386 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9387 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9390 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9391 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9393 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9396 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9399 This will almost do the right thing.
9401 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9405 (codepage-setup 1251)
9406 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9410 @node Article Commands
9411 @section Article Commands
9418 @kindex A P (Summary)
9419 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9420 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9421 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9422 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9423 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9424 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9429 @node Summary Sorting
9430 @section Summary Sorting
9431 @cindex summary sorting
9433 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9434 can't really see why you'd want that.
9439 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9440 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9441 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9444 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9445 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9446 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9449 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9450 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9451 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9454 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9455 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9456 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9459 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9460 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9461 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9464 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9465 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9466 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9469 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9470 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9471 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9474 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9475 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9476 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9479 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9480 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9481 Sort using the default sorting method
9482 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9485 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9486 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9487 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9488 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9489 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9493 @node Finding the Parent
9494 @section Finding the Parent
9495 @cindex parent articles
9496 @cindex referring articles
9501 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9502 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9503 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9504 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9505 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9506 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9507 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9508 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9509 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9511 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9512 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9513 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9514 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9515 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9519 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9520 @kindex A R (Summary)
9521 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9522 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9525 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9526 @kindex A T (Summary)
9527 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9528 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9529 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9530 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9531 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9532 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9533 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9535 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9536 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9537 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9538 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9539 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9540 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9543 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9544 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9546 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9547 You can also ask the @acronym{NNTP} server for an arbitrary article, no
9548 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9549 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9550 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9551 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9552 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9555 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9556 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9557 by giving this command a prefix.
9559 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9560 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9561 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9562 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
9563 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
9564 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9567 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9568 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9569 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9572 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9573 then ask Google if that fails:
9576 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9578 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9581 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9582 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9583 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9584 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9585 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9586 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9587 support this at all.
9590 @node Alternative Approaches
9591 @section Alternative Approaches
9593 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9594 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9597 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9598 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9603 @subsection Pick and Read
9604 @cindex pick and read
9606 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9607 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9608 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9609 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9611 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9612 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9613 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9614 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9615 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9616 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9618 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9623 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9624 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9625 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9626 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9627 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9628 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9629 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9630 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9633 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9634 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9635 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9636 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9640 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9641 Unpick the thread or article
9642 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9643 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9644 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9645 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9646 the thread or article at that line.
9650 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9651 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9652 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9653 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9654 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9655 will still be visible when you are reading.
9659 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9660 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9661 which is mapped to the same function
9662 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9664 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9667 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9670 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9671 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9673 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9674 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9675 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9677 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9678 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9679 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9680 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9681 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9682 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9683 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9687 @subsection Binary Groups
9688 @cindex binary groups
9690 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9691 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9692 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9693 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9694 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9695 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9696 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9699 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9700 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9701 command, when you have turned on this mode
9702 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9704 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9705 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9709 @section Tree Display
9712 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9713 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9714 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9715 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9718 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9721 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9722 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9723 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9725 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9726 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9727 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9728 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9729 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9731 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9732 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9733 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9734 default is @code{modeline}.
9736 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9737 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9738 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9739 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9740 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9741 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9742 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9748 The name of the poster.
9750 The @code{From} header.
9752 The number of the article.
9754 The opening bracket.
9756 The closing bracket.
9761 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9763 Variables related to the display are:
9766 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9767 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9768 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9769 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
9771 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9772 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
9773 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
9775 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9777 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9778 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9779 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9780 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9784 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9785 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9786 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9787 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9788 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9789 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9790 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9791 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9792 other windows displayed next to it.
9794 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9798 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9799 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9802 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9803 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9804 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9805 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9806 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9807 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9808 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9812 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9815 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9825 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9830 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9831 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9833 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9835 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9841 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9842 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9843 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
9846 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9847 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9848 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9849 (gnus-add-configuration
9853 (summary 0.75 point)
9858 @xref{Window Layout}.
9861 @node Mail Group Commands
9862 @section Mail Group Commands
9863 @cindex mail group commands
9865 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9866 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9868 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9869 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9874 @kindex B e (Summary)
9875 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9876 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9877 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9878 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9879 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9882 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9883 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9884 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9885 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9886 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9887 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9890 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9891 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9892 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9893 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9894 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9895 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9898 @kindex B m (Summary)
9900 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9901 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9902 Move the article from one mail group to another
9903 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9904 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9907 @kindex B c (Summary)
9909 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9910 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9911 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9912 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9913 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9916 @kindex B B (Summary)
9917 @cindex crosspost mail
9918 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9919 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9920 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9921 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9922 be properly updated.
9925 @kindex B i (Summary)
9926 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9927 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9928 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9929 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9932 @kindex B I (Summary)
9933 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9934 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9935 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9936 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9939 @kindex B r (Summary)
9940 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9941 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
9942 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9943 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9944 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9945 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9946 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9947 (which is the default).
9951 @kindex B w (Summary)
9953 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9954 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9955 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9956 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9957 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9958 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9959 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9962 @kindex B q (Summary)
9963 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9964 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9965 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9966 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9969 @kindex B t (Summary)
9970 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9971 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9972 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9975 @kindex B p (Summary)
9976 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9977 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
9978 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9979 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9980 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9981 article from your news server (or rather, from
9982 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9983 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9984 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9985 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9986 just not have arrived yet.
9989 @kindex K E (Summary)
9990 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9991 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9992 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9993 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9994 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9998 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9999 @cindex moving articles
10000 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10001 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10002 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10003 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10004 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10005 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10006 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10009 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10010 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10011 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10012 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10016 @node Various Summary Stuff
10017 @section Various Summary Stuff
10020 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10021 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10022 * Summary Generation Commands::
10023 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10027 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10028 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10029 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10030 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10031 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10032 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10034 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10035 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10036 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10038 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10039 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10040 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10041 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10042 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10043 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10046 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10047 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10048 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10049 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10050 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10052 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10053 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10054 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10057 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10058 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10059 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10060 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10061 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10062 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10063 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10064 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10065 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10066 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10068 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10069 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10070 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10071 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10072 list of articles to be selected.
10074 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10075 the list in one particular group:
10078 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10079 (if (string= group "some.group")
10080 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10084 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10085 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10086 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10087 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
10088 @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary buffer is
10089 active. These variables can be used to set variables in the group
10090 parameters while still allowing them to affect operations done in
10091 other buffers. For example:
10094 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10095 '(message-use-followup-to
10096 (gnus-visible-headers .
10097 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10103 @node Summary Group Information
10104 @subsection Summary Group Information
10109 @kindex H f (Summary)
10110 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10111 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10112 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10113 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10114 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10115 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10116 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10117 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10118 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10121 @kindex H d (Summary)
10122 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10123 Give a brief description of the current group
10124 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10125 rereading the description from the server.
10128 @kindex H h (Summary)
10129 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10130 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10131 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10134 @kindex H i (Summary)
10135 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10136 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10140 @node Searching for Articles
10141 @subsection Searching for Articles
10146 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10147 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10148 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10149 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10152 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10153 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10154 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10155 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10158 @kindex & (Summary)
10159 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10160 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10161 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10162 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10163 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10164 search backward instead.
10166 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
10167 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10170 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10171 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10172 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10173 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10176 @node Summary Generation Commands
10177 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10182 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10183 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10184 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10187 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10188 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10189 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10190 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10193 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10194 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10195 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10196 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10201 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10202 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10208 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10209 @kindex A D (Summary)
10210 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10211 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10212 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10213 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10214 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10215 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10216 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10217 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10221 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10222 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10223 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10224 several documents into one biiig group
10225 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10226 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10227 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10228 command understands the process/prefix convention
10229 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10232 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10233 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10234 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10235 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10236 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10237 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10240 @kindex = (Summary)
10241 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10242 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10243 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10246 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10247 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10248 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10249 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10252 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10253 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10254 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10255 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10260 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10261 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10262 @cindex summary exit
10263 @cindex exiting groups
10265 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10266 group and return you to the group buffer.
10272 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10273 @kindex q (Summary)
10274 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10275 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10276 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10277 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10278 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10279 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10280 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10281 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10282 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10283 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10284 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10285 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10289 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10290 @kindex Q (Summary)
10291 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10292 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10293 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10297 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10298 @kindex c (Summary)
10299 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10300 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10301 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10302 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10305 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10306 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10307 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10308 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10311 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10312 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10313 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10314 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10317 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10318 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10319 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10320 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10321 all articles, both read and unread.
10325 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10326 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10327 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10328 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10329 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10330 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10331 articles, both read and unread.
10334 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10335 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10336 Exit the group and go to the next group
10337 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10340 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10341 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10342 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10343 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10346 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10347 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10348 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10349 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10350 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10351 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10354 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10355 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10356 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10357 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10359 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10360 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10361 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10362 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10363 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10364 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10365 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10366 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10367 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10368 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10369 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10370 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10372 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10374 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10375 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10376 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10377 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10378 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10379 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10380 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10381 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10382 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10385 @node Crosspost Handling
10386 @section Crosspost Handling
10390 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10391 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10392 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10393 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10394 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10395 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10398 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10399 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10400 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10401 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10402 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10404 @cindex cross-posting
10406 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10407 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10408 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10409 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10410 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10411 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10412 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10413 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10414 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10415 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10416 the cross reference mechanism.
10418 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10419 @cindex overview.fmt
10420 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10421 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10422 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10423 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10424 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10425 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10428 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10429 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10430 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10435 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10438 @node Duplicate Suppression
10439 @section Duplicate Suppression
10441 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10442 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10443 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10444 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10449 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10450 is evil and not very common.
10453 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10454 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10457 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10458 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10461 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10464 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10465 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10467 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10468 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10469 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10470 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10471 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10472 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10473 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10476 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10477 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10478 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10479 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10480 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10481 saw the article in.
10484 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10485 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10486 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10488 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10489 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10490 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10491 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10492 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10493 session are suppressed.
10495 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10496 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10497 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10498 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10500 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10501 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10502 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10503 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10506 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10507 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10508 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10509 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10510 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10511 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10512 to you to figure out, I think.
10517 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10518 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
10519 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
10524 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
10525 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The lisp interface
10526 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
10527 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
10530 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10531 or newer is recommended.
10535 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10536 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10539 @item mm-verify-option
10540 @vindex mm-verify-option
10541 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10542 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10543 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10545 @item mm-decrypt-option
10546 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10547 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10548 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10549 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10552 @vindex mml1991-use
10553 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10554 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10555 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10559 @vindex mml2015-use
10560 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
10561 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
10562 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
10567 @cindex snarfing keys
10568 @cindex importing PGP keys
10569 @cindex PGP key ring import
10570 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
10571 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
10572 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
10573 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
10574 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
10575 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
10576 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
10577 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
10578 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
10581 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
10584 This happens to also be the default action defined in
10585 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
10588 @section Mailing List
10590 @kindex A M (summary)
10591 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10592 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10593 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10594 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10597 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10602 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10603 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10604 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10607 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10608 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10609 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10612 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10613 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10614 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10618 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10619 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10620 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10623 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10624 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10625 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10628 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10629 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10630 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10635 @node Article Buffer
10636 @chapter Article Buffer
10637 @cindex article buffer
10639 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10640 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10641 tell Gnus otherwise.
10644 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10645 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
10646 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10647 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10648 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10652 @node Hiding Headers
10653 @section Hiding Headers
10654 @cindex hiding headers
10655 @cindex deleting headers
10657 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10658 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10660 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10661 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10662 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10663 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10664 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10665 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10666 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10667 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10668 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10670 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10674 @item gnus-visible-headers
10675 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10676 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10677 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10678 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10680 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10681 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10684 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10687 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10690 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10691 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10692 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10693 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10694 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10695 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10697 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10698 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10701 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10704 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10707 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10708 variable will have no effect.
10712 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10713 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10714 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10715 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10716 the headers are to be displayed.
10718 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10719 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10722 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10725 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10726 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10728 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10729 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10730 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10731 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10732 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10733 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10734 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10737 These conditions are:
10740 Remove all empty headers.
10742 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10743 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10745 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10746 @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter is
10749 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10752 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10753 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10755 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10756 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10758 Remove the @code{CC} header if it only contains the address identical to
10759 the current groups's @code{to-list} parameter.
10761 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10764 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10766 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10769 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10772 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10773 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10776 This is also the default value for this variable.
10780 @section Using MIME
10781 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
10783 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10784 while people stand around yawning.
10786 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10787 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10789 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10790 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10791 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10793 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10794 @findex gnus-display-mime
10795 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10796 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10797 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10798 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
10800 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10801 @acronym{MIME} button:
10804 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10805 @item RET (Article)
10806 @kindex RET (Article)
10807 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10808 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
10809 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10810 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10811 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10812 object is displayed inline.
10814 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10815 @item M-RET (Article)
10816 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10818 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10819 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10821 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10823 @kindex t (Article)
10824 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
10825 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10827 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10829 @kindex C (Article)
10830 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
10831 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10833 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10835 @kindex o (Article)
10836 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
10837 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10839 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10840 @item C-o (Article)
10841 @kindex C-o (Article)
10842 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
10843 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10844 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10845 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
10846 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
10847 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10849 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
10851 @kindex d (Article)
10852 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
10853 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
10854 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
10856 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10858 @kindex c (Article)
10859 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10860 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
10861 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
10862 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
10863 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
10865 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10867 @kindex p (Article)
10868 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10869 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10870 @file{.mailcap} file.
10872 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10874 @kindex i (Article)
10875 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
10876 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10877 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10878 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10879 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10882 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10884 @kindex E (Article)
10885 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10886 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10887 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10889 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10891 @kindex e (Article)
10892 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
10893 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10895 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10897 @kindex | (Article)
10898 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10900 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10902 @kindex . (Article)
10903 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
10904 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10908 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10909 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10910 @acronym{MIME} manual.
10912 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10913 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10914 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
10915 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10916 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10917 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10918 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10919 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10920 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10922 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10924 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10927 @node Customizing Articles
10928 @section Customizing Articles
10929 @cindex article customization
10931 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10932 exist. You can call these functions interactively
10933 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
10934 called automatically when you select the articles.
10936 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10937 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10938 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10939 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10941 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10942 for sensible values.
10946 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10949 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10952 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10955 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10958 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10962 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10963 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10964 regexps in the list.
10967 A list where the first element is not a string:
10969 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10970 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10971 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10975 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10980 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10981 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
10982 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10983 considered to contain just a single part.
10985 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10986 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10987 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10988 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10989 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10990 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10991 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10993 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10994 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10995 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10996 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10999 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11000 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11002 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11004 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11005 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11006 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11007 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11008 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
11009 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11010 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11011 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11012 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11013 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11015 @xref{Article Washing}.
11017 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11018 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11019 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11020 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11021 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11022 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11023 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11025 @xref{Article Date}.
11027 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11028 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11029 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11033 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11035 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11037 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11038 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11039 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11043 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
11047 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11048 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11049 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11050 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11051 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11052 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11053 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11054 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11055 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11056 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11058 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11060 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11061 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11062 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11064 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11066 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11067 @item gnus-treat-translate
11068 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11070 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11071 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11072 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11073 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11075 @xref{Article Header}.
11080 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11081 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11082 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11083 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11084 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11088 @node Article Keymap
11089 @section Article Keymap
11091 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11092 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11093 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11094 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11097 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11102 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11103 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11104 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11105 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11108 @kindex DEL (Article)
11109 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11110 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11111 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11114 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11115 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11116 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11117 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11118 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11121 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11122 @findex gnus-article-mail
11123 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11124 given a prefix, include the mail.
11127 @kindex s (Article)
11128 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11129 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11130 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11133 @kindex ? (Article)
11134 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11135 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11136 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11139 @kindex TAB (Article)
11140 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11141 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11142 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11145 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11146 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11147 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11150 @kindex R (Article)
11151 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11152 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11153 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11154 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11158 @kindex F (Article)
11159 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11160 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11161 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11162 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11170 @section Misc Article
11174 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11175 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11176 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11177 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11180 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11181 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11183 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11184 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11186 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11187 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11188 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11189 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11190 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11191 the contents of the article buffer.
11193 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11194 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11195 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11197 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11198 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11199 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11200 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11202 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11203 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11204 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11205 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11207 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11208 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11209 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11210 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
11211 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
11217 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11218 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11219 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11224 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11227 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11230 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11231 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11232 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11235 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11238 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11241 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11246 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11250 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11252 @item gnus-break-pages
11253 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11254 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11255 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11256 paging will not be done.
11258 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11259 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11260 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11264 @cindex internationalized domain names
11265 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11266 @item gnus-use-idna
11267 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11268 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11269 @samp{Cc} headers. This requires
11270 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11271 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11276 @node Composing Messages
11277 @chapter Composing Messages
11278 @cindex composing messages
11281 @cindex sending mail
11286 @cindex using s/mime
11287 @cindex using smime
11289 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11290 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11291 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11292 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11293 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11294 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11297 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11298 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11299 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11300 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11301 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11302 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11303 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11304 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11307 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11308 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11314 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11317 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11318 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11319 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11320 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11321 @code{nil} include all headers.
11323 @item gnus-add-to-list
11324 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11325 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11326 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11328 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11329 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11330 This can also be a function receiving the group name as the only
11331 parameter which should return non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is
11332 needed, or a regular expression matching group names, where
11333 confirmation is should be asked for.
11335 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11336 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
11338 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11339 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11340 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11341 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11342 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11347 @node Posting Server
11348 @section Posting Server
11350 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11351 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11353 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11355 It can be quite complicated.
11357 @vindex gnus-post-method
11358 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11359 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11360 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11361 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11362 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11363 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11364 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11365 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11366 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11369 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
11372 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
11373 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
11374 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
11375 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
11377 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
11378 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
11380 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
11381 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
11384 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
11385 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
11387 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
11388 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
11389 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
11390 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
11391 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
11392 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
11393 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
11394 package correctly. An example:
11397 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
11398 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
11401 To the thing similar to this, there is
11402 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your ISP requires
11403 the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. See the
11404 documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11406 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11407 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11408 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11410 @node Mail and Post
11411 @section Mail and Post
11413 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11417 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11418 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11419 @cindex mailing lists
11421 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11422 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
11423 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11424 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11425 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11426 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11427 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11428 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11429 still a pain, though.
11431 @item gnus-user-agent
11432 @vindex gnus-user-agent
11435 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
11436 User-Agent header. It can be one of the symbols @code{gnus} (show only
11437 Gnus version), @code{emacs-gnus} (show only Emacs and Gnus versions),
11438 @code{emacs-gnus-config} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus system
11439 configuration), @code{emacs-gnus-type} (same as @code{emacs-gnus} plus
11440 system type) or a custom string. If you set it to a string, be sure to
11441 use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
11445 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11446 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11447 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11450 @findex ispell-message
11452 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11455 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11456 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11459 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11463 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11464 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11466 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11469 Modify to suit your needs.
11472 @node Archived Messages
11473 @section Archived Messages
11474 @cindex archived messages
11475 @cindex sent messages
11477 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11478 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11479 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11480 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11483 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11484 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11487 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11488 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11489 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11492 (nnfolder "archive"
11493 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11494 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11495 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11496 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11499 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11500 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11501 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11502 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11505 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11506 '(nnfolder "archive"
11507 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11508 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11509 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11512 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11514 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11515 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11516 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11518 This variable can be used to do the following:
11523 Messages will be saved in that group.
11525 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11526 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11527 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11528 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11529 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11530 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11531 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11532 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11536 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11538 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11539 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11542 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11547 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11549 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11552 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11554 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11557 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11559 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11560 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11561 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11562 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11565 More complex stuff:
11567 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11568 '((if (message-news-p)
11573 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11574 messages in one file per month:
11577 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11578 '((if (message-news-p)
11580 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11583 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11584 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11586 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11587 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11588 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11589 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11590 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11591 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11592 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11593 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11594 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11595 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11597 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11598 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11599 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11600 this will disable archiving.
11603 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11604 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11605 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11606 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11607 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11610 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11611 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11612 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11615 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11616 but the latter is the preferred method.
11618 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11619 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11620 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11622 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11623 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11624 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11625 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11626 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11627 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11628 changed in the future.
11633 @node Posting Styles
11634 @section Posting Styles
11635 @cindex posting styles
11638 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11640 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11641 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11642 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11645 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11646 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11647 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11648 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11649 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11654 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11655 (organization "What me?"))
11657 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11658 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11659 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11662 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11663 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11664 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11665 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11666 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11667 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11668 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11669 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11671 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11672 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11673 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
11674 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
11675 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
11676 @var{regexp} are strings. (There original article is the one you are
11677 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
11678 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11679 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
11680 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11681 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11682 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
11683 said to @dfn{match}.
11685 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11686 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11687 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11688 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11689 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11690 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11691 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11692 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11693 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11694 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11697 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11698 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11699 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11700 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11701 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11702 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11703 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11704 references chars lines xref extra.
11706 @vindex message-reply-headers
11708 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11709 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11710 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11712 @findex message-mail-p
11713 @findex message-news-p
11715 So here's a new example:
11718 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11720 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11722 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11723 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11725 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11726 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
11727 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11728 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
11729 (signature my-news-signature))
11730 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
11731 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11732 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
11733 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11734 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11735 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
11736 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11737 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11738 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11739 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11741 (From (save-excursion
11742 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11743 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11745 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11748 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11749 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11750 if you fill many roles.
11757 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11758 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11759 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11760 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11761 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11763 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11764 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11765 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11766 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11767 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11771 @vindex nndraft-directory
11772 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11773 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11774 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11775 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11776 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11777 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11779 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11780 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11781 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
11782 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
11783 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
11784 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
11785 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
11786 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
11787 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
11789 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11790 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11791 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11792 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11793 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11794 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11795 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11796 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11797 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11798 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11799 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11800 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11801 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11802 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11804 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11805 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11806 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11808 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11809 @kindex D e (Draft)
11810 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11811 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11812 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11814 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11817 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11818 @kindex D s (Draft)
11819 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11820 @kindex D S (Draft)
11821 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11822 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11823 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11824 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11825 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11828 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
11829 @kindex D t (Draft)
11830 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11831 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11832 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11835 @node Rejected Articles
11836 @section Rejected Articles
11837 @cindex rejected articles
11839 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11840 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11841 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11842 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11844 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11845 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11846 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11847 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11848 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11850 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11851 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11852 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11854 @node Signing and encrypting
11855 @section Signing and encrypting
11857 @cindex using s/mime
11858 @cindex using smime
11860 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
11861 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
11862 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
11863 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
11865 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
11866 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
11867 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
11868 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11869 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11870 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11871 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11872 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11873 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11874 automatically encrypted messages.
11876 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @acronym{MIME} part is
11877 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11878 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11883 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11884 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11886 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11889 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11890 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11892 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11895 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11896 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11898 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11901 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11902 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11904 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
11907 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11908 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11910 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
11913 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11914 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11916 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
11919 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11920 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11921 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11925 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
11927 @node Select Methods
11928 @chapter Select Methods
11929 @cindex foreign groups
11930 @cindex select methods
11932 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11933 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11934 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11935 personal mail group.
11937 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11938 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11939 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11940 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11941 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11942 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11944 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11945 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11947 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11950 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
11951 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11952 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11953 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11954 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11956 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11959 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11960 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11961 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11962 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11963 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
11964 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11965 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11966 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11970 @node Server Buffer
11971 @section Server Buffer
11973 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11974 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11975 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11976 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11977 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11978 back end represents a virtual server.
11980 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11981 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11982 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11983 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11985 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11986 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11987 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11988 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11989 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11990 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11991 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11993 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11994 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11997 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11998 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11999 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12000 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12001 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12002 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12003 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12006 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12007 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12010 @node Server Buffer Format
12011 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12012 @cindex server buffer format
12014 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12015 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12016 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12017 variable, with some simple extensions:
12022 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12025 The name of this server.
12028 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12031 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12034 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12035 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12036 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12037 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12047 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12050 @node Server Commands
12051 @subsection Server Commands
12052 @cindex server commands
12058 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12059 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12063 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12064 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12067 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12068 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12069 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12073 @findex gnus-server-exit
12074 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12078 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12079 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12083 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12084 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12088 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12089 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12093 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12094 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12098 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12099 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12100 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12105 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12106 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12107 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12108 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12113 @node Example Methods
12114 @subsection Example Methods
12116 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12119 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12122 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12128 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12129 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12132 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12133 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12135 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12136 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12140 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12143 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12144 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12146 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12147 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12148 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12152 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12155 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12158 Here's the method for a public spool:
12162 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12163 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12169 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12170 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12171 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12172 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12173 should probably look something like this:
12177 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12178 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12179 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12180 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12183 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12184 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12185 configuration to the example above:
12188 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12191 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
12193 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12194 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12195 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12199 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12200 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12201 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12202 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12205 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12206 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12207 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12208 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12211 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12212 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12214 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12215 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12217 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12218 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
12219 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12221 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
12223 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
12224 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12225 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12226 will contain the following:
12236 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
12237 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
12238 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12241 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12242 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12243 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12246 @node Server Variables
12247 @subsection Server Variables
12248 @cindex server variables
12249 @cindex server parameters
12251 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
12252 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
12253 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
12254 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
12255 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
12257 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
12258 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
12259 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
12260 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
12261 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
12262 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
12263 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
12264 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
12265 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
12269 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
12270 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
12271 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
12274 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
12276 @node Servers and Methods
12277 @subsection Servers and Methods
12279 Wherever you would normally use a select method
12280 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
12281 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
12282 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
12286 @node Unavailable Servers
12287 @subsection Unavailable Servers
12289 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
12290 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
12291 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
12292 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
12293 actually the case or not.
12295 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
12296 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
12297 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
12298 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
12299 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
12300 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
12301 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
12302 it will regard that server as ``down''.
12304 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
12305 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
12307 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
12308 with the following commands:
12314 @findex gnus-server-open-server
12315 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
12316 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
12320 @findex gnus-server-close-server
12321 Close the connection (if any) to the server
12322 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
12326 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
12327 Mark the current server as unreachable
12328 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
12331 @kindex M-o (Server)
12332 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
12333 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
12334 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
12337 @kindex M-c (Server)
12338 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
12339 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
12340 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
12344 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
12345 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
12346 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
12350 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
12351 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
12357 @section Getting News
12358 @cindex reading news
12359 @cindex news back ends
12361 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
12362 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
12363 or it can read from a local spool.
12366 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12367 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
12375 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
12376 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
12377 server as the, uhm, address.
12379 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
12380 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
12381 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
12382 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12384 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
12385 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
12386 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
12388 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
12393 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
12394 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
12395 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
12397 @cindex authentification
12398 @cindex nntp authentification
12399 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12400 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
12401 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
12402 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
12403 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
12404 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
12405 present in this hook.
12407 @item nntp-authinfo-function
12408 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
12409 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
12410 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
12411 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
12412 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
12413 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
12414 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
12415 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
12416 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
12417 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
12418 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
12422 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
12425 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
12427 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
12428 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12429 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12430 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12431 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12432 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12433 @samp{force} is explained below.
12437 Here's an example file:
12440 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12441 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12444 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12445 have to be first, for instance.
12447 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12448 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12449 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12450 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12451 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12452 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12453 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12455 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12456 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12462 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12463 previously mentioned.
12465 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12467 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12468 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12469 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12470 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12471 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12474 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12475 '(("innd" (ding))))
12478 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12480 The default value is
12483 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12484 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12485 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12488 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12489 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12491 @item nntp-maximum-request
12492 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12493 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
12494 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12495 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12496 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12497 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12498 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12500 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12501 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12502 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12503 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
12504 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12505 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12506 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12507 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12508 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12509 no timeouts are done.
12511 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12512 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12513 @c @cindex PPP connections
12514 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12515 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12516 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12517 @c changes after connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will simply sit
12518 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12519 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12520 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12521 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12522 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12523 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12525 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12526 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12527 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12528 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12529 @c described above.
12531 @item nntp-server-hook
12532 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12533 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @acronym{NNTP}
12536 @item nntp-buggy-select
12537 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12538 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12540 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12541 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12542 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
12543 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
12546 @item nntp-xover-commands
12547 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12550 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
12551 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12555 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12556 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
12557 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12558 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12559 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
12560 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12561 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12562 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12563 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12564 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12565 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12567 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12568 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12569 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
12571 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12572 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12573 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12574 server closes connection.
12576 @item nntp-record-commands
12577 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12578 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12579 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12580 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
12581 that doesn't seem to work.
12583 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12584 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12585 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12586 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12587 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12588 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12589 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12590 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12592 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12593 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12594 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12595 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12596 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12597 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12598 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12601 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12604 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12605 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12607 @item nntp-read-timeout
12608 @vindex nntp-read-timeout
12609 How long nntp should wait between checking for the end of output.
12610 Shorter values mean quicker response, but is more CPU intensive. The
12611 default is 0.1 seconds. If you have a slow line to the server (and
12612 don't like to see Emacs eat your available CPU power), you might set
12618 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12619 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12620 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12624 @node Direct Functions
12625 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12626 @cindex direct connection functions
12628 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12629 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
12630 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12631 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12634 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12635 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12636 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12639 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
12640 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
12641 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12642 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
12643 installed. You then define a server as follows:
12646 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12647 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
12649 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12650 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
12651 (nntp-port-number )
12652 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12655 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12656 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12657 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12658 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
12659 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
12660 then define a server as follows:
12663 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
12664 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
12666 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12667 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12668 (nntp-port-number 563)
12669 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12672 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12673 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12674 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12675 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12676 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12677 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12678 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12679 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12683 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12684 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12685 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12688 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12689 session, which is not a good idea.
12693 @node Indirect Functions
12694 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12695 @cindex indirect connection functions
12697 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12698 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12699 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12700 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
12701 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12702 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12705 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12706 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12707 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12708 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12709 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12711 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12714 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12715 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12716 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12717 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12719 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12720 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12721 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12722 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12723 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
12724 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12725 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
12726 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
12730 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12731 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12732 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12733 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12735 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12738 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12739 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12740 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12743 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12744 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12745 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12746 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12748 @item nntp-via-user-password
12749 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12750 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12752 @item nntp-via-envuser
12753 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12754 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12755 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12756 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12758 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12759 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12760 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12761 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12768 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12773 @item nntp-via-user-name
12774 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12775 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12777 @item nntp-via-address
12778 @vindex nntp-via-address
12779 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12784 @node Common Variables
12785 @subsubsection Common Variables
12787 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12788 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12793 @item nntp-pre-command
12794 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12795 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
12796 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
12797 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is
12798 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
12801 @vindex nntp-address
12802 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12804 @item nntp-port-number
12805 @vindex nntp-port-number
12806 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12807 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
12808 @acronym{tls}/@acronym{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12809 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
12810 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
12811 not work with named ports.
12813 @item nntp-end-of-line
12814 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12815 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
12816 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12817 using a non native connection function.
12819 @item nntp-telnet-command
12820 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12821 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
12822 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
12823 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
12826 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12827 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12828 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12835 @subsection News Spool
12839 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12840 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12841 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12844 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12845 anything else) as the address.
12847 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12848 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12849 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12850 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12854 @item nnspool-inews-program
12855 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12856 Program used to post an article.
12858 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12859 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12860 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12862 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12863 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12864 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12865 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12867 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12868 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12869 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
12870 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12872 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12873 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12874 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12876 @item nnspool-active-file
12877 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12878 The name of the active file.
12880 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12881 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12882 The name of the group descriptions file.
12884 @item nnspool-history-file
12885 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12886 The name of the news history file.
12888 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12889 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12890 The name of the active date file.
12892 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12893 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12894 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
12897 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12898 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12900 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12901 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
12902 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
12909 @section Getting Mail
12910 @cindex reading mail
12913 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12917 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12918 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12919 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12920 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12921 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12922 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12923 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12924 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12925 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12926 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12927 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12928 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12929 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12933 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12934 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12936 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12937 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12938 of a culture shock.
12940 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12941 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12943 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12944 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12945 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12946 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12948 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12950 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12951 deleted? How awful!
12953 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12954 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12955 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12956 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12959 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12960 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12961 they want to treat a message.
12963 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12964 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12965 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12966 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12967 archived somewhere else.
12969 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12970 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12971 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12972 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12973 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12975 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12976 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12977 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12979 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12980 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12983 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12984 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12985 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12986 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12987 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12989 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12990 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12991 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12992 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12993 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12994 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12998 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12999 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13001 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13002 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13003 and things will happen automatically.
13005 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13006 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13009 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13012 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13013 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13014 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13015 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13016 like any other group.
13018 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13021 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13022 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13023 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13027 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13028 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13029 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13032 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13033 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13034 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13037 @node Splitting Mail
13038 @subsection Splitting Mail
13039 @cindex splitting mail
13040 @cindex mail splitting
13042 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13043 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13044 to be split into groups.
13047 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13048 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13049 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13050 ("mail.other" "")))
13053 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13054 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13055 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13056 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13057 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13058 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13059 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13062 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13065 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13066 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13067 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13068 mail belongs in that group.
13070 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13071 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{*} so that it matches any mails
13072 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13073 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
13074 rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled.
13075 In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.)
13077 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13078 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13079 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13080 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13081 thinks should carry this mail message.
13083 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13084 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13085 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13086 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13088 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13089 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13090 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13091 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13092 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{*}) group.
13094 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13097 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13098 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13099 links. If that's the case for you, set
13100 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13101 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13103 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13104 @kindex nnmail-split-history
13105 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13106 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13107 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13108 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13111 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13112 Header lines longer than the value of
13113 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13116 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13117 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13118 By default the splitting codes @acronym{MIME} decodes headers so you
13119 can match on non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. The
13120 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset} variable specifies the default
13121 charset for decoding. The behaviour can be turned off completely by
13122 binding @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to @code{nil}, which is
13123 useful if you want to match articles based on the raw header data.
13125 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13126 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13127 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13128 @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then splitting does
13129 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13130 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13131 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13132 other kinds of entries.)
13134 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13135 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13136 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13137 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13138 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13139 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13140 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13141 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13142 month's rent money.
13146 @subsection Mail Sources
13148 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
13149 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
13150 maildir, for instance.
13153 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
13154 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
13155 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
13159 @node Mail Source Specifiers
13160 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
13162 @cindex mail server
13165 @cindex mail source
13167 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
13168 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
13173 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
13176 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
13177 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
13178 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
13181 The following mail source types are available:
13185 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
13191 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
13192 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
13193 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
13197 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13200 An example file mail source:
13203 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
13206 Or using the default file name:
13212 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
13213 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
13214 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
13215 mail spool while moving the mail.
13217 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
13221 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
13224 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
13228 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
13231 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
13233 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
13236 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
13240 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
13241 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
13242 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
13243 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
13244 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
13245 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
13246 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
13247 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
13248 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
13249 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
13251 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13252 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
13253 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
13254 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
13260 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
13264 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
13268 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
13269 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
13270 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
13271 predicate are considered.
13275 Script run before/after fetching mail.
13279 An example directory mail source:
13282 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
13287 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
13293 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
13294 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13297 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
13298 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
13299 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
13300 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
13301 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
13304 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
13308 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
13309 the user is prompted.
13312 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
13313 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
13316 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
13319 The valid format specifier characters are:
13323 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
13324 included in this string.
13327 The name of the server.
13330 The port number of the server.
13333 The user name to use.
13336 The password to use.
13339 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13340 corresponding keywords.
13343 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13344 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13347 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
13348 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
13351 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
13352 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
13353 mail should be moved to.
13355 @item :authentication
13356 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
13357 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
13362 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
13363 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
13365 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server,
13366 using the default user name, and default fetcher:
13372 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
13375 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
13376 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
13379 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
13382 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
13386 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
13387 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
13388 contains exactly one mail.
13394 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
13395 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
13398 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
13399 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
13401 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
13402 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
13403 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
13406 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
13407 from locking problems).
13411 Two example maildir mail sources:
13414 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
13415 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
13419 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
13424 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
13425 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
13426 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
13427 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
13428 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
13430 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
13431 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
13437 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
13438 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
13441 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
13442 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
13445 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
13449 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
13453 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
13454 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
13455 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
13456 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
13458 @item :authentication
13459 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13460 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13461 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13462 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13465 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13466 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
13467 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13473 The valid format specifier characters are:
13477 The name of the server.
13480 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
13483 The port number of the server.
13486 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13487 corresponding keywords.
13490 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13491 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13494 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13495 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13496 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
13497 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13498 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13499 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13502 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13503 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13504 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13505 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13508 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
13509 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
13513 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
13516 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13518 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13522 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13523 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13524 @uref{mail.yahoo.com}.
13526 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13527 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13529 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13535 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13536 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13539 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13543 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13547 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
13548 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
13552 An example webmail source:
13555 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13557 :password "secret")
13562 @item Common Keywords
13563 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13569 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
13570 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
13575 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13580 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13581 useful when you use local mail and news.
13586 @subsubsection Function Interface
13588 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13589 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13590 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13591 consider the following mail-source setting:
13594 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13595 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13598 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13599 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13600 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13601 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13602 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13604 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13607 @node Mail Source Customization
13608 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13610 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13611 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13615 @item mail-source-crash-box
13616 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13617 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
13618 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13620 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13621 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13622 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
13623 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
13624 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
13625 (This will only happen, when reveiving new mail). You may also set
13626 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
13627 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
13629 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13630 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
13631 If non-@code{nil}, ask for for confirmation before deleting old incoming
13632 files. This variable only applies when
13633 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
13635 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
13636 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
13637 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
13639 @item mail-source-directory
13640 @vindex mail-source-directory
13641 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13642 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13643 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13646 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13647 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13648 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13649 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13650 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13651 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13653 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13654 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13655 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13657 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13658 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13659 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
13660 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13665 @node Fetching Mail
13666 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13668 @vindex mail-sources
13669 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13670 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13671 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13672 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13674 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13675 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13678 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
13679 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
13684 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13685 :password "secret")))
13688 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13692 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13693 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13696 :password "secret")))
13700 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13701 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13702 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13703 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13704 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13705 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13709 @node Mail Back End Variables
13710 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13712 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13716 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13717 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13718 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13719 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13721 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13722 @item nnmail-split-hook
13723 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
13724 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13725 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13726 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13727 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13728 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13729 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13730 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13731 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13734 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13735 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13736 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13737 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13738 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13739 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13740 starting to handle the new mail) and
13741 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13742 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13743 default file modes the new mail files get:
13746 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13747 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13749 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13750 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13753 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13754 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13755 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13756 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13757 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13758 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13759 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13761 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13762 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13763 @findex delete-file
13764 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13766 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13767 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13768 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13769 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13770 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13772 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13773 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13774 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13775 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13776 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13778 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13779 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13780 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13785 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13786 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13787 @cindex mail splitting
13788 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13790 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13791 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13792 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13793 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13794 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13795 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13797 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13800 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
13801 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
13802 ;; @r{from real errors.}
13803 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13805 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
13806 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
13807 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
13808 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13809 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13810 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
13811 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13812 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13813 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
13814 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
13815 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
13816 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
13817 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13818 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13819 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
13820 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13821 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
13825 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13826 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13827 the five possible split syntaxes:
13832 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13833 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13837 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13838 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13839 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13840 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13841 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13842 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13843 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13844 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13847 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13848 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13849 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13850 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13853 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13854 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13857 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13858 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13861 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13862 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13863 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13864 function should return a @var{split}.
13867 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13868 body of the messages:
13871 (defun split-on-body ()
13873 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13874 (goto-char (point-min))
13875 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13879 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13880 when the @code{:} function is run.
13883 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the
13884 first element is @code{!}, then @var{split} will be processed, and
13885 @var{func} will be called as a function with the result of @var{split}
13886 as argument. @var{func} should return a split.
13889 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13893 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13894 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13895 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13896 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13897 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13899 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13900 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13901 are expanded as specified by the variable
13902 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13903 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13906 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13907 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13908 when all this splitting is performed.
13910 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13911 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13912 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13915 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13918 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13919 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13921 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13922 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13923 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13924 groupings 1 through 9.
13926 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13927 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13928 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13929 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13930 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13931 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13932 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13933 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13934 it once per thread.
13936 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
13937 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
13938 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
13939 using the colon feature, like so:
13941 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
13942 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13944 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13945 ;; @r{other splits go here}
13949 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13950 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
13951 in the file specified by the variable
13952 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
13953 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
13954 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
13955 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
13956 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
13957 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
13958 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
13959 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
13960 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
13961 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
13962 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
13963 300 kBytes in size.)
13964 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13965 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13966 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13967 messages goes into the new group.
13969 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13970 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13971 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13972 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13973 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13977 @node Group Mail Splitting
13978 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13979 @cindex mail splitting
13980 @cindex group mail splitting
13982 @findex gnus-group-split
13983 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13984 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13985 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13986 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13987 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13988 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13989 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13990 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13992 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13993 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13994 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13995 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13997 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13998 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13999 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14000 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
14001 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14002 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14003 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14005 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14006 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14007 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14008 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14009 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
14010 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14011 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14013 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14014 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14015 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14016 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14017 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14018 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14019 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14020 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14021 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14022 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14023 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14024 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14025 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14027 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14032 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14033 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14035 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14036 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14037 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14038 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14040 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14043 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14044 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14045 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14048 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14049 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14050 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14054 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14055 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14056 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14060 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14063 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14064 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14065 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14066 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
14067 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14068 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
14069 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
14070 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
14071 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
14073 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
14074 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
14075 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
14076 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
14077 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
14078 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
14079 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
14080 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
14081 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
14083 @findex gnus-group-split-update
14084 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
14085 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
14086 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
14087 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
14088 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
14091 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
14094 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
14095 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
14096 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
14097 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
14098 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
14101 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
14102 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
14103 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
14104 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
14106 @node Incorporating Old Mail
14107 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
14108 @cindex incorporating old mail
14109 @cindex import old mail
14111 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
14112 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
14113 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
14116 Doing so can be quite easy.
14118 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
14119 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
14120 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
14121 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
14122 your @code{nnml} groups.
14128 Go to the group buffer.
14131 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
14132 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14135 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
14138 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
14139 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
14142 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
14143 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
14146 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
14147 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
14148 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
14149 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
14150 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
14152 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
14153 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
14154 using the new mail back end.
14157 @node Expiring Mail
14158 @subsection Expiring Mail
14159 @cindex article expiry
14161 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
14162 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
14163 different approach to mail reading.
14165 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
14166 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
14167 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
14168 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
14169 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
14170 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
14173 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
14174 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
14175 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
14176 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
14177 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
14178 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
14179 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
14180 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
14181 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
14183 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
14184 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
14185 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
14186 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
14187 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
14188 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
14189 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
14192 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
14193 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
14194 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
14195 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
14196 into its own group.)
14198 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
14199 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
14200 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
14201 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
14202 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
14203 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
14204 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
14205 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
14208 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14209 Groups that match the regular expression
14210 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
14211 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
14212 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
14214 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
14215 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
14216 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
14217 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
14218 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14220 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
14222 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
14223 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
14224 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
14227 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
14228 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
14229 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
14230 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
14231 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
14233 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
14234 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
14237 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
14238 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
14241 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
14242 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
14244 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
14245 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
14246 don't really mix very well.
14248 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
14249 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
14250 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
14251 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
14254 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
14255 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
14256 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
14257 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
14260 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14262 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
14264 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
14266 ((string= group "mail.junk")
14268 ((string= group "important")
14274 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
14275 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
14277 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
14278 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
14279 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
14282 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
14283 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
14285 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
14286 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
14287 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
14288 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
14289 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
14290 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
14291 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
14292 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
14293 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
14294 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
14295 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
14296 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
14297 name or @code{delete}.
14299 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
14301 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
14304 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14305 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14306 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
14307 expire mail to groups according to the variable
14308 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
14311 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
14312 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
14313 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
14314 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
14315 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
14318 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
14319 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
14320 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
14321 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
14322 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
14323 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
14325 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
14326 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
14327 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
14328 easier for procmail users.
14330 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
14331 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
14332 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
14333 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
14334 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
14335 caution. Even more dangerous is the
14336 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
14337 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
14338 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
14339 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
14340 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
14341 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
14342 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
14345 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
14347 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
14348 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
14349 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
14350 auto-expire turned on.
14354 @subsection Washing Mail
14355 @cindex mail washing
14356 @cindex list server brain damage
14357 @cindex incoming mail treatment
14359 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
14360 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
14361 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
14362 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
14363 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
14364 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
14366 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
14367 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
14368 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
14371 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
14372 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
14373 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
14374 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
14377 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14378 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
14379 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
14380 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
14381 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
14384 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14385 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
14386 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
14387 Emacs running on MS machines.
14391 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14392 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
14393 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
14394 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
14397 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14398 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
14399 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
14400 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
14402 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
14403 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
14404 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
14405 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
14406 into a feature by documenting it.)
14408 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14409 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
14410 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
14411 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
14412 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
14413 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
14414 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
14417 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
14418 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
14421 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
14422 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
14425 This can also be done non-destructively with
14426 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
14428 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
14429 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
14430 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
14432 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14433 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
14435 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
14436 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
14437 @code{References} headers.
14441 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14442 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
14443 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
14447 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
14448 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
14449 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
14456 @subsection Duplicates
14458 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
14459 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
14460 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
14461 @cindex duplicate mails
14462 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
14463 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
14464 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
14465 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
14466 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
14467 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
14468 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
14469 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
14470 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
14471 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
14472 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
14473 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
14474 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
14476 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14477 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14478 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14479 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14481 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14484 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14485 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14489 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14490 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
14491 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14492 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
14493 (any mail "mail.misc")
14494 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14500 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14501 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14502 ;; @r{Other rules.}
14506 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14507 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14508 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14509 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14510 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14513 @node Not Reading Mail
14514 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14516 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14517 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14518 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14520 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14521 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14522 mail, which should help.
14524 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14525 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14526 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14527 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14528 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14529 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14530 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
14531 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14532 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14533 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14534 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14536 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14537 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14541 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14542 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14544 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14545 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14546 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14548 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14549 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14550 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14554 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14555 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
14556 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14557 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14558 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
14559 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14560 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14564 @node Unix Mail Box
14565 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14567 @cindex unix mail box
14569 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14570 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14571 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14572 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14573 which group it belongs in.
14575 Virtual server settings:
14578 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14579 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14580 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14583 @item nnmbox-active-file
14584 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14585 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14586 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14588 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14589 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14590 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14591 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14596 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14600 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14601 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14602 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
14603 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14604 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14606 Virtual server settings:
14609 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14610 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14611 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14613 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14614 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14615 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14616 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14618 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14619 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14620 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14626 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14628 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
14630 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14631 format. It should be used with some caution.
14633 @vindex nnml-directory
14634 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14635 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14636 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14637 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14639 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14642 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14643 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14644 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14645 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14646 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14647 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14648 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14649 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14651 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14652 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14653 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14654 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14656 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14658 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14659 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14660 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14661 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14662 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14663 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14664 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14665 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14668 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14669 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14670 them next time it starts.
14672 Virtual server settings:
14675 @item nnml-directory
14676 @vindex nnml-directory
14677 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
14678 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
14681 @item nnml-active-file
14682 @vindex nnml-active-file
14683 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14684 @file{~/Mail/active}.
14686 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14687 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14688 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14689 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
14691 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14692 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14693 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14696 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14697 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14698 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
14699 default is @code{nil}.
14701 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14702 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14703 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14705 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14706 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14707 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14709 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14710 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14711 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14712 default is @code{nil}.
14714 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14715 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14716 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14718 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14719 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14720 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14725 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14726 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of whack,
14727 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14728 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14729 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14730 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14731 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14736 @subsubsection MH Spool
14738 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14740 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14741 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14742 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14743 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14745 Virtual server settings:
14748 @item nnmh-directory
14749 @vindex nnmh-directory
14750 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14751 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14754 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14755 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14756 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14760 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14761 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14762 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14763 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14764 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14765 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14766 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14771 @subsubsection Maildir
14775 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
14776 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
14777 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
14778 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. nnmaildir also
14779 stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory within a
14782 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
14783 reading, without needing locks. With other backends, you would have
14784 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
14785 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
14786 can still do that with nnmaildir, but the more common configuration is
14787 to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs that appear as
14790 nnmaildir is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will never
14791 corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never corrupt its
14792 data in the filesystem.
14794 nnmaildir stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each maildir. So you
14795 can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to another, and you will
14798 Virtual server settings:
14802 For each of your nnmaildir servers (it's very unlikely that you'd need
14803 more than one), you need to create a directory and populate it with
14804 maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not choose a
14805 directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir will be
14806 represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the filename of the
14807 symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames in the directory
14808 starting with `.' are ignored. The directory is scanned when you
14809 first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in the group buffer;
14810 if any maildirs have been removed or added, nnmaildir notices at these
14813 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
14814 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
14815 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
14816 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
14817 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
14818 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
14819 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
14820 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
14821 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
14822 if nnmaildir uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical value.
14824 @item target-prefix
14825 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
14826 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
14827 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
14830 When you create a group on an nnmaildir server, the maildir is created
14831 with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
14832 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
14833 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
14834 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
14835 the group @code{foo}, nnmaildir will create
14836 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
14837 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
14838 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
14840 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
14841 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
14842 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
14843 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
14844 symlinks pointing to them will be).
14846 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
14847 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
14848 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
14849 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
14850 @code{force} argument.
14852 @item directory-files
14853 This should be a function with the same interface as
14854 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
14855 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
14856 parameter is optional; the default is
14857 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
14858 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
14859 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
14860 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
14861 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
14862 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
14865 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
14866 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
14867 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
14868 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
14869 value is @code{nil}.
14871 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
14872 an nnmaildir group. The results might happen to be useful, but that
14873 would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be different
14874 in the future. If your split rules create new groups, remember to
14875 supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
14878 @subsubsection Group parameters
14880 nnmaildir uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore all
14881 this; the default behavior for nnmaildir is the same as the default
14882 behavior for other mail backends: articles are deleted after one week,
14883 etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this functionality is
14884 unique to nnmaildir, so you can ignore it if you're just trying to
14885 duplicate the behavior you already have with another backend.
14887 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
14888 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
14889 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
14890 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
14891 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
14892 backends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
14893 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
14894 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
14895 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
14899 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article before
14900 it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
14901 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
14902 nnmaildir falls back to the usual
14903 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (overridable by
14904 the @code{expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) group parameters. If you
14905 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
14906 60 60)]}; nnmaildir will evaluate the form and use the result. An
14907 article's age is measured starting from the article file's
14908 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
14909 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
14910 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
14913 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
14915 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
14917 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
14918 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
14919 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an nnmaildir group, the
14920 article will be just as old in the destination group as it was in the
14921 source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
14922 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
14923 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
14924 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
14925 article. So that form can refer to
14926 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
14927 article. @emph{If this parameter is not set, nnmaildir does not fall
14928 back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
14929 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
14932 If this is set to @code{t}, nnmaildir will treat the articles in this
14933 maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed from
14934 @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in @file{new/},
14935 not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles cannot be
14936 edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the @file{new/}
14937 directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox containing
14938 a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the maildir outside
14939 @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for a shared
14940 mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or have write
14941 permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't contain
14942 extra copies of the articles.
14944 @item directory-files
14945 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
14946 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
14947 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
14948 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
14950 @item distrust-Lines:
14951 If non-@code{nil}, nnmaildir will always count the lines of an
14952 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
14953 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
14956 A list of mark symbols, such as
14957 @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever Gnus asks nnmaildir for
14958 article marks, nnmaildir will say that all articles have these
14959 marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in the filesystem
14960 say so. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will probably be
14961 removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14962 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14965 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
14966 Gnus asks nnmaildir for article marks, nnmaildir will say that no
14967 articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks stored in
14968 the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
14969 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
14970 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
14971 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
14973 @item nov-cache-size
14974 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To speed
14975 things up, nnmaildir keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory for a limited number of
14976 articles in each group. (This is probably not worthwhile, and will
14977 probably be removed in the future.) This parameter's value is noticed
14978 only the first time a group is seen after the server is opened---i.e.,
14979 when you first start Gnus, typically. The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized
14980 until the server is closed and reopened. The default is an estimate
14981 of the number of articles that would be displayed in the summary
14982 buffer: a count of articles that are either marked with @code{tick} or
14983 not marked with @code{read}, plus a little extra.
14986 @subsubsection Article identification
14987 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
14988 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
14989 contains no colons. nnmaildir ignores, but preserves, the
14990 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
14991 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
14992 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
14993 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
14994 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
14995 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
14996 request the article in the summary buffer.
14998 @subsubsection NOV data
14999 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used to
15000 generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15001 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15002 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15003 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically when the
15004 article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can force
15005 nnmaildir to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a single article simply by
15006 deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV} file, but @emph{beware}: this will also
15007 cause nnmaildir to assign a new article number for this article, which
15008 may cause trouble with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15010 @subsubsection Article marks
15011 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15012 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15013 When Gnus asks nnmaildir for a group's marks, nnmaildir looks for such
15014 files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus asks nnmaildir
15015 to store a new set of marks, nnmaildir creates and deletes the
15016 corresponding files as needed. (Actually, rather than create a new
15017 file for each mark, it just creates hard links to
15018 @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15020 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15021 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15022 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15023 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15024 this while Gnus is running and your nnmaildir server is open, it's
15025 best to exit all summary buffers for nnmaildir groups and type @kbd{s}
15026 in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g} in the
15027 group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not pick up the
15028 changes, and might undo them.
15032 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15034 @cindex mbox folders
15035 @cindex mail folders
15037 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
15038 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
15039 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
15042 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15044 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15045 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15046 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15047 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
15048 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
15049 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
15050 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
15051 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
15052 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
15053 @code{nnfolder} directory).
15055 Virtual server settings:
15058 @item nnfolder-directory
15059 @vindex nnfolder-directory
15060 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
15061 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15064 @item nnfolder-active-file
15065 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
15066 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
15068 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15069 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
15070 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15071 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
15073 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
15074 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15075 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
15078 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15079 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
15080 @cindex backup files
15081 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
15082 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
15083 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
15084 your @file{.emacs} file:
15087 (defun turn-off-backup ()
15088 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
15090 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
15093 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15094 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
15095 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
15096 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
15097 extract some information from it before removing it.
15099 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15100 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
15101 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15102 default is @code{nil}.
15104 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15105 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
15106 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
15108 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
15109 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
15110 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
15111 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15113 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15114 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
15115 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15116 default is @code{nil}.
15118 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15119 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
15120 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
15122 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
15123 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
15124 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
15125 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
15130 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
15131 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
15132 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
15133 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
15134 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
15135 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
15138 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
15139 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
15141 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
15142 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
15143 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
15144 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
15145 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
15147 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
15148 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
15149 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
15150 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
15151 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
15152 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
15153 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
15154 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
15157 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
15158 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
15159 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
15160 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
15165 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
15166 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
15167 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
15168 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
15169 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
15170 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
15171 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
15172 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
15173 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
15174 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
15175 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
15176 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
15177 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
15182 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
15183 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
15184 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
15185 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
15186 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
15187 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
15188 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
15189 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
15190 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
15191 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
15192 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
15193 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
15194 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
15195 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
15197 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
15198 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
15203 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
15204 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
15205 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
15206 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
15207 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
15208 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
15209 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
15210 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
15211 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
15212 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
15213 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
15214 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
15215 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
15216 provided by the active file and overviews.
15218 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
15219 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
15220 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
15221 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
15222 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
15225 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
15226 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
15231 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
15232 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
15233 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
15234 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
15235 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
15236 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
15237 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
15241 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
15242 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
15243 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
15244 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
15245 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
15246 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
15247 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
15248 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
15249 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
15251 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
15252 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
15253 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
15254 friendly mail back end all over.
15258 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
15259 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
15262 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
15263 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
15264 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
15265 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
15266 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
15267 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
15268 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
15269 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
15272 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
15273 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
15274 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
15275 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
15276 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
15277 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
15278 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
15279 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
15280 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
15281 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
15282 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
15284 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
15285 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
15286 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
15287 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
15288 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
15291 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
15292 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
15293 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
15294 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
15295 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
15296 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
15297 removed in the future.
15299 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
15300 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
15301 on your file system.
15303 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
15304 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
15309 @node Browsing the Web
15310 @section Browsing the Web
15312 @cindex browsing the web
15316 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
15317 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
15318 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
15319 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
15320 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
15321 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
15322 even know what a news group is.
15324 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
15325 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
15326 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
15327 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
15328 you mad in the end.
15330 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
15333 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
15334 interfaces to these sources.
15338 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
15339 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
15340 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
15341 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
15342 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
15343 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
15346 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
15348 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
15349 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
15350 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
15351 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
15352 though, you should be ok.
15354 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
15355 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
15356 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
15357 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
15358 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
15360 @node Archiving Mail
15361 @subsection Archiving Mail
15362 @cindex archiving mail
15363 @cindex backup of mail
15365 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
15366 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
15367 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
15368 marks is fairly simple.
15370 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
15371 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
15374 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
15375 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
15376 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
15377 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
15378 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
15379 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
15380 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
15381 before you restore the data.
15383 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
15384 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
15385 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
15386 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
15387 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
15388 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
15389 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
15390 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
15391 is unnecessary in that case.
15394 @subsection Web Searches
15399 @cindex Usenet searches
15400 @cindex searching the Usenet
15402 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
15403 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
15404 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
15405 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
15406 searches without having to use a browser.
15408 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
15409 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
15410 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
15411 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
15412 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
15414 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
15415 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
15416 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
15417 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
15418 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
15419 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
15420 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
15421 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
15422 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
15423 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
15426 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
15427 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
15428 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
15429 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
15430 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
15431 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
15433 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
15434 to use @code{nnweb}.
15436 Virtual server variables:
15441 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
15442 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
15443 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
15446 @vindex nnweb-search
15447 The search string to feed to the search engine.
15449 @item nnweb-max-hits
15450 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
15451 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
15454 @item nnweb-type-definition
15455 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
15456 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
15457 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
15462 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
15466 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
15469 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
15472 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
15476 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
15483 @subsection Slashdot
15487 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
15488 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
15489 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
15491 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
15492 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15495 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15496 '((nnslashdot "")))
15499 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
15500 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
15501 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
15502 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
15503 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
15506 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
15507 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15509 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
15510 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
15511 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
15512 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
15513 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
15514 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
15515 @acronym{HTML} forms.
15517 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
15520 @item nnslashdot-threaded
15521 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
15522 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
15523 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
15524 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
15525 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
15526 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
15528 @item nnslashdot-login-name
15529 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
15530 The login name to use when posting.
15532 @item nnslashdot-password
15533 @vindex nnslashdot-password
15534 The password to use when posting.
15536 @item nnslashdot-directory
15537 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
15538 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
15539 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
15541 @item nnslashdot-active-url
15542 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
15543 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
15544 news articles and comments. The default is@*
15545 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
15547 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
15548 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
15549 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
15551 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
15553 @item nnslashdot-article-url
15554 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
15555 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
15557 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
15559 @item nnslashdot-threshold
15560 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
15561 The score threshold. The default is -1.
15563 @item nnslashdot-group-number
15564 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
15565 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
15566 updated. The default is 0.
15573 @subsection Ultimate
15575 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
15577 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
15578 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
15579 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
15580 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
15582 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
15583 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
15584 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
15585 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
15586 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
15587 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
15588 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
15590 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
15593 @item nnultimate-directory
15594 @vindex nnultimate-directory
15595 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
15596 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
15601 @subsection Web Archive
15603 @cindex Web Archive
15605 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
15606 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
15607 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
15608 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15611 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
15612 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
15613 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
15614 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
15615 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address RET}}. (Substitute the
15616 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
15617 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
15618 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
15620 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
15623 @item nnwarchive-directory
15624 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
15625 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
15626 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
15628 @item nnwarchive-login
15629 @vindex nnwarchive-login
15630 The account name on the web server.
15632 @item nnwarchive-passwd
15633 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
15634 The password for your account on the web server.
15642 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
15643 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
15644 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
15647 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
15648 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
15651 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
15654 @item nnrss-directory
15655 @vindex nnrss-directory
15656 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
15657 @file{~/News/rss/}.
15661 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
15662 the summary buffer.
15665 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
15666 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
15668 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
15670 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
15671 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
15674 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
15677 (require 'browse-url)
15679 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
15681 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
15684 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
15685 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
15688 (browse-url (cdr url))
15689 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
15690 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
15692 (eval-after-load "gnus"
15693 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
15694 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
15695 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
15698 @node Customizing w3
15699 @subsection Customizing w3
15705 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
15706 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
15707 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
15709 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
15710 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
15711 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
15714 (eval-after-load "w3"
15716 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
15717 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
15718 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
15719 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
15721 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
15724 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
15725 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15732 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
15734 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
15735 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
15736 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15737 specify the network address of the server.
15739 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
15740 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
15741 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
15742 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
15743 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
15744 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15746 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
15747 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
15748 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
15749 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
15751 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15752 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15753 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
15754 usage explained in this section.
15756 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP} servers
15757 might look something like the following. (Note that for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you
15758 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15761 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15762 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
15763 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
15765 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15766 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15767 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
15769 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15770 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15771 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15772 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
15773 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15774 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15775 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15776 (nnimap-stream network))
15777 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
15779 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15780 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15781 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15784 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
15785 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
15786 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
15787 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
15789 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15794 @item nnimap-address
15795 @vindex nnimap-address
15797 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
15798 server name if not specified.
15800 @item nnimap-server-port
15801 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15802 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
15804 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15807 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15808 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15811 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15812 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15813 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15814 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15815 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
15816 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15817 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15819 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15820 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15821 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15824 Example server specification:
15827 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15828 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15829 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15832 @item nnimap-stream
15833 @vindex nnimap-stream
15834 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15835 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15836 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15837 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15839 Example server specification:
15842 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15843 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15846 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15850 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15851 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
15853 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15855 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15856 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15859 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
15860 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
15862 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15863 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
15865 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
15867 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15870 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15871 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15872 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15873 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15874 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15875 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15876 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15877 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15878 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15881 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
15882 needed. It is available from
15883 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
15885 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
15886 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
15887 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
15888 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
15889 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
15890 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
15891 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
15894 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15895 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15896 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15897 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
15898 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15899 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15900 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15903 @vindex imap-shell-program
15904 @vindex imap-shell-host
15905 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15906 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15908 @item nnimap-authenticator
15909 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15911 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15912 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15914 Example server specification:
15917 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15918 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15921 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15925 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15926 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
15928 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15931 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15932 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15934 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15936 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15938 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15941 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15943 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15944 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers has decided that things that
15945 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
15946 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15947 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15948 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15951 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15952 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15953 running in circles yet?
15955 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15956 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15959 The possible options are:
15964 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
15967 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15968 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
15969 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15970 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15972 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15977 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15978 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15980 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
15981 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15982 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15983 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
15984 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
15987 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15988 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15991 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15992 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15993 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15994 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15997 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15998 as ticked for other users.
16000 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
16002 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
16004 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
16005 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
16006 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
16007 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
16009 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
16010 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
16011 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
16012 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
16014 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
16015 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
16017 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
16018 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
16019 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
16025 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
16026 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
16027 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
16028 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
16029 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
16034 @node Splitting in IMAP
16035 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
16036 @cindex splitting imap mail
16038 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
16039 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
16040 @acronym{IMAP} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
16041 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @acronym{IMAP}
16042 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
16046 Here are the variables of interest:
16050 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
16051 @cindex splitting, crosspost
16053 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
16055 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
16056 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
16057 found will be used.
16059 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
16061 @item nnimap-split-inbox
16062 @cindex splitting, inbox
16064 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
16066 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
16067 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
16068 splitting is disabled!
16071 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
16072 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
16075 No nnmail equivalent.
16077 @item nnimap-split-rule
16078 @cindex Splitting, rules
16079 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
16081 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
16084 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
16085 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
16086 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
16087 Neither did I, we need examples.
16090 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16092 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
16093 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
16094 ("INBOX.private" "")))
16097 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
16098 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
16099 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
16101 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
16102 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
16106 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
16109 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
16110 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
16112 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
16113 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
16114 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
16115 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
16117 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
16118 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
16119 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
16120 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
16121 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
16122 them every time you fetch new mail.)
16124 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
16125 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
16126 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
16128 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
16129 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
16130 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16132 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
16134 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
16135 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
16136 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
16139 (setq nnimap-split-rule
16140 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
16141 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
16142 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
16143 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
16144 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
16147 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
16148 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
16149 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
16150 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
16151 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
16152 group/function elements.
16154 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
16156 @item nnimap-split-predicate
16158 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
16160 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
16161 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
16163 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
16164 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
16165 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
16168 @item nnimap-split-fancy
16169 @cindex splitting, fancy
16170 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
16171 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
16173 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16174 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
16175 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
16177 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
16178 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
16179 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
16180 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
16185 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
16186 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
16189 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
16191 @item nnimap-split-download-body
16192 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
16193 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
16195 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
16196 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
16197 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
16198 splitting function that analyses the body to split the article.
16202 @node Expiring in IMAP
16203 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
16204 @cindex expiring imap mail
16206 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
16207 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
16208 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
16209 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
16210 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
16211 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
16214 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
16215 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
16216 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
16217 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
16218 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
16219 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
16220 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
16221 messages. Most do, fortunately.
16225 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
16226 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
16228 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
16229 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
16231 @item nnmail-expiry-target
16233 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
16234 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
16235 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
16236 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
16240 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
16241 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
16242 @cindex editing imap acls
16243 @cindex Access Control Lists
16244 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
16246 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
16248 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
16249 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
16250 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
16253 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
16254 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
16255 editing window with detailed instructions.
16257 Some possible uses:
16261 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
16262 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
16263 follow the list without subscribing to it.
16265 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
16266 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
16267 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
16271 @node Expunging mailboxes
16272 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
16276 @cindex Manual expunging
16278 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
16280 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
16281 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
16282 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
16284 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
16287 @node A note on namespaces
16288 @subsection A note on namespaces
16289 @cindex IMAP namespace
16292 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
16293 by the following text in the RFC:
16296 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
16298 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
16299 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
16300 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
16301 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
16303 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
16304 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
16305 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
16306 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
16307 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
16308 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
16311 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
16312 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
16313 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
16315 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
16316 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
16317 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
16318 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
16319 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
16320 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
16321 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
16322 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
16325 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
16326 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
16327 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
16329 @node Other Sources
16330 @section Other Sources
16332 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
16333 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
16337 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
16338 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
16339 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
16340 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
16341 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
16345 @node Directory Groups
16346 @subsection Directory Groups
16348 @cindex directory groups
16350 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
16351 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
16354 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
16355 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
16356 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
16357 back end to read directories. Big deal.
16359 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
16360 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
16361 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
16362 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
16363 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
16365 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
16367 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
16368 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
16369 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
16370 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
16373 @node Anything Groups
16374 @subsection Anything Groups
16377 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
16378 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
16379 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
16382 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
16383 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
16384 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
16385 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
16386 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
16387 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
16388 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
16389 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
16390 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
16391 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
16394 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
16395 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
16396 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
16397 in the article buffer, just as usual.
16399 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
16400 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
16401 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
16402 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
16404 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
16405 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
16406 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
16407 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
16408 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
16409 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
16410 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
16411 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
16416 @item nneething-map-file-directory
16417 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
16418 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
16419 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
16421 @item nneething-exclude-files
16422 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
16423 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
16424 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
16426 @item nneething-include-files
16427 @vindex nneething-include-files
16428 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
16429 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
16431 @item nneething-map-file
16432 @vindex nneething-map-file
16433 Name of the map files.
16437 @node Document Groups
16438 @subsection Document Groups
16440 @cindex documentation group
16443 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
16444 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
16451 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
16456 The standard Unix mbox file.
16458 @cindex MMDF mail box
16460 The MMDF mail box format.
16463 Several news articles appended into a file.
16466 @cindex rnews batch files
16467 The rnews batch transport format.
16468 @cindex forwarded messages
16471 Forwarded articles.
16474 Netscape mail boxes.
16477 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
16479 @item standard-digest
16480 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
16483 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
16485 @item lanl-gov-announce
16486 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
16488 @item rfc822-forward
16489 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
16492 The Outlook mail box.
16495 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
16498 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
16501 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
16504 An RFC934-forwarded message.
16510 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
16513 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
16519 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
16520 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
16521 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
16524 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
16525 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
16526 group. And that's it.
16528 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
16529 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
16530 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
16531 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
16532 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
16533 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
16534 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
16535 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
16536 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
16537 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
16539 Virtual server variables:
16542 @item nndoc-article-type
16543 @vindex nndoc-article-type
16544 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
16545 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
16546 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
16547 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
16548 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
16550 @item nndoc-post-type
16551 @vindex nndoc-post-type
16552 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
16553 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
16558 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
16562 @node Document Server Internals
16563 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
16565 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
16566 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
16567 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
16568 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
16570 First, here's an example document type definition:
16574 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
16575 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
16578 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
16579 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
16580 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
16581 types can be defined with very few settings:
16584 @item first-article
16585 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
16586 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
16589 @item article-begin
16590 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
16591 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
16593 @item head-begin-function
16594 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
16597 @item nndoc-head-begin
16598 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
16601 @item nndoc-head-end
16602 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
16603 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
16605 @item body-begin-function
16606 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
16610 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
16613 @item body-end-function
16614 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
16618 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
16621 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
16622 regexp will be totally ignored.
16626 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
16627 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
16628 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
16629 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
16630 something that's palatable for Gnus:
16633 @item prepare-body-function
16634 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
16635 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
16636 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
16638 @item article-transform-function
16639 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
16640 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
16641 body of the article.
16643 @item generate-head-function
16644 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
16645 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
16646 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
16647 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
16651 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
16656 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16657 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
16658 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
16659 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
16660 (head-end . "^ ?$")
16661 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
16662 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
16663 (subtype digest guess))
16666 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
16667 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
16668 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
16669 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
16670 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
16672 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
16673 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
16674 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
16675 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
16676 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
16677 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
16678 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
16679 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
16680 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
16681 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
16682 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
16683 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
16691 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
16692 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
16693 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
16695 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
16696 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
16697 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
16700 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
16701 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
16702 that interested in doing things properly.
16704 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
16705 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
16708 First some terminology:
16713 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
16714 get news and/or mail from.
16717 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
16718 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
16721 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
16725 @item message packets
16726 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
16727 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
16728 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16730 @item response packets
16731 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
16732 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
16733 default, where @var{x} is a number.
16743 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
16744 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
16745 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
16746 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
16749 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
16752 You put the packet in your home directory.
16755 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
16756 the native or secondary server.
16759 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
16760 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
16763 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16767 You transfer this packet to the server.
16770 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16773 You then repeat until you die.
16777 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16778 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16781 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16782 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16783 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16787 @node SOUP Commands
16788 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16790 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16794 @kindex G s b (Group)
16795 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16796 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16797 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16798 process/prefix convention.
16801 @kindex G s w (Group)
16802 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16803 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16806 @kindex G s s (Group)
16807 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16808 Send all replies from the replies packet
16809 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16812 @kindex G s p (Group)
16813 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16814 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16817 @kindex G s r (Group)
16818 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16819 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16822 @kindex O s (Summary)
16823 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16824 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16825 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16826 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16831 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16836 @item gnus-soup-directory
16837 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16838 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16839 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16841 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16842 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16843 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16844 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16846 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16847 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16848 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16849 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16851 @item gnus-soup-packer
16852 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16853 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16854 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16856 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16857 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16858 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16859 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16861 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16862 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16863 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16865 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16866 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16867 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16868 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16874 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16877 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16878 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16879 you can read them at leisure.
16881 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16885 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16886 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16887 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16888 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16890 @item nnsoup-directory
16891 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16892 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16893 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16895 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16896 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16897 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16898 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
16900 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16901 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16902 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16903 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16904 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16906 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16907 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16908 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16909 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16911 @item nnsoup-active-file
16912 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16913 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16914 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16915 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16916 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16918 @item nnsoup-packer
16919 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16920 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16921 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16923 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16924 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16925 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16926 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16928 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16929 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16930 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16933 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16934 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16935 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16938 @item nnsoup-always-save
16939 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16940 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16946 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16948 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16949 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16950 more for that to happen.
16952 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16953 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16954 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16957 In specific, this is what it does:
16960 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16961 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16964 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16965 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16966 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16969 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16970 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16971 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16974 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16975 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16976 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16978 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16984 @item nngateway-address
16985 @vindex nngateway-address
16986 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16988 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16989 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16990 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16991 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16992 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16993 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16994 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16997 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16998 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16999 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17002 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17005 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17008 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17011 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17013 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17016 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17017 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17018 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17020 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17022 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17023 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17024 @code{nngateway-address}.
17032 (setq gnus-post-method
17034 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17035 (nngateway-header-transformation
17036 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17039 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17042 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17047 @node Combined Groups
17048 @section Combined Groups
17050 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17054 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17055 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
17059 @node Virtual Groups
17060 @subsection Virtual Groups
17062 @cindex virtual groups
17063 @cindex merging groups
17065 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17068 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17069 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17070 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17072 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17073 regexp to match component groups.
17075 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17076 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17077 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17078 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17079 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17080 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17081 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17082 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17084 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17085 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17088 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17091 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17092 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17094 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17095 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17096 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17097 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17100 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17103 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17104 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17105 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17107 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17108 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17109 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17110 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17111 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17113 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17114 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17115 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17117 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17118 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
17119 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
17120 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
17121 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
17122 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
17123 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
17124 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
17125 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
17126 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
17127 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
17129 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17130 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17131 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17132 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17133 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17134 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17135 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17137 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17138 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17140 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17141 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17145 @node Kibozed Groups
17146 @subsection Kibozed Groups
17150 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @acronym{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
17151 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
17152 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server down to a halt
17153 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
17155 @kindex G k (Group)
17156 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
17159 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
17160 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
17161 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
17162 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
17164 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
17165 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
17166 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
17168 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
17169 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
17170 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
17171 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
17172 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
17173 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
17174 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
17175 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
17177 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
17178 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
17179 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
17180 Stranger things have happened.
17182 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
17183 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
17185 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
17186 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
17187 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
17188 contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in the group,
17189 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
17190 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
17192 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
17193 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
17196 @node Gnus Unplugged
17197 @section Gnus Unplugged
17202 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
17204 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
17205 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
17206 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
17207 read news. Believe it or not.
17209 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
17210 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
17211 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
17212 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
17213 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
17215 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
17216 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
17217 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
17218 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
17219 reading news on a machine.
17221 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
17222 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
17224 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
17227 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
17228 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
17229 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
17230 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
17231 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
17232 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
17233 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
17234 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
17235 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
17236 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
17237 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
17238 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
17243 @subsection Agent Basics
17245 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
17247 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
17248 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
17249 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
17250 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
17252 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
17253 connected to the net continuously.
17255 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
17256 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
17258 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
17263 @findex gnus-unplugged
17264 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
17265 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
17266 already fetched while in this mode.
17269 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
17270 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
17271 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
17272 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
17273 Source Specifiers}).
17276 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
17277 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
17278 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
17279 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
17280 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
17283 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
17284 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
17285 then you read the news offline.
17288 And then you go to step 2.
17291 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
17297 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
17298 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
17299 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
17300 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
17301 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
17302 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
17303 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
17304 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
17307 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
17308 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
17309 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
17310 is probably best to start with a category @xref{Agent Categories}.
17312 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
17313 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
17314 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
17315 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
17316 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
17317 your policy, you can use grou parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
17321 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
17325 @node Agent Categories
17326 @subsection Agent Categories
17328 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
17329 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
17330 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
17331 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
17332 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
17333 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
17334 you're interested in the articles anyway.
17336 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
17337 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
17338 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
17339 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
17340 buffer for creating and managing categories.
17342 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
17343 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
17344 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
17345 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
17346 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
17349 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
17350 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
17351 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
17352 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
17353 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
17354 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
17358 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
17359 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
17360 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
17364 @node Category Syntax
17365 @subsubsection Category Syntax
17367 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
17368 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
17369 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
17373 @item gnus-agent-cat-name
17374 The name of the category.
17376 @item gnus-agent-cat-groups
17377 The list of groups that are in this category.
17379 @item gnus-agent-cat-predicate
17380 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
17381 are eligible for downloading; and
17383 @item gnus-agent-cat-score-file
17384 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
17385 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
17386 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
17388 @item gnus-agent-cat-enable-expiration
17389 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
17390 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
17391 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
17392 only groups that should not be expired.
17394 @item gnus-agent-cat-days-until-old
17395 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
17396 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
17398 @item gnus-agent-cat-low-score
17399 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
17401 @item gnus-agent-cat-high-score
17402 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
17404 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-short
17405 an integer that overrides the value of
17406 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
17408 @item gnus-agent-cat-length-when-long
17409 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
17412 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
17415 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
17416 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
17417 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
17420 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
17421 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
17422 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
17423 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
17425 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
17426 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
17427 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
17429 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
17430 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
17431 operators sprinkled in between.
17433 Perhaps some examples are in order.
17435 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
17436 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
17442 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
17443 short (for some value of ``short'').
17445 Here's a more complex predicate:
17454 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
17455 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
17458 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
17459 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
17460 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
17462 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
17463 you want to do, you can write your own.
17465 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
17466 bound to the value determined by calling
17467 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
17468 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
17469 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
17470 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
17471 predicate to individual groups.
17475 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
17476 lines; default 100.
17479 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
17480 lines; default 200.
17483 True iff the article has a download score less than
17484 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
17487 True iff the article has a download score greater than
17488 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
17491 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
17492 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
17493 checksum and sees whether articles match.
17502 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
17503 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
17504 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
17507 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
17508 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
17509 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
17510 something along the lines of the following:
17513 (defun my-article-old-p ()
17514 "Say whether an article is old."
17515 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
17516 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
17519 with the predicate then defined as:
17522 (not my-article-old-p)
17525 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
17526 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
17530 (require 'gnus-agent)
17531 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
17532 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
17533 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
17536 and simply specify your predicate as:
17542 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
17543 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
17544 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
17545 just don't give a damn.
17547 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
17548 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
17549 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
17550 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
17551 parameters like so:
17554 (agent-predicate . short)
17557 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
17558 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
17559 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
17561 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
17564 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
17567 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
17568 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
17569 predicate is assumed to be a list.
17572 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
17573 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
17574 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
17575 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
17576 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
17577 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
17579 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
17580 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
17581 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
17582 if it's to be specific to that group.
17584 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
17591 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
17592 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
17598 Category specification
17602 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17608 Group/Topic Parameter specification
17611 (agent-score ("from"
17612 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
17617 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
17623 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
17624 keywords stated above.
17630 Category specification
17633 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
17639 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
17643 Group Parameter specification
17646 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
17649 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
17654 Use @code{normal} score files
17656 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
17657 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
17658 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
17659 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
17661 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
17662 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
17663 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
17664 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
17668 Category Specification
17675 Group Parameter specification
17678 (agent-score . file)
17683 @node Category Buffer
17684 @subsubsection Category Buffer
17686 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
17687 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
17688 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
17690 The following commands are available in this buffer:
17694 @kindex q (Category)
17695 @findex gnus-category-exit
17696 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
17699 @kindex e (Category)
17700 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
17701 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
17702 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
17705 @kindex k (Category)
17706 @findex gnus-category-kill
17707 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
17710 @kindex c (Category)
17711 @findex gnus-category-copy
17712 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
17715 @kindex a (Category)
17716 @findex gnus-category-add
17717 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
17720 @kindex p (Category)
17721 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
17722 Edit the predicate of the current category
17723 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
17726 @kindex g (Category)
17727 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
17728 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
17729 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
17732 @kindex s (Category)
17733 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
17734 Edit the download score rule of the current category
17735 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
17738 @kindex l (Category)
17739 @findex gnus-category-list
17740 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
17744 @node Category Variables
17745 @subsubsection Category Variables
17748 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
17749 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
17750 Hook run in category buffers.
17752 @item gnus-category-line-format
17753 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
17754 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
17755 Variables}). Valid elements are:
17759 The name of the category.
17762 The number of groups in the category.
17765 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
17766 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
17767 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
17769 @item gnus-agent-short-article
17770 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
17771 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
17773 @item gnus-agent-long-article
17774 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
17775 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
17777 @item gnus-agent-low-score
17778 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
17779 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
17782 @item gnus-agent-high-score
17783 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
17784 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
17787 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
17788 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17789 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
17790 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
17791 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
17792 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
17793 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
17794 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
17798 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17799 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
17800 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
17801 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
17802 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
17803 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
17804 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
17809 @node Agent Commands
17810 @subsection Agent Commands
17811 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
17812 @kindex J j (Agent)
17814 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
17815 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
17816 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
17820 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
17821 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
17822 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
17828 @node Group Agent Commands
17829 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
17833 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
17834 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
17835 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
17836 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
17839 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
17840 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
17841 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
17844 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
17845 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
17846 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
17847 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
17850 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
17851 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
17852 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
17853 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
17856 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
17857 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
17858 Add the current group to an Agent category
17859 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17860 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17863 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17864 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17865 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17866 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17867 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17870 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17871 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17872 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17878 @node Summary Agent Commands
17879 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17883 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17884 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17885 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17888 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17889 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17890 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17891 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17895 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17896 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17897 Toggle whether to download the article
17898 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The dowload mark is @samp{%} by
17902 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17903 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17904 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
17907 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
17908 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
17909 Download all eligible (See @pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
17910 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
17913 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
17914 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-series
17915 Download all processable articles in this group.
17916 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-series}).
17919 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17920 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17921 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17922 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17927 @node Server Agent Commands
17928 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17932 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17933 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17934 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17935 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17938 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17939 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17940 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17941 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17946 @node Agent as Cache
17947 @subsection Agent as Cache
17949 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17950 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17951 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17952 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17953 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17954 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17955 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17956 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17957 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17959 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17960 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
17961 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
17962 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
17963 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap backend.
17966 @subsection Agent Expiry
17968 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17969 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17970 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17971 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
17972 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
17973 @cindex Agent expiry
17974 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17977 The Agent backend, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
17978 least it doesn't handle it like other backends. Instead, there are
17979 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
17980 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
17981 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
17982 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
17983 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
17984 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
17986 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
17987 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
17988 synchronized with the group.
17990 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
17991 prevent expiration in selected groups.
17993 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17994 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
17995 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
17996 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
17997 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
17998 be kept indefinitely.
18000 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18001 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18002 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18003 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18005 @node Agent Regeneration
18006 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18008 @cindex Agent Regeneration
18009 @cindex Gnus Agent Regeneration
18010 @cindex regeneration
18012 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18013 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18014 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18015 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18016 internal inconsistencies.
18018 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18019 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18020 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
18021 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
18022 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
18023 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
18025 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
18026 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
18027 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
18028 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
18029 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
18030 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
18032 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18033 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
18034 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
18035 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
18036 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
18037 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
18040 @node Agent and IMAP
18041 @subsection Agent and IMAP
18043 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
18044 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
18045 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
18046 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
18048 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
18049 are kept on the @acronym{IMAP} server, rather than in @file{.newsrc} as is the
18050 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
18051 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
18053 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
18054 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
18055 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
18056 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
18058 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18059 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
18060 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
18061 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
18062 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
18063 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
18065 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
18066 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
18067 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
18068 in the group buffer.
18070 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
18071 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
18076 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
18079 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
18083 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
18084 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
18085 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
18086 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
18087 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
18088 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
18089 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
18090 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
18093 @node Outgoing Messages
18094 @subsection Outgoing Messages
18096 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
18097 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
18098 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
18100 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
18101 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
18102 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
18103 messages in the draft group.
18107 @node Agent Variables
18108 @subsection Agent Variables
18111 @item gnus-agent-directory
18112 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
18113 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
18114 @file{~/News/agent/}.
18116 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
18117 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
18118 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
18119 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
18120 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
18123 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18124 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
18125 Hook run when connecting to the network.
18127 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18128 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
18129 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
18131 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18132 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
18133 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
18135 @item gnus-agent-cache
18136 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
18137 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
18138 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
18139 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
18141 @item gnus-agent-go-online
18142 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
18143 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
18144 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
18145 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
18146 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
18147 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
18150 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18151 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
18152 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
18153 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
18154 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
18155 read. The default is t.
18157 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18158 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
18159 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
18160 agent will fetch all missing headers. When @code{nil}, the agent will
18161 fetch only new headers. The default is @code{nil}.
18163 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18164 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
18165 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
18166 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
18167 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
18168 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
18169 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
18170 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
18171 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
18172 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
18173 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
18174 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
18177 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
18178 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
18179 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
18180 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
18181 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
18182 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
18183 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
18184 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
18185 is only valid if the Agent is used.
18187 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18188 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
18189 Another variable that isn't a Agent variable, yet so closely related
18190 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
18191 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
18192 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
18194 The legal values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
18195 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
18196 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
18197 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
18198 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
18203 @node Example Setup
18204 @subsection Example Setup
18206 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
18207 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
18208 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
18211 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
18212 ;;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
18213 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
18215 ;;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
18216 ;;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
18217 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
18219 ;;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
18220 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
18222 ;;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
18223 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
18224 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
18227 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
18228 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
18231 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
18232 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
18233 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
18234 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
18235 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
18238 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
18239 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
18240 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
18241 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
18242 back all the killed groups.)
18244 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
18245 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
18246 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
18249 @node Batching Agents
18250 @subsection Batching Agents
18251 @findex gnus-agent-batch
18253 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
18254 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
18255 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
18257 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
18258 following incantation:
18262 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f -l ~/.gnus.el gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
18266 @node Agent Caveats
18267 @subsection Agent Caveats
18269 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
18270 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
18274 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
18276 @strong{No}. If you want this behaviour, add
18277 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
18278 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
18280 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
18281 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
18283 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
18287 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
18288 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
18289 locally stored articles.
18296 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
18297 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
18298 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
18301 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
18302 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
18303 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
18304 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
18305 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
18307 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
18308 before generating the summary buffer.
18310 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
18311 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
18312 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
18314 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
18315 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
18316 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
18317 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
18320 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
18321 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
18322 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
18323 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
18324 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
18325 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
18326 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
18327 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
18328 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
18329 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
18330 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
18331 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
18332 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
18333 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
18334 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
18335 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
18336 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
18340 @node Summary Score Commands
18341 @section Summary Score Commands
18342 @cindex score commands
18344 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
18345 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
18346 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
18347 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
18348 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
18350 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
18351 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
18352 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
18353 score file the current one.
18355 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
18360 @kindex V s (Summary)
18361 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
18362 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
18365 @kindex V S (Summary)
18366 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
18367 Display the score of the current article
18368 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
18371 @kindex V t (Summary)
18372 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
18373 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
18374 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
18375 can use @kbd{q} to quit. @kbd{e} edits the corresponding score file.
18376 When point is on a string within the match element, @kbd{e} will try to
18377 bring you to this string in the score file.
18380 @kindex V w (Summary)
18381 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
18382 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
18385 @kindex V R (Summary)
18386 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
18387 Run the current summary through the scoring process
18388 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
18389 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
18390 effect you're having.
18393 @kindex V c (Summary)
18394 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
18395 Make a different score file the current
18396 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
18399 @kindex V e (Summary)
18400 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
18401 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
18402 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
18406 @kindex V f (Summary)
18407 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
18408 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
18409 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
18412 @kindex V F (Summary)
18413 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18414 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
18415 after editing score files.
18418 @kindex V C (Summary)
18419 @findex gnus-score-customize
18420 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
18421 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
18425 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
18430 @kindex V m (Summary)
18431 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
18432 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
18433 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
18436 @kindex V x (Summary)
18437 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
18438 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
18439 expunge all articles below this score
18440 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
18443 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
18444 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
18447 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
18448 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
18452 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
18453 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
18455 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
18456 keys are available:
18460 Score on the author name.
18463 Score on the subject line.
18466 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
18469 Score on the @code{References} line.
18475 Score on the number of lines.
18478 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
18481 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
18482 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
18485 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
18486 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
18487 @file{ADAPT} files.)
18496 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
18502 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
18503 what headers you are scoring on.
18515 Substring matching.
18518 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
18547 Greater than number.
18552 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
18553 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
18554 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
18559 Temporary score entry.
18562 Permanent score entry.
18565 Immediately scoring.
18569 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
18570 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
18571 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
18575 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
18576 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
18577 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
18578 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
18580 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
18581 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
18582 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
18583 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
18584 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
18586 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
18587 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
18588 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
18589 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
18590 current score file.
18592 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
18593 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
18594 pretend they are keymaps or not.
18597 @node Group Score Commands
18598 @section Group Score Commands
18599 @cindex group score commands
18601 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
18606 @kindex W f (Group)
18607 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
18608 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
18609 all the time. This command will flush the cache
18610 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
18614 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
18616 @findex gnus-batch-score
18617 @cindex batch scoring
18619 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
18623 @node Score Variables
18624 @section Score Variables
18625 @cindex score variables
18629 @item gnus-use-scoring
18630 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
18631 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
18632 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
18634 @item gnus-kill-killed
18635 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
18636 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
18637 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
18638 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
18639 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
18640 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
18641 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
18643 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
18644 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
18645 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
18646 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
18647 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
18649 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
18650 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
18651 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
18652 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
18654 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18655 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
18656 @cindex score cache
18657 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
18658 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
18659 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
18660 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
18661 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
18662 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
18663 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
18666 @item gnus-save-score
18667 @vindex gnus-save-score
18668 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
18669 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
18670 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
18672 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
18673 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
18674 across group visits.
18676 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18677 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
18678 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
18679 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
18680 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
18681 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
18682 manually entered data.
18684 @item gnus-summary-default-score
18685 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
18686 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
18688 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
18689 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
18690 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
18691 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
18692 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
18693 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
18695 @item gnus-score-over-mark
18696 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
18697 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
18698 default. Default is @samp{+}.
18700 @item gnus-score-below-mark
18701 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
18702 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
18703 default. Default is @samp{-}.
18705 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18706 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
18707 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
18708 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
18710 Predefined functions available are:
18713 @item gnus-score-find-single
18714 @findex gnus-score-find-single
18715 Only apply the group's own score file.
18717 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
18718 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
18719 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
18720 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
18721 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
18722 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
18723 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
18724 then a regexp match is done.
18726 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
18727 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
18729 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
18730 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
18731 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
18732 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
18734 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18735 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
18736 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
18737 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
18738 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
18742 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
18743 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
18744 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
18745 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
18746 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
18747 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
18748 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
18751 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
18752 overall score file, you could use the value
18754 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
18755 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
18758 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
18759 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
18760 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
18761 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
18762 are expired. It's 7 by default.
18764 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18765 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
18766 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
18767 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
18768 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
18769 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
18770 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
18771 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
18773 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18774 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
18775 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
18777 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
18778 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
18779 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
18780 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
18781 threading---according to the current value of
18782 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
18783 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
18784 simplified in this manner.
18789 @node Score File Format
18790 @section Score File Format
18791 @cindex score file format
18793 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
18794 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
18795 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
18797 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
18801 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
18803 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
18805 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
18807 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
18812 (mark-and-expunge -10)
18816 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
18817 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
18818 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
18819 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
18823 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
18824 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
18826 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
18827 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
18828 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
18830 Six keys are supported by this alist:
18835 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
18836 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
18837 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
18838 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
18839 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
18840 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
18841 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
18842 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
18843 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
18844 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
18845 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
18846 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
18847 to articles that matches these score entries.
18849 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
18850 score entry has one to four elements.
18854 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
18855 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
18859 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
18860 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
18861 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
18862 is successful. If this element is not present, the
18863 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
18864 instead. This is 1000 by default.
18867 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
18868 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
18869 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
18870 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
18871 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
18874 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
18875 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
18876 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
18877 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
18880 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
18881 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
18882 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
18883 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
18884 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
18885 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
18886 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
18887 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
18888 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
18889 instead, if you feel like.
18892 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
18893 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
18894 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
18895 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
18896 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
18897 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
18900 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
18904 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
18905 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
18907 These predicates are true if
18910 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
18913 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
18914 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
18921 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
18922 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
18923 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
18924 it's not. I think.)
18926 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
18927 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
18928 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
18929 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
18932 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
18933 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
18934 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
18935 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
18936 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
18937 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
18938 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
18942 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
18943 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
18944 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
18945 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
18946 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
18947 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
18948 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
18949 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
18952 @item Head, Body, All
18953 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
18957 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
18958 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
18959 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
18960 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18961 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18962 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18963 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18967 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18968 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18969 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18970 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18971 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18972 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18973 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18974 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18975 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18976 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18977 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18981 @cindex Score File Atoms
18983 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18984 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18987 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18988 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18990 @item mark-and-expunge
18991 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18992 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18995 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18996 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18997 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18998 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18999 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
19002 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
19003 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
19006 @item exclude-files
19007 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
19008 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
19012 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
19013 ignored when handling global score files.
19016 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
19017 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
19018 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
19019 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
19022 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
19023 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
19024 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
19025 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
19027 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
19031 (mark-and-expunge -100)
19034 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
19035 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
19036 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
19037 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
19038 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
19040 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
19041 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
19042 scoring rules exist.
19045 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
19046 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
19047 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
19048 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
19049 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
19050 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
19051 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19052 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
19053 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
19054 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
19055 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
19059 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
19060 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
19061 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
19062 file for a number of groups.
19065 @cindex local variables
19066 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
19067 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
19068 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
19069 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
19070 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
19075 @node Score File Editing
19076 @section Score File Editing
19078 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
19079 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
19080 with a mode for that.
19082 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
19083 additional commands:
19088 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
19089 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
19090 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
19091 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
19094 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
19095 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
19096 Insert the current date in numerical format
19097 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
19098 you were wondering.
19101 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
19102 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
19103 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
19104 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
19105 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
19110 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
19112 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
19113 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
19115 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
19116 e} to begin editing score files.
19119 @node Adaptive Scoring
19120 @section Adaptive Scoring
19121 @cindex adaptive scoring
19123 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
19124 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
19125 stupidity, to be precise.
19127 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
19128 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
19129 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
19130 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
19131 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
19132 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
19133 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
19134 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
19135 variable to @code{(word line)}.
19137 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19138 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
19139 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
19140 might look something like this:
19143 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
19144 '((gnus-unread-mark)
19145 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
19146 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
19147 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
19148 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
19149 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
19150 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
19151 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
19152 (gnus-ancient-mark)
19153 (gnus-low-score-mark)
19154 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
19157 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
19158 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
19159 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
19160 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
19161 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
19162 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
19165 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
19166 will be applied to each article.
19168 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
19169 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
19170 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
19171 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
19173 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
19174 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
19175 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
19176 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
19178 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
19179 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
19180 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
19181 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
19183 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
19184 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
19185 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
19186 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
19187 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
19188 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
19190 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
19191 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
19192 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
19194 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
19195 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
19196 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
19198 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
19199 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
19200 let you use different rules in different groups.
19202 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
19203 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
19204 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
19207 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
19208 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
19209 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
19210 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
19211 the length of the match is less than
19212 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
19213 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
19216 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19217 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
19218 headers. If you adapt on words, the
19219 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
19220 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
19223 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
19224 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
19225 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
19226 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
19227 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
19230 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
19231 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
19232 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
19233 score with 30 points.
19235 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
19236 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
19237 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
19238 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
19239 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
19241 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
19242 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
19243 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
19244 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
19245 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
19247 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
19248 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
19249 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
19250 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
19252 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
19253 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
19254 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
19255 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
19257 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
19258 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
19259 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
19260 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
19261 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
19263 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
19264 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
19265 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
19267 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
19268 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
19269 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
19270 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
19273 @node Home Score File
19274 @section Home Score File
19276 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
19277 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
19278 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
19279 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
19281 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
19282 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
19283 could perhaps use the same home score file.
19285 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
19286 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
19291 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
19295 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
19296 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
19300 A list. The elements in this list can be:
19304 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
19305 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
19308 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
19309 be used as the home score file.
19312 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
19315 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
19320 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
19323 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19324 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
19327 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
19328 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
19330 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
19332 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19333 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
19336 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
19337 Other functions include
19340 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
19341 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
19342 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
19343 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
19347 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
19348 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
19349 their own home score files:
19352 (setq gnus-home-score-file
19353 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
19354 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
19355 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
19356 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
19359 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
19360 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
19361 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
19362 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
19363 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
19365 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
19366 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
19367 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
19368 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
19369 precedence over this variable.
19372 @node Followups To Yourself
19373 @section Followups To Yourself
19375 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
19376 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
19377 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
19378 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
19379 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
19380 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
19384 @item gnus-score-followup-article
19385 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
19386 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
19389 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
19390 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
19391 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
19395 @vindex message-sent-hook
19396 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
19397 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
19399 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
19403 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
19404 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
19408 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19409 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
19412 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
19413 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
19418 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
19422 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
19423 is system-dependent.
19426 @node Scoring On Other Headers
19427 @section Scoring On Other Headers
19428 @cindex scoring on other headers
19430 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
19431 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
19432 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
19433 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
19434 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
19436 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
19437 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
19438 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
19439 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
19440 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
19442 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
19445 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
19446 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
19449 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
19450 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
19451 time if you have much mail.
19453 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
19454 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
19460 @section Scoring Tips
19461 @cindex scoring tips
19467 @cindex scoring crossposts
19468 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
19469 the @code{Xref} header.
19471 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
19474 @item Multiple crossposts
19475 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
19476 more than, say, 3 groups:
19479 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
19483 @item Matching on the body
19484 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
19485 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
19486 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
19487 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
19488 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
19489 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
19490 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
19493 @item Marking as read
19494 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
19495 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
19496 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
19500 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
19502 @item Negated character classes
19503 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
19504 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
19505 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
19509 @node Reverse Scoring
19510 @section Reverse Scoring
19511 @cindex reverse scoring
19513 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
19514 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
19515 like this in your score file:
19519 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
19524 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
19525 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
19528 @node Global Score Files
19529 @section Global Score Files
19530 @cindex global score files
19532 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
19533 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
19534 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
19536 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
19537 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
19538 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
19540 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
19541 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
19542 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
19543 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
19544 files are applicable to which group.
19546 To use the score file
19547 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
19548 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
19552 (setq gnus-global-score-files
19553 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
19554 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
19557 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
19559 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
19560 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
19561 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
19562 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
19564 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
19565 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
19567 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
19568 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
19569 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
19570 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
19571 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
19572 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
19574 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
19580 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
19582 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
19584 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
19586 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
19587 lowered out of existence.
19589 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
19590 articles completely.
19593 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
19594 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
19595 old articles for a long time.
19598 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
19599 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
19600 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
19601 holding our breath yet?
19605 @section Kill Files
19608 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
19609 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
19610 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
19612 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
19613 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
19614 files into score files.
19616 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
19617 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
19618 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
19619 that isn't a very good idea.
19621 Normal kill files look like this:
19624 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19625 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
19629 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
19630 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
19632 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
19633 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
19636 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
19641 @kindex M-k (Summary)
19642 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
19643 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
19646 @kindex M-K (Summary)
19647 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
19648 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
19651 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
19656 @kindex M-k (Group)
19657 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
19658 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
19661 @kindex M-K (Group)
19662 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
19663 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
19666 Kill file variables:
19669 @item gnus-kill-file-name
19670 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
19671 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
19672 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
19673 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
19674 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
19675 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
19677 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19678 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
19679 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
19680 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
19683 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
19684 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
19685 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
19686 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
19687 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
19688 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
19689 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
19690 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
19691 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
19693 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19694 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
19695 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
19700 @node Converting Kill Files
19701 @section Converting Kill Files
19703 @cindex converting kill files
19705 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
19706 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
19707 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
19710 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
19711 You can fetch it from
19712 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
19714 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
19715 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
19716 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
19724 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/, GroupLens} is a
19725 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
19726 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
19727 news articles generated every day.
19729 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
19730 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
19731 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
19732 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
19733 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
19734 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
19735 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
19736 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
19739 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
19740 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
19743 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
19744 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
19745 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
19746 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
19750 @node Using GroupLens
19751 @subsection Using GroupLens
19753 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local
19754 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html, Better Bit
19755 Bureau (BBB)} is the only better bit in town at the moment.
19757 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
19761 @item gnus-use-grouplens
19762 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
19763 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
19764 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
19766 @item grouplens-pseudonym
19767 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
19768 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
19769 with the Better Bit Bureau.
19771 @item grouplens-newsgroups
19772 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
19773 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
19777 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
19778 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
19779 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
19780 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
19781 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
19782 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
19785 @node Rating Articles
19786 @subsection Rating Articles
19788 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
19789 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
19790 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
19791 yourself is, ``on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
19794 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
19799 @kindex r (GroupLens)
19800 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
19801 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
19804 @kindex k (GroupLens)
19805 @findex grouplens-score-thread
19806 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
19807 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
19808 threads in rec.humor.
19812 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
19813 the score of the article you're reading.
19818 @kindex n (GroupLens)
19819 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
19820 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
19823 @kindex , (GroupLens)
19824 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
19825 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
19829 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
19830 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
19833 @node Displaying Predictions
19834 @subsection Displaying Predictions
19836 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
19837 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
19838 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
19839 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
19840 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
19842 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
19843 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
19844 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
19845 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
19846 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
19847 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
19848 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
19849 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
19850 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
19851 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
19852 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
19853 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
19854 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
19856 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
19857 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
19858 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
19859 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
19861 The following are valid values for that variable.
19864 @item prediction-spot
19865 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
19868 @item confidence-interval
19869 A numeric confidence interval.
19871 @item prediction-bar
19872 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
19874 @item confidence-bar
19875 Numerical confidence.
19877 @item confidence-spot
19878 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
19880 @item prediction-num
19881 Plain-old numeric value.
19883 @item confidence-plus-minus
19884 Prediction +/- confidence.
19889 @node GroupLens Variables
19890 @subsection GroupLens Variables
19894 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
19895 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
19896 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
19897 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
19900 @item grouplens-bbb-host
19901 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
19904 @item grouplens-bbb-port
19905 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
19907 @item grouplens-score-offset
19908 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
19909 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
19912 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
19913 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
19914 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
19919 @node Advanced Scoring
19920 @section Advanced Scoring
19922 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
19923 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
19924 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
19925 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
19926 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
19928 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
19932 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
19933 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
19934 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
19938 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
19939 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
19941 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
19942 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
19943 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
19944 non-@code{nil} value.
19946 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
19947 operator, and various match operators.
19954 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19955 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19956 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19961 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19962 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19963 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19968 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19969 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19973 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19974 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19975 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19976 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19977 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19978 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19979 the ancestry you want to go.
19981 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19982 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19983 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19984 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19985 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19988 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19989 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19991 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19992 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19995 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19996 when he's talking about Gnus:
20000 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20001 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20007 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20011 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20018 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20019 really don't want to read what he's written:
20023 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20024 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
20028 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20029 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20030 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20037 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20038 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20039 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20040 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20044 The possibilities are endless.
20047 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20048 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20050 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20051 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20052 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20053 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20054 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20055 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20056 @samp{subject}) first.
20058 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20059 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20070 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20071 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20077 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20084 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20085 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20090 @section Score Decays
20091 @cindex score decays
20094 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20095 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20096 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20097 use them in any sensible way.
20099 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20100 @findex gnus-decay-score
20101 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20102 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20103 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20104 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20105 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20106 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
20107 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
20108 definition of that function:
20111 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20113 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20114 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20117 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
20119 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20121 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20124 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
20125 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
20126 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
20127 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
20131 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
20134 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
20137 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
20141 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
20142 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
20143 the new score, which should be an integer.
20145 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
20146 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
20151 @include message.texi
20152 @chapter Emacs MIME
20153 @include emacs-mime.texi
20155 @include sieve.texi
20165 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
20166 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
20167 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
20168 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
20169 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
20170 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
20171 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
20172 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
20173 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
20174 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
20175 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
20176 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
20177 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
20178 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
20179 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
20180 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
20181 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
20182 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
20183 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
20187 @node Process/Prefix
20188 @section Process/Prefix
20189 @cindex process/prefix convention
20191 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
20192 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
20194 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
20195 command to be performed on.
20199 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
20200 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
20201 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
20202 with the current one.
20204 @vindex transient-mark-mode
20205 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
20206 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
20208 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
20209 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
20212 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
20213 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
20215 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
20218 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
20219 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
20220 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
20221 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20223 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
20224 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
20225 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
20226 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
20227 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
20228 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
20229 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
20230 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
20232 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
20233 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
20234 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
20235 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
20236 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
20240 @section Interactive
20241 @cindex interaction
20245 @item gnus-novice-user
20246 @vindex gnus-novice-user
20247 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
20248 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
20249 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
20250 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
20253 @item gnus-expert-user
20254 @vindex gnus-expert-user
20255 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
20256 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
20257 matter how strange.
20259 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
20260 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
20261 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
20262 is @code{t} by default.
20264 @item gnus-interactive-exit
20265 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
20266 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20271 @node Symbolic Prefixes
20272 @section Symbolic Prefixes
20273 @cindex symbolic prefixes
20275 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
20276 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
20277 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
20278 rule of 900 to the current article.
20280 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
20281 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
20282 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
20283 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
20284 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
20285 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
20286 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
20288 @kindex M-i (Summary)
20289 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
20290 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
20291 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
20292 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
20293 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
20294 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
20295 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
20296 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
20298 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
20299 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
20300 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
20302 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
20306 @node Formatting Variables
20307 @section Formatting Variables
20308 @cindex formatting variables
20310 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
20311 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
20312 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
20313 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
20314 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
20317 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
20318 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
20319 lots of percentages everywhere.
20322 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
20323 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
20324 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
20325 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
20326 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
20327 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
20328 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
20329 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
20332 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
20333 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
20334 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
20335 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
20336 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
20337 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
20338 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
20339 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
20341 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
20342 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
20344 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
20345 @findex gnus-update-format
20346 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
20347 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
20348 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
20349 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
20353 @node Formatting Basics
20354 @subsection Formatting Basics
20356 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
20357 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
20358 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
20360 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
20361 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
20362 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
20363 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
20364 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
20367 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
20368 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
20369 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
20370 less than 4 characters wide.
20372 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
20373 @samp{%&user-date;}.
20376 @node Mode Line Formatting
20377 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
20379 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
20380 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
20381 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
20382 with the following two differences:
20387 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
20390 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
20391 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
20392 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
20393 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
20394 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
20395 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
20396 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
20401 @node Advanced Formatting
20402 @subsection Advanced Formatting
20404 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
20405 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
20406 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
20407 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
20409 These are the valid modifiers:
20414 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
20418 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
20423 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
20426 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
20431 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
20434 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
20437 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
20440 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
20446 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
20451 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
20452 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
20453 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
20454 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
20455 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
20456 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
20457 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
20459 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
20460 last operation, padding.
20462 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
20463 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
20464 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
20465 @xref{Compilation}.
20468 @node User-Defined Specs
20469 @subsection User-Defined Specs
20471 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
20472 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
20473 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
20474 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
20475 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
20476 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
20477 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
20478 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
20479 should protect against that.
20481 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
20482 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
20484 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
20485 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
20486 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
20487 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
20491 @node Formatting Fonts
20492 @subsection Formatting Fonts
20494 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
20495 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
20496 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
20497 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
20500 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
20501 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
20502 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
20503 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
20504 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
20505 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
20507 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
20508 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
20509 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
20510 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
20511 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
20512 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
20513 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
20514 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
20515 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
20516 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
20517 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
20520 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
20523 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
20524 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
20525 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
20527 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
20528 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
20529 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
20530 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
20531 ;; @r{Set the color.}
20532 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
20533 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
20535 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
20536 (setq gnus-group-line-format
20537 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
20540 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
20541 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
20543 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
20544 mode-line variables.
20546 @node Positioning Point
20547 @subsection Positioning Point
20549 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
20550 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
20551 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
20553 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
20555 @findex gnus-goto-colon
20556 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
20557 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
20559 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
20560 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
20561 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
20566 @subsection Tabulation
20568 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
20569 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
20570 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
20571 about lining up the following text afterwards.
20573 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
20574 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
20576 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20577 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
20578 This is the soft tabulator.
20580 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
20581 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
20582 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
20585 @node Wide Characters
20586 @subsection Wide Characters
20588 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
20589 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
20590 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
20592 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
20593 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
20594 these countries, that's not true.
20596 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
20597 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
20598 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
20599 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
20603 @node Window Layout
20604 @section Window Layout
20605 @cindex window layout
20607 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
20609 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
20610 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
20611 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
20612 @code{t} by default.
20614 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
20615 glitches. Use at your own peril.
20617 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
20618 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
20619 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
20622 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
20623 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
20624 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20628 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
20629 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
20630 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
20631 possible names is listed below.
20633 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
20634 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
20637 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
20641 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
20642 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
20643 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
20644 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
20645 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
20646 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
20647 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
20648 size spec per split.
20650 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
20651 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
20652 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
20653 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
20654 present) gets focus.
20656 Here's a more complicated example:
20659 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
20660 (summary 0.25 point)
20661 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
20665 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
20666 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
20667 occupy, not a percentage.
20669 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
20670 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
20671 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
20672 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
20673 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
20676 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
20679 (article (horizontal 1.0
20684 (summary 0.25 point)
20689 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
20690 @code{horizontal} thingie?
20692 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
20693 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
20694 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
20695 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
20696 the screen is to be given to this strip.
20698 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
20699 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
20700 lines from the splits.
20702 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
20707 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
20708 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
20709 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
20710 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
20711 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
20712 size = number | frame-params
20713 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
20717 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
20718 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
20719 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
20720 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
20722 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
20723 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
20724 @cindex window height
20725 @cindex window width
20726 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
20727 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
20728 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
20729 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
20730 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
20731 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
20733 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
20734 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
20735 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
20736 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
20738 @findex gnus-configure-frame
20739 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
20740 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
20741 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
20742 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
20743 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
20744 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
20745 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
20746 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
20747 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
20748 configuration list.
20751 (gnus-configure-frame
20755 (article 0.3 point))
20763 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
20764 @code{frame} split:
20767 (gnus-configure-frame
20770 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
20772 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
20773 (user-position . t)
20774 (left . -1) (top . 1))
20779 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
20780 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
20781 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
20782 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
20783 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
20784 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
20785 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
20786 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
20788 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
20789 be found in its default value.
20791 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
20792 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
20793 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
20797 (message (horizontal 1.0
20798 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
20800 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
20805 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
20806 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
20807 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
20812 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
20813 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
20814 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
20815 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
20816 (name . "Message"))
20817 (message 1.0 point))))
20820 @findex gnus-add-configuration
20821 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
20822 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
20823 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
20824 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
20827 (gnus-add-configuration
20828 '(article (vertical 1.0
20830 (summary .25 point)
20834 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
20835 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
20836 Gnus has been loaded.
20838 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
20839 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
20840 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
20841 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
20842 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
20844 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
20845 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
20846 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
20849 @subsection Example Window Configurations
20853 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
20854 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
20869 (gnus-add-configuration
20872 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20874 (summary 0.16 point)
20877 (gnus-add-configuration
20880 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
20881 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
20887 @node Faces and Fonts
20888 @section Faces and Fonts
20893 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
20894 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
20895 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
20900 @section Compilation
20901 @cindex compilation
20902 @cindex byte-compilation
20904 @findex gnus-compile
20906 Remember all those line format specification variables?
20907 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
20908 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
20909 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
20910 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
20911 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
20914 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
20915 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
20916 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
20917 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
20918 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
20919 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
20920 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
20924 @section Mode Lines
20927 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
20928 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
20929 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
20930 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
20931 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
20932 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
20933 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
20936 @cindex display-time
20938 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
20939 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
20940 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
20941 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
20942 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
20943 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
20944 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
20945 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
20948 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
20950 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
20951 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
20953 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
20954 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
20955 (length display-time-string)))))
20958 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20959 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20960 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20961 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20962 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20965 @node Highlighting and Menus
20966 @section Highlighting and Menus
20968 @cindex highlighting
20971 @vindex gnus-visual
20972 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20973 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20974 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20977 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20978 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20981 @item group-highlight
20982 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20983 @item summary-highlight
20984 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20985 @item article-highlight
20986 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20988 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20990 Create menus in the group buffer.
20992 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20994 Create menus in the article buffer.
20996 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20998 Create menus in the server buffer.
21000 Create menus in the score buffers.
21002 Create menus in all buffers.
21005 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
21006 buffers, you could say something like:
21009 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
21012 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
21015 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
21018 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
21019 in all Gnus buffers.
21021 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
21024 @item gnus-mouse-face
21025 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
21026 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
21027 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
21031 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
21035 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
21036 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
21037 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
21039 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
21040 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
21041 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
21043 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
21044 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
21045 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
21047 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
21048 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
21049 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
21051 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
21052 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
21053 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
21055 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
21056 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
21057 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
21068 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
21069 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
21070 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
21071 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
21072 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
21076 @vindex gnus-carpal
21077 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
21078 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
21079 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
21084 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21085 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
21086 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
21088 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
21089 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
21090 Face used on buttons.
21092 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
21093 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
21094 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
21096 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21097 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
21098 Buttons in the group buffer.
21100 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21101 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
21102 Buttons in the summary buffer.
21104 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21105 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
21106 Buttons in the server buffer.
21108 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21109 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
21110 Buttons in the browse buffer.
21113 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
21114 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
21115 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
21123 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
21124 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
21125 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
21126 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
21127 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
21129 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
21130 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
21131 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
21133 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
21134 been idle for thirty minutes:
21137 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
21140 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
21144 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
21147 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
21148 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
21149 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21151 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
21152 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
21153 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
21154 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
21156 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
21157 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
21158 @var{idle} minutes.
21160 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
21161 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
21164 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
21165 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
21166 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
21168 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
21169 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
21170 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
21171 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
21173 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
21174 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21176 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
21178 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
21181 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
21182 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
21183 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
21184 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
21185 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
21186 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
21187 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
21188 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
21189 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
21190 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
21191 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
21193 @findex gnus-demon-init
21194 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
21195 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
21196 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
21197 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
21198 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
21200 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
21201 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
21202 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
21211 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
21212 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
21214 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
21215 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
21216 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
21217 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
21220 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
21221 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
21222 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
21223 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
21225 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
21226 this will make spam disappear.
21228 There are some variables to customize, of course:
21231 @item gnus-use-nocem
21232 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
21233 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
21236 @item gnus-nocem-groups
21237 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
21238 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
21241 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
21242 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
21245 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
21246 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
21247 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
21248 people you want to listen to. The default is
21250 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
21251 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
21253 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
21255 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
21256 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
21258 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
21259 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
21260 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
21261 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
21262 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
21263 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
21264 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
21265 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
21266 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
21267 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
21269 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
21270 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
21273 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
21276 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
21277 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
21280 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
21283 The specs are applied left-to-right.
21286 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
21287 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
21289 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
21290 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
21291 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
21292 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
21294 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
21295 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
21298 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
21300 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
21308 This might be dangerous, though.
21310 @item gnus-nocem-directory
21311 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
21312 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
21313 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
21315 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21316 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
21317 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
21318 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
21319 might then see old spam.
21321 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
21322 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
21323 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
21324 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
21325 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
21328 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21329 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
21330 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
21331 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
21335 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
21336 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
21337 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
21338 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
21345 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
21346 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
21347 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
21349 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
21350 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
21351 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
21352 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
21353 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
21354 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
21355 @code{undo} function.
21357 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
21358 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
21359 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
21360 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
21361 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
21362 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
21363 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
21364 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
21365 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
21366 never be totally undoable.
21368 @findex gnus-undo-mode
21369 @vindex gnus-use-undo
21371 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
21372 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
21373 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
21374 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
21378 @node Predicate Specifiers
21379 @section Predicate Specifiers
21380 @cindex predicate specifiers
21382 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
21383 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
21384 to type all that much.
21386 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
21391 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
21392 gnus-article-unread-p)
21395 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
21396 functions all take one parameter.
21398 @findex gnus-make-predicate
21399 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
21400 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
21401 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
21406 @section Moderation
21409 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
21410 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
21411 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
21414 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
21418 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
21421 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21423 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
21428 You split your incoming mail by matching on
21429 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
21430 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
21433 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
21434 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
21437 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
21438 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
21442 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
21445 (setq gnus-moderated-list
21446 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
21450 @node Image Enhancements
21451 @section Image Enhancements
21453 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
21454 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
21457 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
21458 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
21459 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
21460 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
21473 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
21474 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
21475 over your shoulder as you read news.
21477 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
21486 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
21487 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
21488 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
21489 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
21490 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
21491 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
21492 @code{GIF} formats.
21495 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21496 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
21497 point your Web browser at
21498 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
21500 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
21501 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
21503 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
21504 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
21507 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
21511 @item gnus-picon-databases
21512 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
21513 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
21514 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
21515 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
21516 "/usr/local/faces")}.
21518 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
21519 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
21520 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21521 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
21523 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
21524 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
21525 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
21526 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
21528 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
21529 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
21530 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
21531 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
21532 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
21534 @item gnus-picon-file-types
21535 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
21536 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
21537 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your Emacs.
21542 @subsection Smileys
21547 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
21552 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
21553 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
21555 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
21556 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21559 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
21562 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
21563 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
21564 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
21565 text and maps that to file names.
21567 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
21568 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
21569 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
21570 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
21571 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
21574 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
21579 @item smiley-data-directory
21580 @vindex smiley-data-directory
21581 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
21583 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
21584 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
21585 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
21594 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
21595 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
21596 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
21600 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
21601 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
21602 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
21603 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
21611 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
21612 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
21613 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
21614 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
21616 The variable that controls this is the
21617 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
21618 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
21619 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
21620 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
21621 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
21623 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
21624 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
21625 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
21626 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
21629 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
21630 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
21631 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
21632 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
21633 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
21634 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
21635 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
21636 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
21638 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
21641 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
21642 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
21644 @findex gnus-random-x-face
21645 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
21646 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
21647 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
21648 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
21649 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
21650 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
21651 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
21652 header data as a string.
21654 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
21655 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
21656 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
21657 randomly generated data.
21659 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
21660 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
21661 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
21662 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
21663 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
21665 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
21666 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
21669 (setq message-required-news-headers
21670 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21671 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
21674 Using the last function would be something like this:
21677 (setq message-required-news-headers
21678 (nconc message-required-news-headers
21679 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
21680 (gnus-x-face-from-file
21681 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
21686 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
21689 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21690 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
21691 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
21692 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
21693 unusual directory structure.
21695 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21696 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
21697 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
21698 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
21700 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21701 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
21702 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
21703 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
21704 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
21705 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
21707 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21708 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
21709 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
21714 @subsubsection Toolbar
21718 @item gnus-use-toolbar
21719 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
21720 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
21721 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
21722 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
21724 @item gnus-group-toolbar
21725 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
21726 The toolbar in the group buffer.
21728 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
21729 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
21730 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
21732 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21733 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
21734 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
21745 @node Fuzzy Matching
21746 @section Fuzzy Matching
21747 @cindex fuzzy matching
21749 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21750 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21752 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21753 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21754 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21756 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21757 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21758 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21759 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21760 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21763 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21764 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21768 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21770 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21771 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21772 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21773 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21774 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21775 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21776 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21777 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21780 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21781 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21782 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21783 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21784 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21785 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21787 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21790 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21791 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21792 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21793 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21794 * Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package::
21795 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat::
21798 @node The problem of spam
21799 @subsection The problem of spam
21801 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21802 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21804 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21806 First, some background on spam.
21808 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21809 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21810 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21811 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21812 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21813 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21814 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21815 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21817 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21818 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21819 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21820 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21821 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21822 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21823 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21824 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21825 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21828 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21829 spam messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21830 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21831 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21832 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21833 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21834 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21835 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21836 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21837 mail can be useful.
21839 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21840 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21841 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21842 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21843 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21844 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the
21845 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21846 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21847 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21849 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21850 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21851 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21852 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21853 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21854 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21855 because of the incident.
21857 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21858 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21859 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21860 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21861 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21862 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21863 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21864 to store the database of spam analyses.
21866 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21867 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21871 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21873 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21874 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21876 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21877 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21878 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21879 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21880 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21881 part of the mail address.)
21884 (setq message-default-news-headers
21885 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21888 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21889 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21894 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21895 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21896 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21902 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21903 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21904 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21905 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21907 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
21908 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21909 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21910 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21911 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21912 your fancy split rule in this way:
21917 (to "larsi" "misc")
21921 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21922 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21923 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21924 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21925 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21927 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21928 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21929 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21930 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21931 cosmic balance somewhat.
21933 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21934 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21935 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21936 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21941 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21942 @cindex SpamAssassin
21943 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21946 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21947 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21948 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21949 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21950 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21951 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21952 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21954 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21955 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21956 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21957 Specifiers}) follows.
21961 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21964 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21967 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21968 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21969 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21972 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21976 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21979 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21980 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21984 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21985 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21986 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21987 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21990 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21992 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21994 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21995 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21997 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21999 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
22000 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
22004 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
22005 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
22006 spam. And here is the nifty function:
22009 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
22010 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
22012 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
22013 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
22014 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
22018 @subsection Hashcash
22021 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
22022 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
22023 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
22024 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
22025 in smaller communities.
22027 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
22028 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
22029 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
22030 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
22031 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
22032 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
22033 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
22034 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
22035 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
22036 one of them separately.
22039 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
22040 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
22041 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
22042 header. For more details, and for the external application
22043 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
22044 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
22045 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
22047 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
22051 (require 'hashcash)
22052 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
22055 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found in the Gnus development
22056 contrib directory. or at
22057 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}.
22059 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
22063 @item hashcash-default-payment
22064 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
22065 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
22066 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
22067 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
22069 @item hashcash-payment-alist
22070 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
22071 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
22072 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
22073 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
22074 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
22075 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
22076 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
22077 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
22081 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
22085 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
22086 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
22087 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
22088 a useful contribution, however.
22090 @node Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22091 @subsection Filtering Spam Using The Spam ELisp Package
22092 @cindex spam filtering
22095 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
22096 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
22097 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam or ham.
22098 @emph{Ham} is the name used throughout @code{spam.el} to indicate
22101 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
22102 the following keyboard commands:
22112 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
22113 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
22115 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark.
22116 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
22117 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group. This is done automatically
22118 for unread articles in @emph{spam} groups.
22124 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
22125 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
22127 You must have Bogofilter installed for that command to work properly.
22133 Also, when you load @code{spam.el}, you will be able to customize its
22134 variables. Try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{spam} variable
22137 The concepts of ham processors and spam processors are very important.
22138 Ham processors and spam processors for a group can be set with the
22139 @code{spam-process} group parameter, or the
22140 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. Ham processors take
22141 mail known to be non-spam (@emph{ham}) and process it in some way so
22142 that later similar mail will also be considered non-spam. Spam
22143 processors take mail known to be spam and process it so similar spam
22144 will be detected later.
22146 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
22147 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
22148 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
22149 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
22150 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
22151 by customizing the corresponding variable
22152 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
22153 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
22154 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
22155 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
22156 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
22157 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
22158 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
22161 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
22162 they get the @samp{$} mark when you enter the group. You must review
22163 these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{$} mark for
22164 every message that is not spam after all. To remove the @samp{$}
22165 mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or @kbd{d} for
22166 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all
22167 spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam processor which
22168 will study them as spam samples.
22170 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
22171 @code{spam-ham-marks} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and
22172 @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
22173 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
22174 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
22175 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
22176 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
22177 should then adjust the @code{spam-ham-marks} variable.
22179 @defvar spam-ham-marks
22180 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
22181 consider ham. By default, the list contains the deleted, read,
22182 killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks.
22185 @defvar spam-spam-marks
22186 You can customize this variable to be the list of marks you want to
22187 consider spam. By default, the list contains only the spam mark.
22190 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
22191 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
22192 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
22193 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
22194 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
22195 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
22198 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
22199 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
22200 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
22201 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
22202 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
22203 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
22204 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
22205 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with
22206 @code{customize-variable gnus-ham-process-destinations}). The ultimate
22207 location is a group name. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
22208 parameter is not set, spam articles are only expired.
22210 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
22211 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
22213 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
22214 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
22215 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
22216 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
22217 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
22218 customize this variable with @code{customize-variable
22219 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). The ultimate location is a group
22220 name. If the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set,
22221 the spam articles are only expired.
22223 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
22224 must add the following to your fancy split list
22225 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
22231 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
22232 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
22233 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
22235 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the
22236 mail considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
22237 @code{spam-split-group}. By default that group name is @samp{spam},
22238 but you can customize it.
22240 @emph{Note for IMAP users}
22242 The boolean variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} needs to be
22243 set, if you want to split based on the whole message instead of just
22244 the headers. By default, the nnimap backend will only retrieve the
22245 message headers. If you use @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
22246 @code{spam-check-ifile}, or @code{spam-check-stat} (the splitters that
22247 can benefit from the full message body), you should set this variable.
22248 It is not set by default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down.
22250 @xref{Splitting in IMAP}.
22252 @emph{TODO: Currently, spam.el only supports insertion of articles
22253 into a backend. There is no way to tell spam.el that an article is no
22254 longer spam or ham.}
22256 @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
22257 statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
22260 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
22261 @code{spam-split} and their corresponding spam and ham processors:
22264 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
22265 * BBDB Whitelists::
22267 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
22269 * ifile spam filtering::
22270 * spam-stat spam filtering::
22271 * Extending the spam elisp package::
22274 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
22275 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
22276 @cindex spam filtering
22277 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
22278 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
22281 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
22283 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
22284 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
22285 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
22286 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
22291 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
22293 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
22294 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
22295 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22296 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
22297 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22301 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
22303 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
22304 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22305 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
22309 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
22311 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22312 customizing the group parameters or the
22313 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22314 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22315 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
22319 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
22321 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22322 customizing the group parameters or the
22323 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22324 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22325 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22326 whitelist. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22327 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22331 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
22332 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
22333 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
22334 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
22335 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
22337 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
22338 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
22339 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
22340 Emacs regular expression syntax.
22342 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
22343 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
22344 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
22345 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
22346 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
22347 @file{blacklist} respectively.
22349 @node BBDB Whitelists
22350 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
22351 @cindex spam filtering
22352 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
22353 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
22356 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
22358 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
22359 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
22360 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
22361 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
22362 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
22363 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
22364 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
22368 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
22370 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
22371 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
22372 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
22373 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
22374 classified as spammers.
22378 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
22380 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22381 customizing the group parameters or the
22382 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22383 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
22384 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
22385 BBDB. Note that this ham processor has no effect in @emph{spam}
22386 or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22391 @subsubsection Blackholes
22392 @cindex spam filtering
22393 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
22396 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
22398 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
22399 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
22400 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
22401 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
22402 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
22403 contains outdated servers.
22405 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
22406 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
22407 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
22408 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
22409 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
22410 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
22414 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
22416 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
22420 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
22422 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
22423 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
22427 @defvar spam-use-dig
22429 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
22430 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
22434 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
22435 ham processor for blackholes.
22437 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
22438 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
22439 @cindex spam filtering
22440 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
22443 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
22445 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
22446 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
22447 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
22448 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
22449 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
22450 message is spam or ham, respectively.
22454 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
22456 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22457 the message, positively identify it as spam.
22461 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
22463 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
22464 the message, positively identify it as ham.
22468 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
22469 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
22472 @subsubsection Bogofilter
22473 @cindex spam filtering
22474 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
22477 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
22479 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22482 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
22483 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
22484 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
22485 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
22486 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
22487 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
22489 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on an internal
22490 threshold, set at compilation time. That threshold can't be
22493 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
22494 processing will be turned off.
22496 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
22500 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
22502 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
22503 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
22504 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
22505 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
22506 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
22507 installation documents for details.
22509 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
22513 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
22514 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22515 customizing the group parameters or the
22516 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22517 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
22518 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
22521 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
22522 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22523 customizing the group parameters or the
22524 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22525 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22526 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
22527 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22528 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22531 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
22533 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
22534 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
22535 database directory.
22539 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to ifile in intent and
22540 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22541 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
22542 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
22543 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
22544 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
22546 @node ifile spam filtering
22547 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
22548 @cindex spam filtering
22549 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
22552 @defvar spam-use-ifile
22554 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use ifile, a
22555 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
22559 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
22561 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
22562 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
22563 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
22567 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
22569 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
22570 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
22571 the default value of @samp{spam}.
22574 @defvar spam-ifile-database-path
22576 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
22577 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
22581 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
22582 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
22583 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
22584 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
22587 @node spam-stat spam filtering
22588 @subsubsection spam-stat spam filtering
22589 @cindex spam filtering
22590 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
22594 @xref{Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat}.
22596 @defvar spam-use-stat
22598 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use
22599 spam-stat.el, an Emacs Lisp statistical analyzer.
22603 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
22604 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22605 customizing the group parameters or the
22606 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22607 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
22608 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
22611 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
22612 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
22613 customizing the group parameters or the
22614 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
22615 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
22616 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
22617 of non-spam messages. Note that this ham processor has no effect in
22618 @emph{spam} or @emph{unclassified} groups.
22621 This enables spam.el to cooperate with spam-stat.el. spam-stat.el
22622 provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database, which unlike ifile or
22623 Bogofilter does not require external programs. A spam and a ham
22624 processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for @code{spam-split}
22627 @node Extending the spam elisp package
22628 @subsubsection Extending the spam elisp package
22629 @cindex spam filtering
22630 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
22631 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
22633 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
22634 incoming mail, provide the following:
22642 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
22643 "True if blackbox should be used.")
22648 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
22650 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
22655 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
22656 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
22657 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
22659 Make sure to add @code{spam-use-blackbox} to
22660 @code{spam-list-of-statistical-checks} if Blackbox is a statistical
22661 mail analyzer that needs the full message body to operate.
22665 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
22672 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
22673 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
22676 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22677 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
22678 Only applicable to spam groups.")
22680 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox"
22681 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
22682 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
22690 (defun spam-blackbox-register-spam-routine ()
22691 (spam-generic-register-routine
22692 ;; @r{the spam function}
22694 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22695 (when (stringp from)
22696 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer from))))
22697 ;; @r{the ham function}
22700 (defun spam-blackbox-register-ham-routine ()
22701 (spam-generic-register-routine
22702 ;; @r{the spam function}
22704 ;; @r{the ham function}
22706 (let ((from (spam-fetch-field-from-fast article)))
22707 (when (stringp from)
22708 (blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender from))))))
22711 Write the @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-ham-sender} and
22712 @code{blackbox-do-something-with-this-spammer} functions. You can add
22713 more complex code than fetching the message sender, but keep in mind
22714 that retrieving the whole message takes significantly longer than the
22715 sender through @code{spam-fetch-field-from-fast}, because the message
22716 senders are kept in memory by Gnus.
22721 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22722 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics with spam-stat
22723 @cindex Paul Graham
22724 @cindex Graham, Paul
22725 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
22726 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
22727 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
22729 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
22730 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
22731 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
22732 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
22733 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
22734 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
22735 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
22736 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
22737 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
22740 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
22741 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
22742 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
22743 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
22744 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
22745 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
22746 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
22747 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
22749 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
22750 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
22751 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
22752 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
22753 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
22756 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
22757 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
22758 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
22761 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22762 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
22764 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
22765 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
22766 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
22767 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
22768 need several hundred emails in both collections.
22770 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
22771 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
22772 per mail. Use the following:
22774 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
22775 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
22776 is treated as one spam mail.
22779 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
22780 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
22781 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
22784 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
22785 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
22786 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
22787 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
22788 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
22789 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
22791 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
22792 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
22793 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
22794 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
22795 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
22798 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
22799 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
22800 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
22801 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
22804 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
22805 reset the dictionary.
22807 @defun spam-stat-reset
22808 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
22811 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
22812 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
22813 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
22814 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
22815 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
22816 only non-spam mails.
22818 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
22819 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
22820 to update the dictionary incrementally.
22823 @defun spam-stat-save
22824 Save the dictionary.
22827 @defvar spam-stat-file
22828 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
22829 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
22832 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
22833 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
22835 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
22836 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22839 (require 'spam-stat)
22843 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
22846 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
22847 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
22848 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
22849 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
22851 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
22852 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
22853 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
22854 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
22857 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22858 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22862 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
22863 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
22866 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
22867 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
22868 expression are considered potential spam.
22871 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22872 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22873 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22877 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
22878 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
22879 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
22880 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
22881 mails, when creating the dictionary!
22884 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22885 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22886 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22890 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
22891 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
22892 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
22893 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
22894 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
22898 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
22899 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
22900 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
22901 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
22906 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22907 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
22909 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
22911 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
22912 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
22913 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22916 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
22917 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
22918 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
22921 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
22922 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
22923 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
22924 already been processed as non-spam.
22927 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
22928 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
22929 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
22930 been processed as spam.
22933 @defun spam-stat-save
22934 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
22935 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22938 @defun spam-stat-load
22939 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
22940 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
22943 @defun spam-stat-score-word
22944 Return the spam score for a word.
22947 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
22948 Return the spam score for a buffer.
22951 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
22952 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
22953 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
22956 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
22957 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22960 (require 'spam-stat)
22964 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
22967 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22968 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22969 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22970 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22971 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22972 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22973 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22974 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22975 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22976 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22977 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
22978 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
22979 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22980 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22983 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
22986 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
22987 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
22988 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
22989 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
22990 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
22991 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
22994 @node Various Various
22995 @section Various Various
23001 @item gnus-home-directory
23002 @vindex gnus-home-directory
23003 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
23004 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
23006 @item gnus-directory
23007 @vindex gnus-directory
23008 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
23009 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
23010 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
23012 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
23013 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
23014 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
23015 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
23017 @item gnus-default-directory
23018 @vindex gnus-default-directory
23019 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
23020 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
23021 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
23022 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
23023 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
23024 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
23027 @vindex gnus-verbose
23028 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
23029 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
23030 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
23031 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
23032 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
23034 @item gnus-verbose-backends
23035 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
23036 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
23037 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
23039 @item nnheader-max-head-length
23040 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
23041 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
23042 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
23043 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
23044 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
23045 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
23046 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
23047 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
23048 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
23050 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
23051 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
23052 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
23053 read when doing the operation described above.
23055 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23056 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23058 @cindex invalid characters in file names
23059 @cindex characters in file names
23060 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
23061 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
23062 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
23065 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
23069 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
23070 Windows (phooey) systems.
23072 @item gnus-hidden-properties
23073 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
23074 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
23075 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
23076 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
23078 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
23079 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
23080 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
23081 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
23082 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
23084 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
23085 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
23086 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
23088 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23089 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
23091 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
23092 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
23093 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
23094 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
23097 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
23105 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
23106 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
23108 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
23110 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
23116 Not because of victories @*
23119 but for the common sunshine,@*
23121 the largess of the spring.
23125 but for the day's work done@*
23126 as well as I was able;@*
23127 not for a seat upon the dais@*
23128 but at the common table.@*
23133 @chapter Appendices
23136 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
23137 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
23138 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
23139 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
23140 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
23141 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
23142 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
23143 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
23144 * Frequently Asked Questions::
23151 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
23153 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
23154 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
23155 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
23156 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
23157 @samp{xemacs-base}, @samp{sh-script} and @samp{fsf-compat}. The
23158 @samp{misc-games} package is required for Morse decoding.
23165 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
23166 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
23168 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
23169 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
23170 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
23171 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
23172 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
23174 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
23175 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
23176 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
23177 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
23178 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
23179 appropriate name, don't you think?)
23181 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
23182 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
23183 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
23184 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
23187 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
23188 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
23189 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
23190 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
23191 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
23192 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
23193 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
23194 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
23195 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
23199 @node Gnus Versions
23200 @subsection Gnus Versions
23202 @cindex September Gnus
23204 @cindex Quassia Gnus
23205 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
23208 @cindex Gnus versions
23210 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
23211 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
23212 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
23214 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
23215 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
23217 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
23218 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
23220 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
23221 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
23223 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
23224 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
23227 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
23229 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
23230 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
23231 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
23232 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
23233 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
23234 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
23237 @node Other Gnus Versions
23238 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
23241 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
23242 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
23243 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
23244 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
23246 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
23247 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
23248 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
23249 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
23256 What's the point of Gnus?
23258 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
23259 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
23260 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
23261 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
23262 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
23263 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
23264 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
23265 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
23266 keep track of millions of people who post?
23268 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
23269 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
23270 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
23271 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
23272 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
23273 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
23274 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
23275 every one of you to explore and invent.
23277 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
23278 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
23281 @node Compatibility
23282 @subsection Compatibility
23284 @cindex compatibility
23285 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
23286 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
23287 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
23292 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
23296 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
23299 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
23302 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
23303 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
23304 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
23305 important variables have their values copied into their global
23306 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
23307 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
23309 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
23310 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
23311 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
23312 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
23313 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
23317 @cindex highlighting
23318 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
23319 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
23320 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
23321 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
23322 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
23323 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
23326 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
23327 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
23328 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
23329 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
23331 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
23332 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
23333 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
23334 to stop doing it the old way.
23336 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
23338 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23340 @cindex reporting bugs
23342 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
23343 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
23344 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
23346 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
23347 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
23348 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
23349 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
23354 @subsection Conformity
23356 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
23357 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
23365 There are no known breaches of this standard.
23369 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
23371 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
23372 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
23373 We do have some breaches to this one.
23379 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
23380 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
23381 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
23382 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
23383 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
23388 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
23389 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
23390 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
23391 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
23393 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
23395 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
23397 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
23398 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
23400 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
23403 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
23404 published as a Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
23405 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
23406 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
23407 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
23410 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
23411 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
23412 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
23413 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
23415 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
23416 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
23418 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
23419 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
23420 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
23421 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
23422 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
23423 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
23424 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
23425 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
23429 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
23430 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
23435 @subsection Emacsen
23441 Gnus should work on :
23449 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
23453 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
23454 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
23457 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
23458 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
23459 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
23463 @node Gnus Development
23464 @subsection Gnus Development
23466 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
23467 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
23468 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
23469 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
23470 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
23471 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
23472 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
23473 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
23475 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
23476 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
23477 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
23478 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
23479 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
23482 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
23483 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
23484 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
23485 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
23486 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
23488 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
23489 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
23490 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
23491 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
23492 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
23493 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
23494 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
23495 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
23496 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
23497 can't be assumed to do so.
23502 @subsection Contributors
23503 @cindex contributors
23505 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
23506 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
23507 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
23508 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
23509 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
23510 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
23511 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
23512 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
23513 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
23514 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
23516 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
23522 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
23525 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
23526 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
23527 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
23528 functionality and stuff.
23531 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
23532 well as numerous other things).
23535 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
23538 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
23541 Justin Sheehy--the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
23544 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
23547 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
23548 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
23551 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
23554 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
23555 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
23558 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
23561 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
23564 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
23567 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
23570 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
23571 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
23574 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
23577 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
23580 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
23583 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
23587 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
23590 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
23593 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
23596 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
23597 well as autoconf support.
23601 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
23602 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
23604 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
23619 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
23621 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
23625 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
23635 Alexei V. Barantsev,
23650 Massimo Campostrini,
23655 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
23656 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
23660 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
23663 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
23669 Michael Welsh Duggan,
23674 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
23678 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
23686 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
23688 Michelangelo Grigni,
23692 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
23694 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
23696 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
23703 François Felix Ingrand,
23704 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
23705 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
23707 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
23717 Peter Skov Knudsen,
23718 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
23720 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
23721 Thor Kristoffersen,
23724 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
23742 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
23743 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
23750 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
23755 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
23759 John McClary Prevost,
23765 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
23770 Christian von Roques,
23773 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
23780 Philippe Schnoebelen,
23782 Randal L. Schwartz,
23796 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
23801 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
23821 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
23822 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
23823 (550kB and counting).
23825 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
23828 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
23829 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
23833 @subsection New Features
23834 @cindex new features
23837 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
23838 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
23839 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
23840 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
23841 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
23844 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
23845 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
23846 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
23849 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
23851 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
23856 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
23857 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
23860 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
23861 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
23864 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
23867 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
23868 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
23869 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
23872 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
23873 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
23874 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
23875 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23878 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
23879 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23882 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
23883 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
23884 (@pxref{The Active File}).
23887 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
23888 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
23891 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
23892 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
23893 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23896 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
23897 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
23898 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
23901 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
23902 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
23905 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
23906 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
23909 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
23910 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
23913 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
23914 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
23917 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
23918 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
23921 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
23922 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23925 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
23928 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
23929 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
23932 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
23933 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
23936 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
23937 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
23940 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
23943 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
23944 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
23947 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
23951 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
23955 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
23956 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
23959 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
23965 @node September Gnus
23966 @subsubsection September Gnus
23970 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
23974 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
23979 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
23980 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
23984 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
23985 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
23989 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
23993 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
23994 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
23997 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
24001 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
24004 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
24007 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
24010 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
24014 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
24015 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
24018 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
24022 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
24026 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
24030 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
24034 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
24037 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
24038 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
24041 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
24045 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
24046 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
24049 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
24052 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
24053 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
24054 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
24057 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
24061 The Gnus cache is much faster.
24064 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
24068 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
24069 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24072 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
24073 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
24076 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
24077 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
24080 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
24081 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
24082 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
24085 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
24086 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
24089 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
24092 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24095 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
24098 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
24101 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
24102 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
24105 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
24109 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
24112 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
24117 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
24120 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
24124 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
24127 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
24131 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
24134 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
24137 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
24138 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
24141 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
24142 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
24146 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
24147 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
24150 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
24154 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
24155 buffer to allow easier treatment.
24158 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
24161 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
24165 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
24169 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
24170 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
24173 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
24177 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
24178 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
24181 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
24182 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24185 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
24189 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
24192 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
24195 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
24201 @subsubsection Red Gnus
24203 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
24207 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
24214 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
24217 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
24218 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
24221 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
24222 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
24226 Article washing status can be displayed in the
24227 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
24230 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
24233 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
24234 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
24237 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
24241 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
24242 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
24246 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
24247 Server Internals}).
24250 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
24254 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
24257 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
24258 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
24261 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
24262 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
24263 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
24266 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
24267 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24270 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
24271 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
24274 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
24278 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
24279 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24282 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
24283 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
24286 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
24290 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
24293 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
24297 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
24298 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24301 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
24302 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
24305 A new command for reading collections of documents
24306 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
24307 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
24310 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
24314 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
24315 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
24318 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
24319 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
24320 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
24323 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
24324 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
24328 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
24332 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
24336 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
24341 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
24345 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
24349 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
24350 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
24353 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
24359 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
24361 New features in Gnus 5.6:
24366 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
24367 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
24368 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
24371 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
24372 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
24373 group, which is created automatically.
24376 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
24380 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
24383 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
24384 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
24387 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
24391 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
24394 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
24395 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
24398 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
24401 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section ``Symbolic
24402 Prefixes'' in the Gnus manual for details.
24405 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
24406 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
24409 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
24410 control over simplification.
24413 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
24416 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
24420 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
24423 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
24426 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
24427 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
24428 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
24431 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
24432 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
24435 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
24439 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
24440 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
24443 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
24444 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
24447 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
24451 A history of where mails have been split is available.
24454 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
24457 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
24458 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
24461 A new function for citing in Message has been
24462 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
24465 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
24468 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
24472 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
24473 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
24476 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
24477 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
24480 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
24483 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
24487 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
24488 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
24490 New features in Gnus 5.8:
24495 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
24496 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
24498 If you used procmail like in
24501 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
24502 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
24503 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
24504 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
24507 this now has changed to
24511 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
24515 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
24516 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
24519 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
24520 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
24523 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
24524 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
24527 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
24528 called to position point.
24531 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
24532 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
24535 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
24536 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
24539 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
24540 subtly different manner.
24543 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
24544 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
24545 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
24548 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
24556 @section The Manual
24560 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
24561 either @code{texi2dvi}
24563 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
24564 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
24566 to get what you hold in your hands now.
24568 The following conventions have been used:
24573 This is a @samp{string}
24576 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
24579 This is a @file{file}
24582 This is a @code{symbol}
24586 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
24590 (setq flargnoze "yes")
24593 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
24596 (setq flumphel 'yes)
24599 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
24600 ever get them confused.
24604 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
24605 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
24606 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
24607 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
24608 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
24609 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
24610 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
24616 @node On Writing Manuals
24617 @section On Writing Manuals
24619 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
24620 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
24621 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
24622 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
24623 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
24624 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
24627 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
24628 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
24629 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
24632 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
24633 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
24638 @section Terminology
24640 @cindex terminology
24645 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
24646 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
24647 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
24648 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
24649 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
24653 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
24654 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
24655 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
24656 not posting, and replying is not following up.
24660 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
24664 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
24669 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
24670 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
24671 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
24672 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
24673 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a `front end' and a number of
24674 `back ends'. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
24675 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
24676 Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a back end and says things like
24677 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
24680 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
24681 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
24682 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
24683 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
24684 `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
24685 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
24687 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
24688 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
24689 access the articles.
24691 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
24692 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
24693 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
24698 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
24699 default, way of getting news.
24703 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
24704 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
24709 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
24710 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
24714 A message that has been posted as news.
24717 @cindex mail message
24718 A message that has been mailed.
24722 A mail message or news article
24726 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
24731 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
24736 A line from the head of an article.
24740 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
24741 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
24743 @item @acronym{NOV}
24745 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
24746 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
24747 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
24748 normal @sc{head} format.
24752 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
24753 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
24754 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
24755 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
24756 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
24757 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
24759 @item killed groups
24760 @cindex killed groups
24761 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
24762 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
24764 @item zombie groups
24765 @cindex zombie groups
24766 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
24769 @cindex active file
24770 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
24771 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
24772 is rather large, as you might surmise.
24775 @cindex bogus groups
24776 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
24777 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
24778 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
24781 @cindex activating groups
24782 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
24783 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
24784 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
24788 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
24790 @item select method
24791 @cindex select method
24792 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
24795 @item virtual server
24796 @cindex virtual server
24797 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
24798 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
24799 whole is a virtual server.
24803 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
24804 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
24807 @item ephemeral groups
24808 @cindex ephemeral groups
24809 @cindex temporary groups
24810 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
24811 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
24812 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
24815 @cindex solid groups
24816 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
24817 group buffer are solid groups.
24819 @item sparse articles
24820 @cindex sparse articles
24821 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
24822 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
24826 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
24827 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
24831 @cindex thread root
24832 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
24833 articles in the thread.
24837 An article that has responses.
24841 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
24845 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
24846 specified by RFC 1153.
24852 @node Customization
24853 @section Customization
24854 @cindex general customization
24856 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
24857 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
24858 for some quite common situations.
24861 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
24862 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
24863 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
24864 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
24868 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
24869 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
24871 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
24872 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
24873 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
24877 @item gnus-read-active-file
24878 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
24879 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
24880 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24881 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
24882 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
24884 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
24885 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
24886 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
24887 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
24891 @node Slow Terminal Connection
24892 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
24894 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
24895 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
24896 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
24900 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
24901 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
24902 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
24903 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
24904 horizontal and vertical recentering.
24906 @item gnus-visible-headers
24907 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
24908 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
24909 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
24910 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
24912 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
24914 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
24915 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
24916 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
24919 @item gnus-use-full-window
24920 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
24921 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
24922 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
24923 want to read them anyway.
24925 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
24926 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
24930 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
24931 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
24932 lines, which might save some time.
24936 @node Little Disk Space
24937 @subsection Little Disk Space
24940 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
24941 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
24945 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
24946 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
24947 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24948 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24951 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
24952 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
24953 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
24954 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
24957 @item gnus-save-killed-list
24958 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
24959 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
24960 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
24961 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
24967 @subsection Slow Machine
24968 @cindex slow machine
24970 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
24971 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
24973 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
24974 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
24976 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
24977 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
24978 summary buffer faster.
24982 @node Troubleshooting
24983 @section Troubleshooting
24984 @cindex troubleshooting
24986 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
24994 Make sure your computer is switched on.
24997 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
24998 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
25002 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
25003 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
25004 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
25005 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
25008 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
25009 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
25012 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
25013 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
25014 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
25015 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
25016 something like that.
25019 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
25022 @cindex reporting bugs
25024 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25026 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
25027 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
25028 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
25029 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
25031 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
25032 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
25033 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
25034 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
25037 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
25038 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
25039 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
25040 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
25041 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
25042 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
25044 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
25045 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
25046 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
25050 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
25051 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
25054 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
25055 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
25056 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
25057 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
25058 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
25059 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
25060 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
25061 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
25062 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
25063 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
25064 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
25065 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
25066 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
25067 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
25072 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
25073 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
25074 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
25075 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
25076 helps isolating the real problem areas).
25078 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
25079 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
25080 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
25081 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
25082 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
25083 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
25084 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
25085 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
25086 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
25087 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
25088 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
25089 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
25090 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
25093 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
25094 @cindex ding mailing list
25095 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
25096 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
25097 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
25098 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
25102 @node Gnus Reference Guide
25103 @section Gnus Reference Guide
25105 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
25106 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
25107 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
25108 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
25111 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
25112 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
25113 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
25114 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
25115 and general methods of operation.
25118 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
25119 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
25120 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
25121 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
25122 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
25123 * Group Info:: The group info format.
25124 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
25125 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
25126 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
25130 @node Gnus Utility Functions
25131 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
25132 @cindex Gnus utility functions
25133 @cindex utility functions
25135 @cindex internal variables
25137 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
25138 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
25139 Below is a list of the most common ones.
25143 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
25144 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
25145 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
25147 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
25148 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
25149 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
25151 @item gnus-group-real-name
25152 @findex gnus-group-real-name
25153 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
25156 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
25157 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
25158 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
25159 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
25161 @item gnus-get-info
25162 @findex gnus-get-info
25163 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
25165 @item gnus-group-unread
25166 @findex gnus-group-unread
25167 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
25171 @findex gnus-active
25172 The active entry for @var{group}.
25174 @item gnus-set-active
25175 @findex gnus-set-active
25176 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
25178 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
25179 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
25180 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
25183 @item gnus-continuum-version
25184 @findex gnus-continuum-version
25185 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
25186 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
25189 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
25190 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
25191 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
25193 @item gnus-news-group-p
25194 @findex gnus-news-group-p
25195 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
25197 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
25198 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
25199 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
25201 @item gnus-server-to-method
25202 @findex gnus-server-to-method
25203 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
25205 @item gnus-server-equal
25206 @findex gnus-server-equal
25207 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
25209 @item gnus-group-native-p
25210 @findex gnus-group-native-p
25211 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
25213 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
25214 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
25215 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
25217 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
25218 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
25219 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
25221 @item group-group-find-parameter
25222 @findex group-group-find-parameter
25223 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
25224 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
25226 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
25227 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
25228 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
25230 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
25231 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
25232 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
25234 @item gnus-check-backend-function
25235 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
25236 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
25237 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
25240 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
25244 @item gnus-read-method
25245 @findex gnus-read-method
25246 Prompts the user for a select method.
25251 @node Back End Interface
25252 @subsection Back End Interface
25254 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
25255 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
25256 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
25257 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
25258 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
25259 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
25261 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
25262 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
25263 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
25264 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
25265 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
25266 been opened, the function should fail.
25268 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
25269 name. Take this example:
25273 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
25274 (nntp-port-number 4324))
25277 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
25278 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
25280 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
25281 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
25282 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
25284 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
25285 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
25286 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
25288 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
25289 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
25290 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
25291 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
25292 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
25293 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
25296 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
25297 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
25298 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
25299 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
25302 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
25303 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
25304 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
25305 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
25306 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
25307 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
25308 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
25309 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
25310 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
25311 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
25313 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
25314 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
25315 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
25316 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
25317 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
25318 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
25319 of numbers as long as possible.
25321 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
25322 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
25323 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
25325 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
25328 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
25331 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
25332 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
25333 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
25334 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
25335 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
25336 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
25340 @node Required Back End Functions
25341 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
25345 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
25347 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
25348 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
25349 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
25350 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
25352 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
25353 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
25354 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
25355 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
25357 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
25358 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
25359 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
25360 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
25361 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
25362 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
25363 number, do maximum fetches.
25365 Here's an example HEAD:
25368 221 1056 Article retrieved.
25369 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
25370 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
25371 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
25372 Subject: Re: Something very droll
25373 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
25374 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
25376 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
25377 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
25378 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
25382 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
25383 these in the data buffer.
25385 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
25389 head = error / valid-head
25390 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
25391 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
25392 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
25393 header = <text> eol
25397 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
25399 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
25400 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
25404 nov-buffer = *nov-line
25405 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
25406 field = <text except TAB>
25409 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
25413 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
25415 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
25416 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
25418 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
25419 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
25420 server. In fact, it should do so.
25422 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
25423 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
25426 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
25428 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
25429 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
25432 There should be no data returned.
25435 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
25437 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
25438 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
25439 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
25440 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
25442 There should be no data returned.
25445 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
25447 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
25448 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
25449 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
25450 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
25452 There should be no data returned.
25455 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
25457 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
25459 There should be no data returned.
25462 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
25464 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
25465 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
25466 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
25467 it would be nice if that were possible.
25469 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
25470 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
25471 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
25472 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
25473 into its article buffer.
25475 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
25476 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
25477 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
25478 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
25479 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
25480 on successful article retrieval.
25483 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
25485 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
25486 making @var{group} the current group.
25488 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
25491 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
25494 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
25497 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
25498 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
25499 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
25500 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
25501 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
25502 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
25503 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
25504 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
25505 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
25509 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
25510 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
25511 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
25515 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25517 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
25518 a no-op on most back ends.
25520 There should be no data returned.
25523 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
25525 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
25528 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
25531 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
25532 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
25535 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
25536 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
25537 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
25538 and the highest as 0.
25541 active-file = *active-line
25542 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
25544 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
25547 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
25548 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
25549 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
25552 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
25554 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
25555 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
25556 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
25557 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
25558 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
25559 clear if the posting could not be completed.
25561 There should be no result data from this function.
25566 @node Optional Back End Functions
25567 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
25571 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
25573 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
25574 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
25575 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
25577 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
25578 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
25579 former is in the same format as the data from
25580 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
25581 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
25584 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
25588 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
25590 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
25591 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
25592 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
25593 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
25594 should return a non-@code{nil} value.
25596 There should be no result data from this function.
25599 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
25601 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
25602 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
25603 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
25604 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
25605 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
25606 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
25607 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
25608 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
25610 There should be no result data from this function.
25613 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
25615 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
25616 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
25617 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
25618 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
25619 propagate the mark information to the server.
25621 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
25624 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
25627 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
25628 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
25629 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
25630 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
25631 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
25632 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
25633 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
25634 possible, not limit itself to these.
25636 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
25637 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
25638 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
25639 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
25641 An example action list:
25644 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
25645 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
25646 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
25649 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
25650 mark on (currently not used for anything).
25652 There should be no result data from this function.
25654 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
25656 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
25657 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
25658 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
25659 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
25660 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
25662 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
25663 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
25664 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
25667 There should be no result data from this function.
25670 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
25672 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
25673 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
25674 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
25675 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
25676 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
25677 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
25678 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
25679 local if that's practical.
25681 There should be no result data from this function.
25684 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
25686 The result data from this function should be a description of
25690 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
25692 description = <text>
25695 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
25697 The result data from this function should be the description of all
25698 groups available on the server.
25701 description-buffer = *description-line
25705 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
25707 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
25708 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
25709 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
25710 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
25711 in the active buffer format.
25713 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
25714 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
25715 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
25716 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
25717 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
25718 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
25719 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
25722 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
25724 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
25726 There should be no return data.
25729 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
25731 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
25732 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
25733 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
25734 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
25735 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
25738 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
25741 There should be no result data returned.
25744 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
25746 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
25747 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
25749 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
25750 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
25751 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
25752 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
25753 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
25754 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
25756 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
25757 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
25760 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25761 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25763 There should be no data returned.
25766 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
25768 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
25769 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
25770 this function in short order.
25772 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
25773 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
25775 The group should exist before the backend is asked to accept the
25776 article for that group.
25778 There should be no data returned.
25781 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
25783 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
25784 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
25786 There should be no data returned.
25789 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
25791 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
25792 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
25793 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
25795 There should be no data returned.
25798 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
25800 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
25801 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
25803 There should be no data returned.
25808 @node Error Messaging
25809 @subsubsection Error Messaging
25811 @findex nnheader-report
25812 @findex nnheader-get-report
25813 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
25814 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
25815 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
25816 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
25817 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
25818 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
25821 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
25823 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
25826 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
25827 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
25828 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
25829 takes one argument---the server symbol.
25831 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
25832 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
25833 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
25836 @node Writing New Back Ends
25837 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
25839 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
25840 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
25841 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
25842 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
25843 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
25846 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
25847 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
25848 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
25850 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
25851 package called @code{nnoo}.
25853 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
25854 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
25860 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
25861 parameters. For instance:
25864 (nnoo-declare nndir
25868 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
25869 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
25872 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
25873 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
25874 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
25876 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
25877 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
25878 a function in those back ends.
25881 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25882 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25883 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25886 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
25887 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
25888 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
25890 @item nnoo-define-basics
25891 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
25895 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25899 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
25900 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
25901 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
25903 @item nnoo-map-functions
25904 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
25905 functions from the parent back ends.
25908 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25909 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25910 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
25913 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
25914 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
25915 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
25916 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
25919 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
25920 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
25921 haven't already been defined.
25927 nnmh-request-newgroups)
25931 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
25932 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
25933 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
25938 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
25941 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
25942 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
25946 (require 'nnheader)
25950 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
25952 (nnoo-declare nndir
25955 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
25956 "Where nndir will look for groups."
25957 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
25959 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
25960 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
25963 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
25965 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
25966 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
25967 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
25969 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
25970 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
25972 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
25974 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
25976 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
25977 (setq nndir-directory
25978 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
25980 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
25981 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
25982 (push `(nndir-current-group
25983 ,(file-name-nondirectory
25984 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25986 (push `(nndir-top-directory
25987 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
25989 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
25991 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
25992 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25993 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
25994 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
25995 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
25999 nnmh-status-message
26001 nnmh-request-newgroups))
26007 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
26008 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
26010 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
26011 @findex gnus-declare-backend
26012 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
26013 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
26014 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
26016 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
26017 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
26022 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
26025 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
26027 The abilities can be:
26031 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
26033 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
26035 This back end supports both mail and news.
26037 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
26040 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
26041 articles and groups.
26043 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
26044 true for almost all back ends.
26045 @item prompt-address
26046 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
26047 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
26048 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
26052 @node Mail-like Back Ends
26053 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
26055 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
26056 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
26057 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
26058 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
26061 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
26062 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
26063 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
26066 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
26067 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
26070 This function takes four parameters.
26074 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
26077 @item exit-function
26078 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
26080 @item temp-directory
26081 Where the temporary files should be stored.
26084 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
26085 performed for one group only.
26088 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
26089 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
26090 find the article number assigned to this article.
26092 The function also uses the following variables:
26093 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
26094 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
26095 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
26096 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
26100 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
26101 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
26105 @node Score File Syntax
26106 @subsection Score File Syntax
26108 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
26109 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
26110 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
26112 Here's a typical score file:
26116 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
26123 BNF definition of a score file:
26126 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
26127 element = rule / atom
26128 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
26129 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
26130 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
26131 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
26133 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
26134 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
26135 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
26136 date-header = "date"
26137 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
26138 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
26139 score = "nil" / <integer>
26140 date = "nil" / <natural number>
26141 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
26142 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
26143 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
26144 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
26145 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
26146 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
26147 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
26148 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
26149 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
26150 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
26151 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
26152 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
26153 exclude-files / read-only / touched
26154 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
26155 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
26156 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
26157 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
26158 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
26159 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
26160 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
26161 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
26162 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
26163 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
26164 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
26165 eval = "eval" space <form>
26166 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
26169 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
26172 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
26173 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
26174 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
26175 one looong line, then that's ok.
26177 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
26178 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26182 @subsection Headers
26184 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
26185 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
26186 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
26187 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
26189 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
26190 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
26191 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
26192 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
26193 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
26194 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
26195 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
26197 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
26198 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
26199 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
26200 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
26201 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
26203 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
26204 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
26210 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
26211 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
26213 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
26214 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
26215 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
26216 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
26218 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
26222 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
26225 is transformed into
26228 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
26231 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
26232 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
26235 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
26238 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
26239 is slightly tricky:
26242 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
26248 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
26251 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
26257 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
26264 and is equal to the previous range.
26266 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
26267 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
26268 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
26272 range = simple-range / normal-range
26273 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
26274 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
26275 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
26276 number *[ " " contents ]
26279 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
26280 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
26281 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
26282 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
26283 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
26288 @subsection Group Info
26290 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
26291 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
26292 describes the group.
26294 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
26295 second is a more complex one:
26298 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
26300 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
26301 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
26303 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
26306 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
26307 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
26308 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
26309 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
26310 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
26311 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
26312 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
26313 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
26314 this section is about.
26316 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
26317 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
26318 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
26320 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
26323 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
26324 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
26325 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
26326 group = quote <string> quote
26327 ralevel = rank / level
26328 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
26329 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
26330 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
26332 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
26333 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
26334 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
26335 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
26338 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
26339 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
26342 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
26343 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
26346 @item gnus-info-group
26347 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
26348 @findex gnus-info-group
26349 @findex gnus-info-set-group
26350 Get/set the group name.
26352 @item gnus-info-rank
26353 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
26354 @findex gnus-info-rank
26355 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
26356 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
26358 @item gnus-info-level
26359 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
26360 @findex gnus-info-level
26361 @findex gnus-info-set-level
26362 Get/set the group level.
26364 @item gnus-info-score
26365 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
26366 @findex gnus-info-score
26367 @findex gnus-info-set-score
26368 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
26370 @item gnus-info-read
26371 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
26372 @findex gnus-info-read
26373 @findex gnus-info-set-read
26374 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
26376 @item gnus-info-marks
26377 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
26378 @findex gnus-info-marks
26379 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
26380 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
26382 @item gnus-info-method
26383 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
26384 @findex gnus-info-method
26385 @findex gnus-info-set-method
26386 Get/set the group select method.
26388 @item gnus-info-params
26389 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
26390 @findex gnus-info-params
26391 @findex gnus-info-set-params
26392 Get/set the group parameters.
26395 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
26396 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
26398 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
26399 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
26400 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
26401 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
26404 @node Extended Interactive
26405 @subsection Extended Interactive
26406 @cindex interactive
26407 @findex gnus-interactive
26409 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
26410 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
26411 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
26414 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
26415 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
26420 The best thing to do would have been to implement
26421 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
26422 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
26423 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
26424 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
26425 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
26426 @code{interactive}.
26428 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
26433 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
26434 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
26438 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
26439 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
26440 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
26443 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
26447 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
26451 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
26457 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
26458 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
26462 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
26463 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
26464 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
26466 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
26467 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
26468 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
26469 Gnus, that's very useful.
26471 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
26472 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
26473 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
26474 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
26475 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
26476 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
26477 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
26478 following function:
26481 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
26485 (,function ,@@args))
26489 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
26490 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
26491 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
26494 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
26495 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
26496 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
26498 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
26499 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
26500 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
26503 @node Various File Formats
26504 @subsection Various File Formats
26507 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
26508 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
26512 @node Active File Format
26513 @subsubsection Active File Format
26515 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
26516 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
26519 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
26522 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
26523 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
26524 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
26525 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
26526 no.general 1000 900 y
26529 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
26532 active = *group-line
26533 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
26534 group = <non-white-space string>
26536 high-number = <non-negative integer>
26537 low-number = <positive integer>
26538 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
26541 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
26542 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
26545 @node Newsgroups File Format
26546 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
26548 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
26549 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
26550 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
26553 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
26554 Here's the definition:
26558 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
26559 group = <non-white-space string>
26561 description = <string>
26566 @node Emacs for Heathens
26567 @section Emacs for Heathens
26569 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
26570 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
26571 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
26572 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
26573 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
26574 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
26575 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
26579 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
26580 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
26585 @subsection Keystrokes
26589 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
26592 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
26595 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
26596 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
26597 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
26598 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
26599 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
26600 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
26602 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
26603 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
26604 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
26605 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
26606 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
26607 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
26608 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
26610 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
26611 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
26612 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
26613 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
26614 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
26615 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
26616 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
26618 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
26619 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
26620 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
26621 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
26622 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
26628 @subsection Emacs Lisp
26630 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
26631 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
26632 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
26633 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
26635 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
26636 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
26637 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
26638 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
26639 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
26640 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
26641 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
26644 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
26645 write the following:
26648 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
26651 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
26652 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
26653 you can go and fill your @file{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
26656 If you have put that thing in your @file{.emacs} file, it will be read
26657 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
26658 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
26659 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
26660 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
26662 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
26663 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
26664 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
26668 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
26672 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
26675 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
26676 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
26679 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
26682 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
26683 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
26686 @include gnus-faq.texi
26706 @c Local Variables:
26708 @c coding: iso-8859-1
26710 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
26711 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
26712 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
26713 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
26714 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref