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14 Copyright @copyright{} 1995--2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
17 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
18 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
19 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
20 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual'',
21 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
22 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
24 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
25 modify this GNU manual.''
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308 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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323 @dircategory Emacs network features
325 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
334 @title Gnus Manual (DEVELOPMENT VERSION)
336 @ifclear WEBHACKDEVEL
340 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
342 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
350 @top The Gnus Newsreader
354 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
355 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
356 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
359 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
360 This manual corresponds to Ma Gnus v0.6
375 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
376 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
378 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
379 being accused of plagiarism:
381 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
382 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
383 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
384 can even read news with it!
386 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
387 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
388 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
389 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
390 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
393 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
394 This manual corresponds to Ma Gnus v0.6
396 @heading Other related manuals
398 @item Message manual: Composing messages
399 @item Emacs-MIME: Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
400 @item Sieve: Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
401 @item EasyPG: @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
402 @item SASL: @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
408 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
409 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
410 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
411 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
412 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
413 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
414 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
415 * Searching:: Mail and News search engines.
416 * Various:: General purpose settings.
417 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
418 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
419 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
420 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
421 * Key Index:: Key Index.
423 Other related manuals
425 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
426 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
427 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
428 * EasyPG:(epa). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
429 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
432 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
436 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
437 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
438 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
439 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
440 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
441 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
442 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
443 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
444 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
445 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
449 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
450 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
451 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
455 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
456 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
457 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
458 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
459 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
460 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
461 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
462 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
463 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
464 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
465 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
466 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
467 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
468 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
469 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
470 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
471 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
472 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
476 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
477 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
478 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
482 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
483 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
484 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
485 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
486 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
490 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
491 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
492 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
493 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
494 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
498 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
499 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
500 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
501 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
502 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
504 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
505 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
506 * Threading:: How threads are made.
507 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
508 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
509 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
510 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
511 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
512 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
513 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
514 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
515 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
516 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
517 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
518 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
519 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
520 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
521 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
522 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
523 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
524 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
525 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
526 or reselecting the current group.
527 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
528 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
529 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
530 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
532 Summary Buffer Format
534 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
535 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
536 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
537 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
541 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
542 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
544 Reply, Followup and Post
546 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
547 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
548 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
549 * Canceling and Superseding::
553 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
554 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
555 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
556 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
557 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
558 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
562 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
563 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
565 Customizing Threading
567 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
568 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
569 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
570 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
574 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
575 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
576 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
577 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
578 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
579 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
583 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
584 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
585 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
589 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
590 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
591 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
592 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
593 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
594 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
595 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
596 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
597 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys, Gravatars
598 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
599 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
601 Alternative Approaches
603 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
604 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
606 Various Summary Stuff
608 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
609 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
610 * Summary Generation Commands::
611 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
615 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
616 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
617 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
618 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
619 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
623 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
624 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
625 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
626 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
627 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
628 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
629 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
630 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
631 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
635 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
636 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
637 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
638 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
639 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
640 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
641 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
642 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
643 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
647 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
648 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
649 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
650 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
651 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
652 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
653 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
657 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
658 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
662 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
663 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
664 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
668 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
669 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
670 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
671 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
672 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
673 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
674 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
675 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
676 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
677 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
678 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
679 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
680 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
684 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
685 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
686 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
688 Choosing a Mail Back End
690 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
691 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
692 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
693 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
694 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
695 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
696 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
701 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
702 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
703 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
707 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
708 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
709 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
710 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
711 * The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
715 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
719 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
723 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
724 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
725 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
729 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
730 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
731 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
733 The Gnus Diary Library
735 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
736 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
737 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
738 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
742 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
743 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
744 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
745 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
746 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
747 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
748 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
749 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
750 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
751 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
752 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
753 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
754 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
755 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
759 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
760 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
761 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
765 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
766 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
767 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
771 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
772 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
773 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
774 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
775 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
776 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
777 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
778 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
779 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
780 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
781 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
782 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
783 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
784 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
785 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
786 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
790 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
791 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
792 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
796 * nnir:: Searching with various engines.
797 * nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
801 * What is nnir?:: What does nnir do.
802 * Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
803 * Setting up nnir:: How to set up nnir.
807 * Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
811 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
812 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
813 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
814 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
815 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
816 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
817 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
818 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
819 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
820 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
821 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
822 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
823 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
824 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
825 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
826 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
827 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
828 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
829 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
833 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
834 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
835 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
836 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
837 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
838 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
839 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
840 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
844 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
845 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
846 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
848 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
849 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
850 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
854 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
855 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
856 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
857 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
861 * Spam Package Introduction::
862 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
863 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
864 * Spam and Ham Processors::
865 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
867 * Extending the Spam package::
868 * Spam Statistics Package::
870 Spam Statistics Package
872 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
873 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
874 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
878 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
879 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
880 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
881 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
882 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
883 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
884 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
885 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
886 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
890 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
891 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
892 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
893 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
894 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
895 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
896 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
897 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
901 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
902 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
903 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
904 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
905 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
906 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
907 * No Gnus:: Very punny. Gnus 5.12/5.13
908 * Ma Gnus:: Celebrating 25 years of Gnus.
912 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
913 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
914 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
915 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
919 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
920 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
921 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
922 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
923 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
924 * Group Info:: The group info format.
925 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
926 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
927 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
931 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
932 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
933 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
934 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
935 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
936 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
940 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
941 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
945 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
946 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
952 @chapter Starting Gnus
955 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
960 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
961 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
962 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
963 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
964 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
965 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
967 @findex gnus-other-frame
968 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
969 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
970 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
972 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
973 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
974 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
976 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
977 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
980 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
981 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
982 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
983 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
984 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
985 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
986 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
987 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
988 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
992 @node Finding the News
993 @section Finding the News
996 First of all, you should know that there is a special buffer called
997 @code{*Server*} that lists all the servers Gnus knows about. You can
998 press @kbd{^} from the Group buffer to see it. In the Server buffer,
999 you can press @kbd{RET} on a defined server to see all the groups it
1000 serves (subscribed or not!). You can also add or delete servers, edit
1001 a foreign server's definition, agentize or de-agentize a server, and
1002 do many other neat things. @xref{Server Buffer}.
1003 @xref{Foreign Groups}. @xref{Agent Basics}.
1005 @vindex gnus-select-method
1007 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
1008 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
1009 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
1010 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
1011 secondary or foreign groups.
1013 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1014 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1017 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1020 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1023 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1026 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1027 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1028 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1029 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1031 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1033 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1034 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1035 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1036 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1037 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1038 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1039 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1041 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1043 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1044 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1045 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1046 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1047 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1048 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1050 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1052 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1053 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1054 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1055 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1056 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1057 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1060 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1061 you would typically set this variable to
1064 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1069 @node The Server is Down
1070 @section The Server is Down
1071 @cindex server errors
1073 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1074 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1075 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1077 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1078 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1079 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1080 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1081 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1082 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1083 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1085 @findex gnus-no-server
1086 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1088 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1089 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1090 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1091 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1092 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1093 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1094 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1098 @section Slave Gnusae
1101 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1102 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1103 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1104 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1106 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1107 @file{.newsrc} file.
1109 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1110 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1111 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1112 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1113 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1114 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1115 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1118 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1119 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1120 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1121 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1122 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1123 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1124 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1125 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1127 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1128 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1130 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1131 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1132 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1133 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1134 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1141 @cindex subscription
1143 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1144 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1145 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1146 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1147 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1148 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1149 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1150 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1151 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1154 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1155 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1156 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1160 @node Checking New Groups
1161 @subsection Checking New Groups
1163 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing
1164 the list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of
1165 subscribed and dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method.
1166 If @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will
1167 ask the server for new groups since the last time. This is both
1168 faster and cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list
1169 of killed groups (@pxref{Group Levels}) altogether, so you may set
1170 @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to @code{nil}, which will save time both
1171 at startup, at exit, and all over. Saves disk space, too. Why isn't
1172 this the default, then? Unfortunately, not all servers support this
1175 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1176 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1177 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1178 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1179 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1180 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1181 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1182 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1183 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1184 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1185 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1187 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1188 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1189 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1190 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1191 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1192 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1195 @node Subscription Methods
1196 @subsection Subscription Methods
1198 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1199 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1200 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1202 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1203 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1205 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1209 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1211 Make all new groups zombies (@pxref{Group Levels}). This is the
1212 default. You can browse the zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either
1213 kill them all off properly (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them
1216 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1218 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1219 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1223 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1225 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1226 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1227 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1228 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1229 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1230 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1231 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1232 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1233 up. Or something like that.
1235 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1236 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1237 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1238 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1239 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1241 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1242 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1243 Kill all new groups.
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1247 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1248 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1249 topic parameter that looks like
1255 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1258 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1263 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1264 A closely related variable is
1265 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1266 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1267 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1268 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1271 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1272 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1273 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1274 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1277 @node Filtering New Groups
1278 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1280 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1281 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1282 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1285 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1288 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1289 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1290 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1291 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1292 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1293 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1294 subscribing these groups.
1295 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1296 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1298 The ``options -n'' format is very simplistic. The syntax above is all
1299 that is supports: you can force-subscribe hierarchies, or you can
1300 deny hierarchies, and that's it.
1302 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1303 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1304 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1305 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1306 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1307 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1308 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1309 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1311 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1312 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1313 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1314 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1315 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1316 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1317 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1318 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1319 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, @code{nnimap}, and
1320 @code{nnmaildir}) subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this
1321 variable to @code{nil}.
1323 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-categories
1324 As if that wasn't enough, @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-categories} also
1325 allows you to specify that new groups should be subscribed based on the
1326 category their select methods belong to. The default is @samp{(mail
1327 post-mail)}, meaning that all new groups from mail-like backends
1328 should be subscribed automatically.
1330 New groups that match these variables are subscribed using
1331 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1334 @node Changing Servers
1335 @section Changing Servers
1336 @cindex changing servers
1338 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1339 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1340 very flaky and you want to use another.
1342 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1343 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1347 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1348 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1349 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1350 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1353 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1354 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1355 You can use the @kbd{M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups}
1356 command to clear out all data that you have on your native groups.
1359 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1360 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1361 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1362 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1364 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1365 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1366 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1367 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1368 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1369 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1370 cache for all groups).
1374 @section Startup Files
1375 @cindex startup files
1380 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1381 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1382 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1385 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1386 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1387 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1388 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1389 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1390 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1391 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1393 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1394 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1395 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1396 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1397 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1398 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1400 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1401 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1402 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1403 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1404 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1405 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1406 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1407 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1408 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1409 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1410 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1413 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1414 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1415 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1416 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1417 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1418 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1419 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1420 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1421 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1422 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1423 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1424 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1426 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1427 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1428 @vindex version-control
1429 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1430 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1431 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1432 If you want to keep multiple numbered backups of this file, set
1433 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1434 @code{version-control} variable.
1436 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1437 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1438 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1439 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1440 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1441 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1442 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1443 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1444 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1445 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1448 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1449 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1451 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1452 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1455 @vindex gnus-init-file
1456 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1457 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1458 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1459 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1460 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1461 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1462 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1463 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1464 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1465 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1466 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1467 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1468 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1473 @cindex dribble file
1476 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1477 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1478 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1479 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1480 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1483 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1484 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1487 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1488 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1489 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1491 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1492 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1493 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1494 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1495 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1496 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1498 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1499 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1500 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1503 @node The Active File
1504 @section The Active File
1506 @cindex ignored groups
1508 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1509 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1510 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1512 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1513 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1514 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1515 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1516 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1517 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1518 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1521 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1522 @c if you set it to anything else.
1524 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1526 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1527 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1528 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1530 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1531 you actually subscribe to.
1533 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1534 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1535 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1536 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1538 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1539 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1540 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1541 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1542 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1543 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1545 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1546 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1547 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1550 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1551 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1552 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1553 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1554 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1555 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1557 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1558 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1560 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1561 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1563 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1564 secondary select methods.
1567 @node Startup Variables
1568 @section Startup Variables
1572 @item gnus-load-hook
1573 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1574 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1575 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1576 times you start Gnus.
1578 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1579 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1580 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is started.
1582 @item gnus-before-resume-hook
1583 @vindex gnus-before-resume-hook
1584 A hook called as the first thing when Gnus is resumed after a suspend.
1586 @item gnus-startup-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1588 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1590 @item gnus-started-hook
1591 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1592 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1595 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1596 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1597 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1598 generating the group buffer.
1600 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1601 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1602 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1603 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1604 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1605 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1606 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1607 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1609 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1610 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1611 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1612 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1613 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1614 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1616 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1617 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1618 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1620 @item gnus-use-backend-marks
1621 @vindex gnus-use-backend-marks
1622 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will store article marks both in the
1623 @file{.newsrc.eld} file and in the backends. This will slow down
1624 group operation some.
1630 @chapter Group Buffer
1631 @cindex group buffer
1633 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1635 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1636 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1637 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1638 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1639 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1640 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1641 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1642 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1643 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1644 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1645 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1646 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1647 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1648 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1649 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1650 @c human rights at 9...
1653 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1654 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1655 long as Gnus is active.
1659 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1660 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1661 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1662 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1663 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1664 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1665 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1666 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1672 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1673 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1674 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1675 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1676 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1677 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1678 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1679 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1680 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1681 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1682 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1683 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1684 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1685 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1686 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1687 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1688 * Non-ASCII Group Names:: Accessing groups of non-English names.
1689 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1693 @node Group Buffer Format
1694 @section Group Buffer Format
1697 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1698 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1699 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1702 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1703 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1706 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1707 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1708 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1709 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1712 @node Group Line Specification
1713 @subsection Group Line Specification
1714 @cindex group buffer format
1716 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1717 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1719 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1722 25: news.announce.newusers
1723 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1728 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1729 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1730 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1731 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1733 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1734 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1735 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1736 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1737 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C@.
1738 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1740 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1742 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1743 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1744 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1745 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1746 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1748 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1749 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1750 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1752 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1757 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1760 Whether the group is subscribed.
1763 Level of subscribedness.
1766 Number of unread articles.
1769 Number of dormant articles.
1772 Number of ticked articles.
1775 Number of read articles.
1778 Number of unseen articles.
1781 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1782 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1784 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1785 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1786 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1787 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1788 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1789 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1790 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1792 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1793 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1794 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1795 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1796 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1797 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1798 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1801 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1804 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1813 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1814 comment element in the group parameters.
1817 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1818 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1819 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1823 @samp{m} if moderated.
1826 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1832 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1838 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1842 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1845 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1846 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1847 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1848 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1849 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1852 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1854 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1858 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1861 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1865 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1866 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1867 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1868 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1871 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1872 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1873 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1874 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1875 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1876 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1881 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1882 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1883 group, or a bogus native group.
1886 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1887 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1888 @cindex group mode line
1890 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1891 The mode line can be changed by setting
1892 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1893 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1897 The native news server.
1899 The native select method.
1903 @node Group Highlighting
1904 @subsection Group Highlighting
1905 @cindex highlighting
1906 @cindex group highlighting
1908 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1909 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1910 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1911 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1912 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1914 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1918 (cond (window-system
1919 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1920 (defface my-group-face-1
1921 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1922 (defface my-group-face-2
1923 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1924 "Second group face")
1925 (defface my-group-face-3
1926 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1927 (defface my-group-face-4
1928 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1929 (defface my-group-face-5
1930 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1932 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1933 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1934 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1935 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1936 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1937 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1940 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1942 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1949 The number of unread articles in the group.
1953 Whether the group is a mail group.
1955 The level of the group.
1957 The score of the group.
1959 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1961 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1962 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
1964 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1965 topic being inserted.
1968 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1969 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1970 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1972 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1973 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1974 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1975 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
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
2054 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2055 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2056 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2057 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2060 @node Selecting a Group
2061 @section Selecting a Group
2062 @cindex group selection
2067 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2068 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2069 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2070 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2071 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2072 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2073 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2074 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2075 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2076 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2078 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2079 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2080 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2082 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2083 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2088 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2089 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2090 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2091 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2092 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2096 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2097 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2098 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2099 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2100 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2101 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2102 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2103 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2104 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2105 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2108 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2109 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2110 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2111 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2112 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2115 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2116 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2117 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2118 doing any processing of its contents
2119 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2120 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2121 manner will have no permanent effects.
2125 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2126 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2127 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2128 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2129 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2130 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2131 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2132 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2133 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2134 most recently will be fetched.
2136 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2137 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2138 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2141 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles
2142 In groups in some news servers, there might be a big gap between a few
2143 very old articles that will never be expired and the recent ones. In
2144 such a case, the server will return the data like @code{(1 . 30000000)}
2145 for the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, for example. Even if there
2146 are actually only the articles 1--10 and 29999900--30000000, Gnus doesn't
2147 know it at first and prepares for getting 30000000 articles. However,
2148 it will consume hundreds megabytes of memories and might make Emacs get
2149 stuck as the case may be. If you use such news servers, set the
2150 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} to a positive number.
2151 The value means that Gnus ignores articles other than this number of the
2152 latest ones in every group. For instance, the value 10000 makes Gnus
2153 get only the articles 29990001--30000000 (if the latest article number is
2154 30000000 in a group). Note that setting this variable to a number might
2155 prevent you from reading very old articles. The default value of the
2156 variable @code{gnus-newsgroup-maximum-articles} is @code{nil}, which
2157 means Gnus never ignores old articles.
2159 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2160 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2161 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2162 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2163 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2164 Which article this is controlled by the
2165 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2171 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2174 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2177 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2179 @item unseen-or-unread
2180 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2181 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2185 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2189 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2190 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2192 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2193 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2194 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2195 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2199 @node Subscription Commands
2200 @section Subscription Commands
2201 @cindex subscription
2203 The following commands allow for managing your subscriptions in the
2204 Group buffer. If you want to subscribe to many groups, it's probably
2205 more convenient to go to the @ref{Server Buffer}, and choose the
2206 server there using @kbd{RET} or @kbd{SPC}. Then you'll have the
2207 commands listed in @ref{Browse Foreign Server} at hand.
2215 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2216 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2217 Toggle subscription to the current group
2218 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2224 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2225 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2226 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2227 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2233 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2234 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2235 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2241 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2242 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2245 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2246 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2247 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2248 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2249 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2255 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2256 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2260 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2261 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2264 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2265 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2266 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2267 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2268 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2269 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2270 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2271 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2272 @file{.newsrc} file.
2276 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2286 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2287 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2288 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2289 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2290 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2291 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2296 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2297 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2298 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2302 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2303 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2304 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2306 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2307 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2308 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2309 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2310 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2311 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2318 @section Group Levels
2322 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2323 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2324 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2325 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2326 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2328 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2334 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2335 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2336 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2337 prompted for a level.
2340 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2341 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2342 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2343 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2344 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2345 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2346 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2347 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2348 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2349 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2350 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2351 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2352 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2353 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2354 reasons of efficiency.
2356 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2357 low levels (e.g., 1 or 2).
2359 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2360 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2361 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2362 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2363 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2364 groups are hidden, in a way.
2366 @cindex zombie groups
2367 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2368 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2369 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2370 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2371 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2372 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2374 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2375 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2376 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2377 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2378 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2379 list of killed groups.)
2381 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2382 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2383 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2385 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2386 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2387 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2388 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2389 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2390 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2391 relevant valid ranges.
2393 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2394 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2395 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2396 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2397 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2398 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2401 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2402 one with the best level.
2404 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2405 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2406 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2408 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2409 be called and the result will be used as value.
2412 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2413 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2414 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2415 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2418 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2419 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2420 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2421 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2423 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2424 Gnus will normally just activate (i.e., query the server about) groups
2425 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2426 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2427 to 5. The default is 6.
2431 @section Group Score
2436 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2437 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2438 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2441 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2442 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2443 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2444 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2445 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2446 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2447 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2448 least significant part.))
2450 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2451 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2452 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2453 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2454 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2455 action after each summary exit, you can add
2456 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2457 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2458 slow things down somewhat.
2461 @node Marking Groups
2462 @section Marking Groups
2463 @cindex marking groups
2465 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2466 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2467 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2468 bidding on those groups.
2470 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2471 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2472 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2480 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2481 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2487 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2488 Remove the mark from the current group
2489 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2493 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2494 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2498 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2499 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2503 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2504 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2508 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2509 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2510 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2513 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2515 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2516 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2517 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2518 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2519 the command to be executed.
2522 @node Foreign Groups
2523 @section Foreign Groups
2524 @cindex foreign groups
2526 If you recall how to subscribe to servers (@pxref{Finding the News})
2527 you will remember that @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} and
2528 @code{gnus-select-method} let you write a definition in Emacs Lisp of
2529 what servers you want to see when you start up. The alternate
2530 approach is to use foreign servers and groups. ``Foreign'' here means
2531 they are not coming from the select methods. All foreign server
2532 configuration and subscriptions are stored only in the
2533 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file.
2535 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2536 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2537 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2538 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2541 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2542 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2543 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2549 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2550 @cindex making groups
2551 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2552 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2553 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2557 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2558 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2559 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2563 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2564 @cindex renaming groups
2565 Rename the current group to something else
2566 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2567 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2573 @findex gnus-group-customize
2574 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2578 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2579 @cindex renaming groups
2580 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2581 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2585 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2586 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2587 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2591 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2592 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2593 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2597 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2599 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2600 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2605 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2606 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2610 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2612 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2613 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2614 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2618 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2619 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2621 Make a group based on some file or other
2622 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2623 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2624 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2625 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2626 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2627 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2628 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2629 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2630 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2634 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2635 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2636 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2637 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2641 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2645 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2646 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2647 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2648 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2649 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2650 @xref{Web Searches}.
2652 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2653 to a particular group by using a match string like
2654 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2658 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2659 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2660 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL@.
2664 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2665 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2666 This function will delete the current group
2667 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2668 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2669 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2670 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2671 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2675 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2676 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2677 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2681 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2682 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2683 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2686 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2689 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2690 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2691 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2692 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2693 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2694 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2698 The following commands create ephemeral groups. They can be called not
2699 only from the Group buffer, but in any Gnus buffer.
2702 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2703 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group
2704 @vindex gnus-gmane-group-download-format
2705 Read an ephemeral group on Gmane.org. The articles are downloaded via
2706 HTTP using the URL specified by @code{gnus-gmane-group-download-format}.
2707 Gnus will prompt you for a group name, the start article number and an
2710 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2711 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group-url
2712 This command is similar to @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-gmane-group}, but
2713 the group name and the article number and range are constructed from a
2714 given @acronym{URL}. Supported @acronym{URL} formats include:
2715 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12300/focus=12399},
2716 @url{http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2717 @url{http://article.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/},
2718 @url{http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.foo.bar/12345/}, and
2719 @url{http://news.gmane.org/group/gmane.foo.bar/thread=12345}.
2721 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2722 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group
2723 Read an Emacs bug report in an ephemeral group. Gnus will prompt for a
2724 bug number. The default is the number at point. The @acronym{URL} is
2725 specified in @code{gnus-bug-group-download-format-alist}.
2727 @item gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2728 @findex gnus-read-ephemeral-debian-bug-group
2729 Read a Debian bug report in an ephemeral group. Analog to
2730 @code{gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group}.
2733 Some of these command are also useful for article buttons, @xref{Article
2741 '("#\\([0-9]+\\)\\>" 1
2742 (string-match "\\<emacs\\>" (or gnus-newsgroup-name ""))
2743 gnus-read-ephemeral-emacs-bug-group 1))
2747 @node Group Parameters
2748 @section Group Parameters
2749 @cindex group parameters
2751 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2753 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2754 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2755 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2756 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2757 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2758 Additionally, you can set group parameters via the
2759 @code{gnus-parameters} variable, see below.
2761 Here's an example group parameter list:
2764 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2768 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2769 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2770 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2771 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2773 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2774 is an alist of regexps and values.
2776 The following group parameters can be used:
2781 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2784 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2787 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2788 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2789 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2790 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2791 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2793 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2794 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2795 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2796 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2797 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2798 list address instead.
2800 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2804 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2807 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2810 It is totally ignored
2811 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2812 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2814 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2815 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2816 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2817 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2818 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2820 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2821 @cindex mail list groups
2822 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2823 entering summary buffer.
2825 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2830 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2831 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2832 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2833 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2834 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2835 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2836 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2837 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2840 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2841 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2844 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2845 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2849 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2850 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2851 of whether it has any unread articles.
2853 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2854 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2856 @item broken-reply-to
2857 @cindex broken-reply-to
2858 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2859 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2860 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2861 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2862 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2863 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2867 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2868 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2872 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2873 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2874 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2879 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2880 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2881 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2882 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2883 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2884 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2885 (@pxref{Archived Messages}), with the exception for messages to resend.
2887 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2888 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2889 doesn't accept articles.
2893 @cindex expiring mail
2894 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2895 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2896 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2898 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2901 @cindex total-expire
2902 @cindex expiring mail
2903 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2904 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2905 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2906 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2909 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2913 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2914 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2915 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2916 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2917 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2918 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2919 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2922 @cindex expiry-target
2923 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2924 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2927 @cindex score file group parameter
2928 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2929 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2930 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2933 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2934 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2935 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2936 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2939 @cindex admin-address
2940 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2941 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2942 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2943 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2947 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2948 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2952 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2955 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2956 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2959 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2963 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2965 Here are some examples:
2969 Display only unread articles.
2972 Display everything except expirable articles.
2974 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2975 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2979 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2980 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2981 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2982 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2983 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, and @code{unseen}.
2987 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2988 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2989 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2993 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2994 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2995 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2999 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
3000 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
3001 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
3003 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
3005 @item ignored-charsets
3006 @cindex ignored-charset
3007 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
3008 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
3009 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
3011 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
3014 @cindex posting-style
3015 You can store additional posting style information for this group
3016 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
3017 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
3018 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
3019 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
3021 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
3022 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
3023 like this in the group parameters:
3028 ("X-Message-SMTP-Method" "smtp smtp.example.org 587")
3029 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
3030 (signature "Funky Signature"))
3033 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
3034 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
3035 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
3036 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
3037 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3038 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3044 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3045 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3049 If it is set, and the setting of @code{mail-sources} includes a
3050 @code{group} mail source (@pxref{Mail Sources}), the value is a
3051 mail source for this group.
3055 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3056 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3057 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3058 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3059 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3063 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3064 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3065 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3066 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3068 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3069 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3070 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3071 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3074 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3075 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3079 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3080 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3081 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3082 like the following is generated:
3085 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3086 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3090 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3091 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3093 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3094 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3096 @item (agent parameters)
3097 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of its parameters to
3098 control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3099 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3100 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3101 minimize the configuration effort.
3103 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3104 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3105 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3106 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3107 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3108 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3109 @code{eval}ed there.
3111 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer
3112 if and only if @var{variable} has been bound as a variable. Otherwise,
3113 only evaluating the form will take place. So, you may want to bind the
3114 variable in advance using @code{defvar} or other if the result of the
3115 form needs to be set to it.
3117 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3118 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3119 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3120 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3121 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3122 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3123 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3126 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3129 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3130 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3131 the subject fields of articles. E.g., if the news group
3134 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3137 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3138 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3139 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3140 into the group parameters for the group.
3142 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3143 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3144 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group. If
3145 @code{dummy-variable} has been bound (see above), it will be set to the
3146 (meaningless) result of the @code{(ding)} form.
3148 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3149 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3150 following is added to a group parameter
3153 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3154 (lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3157 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3162 @vindex gnus-parameters
3163 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3164 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3165 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3169 (setq gnus-parameters
3171 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3172 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3173 (gnus-summary-line-format
3174 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3178 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3182 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3186 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3189 All clauses that matches the group name will be used, but the last
3190 setting ``wins''. So if you have two clauses that both match the
3191 group name, and both set, say @code{display}, the last setting will
3194 Parameters that are strings will be subjected to regexp substitution,
3195 as the @code{to-group} example shows.
3197 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3198 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3199 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3200 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3201 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3202 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3203 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3204 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3205 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3206 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3207 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3208 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3210 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3211 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3212 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3213 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3214 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3215 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3216 weekly news RSS feed
3217 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3223 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3224 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3225 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3226 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3227 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3229 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3230 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3231 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3232 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3233 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3234 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3238 @node Listing Groups
3239 @section Listing Groups
3240 @cindex group listing
3242 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3250 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3251 List all groups that have unread articles
3252 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3253 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3254 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3255 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3262 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3263 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3264 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3265 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3266 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3267 unsubscribed groups).
3271 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3272 List all unread groups on a specific level
3273 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3274 with no unread articles.
3278 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3279 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3280 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3281 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3286 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3287 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3291 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3292 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3293 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3297 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3298 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3302 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3303 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3304 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3305 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3306 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3307 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3308 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3309 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3313 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3314 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3315 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3319 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3320 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3321 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3325 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3326 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3330 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3331 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3335 @findex gnus-group-list-ticked
3336 List all groups with ticked articles (@code{gnus-group-list-ticked}).
3340 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3341 Further limit groups within the current selection
3342 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}). If you've first limited to groups
3343 with dormant articles with @kbd{A ?}, you can then further limit with
3344 @kbd{A / c}, which will then limit to groups with cached articles,
3345 giving you the groups that have both dormant articles and cached
3350 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3351 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3355 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3356 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3360 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3361 @cindex visible group parameter
3362 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3363 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3364 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3365 get the same effect.
3367 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3368 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3369 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3370 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3371 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3374 @node Sorting Groups
3375 @section Sorting Groups
3376 @cindex sorting groups
3378 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3379 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3380 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3381 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3382 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3383 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3388 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3389 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3390 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3392 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3393 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3394 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3396 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3397 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3398 Sort by group level.
3400 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3401 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3402 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3404 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3405 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3406 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3407 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3409 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3410 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3411 Sort by number of unread articles.
3413 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3414 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3415 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3417 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3418 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3419 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3424 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3425 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3429 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3430 some sorting criteria:
3434 @kindex G S a (Group)
3435 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3436 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3437 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3440 @kindex G S u (Group)
3441 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3442 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3443 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3446 @kindex G S l (Group)
3447 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3448 Sort the group buffer by group level
3449 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3452 @kindex G S v (Group)
3453 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3454 Sort the group buffer by group score
3455 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3458 @kindex G S r (Group)
3459 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3460 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3461 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3464 @kindex G S m (Group)
3465 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3466 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3467 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3470 @kindex G S n (Group)
3471 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3472 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3473 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3477 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3478 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3480 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3481 commands will sort in reverse order.
3483 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3487 @kindex G P a (Group)
3488 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3489 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3490 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3493 @kindex G P u (Group)
3494 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3495 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3496 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3499 @kindex G P l (Group)
3500 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3501 Sort the groups by group level
3502 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3505 @kindex G P v (Group)
3506 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3507 Sort the groups by group score
3508 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3511 @kindex G P r (Group)
3512 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3513 Sort the groups by group rank
3514 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3517 @kindex G P m (Group)
3518 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3519 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3520 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3523 @kindex G P n (Group)
3524 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3525 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3526 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3529 @kindex G P s (Group)
3530 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3531 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3535 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3539 @node Group Maintenance
3540 @section Group Maintenance
3541 @cindex bogus groups
3546 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3547 Find bogus groups and delete them
3548 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3552 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3553 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3554 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3555 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3556 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3560 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3561 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3562 @cindex expiring mail
3563 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3564 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3565 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3566 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3569 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3570 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3571 @cindex expiring mail
3572 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3573 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3578 @node Browse Foreign Server
3579 @section Browse Foreign Server
3580 @cindex foreign servers
3581 @cindex browsing servers
3586 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3587 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3588 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3589 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3592 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3593 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3594 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3595 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3597 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3602 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3603 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3607 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3608 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3611 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3612 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3613 Enter the current group and display the first article
3614 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3617 @kindex RET (Browse)
3618 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3619 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3623 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3624 @vindex gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method
3625 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3626 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}). You
3627 can affect the way the new group is entered into the Group buffer
3628 using the variable @code{gnus-browse-subscribe-newsgroup-method}. See
3629 @pxref{Subscription Methods} for available options.
3635 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3636 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3640 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3641 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3645 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3646 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3647 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3650 @kindex DEL (Browse)
3651 @findex gnus-browse-delete-group
3652 This function will delete the current group
3653 (@code{gnus-browse-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function
3654 will actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly
3655 remove the group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only
3656 if you are absolutely sure of what you are doing.
3661 @section Exiting Gnus
3662 @cindex exiting Gnus
3664 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3669 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3670 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3671 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3672 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3676 @findex gnus-group-exit
3677 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3678 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3682 @findex gnus-group-quit
3683 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3684 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3687 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3688 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3689 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3690 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3691 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3692 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3698 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3699 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3700 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3706 @section Group Topics
3709 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3710 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3711 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3712 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3713 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3714 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3718 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3719 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3730 2: alt.religion.emacs
3733 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3735 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3736 13: comp.sources.unix
3739 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3741 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3742 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3743 is a toggling command.)
3745 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3746 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3747 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3748 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3751 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3752 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3753 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3756 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3760 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3761 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3762 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3763 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3764 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3768 @node Topic Commands
3769 @subsection Topic Commands
3770 @cindex topic commands
3772 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3773 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3774 definitions slightly.
3776 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3777 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3778 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3779 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3780 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3781 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3783 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3790 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3791 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3792 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3796 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3798 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3799 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3800 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3801 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3804 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3805 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3806 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3807 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3811 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3812 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3813 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3814 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3820 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3821 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3822 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3826 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3827 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3828 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3831 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3832 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3833 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3834 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3835 paste. Like I said---E-Z.
3837 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3838 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3842 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3843 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3850 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3852 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3853 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3854 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3855 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3856 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3857 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3861 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3867 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3868 Move the current group to some other topic
3869 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3870 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3874 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3875 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3879 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3880 Copy the current group to some other topic
3881 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3882 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3886 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3887 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3888 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3892 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3893 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3894 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3898 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3899 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3900 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3901 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3902 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3903 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3904 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3907 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3908 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3912 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3913 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3914 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3918 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3919 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3920 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3924 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3925 Toggle hiding empty topics
3926 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3930 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3931 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3932 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3933 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3936 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3937 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3938 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3939 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3940 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3943 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3944 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3945 @cindex expiring mail
3946 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3947 expiry process (if any)
3948 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3952 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3953 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3956 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3957 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3958 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3962 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3963 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3964 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3967 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3968 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3969 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3972 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3973 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3974 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3978 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3979 @cindex group parameters
3980 @cindex topic parameters
3982 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3983 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3988 @node Topic Variables
3989 @subsection Topic Variables
3990 @cindex topic variables
3992 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3993 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3995 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3996 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3997 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4010 Number of groups in the topic.
4012 Number of unread articles in the topic.
4014 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
4017 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
4018 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
4019 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
4022 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
4023 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
4025 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
4026 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
4027 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
4031 @subsection Topic Sorting
4032 @cindex topic sorting
4034 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
4040 @kindex T S a (Topic)
4041 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
4042 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
4043 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
4046 @kindex T S u (Topic)
4047 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
4048 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
4049 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
4052 @kindex T S l (Topic)
4053 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
4054 Sort the current topic by group level
4055 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
4058 @kindex T S v (Topic)
4059 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
4060 Sort the current topic by group score
4061 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
4064 @kindex T S r (Topic)
4065 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
4066 Sort the current topic by group rank
4067 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4070 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4071 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4072 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4073 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4076 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4077 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4078 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4079 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4082 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4083 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4084 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4085 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4086 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4090 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4091 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4095 @node Topic Topology
4096 @subsection Topic Topology
4097 @cindex topic topology
4100 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4107 2: alt.religion.emacs
4110 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4112 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4113 13: comp.sources.unix
4117 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4118 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4119 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4124 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4125 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4129 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4130 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4131 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4132 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4133 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4134 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4136 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4137 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4138 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4141 @node Topic Parameters
4142 @subsection Topic Parameters
4143 @cindex topic parameters
4145 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4146 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4147 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4148 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4149 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4151 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4156 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4157 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4158 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4161 @item subscribe-level
4162 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4163 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4164 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4168 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4169 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4170 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4171 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4178 2: alt.religion.emacs
4182 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4184 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4185 13: comp.sources.unix
4190 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4191 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4192 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4193 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4194 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4195 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4197 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4198 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4199 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4200 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4201 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4203 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4204 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4205 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4206 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4207 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4208 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4209 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4210 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4213 @node Non-ASCII Group Names
4214 @section Accessing groups of non-English names
4215 @cindex non-ascii group names
4217 There are some news servers that provide groups of which the names are
4218 expressed with their native languages in the world. For instance, in a
4219 certain news server there are some newsgroups of which the names are
4220 spelled in Chinese, where people are talking in Chinese. You can, of
4221 course, subscribe to such news groups using Gnus. Currently Gnus
4222 supports non-@acronym{ASCII} group names not only with the @code{nntp}
4223 back end but also with the @code{nnml} back end and the @code{nnrss}
4226 Every such group name is encoded by a certain charset in the server
4227 side (in an @acronym{NNTP} server its administrator determines the
4228 charset, but for groups in the other back ends it is determined by you).
4229 Gnus has to display the decoded ones for you in the group buffer and the
4230 article buffer, and needs to use the encoded ones when communicating
4231 with servers. However, Gnus doesn't know what charset is used for each
4232 non-@acronym{ASCII} group name. The following two variables are just
4233 the ones for telling Gnus what charset should be used for each group:
4236 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4237 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4238 An alist of select methods and charsets. The default value is
4239 @code{nil}. The names of groups in the server specified by that select
4240 method are all supposed to use the corresponding charset. For example:
4243 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4244 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4247 Charsets specified for groups with this variable are preferred to the
4248 ones specified for the same groups with the
4249 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} variable (see below).
4251 A select method can be very long, like:
4255 (nntp-address "news.gmane.org")
4256 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
4257 (nntp-open-connection-function
4258 nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
4259 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
4260 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
4261 ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
4262 (nntp-via-address @dots{}))
4265 In that case, you can truncate it into @code{(nntp "gmane")} in this
4266 variable. That is, it is enough to contain only the back end name and
4269 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4270 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4271 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4272 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
4273 @code{((".*" . utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported,
4274 otherwise the default is @code{nil}. For example:
4277 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4278 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)
4282 Note that this variable is ignored if the match is made with
4283 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist}.
4286 Those two variables are used also to determine the charset for encoding
4287 and decoding non-@acronym{ASCII} group names that are in the back ends
4288 other than @code{nntp}. It means that it is you who determine it. If
4289 you do nothing, the charset used for group names in those back ends will
4290 all be @code{utf-8} because of the last element of
4291 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4293 There is one more important variable for non-@acronym{ASCII} group
4297 @item nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4298 @vindex nnmail-pathname-coding-system
4299 The value of this variable should be a coding system or @code{nil}. The
4300 default is @code{nil} in Emacs, or is the aliasee of the coding system
4301 named @code{file-name} (a certain coding system of which an alias is
4302 @code{file-name}) in XEmacs.
4304 The @code{nnml} back end, the @code{nnrss} back end, the agent, and
4305 the cache use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names in those files and
4306 directories. This variable overrides the value of
4307 @code{file-name-coding-system} which specifies the coding system used
4308 when encoding and decoding those file names and directory names.
4310 In XEmacs (with the @code{mule} feature), @code{file-name-coding-system}
4311 is the only means to specify the coding system used to encode and decode
4312 file names. On the other hand, Emacs uses the value of
4313 @code{default-file-name-coding-system} if @code{file-name-coding-system}
4314 is @code{nil} or it is bound to the value of
4315 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} which is @code{nil}.
4317 Normally the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system} in Emacs or
4318 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} in XEmacs is initialized according
4319 to the locale, so you will need to do nothing if the value is suitable
4320 to encode and decode non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4322 The value of this variable (or @code{default-file-name-coding-system})
4323 does not necessarily need to be the same value that is determined by
4324 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} and
4325 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist}.
4327 If @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable is
4328 initialized by default to @code{iso-latin-1} for example, although you
4329 want to subscribe to the groups spelled in Chinese, that is the most
4330 typical case where you have to customize
4331 @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}. The @code{utf-8} coding system is
4332 a good candidate for it. Otherwise, you may change the locale in your
4333 system so that @code{default-file-name-coding-system} or this variable
4334 may be initialized to an appropriate value.
4337 Note that when you copy or move articles from a non-@acronym{ASCII}
4338 group to another group, the charset used to encode and decode group
4339 names should be the same in both groups. Otherwise the Newsgroups
4340 header will be displayed incorrectly in the article buffer.
4343 @node Misc Group Stuff
4344 @section Misc Group Stuff
4347 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4348 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4349 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4350 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4351 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4358 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
4359 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4360 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4363 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
4366 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
4369 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
4370 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
4374 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4375 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4376 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4380 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4381 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4382 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4383 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4384 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4385 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4386 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4390 @findex gnus-group-mail
4391 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4392 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4393 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4394 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4398 @findex gnus-group-news
4399 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4400 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4401 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4403 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4404 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4405 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4406 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4407 for this to work though.
4411 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
4413 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
4414 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
4415 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
4420 Variables for the group buffer:
4424 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4425 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4426 is called after the group buffer has been
4429 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4430 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4431 is called after the group buffer is
4432 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4435 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4436 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4437 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4438 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4440 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4441 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4442 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4443 whether they are empty or not.
4447 @node Scanning New Messages
4448 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4449 @cindex new messages
4450 @cindex scanning new news
4456 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4457 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4458 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4459 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4460 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4461 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4466 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4467 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4468 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4469 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4470 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4471 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4472 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4474 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4475 @cindex activating groups
4477 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4478 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4483 @findex gnus-group-restart
4484 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4485 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4486 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4490 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4491 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4493 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4494 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4498 @node Group Information
4499 @subsection Group Information
4500 @cindex group information
4501 @cindex information on groups
4508 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4510 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4511 @cindex describing groups
4512 @cindex group description
4513 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4514 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4515 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4519 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4520 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4521 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4528 @findex gnus-version
4529 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4533 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4534 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4537 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4540 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4541 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4545 @node Group Timestamp
4546 @subsection Group Timestamp
4548 @cindex group timestamps
4550 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4551 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4552 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4555 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4558 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4560 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4561 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4564 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4565 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4568 This will result in lines looking like:
4571 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4572 0: custom 19961002T012713
4575 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4576 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4580 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4581 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4584 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4585 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4589 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4590 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4591 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4592 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4594 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4598 To see what variables are dynamically bound (like
4599 @code{gnus-tmp-group}), you have to look at the source code. The
4600 variable names aren't guaranteed to be stable over Gnus versions,
4605 @subsection File Commands
4606 @cindex file commands
4612 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4613 @vindex gnus-init-file
4614 @cindex reading init file
4615 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4616 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4620 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4621 @cindex saving .newsrc
4622 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4623 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4624 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4627 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4628 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4629 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4634 @node Sieve Commands
4635 @subsection Sieve Commands
4636 @cindex group sieve commands
4638 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4639 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4640 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4641 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4642 script that can be transferred to the server somehow.
4644 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4645 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4646 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4647 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4648 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4649 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4650 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4651 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4652 regenerate the Sieve script.
4654 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4655 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4656 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4657 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4658 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4659 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4660 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4661 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4662 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4663 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4666 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4667 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4672 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4678 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4679 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4680 @cindex generating sieve script
4681 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4682 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4686 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4687 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4688 @cindex updating sieve script
4689 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4690 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4691 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4696 @node Summary Buffer
4697 @chapter Summary Buffer
4698 @cindex summary buffer
4700 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4701 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4703 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4704 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4706 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4708 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
4709 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
4713 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
4714 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4715 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4717 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
4721 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4722 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4723 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4724 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4725 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4726 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4727 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4728 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4729 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4730 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4731 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4732 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4733 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4734 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
4735 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4736 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4737 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4738 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4739 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4740 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4741 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4742 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4743 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4744 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4745 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4746 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4747 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4748 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4749 or reselecting the current group.
4750 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4751 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4752 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4753 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4757 @node Summary Buffer Format
4758 @section Summary Buffer Format
4759 @cindex summary buffer format
4763 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4764 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4765 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4771 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4772 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4773 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4774 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4777 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4778 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4779 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4780 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4781 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4782 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4783 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4784 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4785 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4786 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4787 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4790 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4791 'mail-extract-address-components)
4794 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4795 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4796 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4797 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4800 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4801 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4803 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4804 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4805 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4806 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4807 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4809 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4810 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4811 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4812 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4813 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4814 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4816 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4818 The following format specification characters and extended format
4819 specification(s) are understood:
4825 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4826 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4828 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4829 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4830 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4832 Full @code{From} header.
4834 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4836 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4839 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4840 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4841 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4842 may be more thorough.
4844 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4847 Number of lines in the article.
4849 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4850 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4852 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4853 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4855 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4857 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4858 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4871 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4872 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4873 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4874 line-drawing glyphs.
4876 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4877 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4878 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4879 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4881 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4882 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4883 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4884 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4886 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4887 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4888 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4889 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4891 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4892 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4893 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4895 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4896 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4897 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4899 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4900 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4901 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4903 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4904 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4905 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4910 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4911 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4913 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4914 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4916 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4917 for adopted articles.
4919 One space for each thread level.
4921 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4923 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4926 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4927 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4928 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4931 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4933 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4934 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4935 default level. If the difference between
4936 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4937 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4945 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4947 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4953 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4954 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4956 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4957 article has any children.
4963 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
4965 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4966 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4968 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4969 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4970 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4971 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4972 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4973 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4976 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4977 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4978 There can only be one such area.
4980 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4981 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4982 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4983 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4984 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4985 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4987 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4988 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4990 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4993 @node To From Newsgroups
4994 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4998 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4999 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
5000 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
5001 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
5002 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
5006 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
5007 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
5008 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
5012 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5013 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
5016 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
5017 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
5020 @findex gnus-extra-header
5021 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
5022 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
5023 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
5026 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
5030 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5031 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
5032 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
5033 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
5034 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
5035 headers are used instead.
5037 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
5038 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
5039 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
5040 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
5041 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
5042 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
5046 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
5047 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
5048 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
5049 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
5050 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
5051 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g., nnml) to cause
5054 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
5055 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
5056 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
5057 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
5059 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
5063 (setq gnus-extra-headers
5065 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
5066 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
5067 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
5068 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
5072 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
5075 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
5076 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
5079 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
5080 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
5081 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
5087 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
5088 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
5091 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
5092 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
5094 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
5095 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
5096 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
5097 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
5099 Here are the elements you can play with:
5105 Unprefixed group name.
5107 Current article number.
5109 Current article score.
5113 Number of unread articles in this group.
5115 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
5118 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
5119 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
5120 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
5121 and no unselected ones.
5123 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
5124 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
5126 Subject of the current article.
5128 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
5130 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5132 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5134 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5136 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5138 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5142 @node Summary Highlighting
5143 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5147 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5148 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5149 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5150 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5151 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5153 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5154 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5155 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5156 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5158 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5159 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5160 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5161 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5163 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5164 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5165 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5166 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5167 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5168 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5171 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5172 ((> score default) . bold))
5174 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5175 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5179 @node Summary Maneuvering
5180 @section Summary Maneuvering
5181 @cindex summary movement
5183 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5184 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5186 None of these commands select articles.
5191 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5192 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5193 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5194 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5195 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5199 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5200 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5201 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5202 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5203 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5206 @kindex G g (Summary)
5207 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5208 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5209 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5212 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5213 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5214 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5215 to the group buffer.
5217 Variables related to summary movement:
5221 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5222 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5223 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5224 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5225 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5226 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5227 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5228 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5229 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5230 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5231 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5232 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5233 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5234 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5236 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5237 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5238 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5239 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5240 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5241 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5242 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5244 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5246 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5247 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5248 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5249 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5250 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5252 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5253 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5254 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5255 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5256 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5257 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5258 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5259 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5262 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5263 the given number of lines from the top.
5265 @item gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5266 @vindex gnus-summary-stop-at-end-of-message
5267 If non-@code{nil}, don't go to the next article when hitting
5268 @kbd{SPC}, and you're at the end of the article.
5273 @node Choosing Articles
5274 @section Choosing Articles
5275 @cindex selecting articles
5278 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5279 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5283 @node Choosing Commands
5284 @subsection Choosing Commands
5286 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5287 and they all select and display an article.
5289 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5290 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5294 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5295 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5296 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5297 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5299 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5300 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5301 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5306 @kindex G n (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5308 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5309 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5314 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5315 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5316 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5321 @kindex G N (Summary)
5322 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5323 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5328 @kindex G P (Summary)
5329 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5330 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5333 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5334 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5335 Go to the next article with the same subject
5336 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5339 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5340 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5341 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5342 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5346 @kindex G f (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5349 Go to the first unread article
5350 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5354 @kindex G b (Summary)
5356 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5357 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5358 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5359 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5364 @kindex G l (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5366 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5369 @kindex G o (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5372 @cindex article history
5373 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5374 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5375 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5376 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5377 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5378 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5383 @kindex G j (Summary)
5384 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5385 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5386 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5391 @node Choosing Variables
5392 @subsection Choosing Variables
5394 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5397 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5398 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5399 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5400 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5401 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5402 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5404 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5405 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5406 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5407 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5408 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5411 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5412 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5413 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5414 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5415 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5416 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5417 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5418 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5419 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5420 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5421 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5422 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5423 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5424 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5429 @node Paging the Article
5430 @section Scrolling the Article
5431 @cindex article scrolling
5436 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5438 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5439 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5440 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5442 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5443 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5444 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5445 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5446 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5447 what is considered uninteresting with
5448 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5449 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5452 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5453 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5454 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5457 @kindex RET (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5459 Scroll the current article one line forward
5460 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5463 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5464 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5465 Scroll the current article one line backward
5466 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5470 @kindex A g (Summary)
5472 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5473 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5474 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5475 given a prefix, show a completely ``raw'' article, just the way it
5476 came from the server. If given a prefix twice (i.e., @kbd{C-u C-u
5477 g'}), fetch the current article, but don't run any of the article
5478 treatment functions.
5480 @cindex charset, view article with different charset
5481 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5482 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5483 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5486 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5491 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5496 @kindex A < (Summary)
5497 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5498 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5499 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5504 @kindex A > (Summary)
5505 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5506 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5510 @kindex A s (Summary)
5512 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5513 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5514 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5518 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5519 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5524 @node Reply Followup and Post
5525 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5528 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5529 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5530 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5531 * Canceling and Superseding::
5535 @node Summary Mail Commands
5536 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5538 @cindex composing mail
5540 Commands for composing a mail message:
5546 @kindex S r (Summary)
5548 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5549 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5550 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5551 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5552 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5557 @kindex S R (Summary)
5558 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5559 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5560 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5561 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5562 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5565 @kindex S w (Summary)
5566 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5567 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5568 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5569 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5570 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5571 present, that's used instead.
5574 @kindex S W (Summary)
5575 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5576 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5577 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5578 the process/prefix convention, but only uses the headers from the
5579 first article to determine the recipients.
5582 @kindex S L (Summary)
5583 @findex gnus-summary-reply-to-list-with-original
5584 When replying to a message from a mailing list, send a reply to that
5585 message to the mailing list, and include the original message
5586 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-to-list-with-original}).
5589 @kindex S v (Summary)
5590 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5591 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5592 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5593 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5594 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5595 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5598 @kindex S V (Summary)
5599 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5600 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5601 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5602 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5605 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5606 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5607 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5608 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5609 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5610 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5611 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5612 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5615 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5616 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5617 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5618 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5619 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5623 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5624 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5625 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5626 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5627 Forward the current article to some other person
5628 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5629 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5630 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5631 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5632 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5633 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5634 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5635 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5636 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5642 @kindex S m (Summary)
5643 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5644 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5645 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5646 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5647 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5650 @kindex S i (Summary)
5651 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5652 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5653 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5654 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5656 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5657 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5658 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5659 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5660 for this to work though.
5663 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5664 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5665 @cindex bouncing mail
5666 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5667 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5668 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5669 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5670 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5671 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5672 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5673 very well fail, though.
5676 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5677 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5678 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5679 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5680 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5681 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5682 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5683 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5684 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5685 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5687 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5688 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5689 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5690 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5691 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5693 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5694 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5697 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5698 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5700 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5701 if it were a new message before resending.
5704 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5705 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5706 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5707 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5708 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5711 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5712 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5713 @cindex crossposting
5714 @cindex excessive crossposting
5715 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5716 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5718 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5719 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5720 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5721 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5722 command understands the process/prefix convention
5723 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5727 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5728 Manual}, for more information.
5731 @node Summary Post Commands
5732 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5734 @cindex composing news
5736 Commands for posting a news article:
5742 @kindex S p (Summary)
5743 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5744 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5745 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5746 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5747 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5752 @kindex S f (Summary)
5753 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5754 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5755 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5759 @kindex S F (Summary)
5761 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5762 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5763 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5764 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5765 process/prefix convention.
5768 @kindex S n (Summary)
5769 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5770 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5771 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5774 @kindex S N (Summary)
5775 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5776 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5777 message through mail and include the original message
5778 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5779 the process/prefix convention.
5782 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5783 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5784 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5785 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5786 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5787 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5788 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5789 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5790 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5791 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5792 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5793 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5794 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5797 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5798 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5800 @cindex making digests
5801 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5802 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5803 process/prefix convention.
5806 @kindex S u (Summary)
5807 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5808 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5809 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5810 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5813 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5814 Manual}, for more information.
5817 @node Summary Message Commands
5818 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5822 @kindex S y (Summary)
5823 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5824 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5825 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5826 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5827 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5832 @node Canceling and Superseding
5833 @subsection Canceling Articles
5834 @cindex canceling articles
5835 @cindex superseding articles
5837 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5838 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5840 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5842 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5844 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5845 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5846 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5847 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5848 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5849 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5851 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5852 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5855 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5856 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5857 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5859 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5860 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5861 message, Message Manual}).
5863 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5864 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5865 your original article.
5867 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5869 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5870 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5871 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5874 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5875 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5876 have posted almost the same article twice.
5878 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5879 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5880 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5881 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5882 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5883 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5884 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5885 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5886 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5887 canceled/superseded.
5889 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5891 @node Delayed Articles
5892 @section Delayed Articles
5893 @cindex delayed sending
5894 @cindex send delayed
5896 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5897 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5898 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5899 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5902 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5905 @findex gnus-delay-article
5906 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5907 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5908 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5909 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5913 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5914 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5915 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5916 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5919 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5920 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5921 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5924 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5925 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5926 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5927 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5928 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5929 that means a time tomorrow.
5932 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5933 couple of variables:
5936 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5937 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5938 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5939 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5941 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5942 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5943 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5944 formats described above.
5946 @item gnus-delay-group
5947 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5948 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5949 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5950 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5952 @item gnus-delay-header
5953 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5954 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5955 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5956 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5959 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5960 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5961 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5962 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5963 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5965 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5966 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5967 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5968 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5969 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5970 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5971 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5974 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5975 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5976 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5977 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5978 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5979 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5980 argument is ignored.
5982 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5983 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5984 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5987 When delaying an article with @kbd{C-c C-j}, Message mode will
5988 automatically add a @code{"Date"} header with the current time. In
5989 many cases you probably want the @code{"Date"} header to reflect the
5990 time the message is sent instead. To do this, you have to delete
5991 @code{Date} from @code{message-draft-headers}.
5994 @node Marking Articles
5995 @section Marking Articles
5996 @cindex article marking
5997 @cindex article ticking
6000 There are several marks you can set on an article.
6002 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
6003 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
6004 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
6006 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
6009 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
6013 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
6014 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
6015 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
6016 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
6017 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
6018 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
6022 @node Unread Articles
6023 @subsection Unread Articles
6025 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
6030 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
6031 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
6033 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
6034 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
6035 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
6036 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
6037 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
6038 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
6039 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
6042 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
6043 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
6045 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
6046 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
6047 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
6048 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
6052 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
6053 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
6055 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
6060 @subsection Read Articles
6061 @cindex expirable mark
6063 All the following marks mark articles as read.
6068 @vindex gnus-del-mark
6069 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
6070 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
6073 @vindex gnus-read-mark
6074 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
6077 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
6078 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
6079 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
6082 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
6083 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
6086 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
6087 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
6090 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
6091 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
6094 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
6095 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
6098 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
6099 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
6102 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
6103 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
6107 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
6108 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
6109 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
6113 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
6114 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
6116 One more special mark, though:
6120 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
6121 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
6123 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
6124 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
6125 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
6126 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
6132 @subsection Other Marks
6133 @cindex process mark
6136 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
6142 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
6143 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
6144 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
6145 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
6146 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6149 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6150 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6151 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6152 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6155 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6156 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6157 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6160 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6161 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6162 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6165 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6166 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6167 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6168 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6171 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6172 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6173 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6176 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6177 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6178 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6179 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6180 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6184 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6185 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6186 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6187 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6188 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6189 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6192 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6193 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6194 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6195 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6196 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6197 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6201 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6202 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6203 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6204 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6205 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6208 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6209 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6210 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6211 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6212 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6213 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6217 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6218 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6219 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6221 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6222 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6223 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6227 @subsection Setting Marks
6228 @cindex setting marks
6230 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6235 @kindex M c (Summary)
6236 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6237 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6238 @cindex mark as unread
6239 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6240 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6246 @kindex M t (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6248 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6249 @xref{Article Caching}.
6254 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6255 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6256 Mark the current article as dormant
6257 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6261 @kindex M d (Summary)
6263 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6264 Mark the current article as read
6265 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6269 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6270 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6271 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6276 @kindex M k (Summary)
6277 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6278 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6279 and then select the next unread article
6280 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6284 @kindex M K (Summary)
6285 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6286 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6287 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6288 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6291 @kindex M C (Summary)
6292 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6293 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6294 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6297 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6298 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6299 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6300 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6303 @kindex M H (Summary)
6304 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6305 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6306 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6309 @kindex M h (Summary)
6310 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6311 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6312 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6315 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6317 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6318 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6321 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6323 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6324 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6328 @kindex M e (Summary)
6330 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6331 Mark the current article as expirable
6332 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6335 @kindex M b (Summary)
6336 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6337 Set a bookmark in the current article
6338 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6341 @kindex M B (Summary)
6342 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6343 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6344 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6347 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6348 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6349 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6350 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6353 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6354 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6355 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6356 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6359 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6360 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6361 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6362 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6363 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6366 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6367 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6368 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6369 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6370 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6371 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6372 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6373 The default is @code{t}.
6376 @node Generic Marking Commands
6377 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6379 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6380 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6381 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6382 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6383 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6386 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6387 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6390 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6391 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6392 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6393 to list in this manual.
6395 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6396 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6397 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6398 article, you could say something like:
6402 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6403 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6404 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6412 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6413 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6417 @node Setting Process Marks
6418 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6419 @cindex setting process marks
6421 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6422 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6423 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6424 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6425 articles into the cache. For more information,
6426 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6433 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6434 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6435 Mark the current article with the process mark
6436 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6437 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6441 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6442 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6443 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6444 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6447 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6448 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6449 Remove the process mark from all articles
6450 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6453 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6454 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6455 Invert the list of process marked articles
6456 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6459 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6460 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6461 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6462 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6465 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6466 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6467 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6468 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6471 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6472 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6473 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6476 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6478 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6481 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6482 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6483 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6484 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6487 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6489 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6490 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6493 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6494 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6495 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6496 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6499 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6500 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6501 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6504 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6505 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6506 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6507 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6510 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6511 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6512 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6515 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6516 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6517 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6518 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6521 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6522 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6523 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6524 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6527 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6528 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6529 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6530 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6533 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6534 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6535 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6536 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6540 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6541 set process marks based on article body contents.
6548 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6549 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6550 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6553 Limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched from
6554 the servers. These commands don't query the server for additional
6561 @kindex / / (Summary)
6562 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6563 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6564 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6568 @kindex / a (Summary)
6569 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6570 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6571 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6575 @kindex / R (Summary)
6576 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6577 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6578 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6582 @kindex / A (Summary)
6583 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
6584 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
6585 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
6586 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
6589 @kindex / S (Summary)
6590 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
6591 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
6592 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
6593 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
6596 @kindex / x (Summary)
6597 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6598 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6599 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6600 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6605 @kindex / u (Summary)
6607 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6608 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6609 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6610 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6611 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6614 @kindex / m (Summary)
6615 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6616 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6617 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6620 @kindex / t (Summary)
6621 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6622 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6623 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6624 articles younger than that number of days.
6627 @kindex / n (Summary)
6628 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6629 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
6630 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
6631 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
6634 @kindex / w (Summary)
6635 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6636 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6637 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6641 @kindex / . (Summary)
6642 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6643 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6644 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6647 @kindex / v (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6649 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6650 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6653 @kindex / p (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6655 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6656 group parameter predicate
6657 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6658 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6661 @kindex / r (Summary)
6662 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6663 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6664 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6669 @kindex M S (Summary)
6670 @kindex / E (Summary)
6671 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6672 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6673 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6676 @kindex / D (Summary)
6677 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6678 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6679 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6682 @kindex / * (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6684 Include all cached articles in the limit
6685 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6688 @kindex / d (Summary)
6689 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6690 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6691 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6694 @kindex / M (Summary)
6695 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6696 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6699 @kindex / T (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6701 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6704 @kindex / c (Summary)
6705 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6706 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6707 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6710 @kindex / C (Summary)
6711 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6712 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6713 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6714 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6717 @kindex / b (Summary)
6718 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
6719 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
6720 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
6721 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
6722 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
6725 @kindex / h (Summary)
6726 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
6727 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
6728 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
6733 The following commands aren't limiting commands, but use the @kbd{/}
6738 @kindex / N (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6740 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6741 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6744 @kindex / o (Summary)
6745 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6746 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6747 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6755 @cindex article threading
6757 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6758 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6759 hierarchical fashion.
6761 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6762 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6763 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6764 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6765 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6766 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6767 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6769 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6773 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6776 A tree-like article structure.
6779 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6782 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6783 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6784 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6785 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6786 called loose threads.
6788 @item thread gathering
6789 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6791 @item sparse threads
6792 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6793 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6799 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6800 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6804 @node Customizing Threading
6805 @subsection Customizing Threading
6806 @cindex customizing threading
6809 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6810 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6811 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6812 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6817 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6820 @cindex loose threads
6823 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6824 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6825 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6826 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6827 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6828 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6830 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6831 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6832 There are four possible values:
6836 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6837 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6838 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6839 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6840 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6845 @cindex adopting articles
6850 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6851 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6852 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6853 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6856 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6857 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6858 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6859 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6860 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6861 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6862 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6863 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6864 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6865 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6868 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6869 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6870 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6874 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6875 display them after one another.
6878 Don't gather loose threads.
6881 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6882 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6883 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6884 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6885 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6886 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6887 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6888 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6889 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6890 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6891 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6893 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6894 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6895 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6898 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6899 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6900 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6901 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6902 simplification is used.
6904 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6905 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6906 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6907 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6909 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6911 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6917 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6918 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6919 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6920 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6925 (mapconcat 'identity
6926 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6928 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6931 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6934 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6935 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6936 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6937 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6938 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6939 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6941 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6944 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6945 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6946 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6948 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6949 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6952 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6953 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6954 Remove excessive whitespace.
6956 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6957 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6958 Remove all whitespace.
6961 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6964 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6965 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6966 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6967 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6968 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6969 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6970 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6971 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6973 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6974 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6975 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6976 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6977 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6978 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6979 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6980 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6981 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6985 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6986 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6987 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6988 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6990 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6991 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6992 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6995 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6999 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
7000 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
7006 @node Filling In Threads
7007 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
7010 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
7011 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
7012 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
7013 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
7014 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
7015 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
7016 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
7017 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
7018 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
7019 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
7020 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
7021 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
7024 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
7025 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
7026 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
7028 The server has to support @acronym{NOV} for any of this to work.
7030 @cindex Gmane, gnus-fetch-old-headers
7031 This feature can seriously impact performance it ignores all locally
7032 cached header entries. Setting it to @code{t} for groups for a server
7033 that doesn't expire articles (such as news.gmane.org), leads to very
7034 slow summary generation.
7036 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7037 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
7038 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
7041 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
7042 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
7043 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
7044 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
7045 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
7046 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
7047 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
7048 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
7049 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
7050 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
7051 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
7052 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
7053 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
7054 @code{nil} by default.
7056 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
7057 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
7058 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
7059 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
7060 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
7061 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
7064 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
7065 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
7066 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
7071 @node More Threading
7072 @subsubsection More Threading
7075 @item gnus-show-threads
7076 @vindex gnus-show-threads
7077 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
7078 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
7079 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
7080 slower and more awkward.
7082 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7083 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7084 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
7087 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
7088 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
7089 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
7094 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
7095 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
7096 gnus-article-unseen-p))
7099 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
7100 unread, but you get my drift.)
7103 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
7104 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
7105 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
7106 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
7107 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
7108 threads are expunged.
7110 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
7111 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
7112 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
7115 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7116 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
7117 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
7118 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
7119 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
7120 result in a new thread.
7122 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
7123 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
7124 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
7127 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7128 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
7129 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
7130 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
7131 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
7132 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
7133 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
7134 Setting this variable to an alternate value
7135 (e.g., @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
7136 appropriate hook (e.g., @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
7137 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
7142 @node Low-Level Threading
7143 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
7147 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
7148 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
7149 Hook run before parsing any headers.
7151 @item gnus-alter-header-function
7152 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7153 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7154 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7155 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7156 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7157 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7158 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7159 meaningful. Here's one example:
7162 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7164 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7165 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7167 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7169 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7176 @node Thread Commands
7177 @subsection Thread Commands
7178 @cindex thread commands
7184 @kindex T k (Summary)
7185 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7186 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7187 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7188 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7189 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7194 @kindex T l (Summary)
7195 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7196 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7197 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7198 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7201 @kindex T i (Summary)
7202 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7203 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7204 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7207 @kindex T # (Summary)
7208 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7209 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7210 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7213 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7214 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7215 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7216 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7219 @kindex T T (Summary)
7220 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7221 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7224 @kindex T s (Summary)
7225 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7226 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7227 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7230 @kindex T h (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7232 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7235 @kindex T S (Summary)
7236 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7237 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7240 @kindex T H (Summary)
7241 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7242 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7245 @kindex T t (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7247 Re-thread the current article's thread
7248 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7249 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7252 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7253 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7254 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7255 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7258 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7259 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7260 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7261 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7265 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7266 understand the numeric prefix.
7271 @kindex T n (Summary)
7273 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7275 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7276 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7277 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7280 @kindex T p (Summary)
7282 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7284 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7286 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7289 @kindex T d (Summary)
7290 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7291 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7294 @kindex T u (Summary)
7295 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7296 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7299 @kindex T o (Summary)
7300 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7301 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7304 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7305 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7306 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7307 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7308 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7309 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7310 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7311 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7312 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7313 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7314 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7315 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7319 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7320 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7322 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7323 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7324 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7325 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7326 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7327 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7328 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7329 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7330 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7331 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7332 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7333 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7334 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7335 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7336 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7338 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7339 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7340 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7341 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7342 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date},
7343 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7344 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7345 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7346 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7347 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7349 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7350 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7351 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. Exceptions
7352 to this rule are @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number} and
7353 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date}.
7355 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7356 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7357 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7358 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7359 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7360 ascending article order.
7362 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7363 by number, you could do something like:
7366 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7367 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7368 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7369 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7372 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7373 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7374 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7375 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7376 which the articles arrived.
7378 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7382 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7383 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7384 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7387 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7388 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7389 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7390 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7393 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7394 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7395 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-date
7396 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7397 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7398 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7399 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7400 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7401 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-most-recent-number
7402 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7403 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7404 variable. It is very similar to the
7405 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7406 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7407 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7408 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7409 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7410 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7411 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7413 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7417 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7418 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7419 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7422 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7423 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7426 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7427 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7428 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7429 @cindex article pre-fetch
7432 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7433 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7434 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7435 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7436 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7438 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7439 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7441 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7442 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7443 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7444 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7445 connection is blocked.
7447 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7448 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7449 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7450 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7452 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7453 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7454 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7455 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7458 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7461 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7462 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7463 happen automatically.
7465 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7466 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7467 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7468 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7469 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7470 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7471 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7473 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7474 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
7475 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7476 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7477 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7478 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7479 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
7480 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7481 article data structure as the only parameter.
7483 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7484 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7487 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7488 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7489 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7490 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7493 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7496 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7497 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7498 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7500 @vindex gnus-async-post-fetch-function
7501 @findex gnus-html-prefetch-images
7502 After an article has been prefetched, this
7503 @code{gnus-async-post-fetch-function} will be called. The buffer will
7504 be narrowed to the region of the article that was fetched. A useful
7505 value would be @code{gnus-html-prefetch-images}, which will prefetch
7506 and store images referenced in the article, so that you don't have to
7507 wait for them to be fetched when you read the article. This is useful
7508 for @acronym{HTML} messages that have external images.
7510 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7511 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7512 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7513 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7517 Remove articles when they are read.
7520 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7523 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7525 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7526 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7527 @c from the next group.
7530 @node Article Caching
7531 @section Article Caching
7532 @cindex article caching
7535 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7536 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7537 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7538 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7539 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7541 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7543 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7544 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7545 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7546 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7547 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7548 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7549 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7550 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7552 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7553 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7554 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7555 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7556 as dormant, and don't worry.
7558 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7560 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7561 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7562 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7563 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7564 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7565 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7566 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7567 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7568 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7569 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7571 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7572 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7573 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7574 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7575 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7576 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7577 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7578 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7579 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7580 not then be downloaded by this command.
7582 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7583 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7584 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7585 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7586 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7587 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7589 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7590 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7591 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7592 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7593 variables, the group is not cached.
7595 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7596 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7597 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7598 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7599 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7600 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7601 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7602 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7603 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7606 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7607 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7608 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7609 where, isn't that cool?
7611 @node Persistent Articles
7612 @section Persistent Articles
7613 @cindex persistent articles
7615 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7616 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7617 useful in my opinion.
7619 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7620 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7621 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7622 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7623 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7624 the expiry going on at the news server.
7626 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7627 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7628 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7634 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7635 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7638 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7639 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7640 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7641 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7645 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7647 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7648 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7649 interested in persistent articles:
7652 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7655 @node Sticky Articles
7656 @section Sticky Articles
7657 @cindex sticky articles
7659 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
7660 according to the value of the variable
7661 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
7662 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
7663 has its own article buffer.
7665 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
7666 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
7667 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
7668 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next Christmas party.
7670 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
7671 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
7672 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
7676 @kindex A S (Summary)
7677 @findex gnus-sticky-article
7678 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
7679 name for this sticky article buffer.
7682 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
7688 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
7692 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
7693 Kills this sticky article buffer.
7696 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
7698 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
7699 Kill all sticky article buffers.
7700 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
7703 @node Article Backlog
7704 @section Article Backlog
7706 @cindex article backlog
7708 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7709 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7710 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7711 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7712 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7713 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7714 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7715 increase memory usage some.
7717 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7718 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7719 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7720 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7721 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7722 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7723 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7725 The default value is 20.
7728 @node Saving Articles
7729 @section Saving Articles
7730 @cindex saving articles
7732 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7733 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7734 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7735 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7736 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7738 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7739 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7740 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7742 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7743 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7744 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7746 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7747 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7748 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7749 deleted before saving.
7755 @kindex O o (Summary)
7757 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7758 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7759 Save the current article using the default article saver
7760 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7763 @kindex O m (Summary)
7764 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7765 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
7766 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7769 @kindex O r (Summary)
7770 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7771 Save the current article in Rmail format
7772 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}). This is mbox since Emacs 23,
7773 Babyl in older versions.
7776 @kindex O f (Summary)
7777 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7778 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7779 Save the current article in plain file format
7780 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7783 @kindex O F (Summary)
7784 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7785 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7786 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7789 @kindex O b (Summary)
7790 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7791 Save the current article body in plain file format
7792 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7795 @kindex O h (Summary)
7796 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7797 Save the current article in mh folder format
7798 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7801 @kindex O v (Summary)
7802 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7803 Save the current article in a VM folder
7804 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7808 @kindex O p (Summary)
7810 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7811 @vindex gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command
7812 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7813 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7814 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7815 complete headers in the piped output. The symbolic prefix @code{r} is
7816 special; it lets this command pipe a raw article including all headers.
7817 The @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} variable can be set
7818 to a string containing the default command and options (default
7822 @kindex O P (Summary)
7823 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7824 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7825 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7826 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7827 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7828 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7829 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7833 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7834 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7835 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7836 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7837 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7838 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7839 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7840 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7841 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7842 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7843 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7844 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7848 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7849 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7850 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
7851 functions below, or you can create your own.
7855 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7856 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7857 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7858 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7859 This is the default format, that used by the Rmail package. Since Emacs
7860 23, Rmail uses standard mbox format. Before this, it used the
7861 @dfn{Babyl} format. Accordingly, this command writes mbox format since
7862 Emacs 23, unless appending to an existing Babyl file. In older versions
7863 of Emacs, it always uses Babyl format. Uses the function in the
7864 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7865 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7867 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7868 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7869 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7870 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7871 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7872 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7874 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7875 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7876 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7877 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7878 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7879 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7880 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7882 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7883 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7884 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7885 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7886 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7887 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7889 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7890 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7891 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7892 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7893 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7895 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7896 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7897 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7898 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7899 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7900 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7902 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7903 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7904 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7905 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7906 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7909 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7910 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7911 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7912 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7913 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7915 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7916 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7917 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7918 reader to use this setting.
7920 @item gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
7921 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-pipe
7922 Pipe the article to a shell command. This function takes optional two
7923 arguments COMMAND and RAW@. Valid values for COMMAND include:
7927 The executable command name and possibly arguments.
7929 You will be prompted for the command in the minibuffer.
7930 @item the symbol @code{default}@*
7931 It will be replaced with the command which the variable
7932 @code{gnus-summary-pipe-output-default-command} holds or the command
7933 last used for saving.
7936 Non-@code{nil} value for RAW overrides @code{:decode} and
7937 @code{:headers} properties (see below) and the raw article including all
7938 headers will be piped.
7941 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
7945 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
7946 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
7947 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
7948 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file},
7949 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}, and
7950 @code{gnus-summary-save-in-pipe}.
7953 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
7954 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
7955 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
7956 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
7957 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
7958 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7961 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
7962 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
7963 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
7964 headers should be saved.
7967 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7968 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7969 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7970 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7973 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7974 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7975 available functions that generate names:
7979 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7980 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7981 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7983 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7984 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7985 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7987 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7988 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7989 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7991 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7992 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7993 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7995 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7996 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7997 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
8000 @vindex gnus-split-methods
8001 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
8002 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
8003 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
8004 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
8008 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
8009 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
8010 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
8011 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
8014 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
8015 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
8016 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
8017 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
8018 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
8019 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
8020 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
8021 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
8022 called returns a string or a list of strings.
8024 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
8025 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
8026 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
8027 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
8029 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
8030 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
8031 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
8034 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
8035 lots of mail groups called things like
8036 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
8037 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
8038 following will do just that:
8041 (defun my-save-name (group)
8042 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
8043 (substring group (match-end 0))))
8045 (setq gnus-split-methods
8046 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
8051 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
8052 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
8053 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
8054 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
8055 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
8056 all the files in the top level directory
8057 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
8058 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
8059 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
8060 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
8062 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
8063 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
8064 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
8065 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
8066 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
8069 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
8073 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
8074 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
8075 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
8078 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
8079 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
8080 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
8081 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
8084 @node Decoding Articles
8085 @section Decoding Articles
8086 @cindex decoding articles
8088 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
8089 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
8092 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
8093 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
8094 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
8095 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
8096 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
8097 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
8101 @cindex article series
8102 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
8103 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
8104 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
8105 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
8106 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
8108 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
8109 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
8110 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
8112 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
8113 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
8114 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
8116 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
8117 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
8118 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
8121 @node Uuencoded Articles
8122 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
8124 @cindex uuencoded articles
8129 @kindex X u (Summary)
8130 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
8131 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
8132 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
8135 @kindex X U (Summary)
8136 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
8137 Uudecodes and saves the current series
8138 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8141 @kindex X v u (Summary)
8142 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
8143 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
8146 @kindex X v U (Summary)
8147 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
8148 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
8149 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
8153 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
8154 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
8155 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
8156 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
8157 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
8159 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
8160 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
8161 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
8162 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
8165 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
8166 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
8167 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
8168 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
8169 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
8170 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
8174 @node Shell Archives
8175 @subsection Shell Archives
8177 @cindex shell archives
8178 @cindex shared articles
8180 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
8181 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
8182 some commands to deal with these:
8187 @kindex X s (Summary)
8188 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
8189 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
8192 @kindex X S (Summary)
8193 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
8194 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8197 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8198 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8199 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8202 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8203 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8204 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8205 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8209 @node PostScript Files
8210 @subsection PostScript Files
8216 @kindex X p (Summary)
8217 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8218 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8221 @kindex X P (Summary)
8222 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8223 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8224 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8227 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8228 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8229 View the current PostScript series
8230 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8233 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8234 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8235 View and save the current PostScript series
8236 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8241 @subsection Other Files
8245 @kindex X o (Summary)
8246 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8247 Save the current series
8248 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8251 @kindex X b (Summary)
8252 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8253 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8254 doesn't really work yet.
8257 @kindex X Y (Summary)
8258 @findex gnus-uu-decode-yenc
8259 yEnc-decode the current series and save it (@code{gnus-uu-decode-yenc}).
8263 @node Decoding Variables
8264 @subsection Decoding Variables
8266 Adjective, not verb.
8269 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8270 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8271 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8275 @node Rule Variables
8276 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8277 @cindex rule variables
8279 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8280 variables are of the form
8283 (list '(regexp1 command2)
8290 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8291 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8293 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
8294 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
8297 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8298 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
8301 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8302 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8303 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
8304 user and default view rules.
8306 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8307 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8308 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
8313 @node Other Decode Variables
8314 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
8317 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8319 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8320 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
8321 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
8322 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
8323 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
8327 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
8328 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
8331 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
8332 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
8333 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
8336 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8337 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8338 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
8339 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
8340 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
8343 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8344 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8345 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
8347 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8348 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8349 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
8350 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
8351 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
8354 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8355 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8356 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
8358 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8359 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8360 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
8361 looking for files to display.
8363 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
8364 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
8365 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
8368 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8369 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8370 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
8373 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8374 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8375 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
8378 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8379 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8380 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
8383 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8384 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8385 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
8386 decoded articles as unread.
8388 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8389 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8390 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
8391 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
8393 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8394 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8395 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8397 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8398 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8400 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8401 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8402 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8403 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8405 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8406 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8407 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8408 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8409 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8410 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8411 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8412 simply dropped them.
8417 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8418 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8422 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8423 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8424 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8425 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8426 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8427 for you when you post the article.
8429 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8430 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8431 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8432 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8434 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8435 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8436 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8437 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8438 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8439 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8440 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8442 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8443 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8444 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8445 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8446 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8447 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8448 Default is @code{t}.
8454 @subsection Viewing Files
8455 @cindex viewing files
8456 @cindex pseudo-articles
8458 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8459 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8460 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8461 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8462 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8463 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8464 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8466 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8467 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8468 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8469 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8471 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8472 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8473 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8475 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8476 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8477 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8478 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8479 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8481 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8482 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8483 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8484 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8485 a list of parameters to that command.
8487 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8488 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8489 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8491 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8492 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8493 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8496 @node Article Treatment
8497 @section Article Treatment
8499 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8500 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8501 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8502 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8503 these articles easier.
8506 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8507 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8508 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8509 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8510 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8511 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8512 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8513 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8514 * Article Display:: Display various stuff:
8515 X-Face, Picons, Gravatars, Smileys.
8516 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8517 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8521 @node Article Highlighting
8522 @subsection Article Highlighting
8523 @cindex highlighting
8525 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8526 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8531 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8532 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8533 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8534 Do much highlighting of the current article
8535 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8536 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8539 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8540 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8541 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8542 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8543 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8544 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8545 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8546 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8547 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8548 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8549 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8550 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8553 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8555 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8557 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8560 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8562 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8563 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
8564 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8566 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8567 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8568 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8570 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8571 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8572 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8573 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8574 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8575 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8577 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8578 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8579 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8581 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8582 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8583 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8585 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8586 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8587 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8588 that it's a citation.
8590 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8591 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8592 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8594 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8595 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8596 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8598 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8599 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8600 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8601 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8603 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8604 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8605 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8606 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8607 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8614 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8615 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8616 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8617 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8618 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8619 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8620 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8621 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8626 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8629 @node Article Fontisizing
8630 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8632 @cindex article emphasis
8634 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8635 @kindex W e (Summary)
8636 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8637 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8638 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8639 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8641 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8642 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8643 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8644 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8645 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8646 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8647 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8648 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8652 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8653 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8654 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8663 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8664 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8665 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8666 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8667 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8668 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8669 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8670 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8671 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8672 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8673 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8674 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8675 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8677 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8678 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8679 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8683 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8686 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8688 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8689 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8690 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8691 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8693 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8696 @node Article Hiding
8697 @subsection Article Hiding
8698 @cindex article hiding
8700 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8701 too much cruft in most articles.
8706 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8707 @findex gnus-article-hide
8708 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8709 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8710 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8713 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8714 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8715 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8719 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8721 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8722 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8725 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8727 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8731 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8733 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8734 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8735 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8736 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8737 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8738 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8742 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8743 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8744 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8745 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8750 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8751 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8752 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8753 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8756 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8757 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8758 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8759 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8762 @cindex stripping advertisements
8763 @cindex advertisements
8764 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8765 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8766 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8767 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8768 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8769 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8770 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8771 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8772 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8773 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8779 (setq gnus-article-banner-alist
8781 "^\n*--~--~---------\\(.+\n\\)+")))
8784 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8785 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8786 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8790 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8791 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8792 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8793 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8794 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8795 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8796 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8797 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8798 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8799 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8800 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8803 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8804 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8810 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8811 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8812 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8813 customizing the hiding:
8817 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8818 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8819 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8820 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8821 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8822 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8823 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8828 Starting point of the hidden text.
8830 Ending point of the hidden text.
8832 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8834 Number of lines of hidden text.
8837 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8838 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8839 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8840 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8841 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8846 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8847 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8849 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8850 following two variables:
8853 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8854 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8855 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8856 50), hide the cited text.
8858 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8859 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8860 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8865 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8866 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8867 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8868 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8869 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8870 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8874 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8875 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8876 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8878 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8879 citation customization.
8881 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8885 @node Article Washing
8886 @subsection Article Washing
8888 @cindex article washing
8890 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8891 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8893 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8894 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8897 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8898 articles by default.
8903 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8904 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8908 Force redisplaying of the current article
8909 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8910 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8911 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8912 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8915 @kindex W l (Summary)
8916 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8917 Remove page breaks from the current article
8918 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8922 @kindex W r (Summary)
8923 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8924 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8925 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8926 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8927 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8928 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8930 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8931 positions in the alphabet, e.g., @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8932 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8933 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8936 @kindex W m (Summary)
8937 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8938 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8941 @kindex W i (Summary)
8942 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8943 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8944 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8945 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8946 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8947 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8952 @kindex W t (Summary)
8954 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8955 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8956 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8959 @kindex W v (Summary)
8960 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8961 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8962 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8965 @kindex W o (Summary)
8966 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8967 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8970 @kindex W d (Summary)
8971 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8972 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8974 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8976 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8977 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8978 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8979 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8982 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8983 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8984 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8985 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8988 @kindex W U (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-article-treat-non-ascii
8991 @cindex Non-@acronym{ASCII}
8992 Translate many non-@acronym{ASCII} characters into their
8993 @acronym{ASCII} equivalents (@code{gnus-article-treat-non-ascii}).
8994 This is mostly useful if you're on a terminal that has a limited font
8995 and doesn't show accented characters, ``advanced'' punctuation, and the
8996 like. For instance, @samp{»} is translated into @samp{>>}, and so on.
8999 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
9000 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
9001 @cindex Outlook Express
9002 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
9003 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
9004 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
9007 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
9008 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
9009 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
9010 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
9011 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
9012 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
9013 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
9014 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
9015 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
9016 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
9019 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
9020 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
9021 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
9022 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
9025 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
9026 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
9027 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
9028 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
9031 @kindex W w (Summary)
9032 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
9033 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
9035 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
9039 @kindex W Q (Summary)
9040 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
9041 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
9044 @kindex W C (Summary)
9045 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
9046 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
9047 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
9050 @kindex W c (Summary)
9051 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
9052 Translate CRLF pairs (i.e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
9053 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
9054 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
9055 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
9058 @kindex W q (Summary)
9059 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
9060 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
9061 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
9062 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
9063 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
9064 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
9065 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9066 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9067 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9070 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
9071 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
9072 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
9073 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
9074 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
9075 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9076 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
9077 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
9080 @kindex W Z (Summary)
9081 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
9082 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
9083 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
9084 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
9087 @kindex W A (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
9089 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
9090 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
9091 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
9092 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
9095 @kindex W u (Summary)
9096 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
9097 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
9098 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
9099 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
9100 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
9103 @kindex W h (Summary)
9104 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
9105 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
9106 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
9107 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
9109 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
9110 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
9111 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
9113 The default is to use the function specified by
9114 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
9115 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
9116 @acronym{HTML}. Pre-defined functions you can use include:
9120 Use Gnus simple html renderer.
9123 Use Gnus rendered based on w3m.
9129 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
9131 @item w3m-standalone
9132 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
9135 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
9138 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
9141 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
9146 @kindex W b (Summary)
9147 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
9148 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
9149 @xref{Article Buttons}.
9152 @kindex W B (Summary)
9153 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
9154 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
9155 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
9158 @kindex W p (Summary)
9159 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
9160 Verify a signed control message
9161 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
9162 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
9163 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
9164 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
9165 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
9166 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
9169 @kindex W s (Summary)
9170 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
9171 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
9172 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
9173 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
9176 @kindex W a (Summary)
9177 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
9178 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
9179 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
9182 @kindex W E l (Summary)
9183 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
9184 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
9185 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
9188 @kindex W E m (Summary)
9189 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
9190 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
9191 lines with a single empty line.
9192 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
9195 @kindex W E t (Summary)
9196 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
9197 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
9198 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
9201 @kindex W E a (Summary)
9202 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
9203 Do all the three commands above
9204 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
9207 @kindex W E A (Summary)
9208 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
9209 Remove all blank lines
9210 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
9213 @kindex W E s (Summary)
9214 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
9215 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
9216 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
9219 @kindex W E e (Summary)
9220 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
9221 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
9222 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9226 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9229 @node Article Header
9230 @subsection Article Header
9232 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9237 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9238 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9239 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9242 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9243 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9244 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9245 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9248 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9249 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9250 Fold all the message headers
9251 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9254 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9255 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9256 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9257 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9262 @node Article Buttons
9263 @subsection Article Buttons
9266 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9267 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9268 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9269 button on these references.
9271 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9272 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9273 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9274 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9275 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9279 @item gnus-button-alist
9280 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9281 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9284 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9290 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9291 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9292 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9293 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9294 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9297 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9298 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9299 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
9302 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
9303 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
9304 avoid false matches. Often variables named
9305 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
9306 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
9308 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
9311 This function will be called when you click on this button.
9314 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
9315 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
9319 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
9322 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
9325 @item gnus-header-button-alist
9326 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
9327 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
9328 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
9329 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
9332 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9335 @var{header} is a regular expression.
9338 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
9341 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
9342 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
9344 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
9346 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
9347 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
9348 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
9349 default values of the variables above.
9351 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
9353 @item gnus-button-man-handler
9354 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9355 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
9356 argument with a string naming the man page.
9358 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
9360 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9361 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9362 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
9364 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9365 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9366 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
9367 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
9368 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
9369 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
9370 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
9371 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
9372 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
9373 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
9374 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
9375 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9377 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9378 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9379 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
9380 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
9381 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
9384 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9385 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9386 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
9387 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9391 @item gnus-article-button-face
9392 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
9393 Face used on buttons.
9395 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
9396 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
9397 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
9401 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
9404 @node Article Button Levels
9405 @subsection Article button levels
9406 @cindex button levels
9407 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9408 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9409 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9410 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9411 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9412 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9413 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9414 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9417 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9418 (setq gnus-parameters
9419 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9420 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9421 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9426 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9427 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9428 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9429 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9430 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9431 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9433 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9434 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9435 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9436 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9437 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9438 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9439 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9440 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9441 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9442 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9443 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9444 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9445 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9447 @item gnus-button-man-level
9448 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9449 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9450 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9452 @item gnus-button-message-level
9453 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9454 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9455 Related variables and functions include
9456 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9457 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9458 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9459 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9465 @subsection Article Date
9467 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9468 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9469 when the article was sent.
9474 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9475 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9476 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9477 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9480 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9481 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9483 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9484 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9487 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9488 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9489 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9492 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9493 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9494 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9495 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9498 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9499 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9500 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9501 @findex format-time-string
9502 Display the date using a user-defined format
9503 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9504 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9505 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9506 for a list of possible format specs.
9509 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9510 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9511 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9512 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9513 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9514 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9517 Date: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9520 This line is updated continually by default. The frequency (in
9521 seconds) is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-update-date-headers}
9524 If you wish to switch updating off, say:
9526 @vindex gnus-article-update-date-headers
9528 (setq gnus-article-update-date-headers nil)
9531 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9534 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9535 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9536 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9537 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9538 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9539 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9540 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9544 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9545 preferred format automatically.
9548 @node Article Display
9549 @subsection Article Display
9555 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9556 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9558 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9559 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9561 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9562 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9564 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9565 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9567 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9568 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9570 Gravatars reside on-line and are fetched from
9571 @uref{http://www.gravatar.com/} (@pxref{Gravatars}).
9573 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9578 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9579 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9580 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9581 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9584 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9585 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9586 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9587 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9590 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9591 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9592 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9595 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9596 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9597 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9600 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9601 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9602 Piconify all mail headers (i.e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9603 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9606 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9607 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9608 Piconify all news headers (i.e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9609 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9612 @kindex W D g (Summary)
9613 @findex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
9614 Gravatarify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
9617 @kindex W D h (Summary)
9618 @findex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
9619 Gravatarify all mail headers (i.e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9620 (@code{gnus-treat-from-gravatar}).
9623 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9624 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9625 Remove all images from the article buffer
9626 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9629 @kindex W D W (Summary)
9630 @findex gnus-html-show-images
9631 If you're reading an @acronym{HTML} article rendered with
9632 @code{gnus-article-html}, then you can insert any blocked images in
9633 the buffer with this command.
9634 (@code{gnus-html-show-images}).
9640 @node Article Signature
9641 @subsection Article Signature
9643 @cindex article signature
9645 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9646 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9647 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9648 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9649 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9650 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9651 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9652 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9653 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9656 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9657 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9658 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9659 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9660 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9661 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9662 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9663 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9666 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9669 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9670 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9671 signature when displaying articles.
9675 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9678 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9681 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9682 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9684 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9685 in question is not a signature.
9688 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9689 listed above. Here's an example:
9692 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9693 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9696 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9697 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9698 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9699 signature after all.
9702 @node Article Miscellanea
9703 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9707 @kindex A t (Summary)
9708 @findex gnus-article-babel
9709 Translate the article from one language to another
9710 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9716 @section MIME Commands
9717 @cindex MIME decoding
9719 @cindex viewing attachments
9721 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9722 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9728 @kindex K v (Summary)
9729 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9732 @kindex K o (Summary)
9733 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9736 @kindex K O (Summary)
9737 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9738 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9739 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9742 @kindex K r (Summary)
9743 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9746 @kindex K d (Summary)
9747 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9751 @kindex K c (Summary)
9752 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9755 @kindex K e (Summary)
9756 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9759 @kindex K i (Summary)
9760 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9763 @kindex K | (Summary)
9764 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9767 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9772 @kindex K H (Summary)
9773 @findex gnus-article-browse-html-article
9774 View @samp{text/html} parts of the current article with a WWW browser.
9775 Inline images embedded in a message using the @code{cid} scheme, as they
9776 are generally considered to be safe, will be processed properly. The
9777 message header is added to the beginning of every @acronym{HTML} part
9778 unless the prefix argument is given.
9780 Warning: Spammers use links to images (using the @code{http} scheme) in
9781 @acronym{HTML} articles to verify whether you have read the message. As
9782 this command passes the @acronym{HTML} content to the browser without
9783 eliminating these ``web bugs'' you should only use it for mails from
9786 If you always want to display @acronym{HTML} parts in the browser, set
9787 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} to @code{nil}.
9789 This command creates temporary files to pass @acronym{HTML} contents
9790 including images if any to the browser, and deletes them when exiting
9791 the group (if you want).
9794 @kindex K b (Summary)
9795 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9796 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9800 @kindex K m (Summary)
9801 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9802 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9803 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9804 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9805 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9808 @kindex X m (Summary)
9809 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9810 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9811 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9812 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9815 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9816 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9817 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9818 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9821 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9822 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9823 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9824 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9827 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9828 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9829 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9830 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9832 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9833 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9834 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9835 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9836 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9837 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9840 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9841 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9842 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9843 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9850 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9851 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9852 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9853 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9856 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9859 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9863 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9864 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9865 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9866 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9867 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9868 default is @code{t}.
9870 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9871 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9874 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9875 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9876 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9877 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9878 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
9879 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
9880 for encoding in Gnus.
9882 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9883 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9884 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9885 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9886 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9887 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9888 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9889 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9891 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9892 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9893 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9894 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9895 displayed. This variable overrides
9896 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9897 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9900 E.g., to see security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9901 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9902 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9904 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9905 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9906 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9907 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9908 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9910 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9911 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9912 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9913 default value is @code{nil}.
9915 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9916 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9917 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9918 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9919 users to gather information from the article (e.g., add Vcard info to
9920 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e.g., automatically
9921 save all jpegs into some directory).
9923 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9926 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9927 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9929 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9930 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9931 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9932 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9933 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9936 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9937 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9938 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9940 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9941 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9942 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9944 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9945 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9946 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9948 If displaying @samp{text/html} is discouraged, see
9949 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9950 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9951 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9952 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9954 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9955 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9956 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9957 overrides @code{nil} values of
9958 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9959 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9961 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9962 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9963 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9964 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9966 Ready-made functions include@*
9967 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9968 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9969 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9970 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9971 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9972 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9973 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9974 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9975 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9976 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9977 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9978 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9980 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9981 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9983 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9984 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9985 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9988 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9989 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9990 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9991 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9995 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
10004 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
10005 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
10006 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
10007 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
10008 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
10009 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
10010 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
10012 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
10013 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
10014 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
10015 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
10017 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
10018 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
10019 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
10020 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
10021 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
10022 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
10023 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
10024 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
10025 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
10027 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
10028 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
10029 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
10030 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
10031 quoted-printable header encoding.
10033 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
10034 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
10035 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
10039 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
10042 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
10043 means encode all charsets),
10045 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
10046 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
10047 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
10054 @cindex coding system aliases
10055 @cindex preferred charset
10057 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
10058 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
10059 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
10061 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
10063 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
10064 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
10067 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
10068 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
10071 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
10072 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
10074 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
10077 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
10080 This will almost do the right thing.
10082 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
10086 (codepage-setup 1251)
10087 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
10091 @node Article Commands
10092 @section Article Commands
10099 @kindex A P (Summary)
10100 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
10101 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
10102 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
10103 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
10104 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
10105 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
10108 @vindex gnus-fetch-partial-articles
10109 @findex gnus-summary-show-complete-article
10110 If @code{<backend>-fetch-partial-articles} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
10111 fetch partial articles, if the backend it fetches them from supports
10112 it. Currently only @code{nnimap} does. If you're looking at a
10113 partial article, and want to see the complete article instead, then
10114 the @kbd{A C} command (@code{gnus-summary-show-complete-article}) will
10120 @node Summary Sorting
10121 @section Summary Sorting
10122 @cindex summary sorting
10124 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
10125 can't really see why you'd want that.
10130 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10131 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
10132 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
10134 @item C-c C-s C-m C-n
10135 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
10136 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number
10137 Sort by most recent article number
10138 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-number}).
10141 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
10142 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
10143 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
10146 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
10147 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
10148 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
10151 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
10152 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
10153 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
10156 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
10157 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
10158 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
10160 @item C-c C-s C-m C-d
10161 @kindex C-c C-s C-m C-d (Summary)
10162 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date
10163 Sort by most recent date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-most-recent-date}).
10166 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
10167 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
10168 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
10171 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
10172 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
10173 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
10176 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
10177 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
10178 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
10181 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
10182 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
10183 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
10186 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
10187 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
10188 Sort using the default sorting method
10189 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
10192 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
10193 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
10194 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
10195 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
10196 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
10199 If a prefix argument if given, the sort order is reversed.
10202 @node Finding the Parent
10203 @section Finding the Parent
10204 @cindex parent articles
10205 @cindex referring articles
10209 @kindex ^ (Summary)
10210 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
10211 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
10212 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
10213 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
10214 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
10215 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
10216 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
10217 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
10218 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
10220 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
10221 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
10222 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
10223 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
10224 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
10227 @item A R (Summary)
10228 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
10229 @kindex A R (Summary)
10230 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
10231 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
10233 @item A T (Summary)
10234 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
10235 @kindex A T (Summary)
10236 Display the full thread where the current article appears
10237 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
10238 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
10239 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
10240 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
10241 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
10242 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
10244 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
10245 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i.e.,
10246 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
10247 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
10248 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
10249 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
10251 @item M-^ (Summary)
10252 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
10253 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
10255 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
10256 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
10257 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
10258 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
10259 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
10260 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
10262 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
10263 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
10264 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
10267 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10268 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10269 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10270 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10271 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10272 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10275 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10276 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10277 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10280 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10281 then ask Google if that fails:
10284 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
10286 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
10289 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
10290 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
10291 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
10292 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
10293 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
10294 group. @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
10296 Fortunately, the special @code{nnregistry} back end is able to locate
10297 articles in any groups, regardless of their back end (@pxref{Registry
10298 Article Refer Method, fetching by @code{Message-ID} using the
10301 @node Alternative Approaches
10302 @section Alternative Approaches
10304 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
10305 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
10308 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
10309 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
10313 @node Pick and Read
10314 @subsection Pick and Read
10315 @cindex pick and read
10317 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
10318 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
10319 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
10320 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
10322 @findex gnus-pick-mode
10323 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
10324 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
10325 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
10326 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
10327 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
10329 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
10334 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
10335 Pick the article or thread on the current line
10336 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10337 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
10338 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
10339 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
10340 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
10341 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
10344 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
10345 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
10346 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
10347 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
10351 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
10352 Unpick the thread or article
10353 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10354 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
10355 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
10356 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
10357 the thread or article at that line.
10361 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
10362 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
10363 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
10364 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
10365 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
10366 will still be visible when you are reading.
10370 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
10371 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
10372 which is mapped to the same function
10373 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
10375 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
10378 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
10381 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
10382 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
10384 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
10385 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
10386 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
10388 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
10389 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
10390 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
10391 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
10392 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
10393 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
10394 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
10397 @node Binary Groups
10398 @subsection Binary Groups
10399 @cindex binary groups
10401 @findex gnus-binary-mode
10402 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
10403 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
10404 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
10405 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
10406 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
10407 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
10410 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
10411 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
10412 command, when you have turned on this mode
10413 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
10415 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
10416 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
10420 @section Tree Display
10423 @vindex gnus-use-trees
10424 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
10425 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
10426 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
10427 in the tree buffer.
10429 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
10432 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
10433 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
10434 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
10436 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10437 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10438 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
10439 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
10440 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
10442 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
10443 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
10444 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
10445 default is @code{modeline}.
10447 @item gnus-tree-line-format
10448 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
10449 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
10450 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
10451 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
10452 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
10453 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
10459 The name of the poster.
10461 The @code{From} header.
10463 The number of the article.
10465 The opening bracket.
10467 The closing bracket.
10472 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10474 Variables related to the display are:
10477 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10478 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10479 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10480 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10482 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10483 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10484 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10486 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10488 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10489 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10490 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10491 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10495 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10496 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10497 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
10498 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
10499 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10500 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10501 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10502 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10503 other windows displayed next to it.
10505 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10509 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10510 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10513 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10514 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10515 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10516 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10517 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10518 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10519 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10523 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10526 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10536 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10541 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10542 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10544 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10546 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10552 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10553 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10554 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10557 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10558 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10559 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10560 (gnus-add-configuration
10564 (summary 0.75 point)
10569 @xref{Window Layout}.
10572 @node Mail Group Commands
10573 @section Mail Group Commands
10574 @cindex mail group commands
10576 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10577 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10579 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10580 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10585 @kindex B e (Summary)
10586 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10587 @cindex expiring mail
10588 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10589 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10590 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10591 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10594 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10595 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10596 @cindex expiring mail
10597 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10598 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10599 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10600 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10603 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10604 @cindex deleting mail
10605 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10606 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10607 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10608 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10609 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10612 @kindex B m (Summary)
10614 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10615 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10616 Move the article from one mail group to another
10617 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10618 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10621 @kindex B c (Summary)
10623 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10624 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10625 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10626 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10627 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10630 @kindex B B (Summary)
10631 @cindex crosspost mail
10632 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10633 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10634 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10635 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10636 be properly updated.
10639 @kindex B i (Summary)
10640 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10641 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10642 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10643 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10646 @kindex B I (Summary)
10647 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10648 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10649 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10650 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10653 @kindex B r (Summary)
10654 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10655 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10656 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10657 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10658 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10659 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10660 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10661 (which is the default).
10665 @kindex B w (Summary)
10666 @kindex e (Summary)
10667 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10668 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10669 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10670 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10671 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10672 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10673 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10676 @kindex B q (Summary)
10677 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10678 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10679 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10680 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10683 @kindex B t (Summary)
10684 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10685 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10686 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10689 @kindex B p (Summary)
10690 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10691 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10692 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10693 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10694 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10695 article from your news server (or rather, from
10696 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10697 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10698 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10699 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10700 just not have arrived yet.
10703 @kindex K E (Summary)
10704 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10705 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10706 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10707 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10708 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10712 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10713 @cindex moving articles
10714 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10715 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10716 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10717 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10718 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10719 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10720 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10723 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10724 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10725 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10726 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10730 @node Various Summary Stuff
10731 @section Various Summary Stuff
10734 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10735 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10736 * Summary Generation Commands::
10737 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10741 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10742 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10743 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10744 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10745 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10746 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10748 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10749 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10750 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10753 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10754 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10755 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10757 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10758 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10759 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10760 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10761 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10762 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10765 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10766 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10767 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10768 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10769 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10771 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10772 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10773 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10776 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10777 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10778 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10779 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10780 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10781 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10782 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10783 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10784 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10785 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10787 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10788 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10789 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10790 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10791 list of articles to be selected.
10793 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10794 the list in one particular group:
10797 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10798 (if (string= group "some.group")
10799 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10803 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10804 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10805 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10806 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10807 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10810 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10811 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10812 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10813 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10814 variable will be used instead.
10816 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10817 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10818 buffers. For example:
10821 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10822 '(message-use-followup-to
10823 (gnus-visible-headers .
10824 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10827 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10832 @node Summary Group Information
10833 @subsection Summary Group Information
10838 @kindex H d (Summary)
10839 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10840 Give a brief description of the current group
10841 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10842 rereading the description from the server.
10845 @kindex H h (Summary)
10846 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10847 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10848 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10851 @kindex H i (Summary)
10852 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10853 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10857 @node Searching for Articles
10858 @subsection Searching for Articles
10863 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10864 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10865 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10866 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10869 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10870 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10871 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10872 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10875 @kindex M-S (Summary)
10876 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
10877 Repeat the previous search forwards
10878 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
10881 @kindex M-R (Summary)
10882 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
10883 Repeat the previous search backwards
10884 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
10887 @kindex & (Summary)
10888 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10889 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10890 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10891 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10892 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10893 search backward instead.
10895 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10896 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10899 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10900 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10901 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10902 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10905 @node Summary Generation Commands
10906 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10911 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10912 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10913 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10916 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10917 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10918 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10919 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10922 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10923 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10924 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10925 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10928 @kindex Y t (Summary)
10929 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
10930 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10931 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
10936 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10937 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10943 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10944 @kindex A D (Summary)
10945 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10946 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10947 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10948 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10949 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10950 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10951 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10952 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10955 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
10956 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
10957 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
10962 Select the next article.
10965 Select the next unread article.
10967 @item next-noselect
10968 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
10970 @item next-unread-noselect
10971 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
10974 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
10975 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
10978 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10979 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10980 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10981 several documents into one biiig group
10982 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10983 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10984 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10985 command understands the process/prefix convention
10986 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10989 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10990 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10991 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10992 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10993 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10994 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10997 @kindex = (Summary)
10998 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10999 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
11000 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
11003 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
11004 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
11005 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11006 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
11009 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
11010 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
11011 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
11012 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
11017 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
11018 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
11019 @cindex summary exit
11020 @cindex exiting groups
11022 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
11023 group and return you to the group buffer.
11030 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
11031 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
11032 @kindex q (Summary)
11033 @findex gnus-summary-exit
11034 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
11035 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
11036 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
11037 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
11038 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
11039 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
11040 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
11041 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
11042 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
11043 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
11044 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
11048 @kindex Z E (Summary)
11049 @kindex Q (Summary)
11050 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
11051 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
11052 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
11056 @kindex Z c (Summary)
11057 @kindex c (Summary)
11058 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
11059 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
11060 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
11061 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
11064 @kindex Z C (Summary)
11065 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
11066 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
11067 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
11070 @kindex Z n (Summary)
11071 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
11072 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
11073 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
11076 @kindex Z p (Summary)
11077 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
11078 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
11079 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
11083 @kindex Z R (Summary)
11084 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
11085 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
11086 Exit this group, and then enter it again
11087 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
11088 all articles, both read and unread.
11092 @kindex Z G (Summary)
11093 @kindex M-g (Summary)
11094 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
11095 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
11096 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
11097 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
11098 articles, both read and unread.
11101 @kindex Z N (Summary)
11102 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
11103 Exit the group and go to the next group
11104 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
11107 @kindex Z P (Summary)
11108 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
11109 Exit the group and go to the previous group
11110 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
11113 @kindex Z s (Summary)
11114 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
11115 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
11116 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
11117 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
11118 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
11121 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
11122 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
11123 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
11124 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
11126 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
11127 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
11128 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
11129 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
11130 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
11131 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
11132 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
11133 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
11134 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
11135 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
11136 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
11137 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
11139 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
11141 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
11142 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
11143 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
11144 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
11145 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
11146 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
11147 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
11148 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
11149 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
11152 @node Crosspost Handling
11153 @section Crosspost Handling
11157 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
11158 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
11159 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
11160 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
11161 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
11164 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
11165 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
11166 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
11167 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
11168 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
11170 @cindex cross-posting
11172 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
11173 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
11174 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
11175 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
11176 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
11177 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
11178 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
11179 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
11180 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
11181 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
11182 the cross reference mechanism.
11184 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
11185 @cindex overview.fmt
11186 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
11187 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
11188 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
11189 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
11190 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
11191 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
11194 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
11195 set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
11196 considerably. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
11200 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
11203 @node Duplicate Suppression
11204 @section Duplicate Suppression
11206 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
11207 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
11208 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
11209 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
11214 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
11215 is evil and not very common.
11218 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
11219 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
11222 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
11223 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
11226 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
11229 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
11230 well, but these four are the most common situations.
11232 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
11233 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
11234 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
11235 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
11236 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
11237 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
11238 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
11241 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
11242 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
11243 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
11244 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
11245 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
11246 saw the article in.
11249 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
11250 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
11251 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
11253 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
11254 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
11255 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
11256 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
11257 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
11258 session are suppressed.
11260 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11261 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11262 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11263 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11265 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11266 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11267 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11268 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
11271 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
11272 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
11273 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
11274 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
11275 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
11276 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
11277 to you to figure out, I think.
11282 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
11283 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
11284 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
11289 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
11290 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG@. The Lisp interface
11291 to GnuPG included with Emacs is called EasyPG (@pxref{Top, ,EasyPG,
11292 epa, EasyPG Assistant user's manual}), but PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg,
11293 PGG Manual}), and Mailcrypt are also supported.
11296 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL@. OpenSSL 0.9.6
11297 or newer is recommended.
11301 The variables that control security functionality on reading/composing
11305 @item mm-verify-option
11306 @vindex mm-verify-option
11307 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
11308 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
11309 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11311 @item mm-decrypt-option
11312 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
11313 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
11314 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
11315 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11317 @item mm-sign-option
11318 @vindex mm-sign-option
11319 Option of creating signed parts. @code{nil}, use default signing
11320 keys; @code{guided}, ask user to select signing keys from the menu.
11322 @item mm-encrypt-option
11323 @vindex mm-encrypt-option
11324 Option of creating encrypted parts. @code{nil}, use the first
11325 public-key matching the @samp{From:} header as the recipient;
11326 @code{guided}, ask user to select recipient keys from the menu.
11329 @vindex mml1991-use
11330 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11331 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but @code{pgg},
11332 and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported although
11333 deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available interface in
11337 @vindex mml2015-use
11338 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11339 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{epg}, but
11340 @code{pgg}, and @code{mailcrypt} are also supported
11341 although deprecated. By default, Gnus uses the first available
11342 interface in this order.
11346 By default the buttons that display security information are not
11347 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
11348 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
11349 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
11350 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
11351 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
11352 how to customize these variables to always display security
11355 @cindex snarfing keys
11356 @cindex importing PGP keys
11357 @cindex PGP key ring import
11358 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
11359 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
11360 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
11361 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
11362 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
11363 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
11364 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
11365 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
11366 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
11369 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
11372 This happens to also be the default action defined in
11373 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
11375 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
11376 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
11377 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
11380 @section Mailing List
11381 @cindex mailing list
11384 @kindex A M (summary)
11385 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
11386 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
11387 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
11388 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
11391 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
11396 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
11397 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
11398 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
11401 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
11402 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
11403 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
11406 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
11407 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
11408 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
11412 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
11413 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
11414 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
11417 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
11418 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
11419 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
11422 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
11423 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
11424 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
11429 @node Article Buffer
11430 @chapter Article Buffer
11431 @cindex article buffer
11433 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
11434 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
11435 tell Gnus otherwise.
11438 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
11439 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
11440 * HTML:: Reading @acronym{HTML} messages.
11441 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
11442 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
11443 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
11447 @node Hiding Headers
11448 @section Hiding Headers
11449 @cindex hiding headers
11450 @cindex deleting headers
11452 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
11453 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
11455 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
11456 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
11457 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
11458 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
11459 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
11460 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
11461 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
11462 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
11463 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
11465 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
11469 @item gnus-visible-headers
11470 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
11471 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
11472 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
11473 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
11475 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
11476 the article and the subject, you'd say:
11479 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
11482 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11485 @item gnus-ignored-headers
11486 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
11487 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
11488 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
11489 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
11490 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
11492 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
11493 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
11496 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
11499 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11502 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
11503 variable will have no effect.
11507 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
11508 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
11509 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
11510 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
11511 the headers are to be displayed.
11513 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
11514 and then the subject, you might say something like:
11517 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
11520 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
11521 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
11523 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
11524 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
11525 You can hide further boring headers by setting
11526 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
11527 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
11528 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11529 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11532 These conditions are:
11535 Remove all empty headers.
11537 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11538 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11540 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11541 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11544 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11547 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11548 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11550 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11551 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11553 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
11554 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11556 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11559 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
11561 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
11564 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11567 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11568 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11571 This is also the default value for this variable.
11575 @section Using MIME
11576 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11578 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11579 while people stand around yawning.
11581 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11582 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11584 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11585 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11586 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11588 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
11589 @findex gnus-display-mime
11590 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
11591 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
11592 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
11593 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
11595 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
11596 @acronym{MIME} button:
11599 @findex gnus-article-press-button
11600 @item RET (Article)
11601 @kindex RET (Article)
11602 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
11603 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
11604 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
11605 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
11606 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11607 object is displayed inline.
11609 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11610 @item M-RET (Article)
11611 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11613 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11614 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11616 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11618 @kindex t (Article)
11619 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11620 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11622 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11624 @kindex C (Article)
11625 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11626 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11628 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11630 @kindex o (Article)
11631 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11632 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11634 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11635 @item C-o (Article)
11636 @kindex C-o (Article)
11637 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11638 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11639 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11640 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11641 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11642 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11644 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
11646 @kindex r (Article)
11647 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
11648 external body referring to the file via the message/external-body
11649 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
11651 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11653 @kindex d (Article)
11654 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11655 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11656 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11658 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
11660 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11662 @kindex c (Article)
11663 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11664 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11665 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11666 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11667 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11668 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11669 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11670 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11672 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11674 @kindex p (Article)
11675 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11676 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11677 @file{.mailcap} file.
11679 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11681 @kindex i (Article)
11682 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11683 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as @samp{text/plain}. If given a prefix, insert
11684 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11685 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11686 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11687 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11688 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11689 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11690 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11692 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11694 @kindex E (Article)
11695 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11696 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11697 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11699 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11701 @kindex e (Article)
11702 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11703 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11705 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11707 @kindex | (Article)
11708 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11710 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11712 @kindex . (Article)
11713 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11714 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11718 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11719 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11720 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11722 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11723 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11724 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11725 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11726 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11727 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11728 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11729 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11730 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11732 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11734 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11738 @section @acronym{HTML}
11739 @cindex @acronym{HTML}
11741 If you have @code{w3m} installed on your system, Gnus can display
11742 @acronym{HTML} articles in the article buffer. There are many Gnus
11743 add-ons for doing this, using various approaches, but there's one
11744 (sort of) built-in method that's used by default.
11746 For a complete overview, consult @xref{Display Customization,
11747 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. This
11748 section only describes the default method.
11751 @item mm-text-html-renderer
11752 @vindex mm-text-html-renderer
11753 If set to @code{gnus-article-html}, Gnus will use the built-in method,
11754 that's based on @code{w3m}.
11756 @item gnus-blocked-images
11757 @vindex gnus-blocked-images
11758 External images that have @acronym{URL}s that match this regexp won't
11759 be fetched and displayed. For instance, do block all @acronym{URL}s
11760 that have the string ``ads'' in them, do the following:
11763 (setq gnus-blocked-images "ads")
11766 This can also be a function to be evaluated. If so, it will be
11767 called with the group name as the parameter. The default value is
11768 @code{gnus-block-private-groups}, which will return @samp{"."} for
11769 anything that isn't a newsgroup. This means that no external images
11770 will be fetched as a result of reading mail, so that nobody can use
11771 web bugs (and the like) to track whether you've read email.
11773 Also @pxref{Misc Article} for @code{gnus-inhibit-images}.
11775 @item gnus-html-cache-directory
11776 @vindex gnus-html-cache-directory
11777 Gnus will download and cache images according to how
11778 @code{gnus-blocked-images} is set. These images will be stored in
11781 @item gnus-html-cache-size
11782 @vindex gnus-html-cache-size
11783 When @code{gnus-html-cache-size} bytes have been used in that
11784 directory, the oldest files will be deleted. The default is 500MB.
11786 @item gnus-html-frame-width
11787 @vindex gnus-html-frame-width
11788 The width to use when rendering HTML@. The default is 70.
11790 @item gnus-max-image-proportion
11791 @vindex gnus-max-image-proportion
11792 How big pictures displayed are in relation to the window they're in.
11793 A value of 0.7 (the default) means that they are allowed to take up
11794 70% of the width and height of the window. If they are larger than
11795 this, and Emacs supports it, then the images will be rescaled down to
11796 fit these criteria.
11800 To use this, make sure that you have @code{w3m} and @code{curl}
11801 installed. If you have, then Gnus should display @acronym{HTML}
11806 @node Customizing Articles
11807 @section Customizing Articles
11808 @cindex article customization
11810 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11811 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11812 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11813 called automatically when you select the articles.
11815 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11816 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11817 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11818 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11820 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11821 for sensible values.
11825 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11828 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11831 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11834 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11837 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11840 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11844 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11845 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11846 regexps in the list.
11849 A list where the first element is not a string:
11851 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11852 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11853 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11857 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11862 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11863 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11864 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11865 considered to contain just a single part.
11867 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11868 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11869 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11870 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11871 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11872 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11873 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11876 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
11877 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
11879 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
11880 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
11881 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
11882 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
11883 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
11884 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
11885 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
11886 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
11887 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
11888 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
11889 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
11890 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
11891 @vindex gnus-treat-date
11892 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
11893 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
11894 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
11895 @vindex gnus-treat-from-gravatar
11896 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-gravatar
11897 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
11898 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
11899 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
11900 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
11901 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
11902 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
11903 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
11904 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
11905 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
11906 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
11907 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
11908 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
11909 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
11910 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
11911 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
11912 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
11913 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
11914 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
11915 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
11916 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
11917 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
11918 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
11919 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
11922 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11923 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11924 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11925 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11928 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11929 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11931 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11933 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11934 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11935 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11936 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11937 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11938 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11939 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11940 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11941 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11942 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11944 @xref{Article Washing}.
11946 @item gnus-treat-date (head)
11948 This will transform/add date headers according to the
11949 @code{gnus-article-date-headers} variable. This is a list of Date
11950 headers to display. The formats available are:
11954 Universal time, aka GMT, aka ZULU.
11957 The user's local time zone.
11960 A semi-readable English sentence.
11963 The time elapsed since the message was posted.
11965 @item combined-lapsed
11966 Both the original date header and a (shortened) elapsed time.
11969 The original date header.
11972 ISO8601 format, i.e., ``2010-11-23T22:05:21''.
11975 A format done according to the @code{gnus-article-time-format}
11980 @xref{Article Date}.
11982 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11983 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11984 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11988 @item gnus-treat-from-gravatar (head)
11989 @item gnus-treat-mail-gravatar (head)
11993 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11995 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11997 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11998 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11999 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
12003 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
12004 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
12008 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
12009 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
12013 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
12014 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
12015 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
12016 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
12017 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
12018 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
12019 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
12020 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
12021 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
12022 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
12023 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
12024 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
12025 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
12026 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
12027 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
12028 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
12029 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
12030 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
12031 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
12032 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
12034 @xref{Article Hiding}.
12036 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
12037 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
12038 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
12039 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
12040 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
12041 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
12043 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
12045 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
12046 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
12047 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
12048 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
12049 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
12051 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
12052 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
12053 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
12054 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
12055 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
12056 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
12057 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
12058 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
12060 @xref{Article Header}.
12065 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
12066 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
12067 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
12068 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
12069 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
12073 @node Article Keymap
12074 @section Article Keymap
12076 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
12077 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
12078 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
12079 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
12082 @kindex v (Article)
12083 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
12084 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12085 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12087 A few additional keystrokes are available:
12092 @kindex SPACE (Article)
12093 @findex gnus-article-next-page
12094 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
12095 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
12098 @kindex DEL (Article)
12099 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
12100 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
12101 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
12104 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
12105 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
12106 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
12107 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
12108 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
12111 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
12112 @findex gnus-article-mail
12113 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
12114 given a prefix, include the mail.
12117 @kindex s (Article)
12118 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
12119 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
12120 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
12123 @kindex ? (Article)
12124 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
12125 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
12126 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
12129 @kindex TAB (Article)
12130 @findex gnus-article-next-button
12131 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
12132 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
12135 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
12136 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
12137 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
12140 @kindex R (Article)
12141 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
12142 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
12143 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If the region is active,
12144 only yank the text in the region.
12147 @kindex S W (Article)
12148 @findex gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original
12149 Send a wide reply to the current article and yank the current article
12150 (@code{gnus-article-wide-reply-with-original}). If the region is
12151 active, only yank the text in the region.
12154 @kindex F (Article)
12155 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
12156 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
12157 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If the region is active,
12158 only yank the text in the region.
12165 @section Misc Article
12169 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
12170 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
12171 @cindex article buffers, several
12172 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
12173 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
12176 @item gnus-widen-article-window
12177 @cindex gnus-widen-article-window
12178 If non-@code{nil}, selecting the article buffer with the @kbd{h}
12179 command will ``widen'' the article window to take the entire frame.
12181 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
12182 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
12183 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
12184 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
12185 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
12187 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
12188 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
12189 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
12190 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
12191 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
12192 the contents of the article buffer.
12194 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
12195 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
12196 Hook called in article mode buffers.
12198 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12199 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
12200 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
12201 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
12203 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
12204 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
12205 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
12206 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
12208 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
12209 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
12210 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
12211 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
12212 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
12213 with two extensions:
12218 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
12219 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
12220 performed. The characters and their meaning:
12225 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
12228 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
12231 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
12232 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
12233 security status, i.e., good or bad signature.)
12236 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
12239 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
12242 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasized strings in the article buffer.
12247 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
12251 @vindex gnus-break-pages
12253 @item gnus-break-pages
12254 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
12255 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
12256 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
12257 paging will not be done.
12259 @item gnus-page-delimiter
12260 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
12261 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
12265 @cindex internationalized domain names
12266 @vindex gnus-use-idna
12267 @item gnus-use-idna
12268 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
12269 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
12270 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
12271 for how to compose such messages. This requires
12272 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
12273 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
12275 @vindex gnus-inhibit-images
12276 @item gnus-inhibit-images
12277 If this is non-@code{nil}, inhibit displaying of images inline in the
12278 article body. It is effective to images that are in articles as
12279 @acronym{MIME} parts, and images in @acronym{HTML} articles rendered
12280 when @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization,
12281 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) is
12282 @code{shr} or @code{gnus-w3m}.
12287 @node Composing Messages
12288 @chapter Composing Messages
12289 @cindex composing messages
12292 @cindex sending mail
12297 @cindex using s/mime
12298 @cindex using smime
12300 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
12301 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
12302 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
12303 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
12304 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
12305 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
12308 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
12309 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
12310 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
12311 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
12312 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
12313 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
12314 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
12315 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
12316 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
12319 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
12320 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
12326 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
12329 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
12330 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
12331 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
12332 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
12333 @code{nil} include all headers.
12335 @item gnus-add-to-list
12336 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
12337 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
12338 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
12340 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12341 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
12342 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
12343 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
12344 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
12345 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
12346 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
12347 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
12349 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
12350 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
12352 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
12353 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
12354 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
12355 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
12356 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
12361 @node Posting Server
12362 @section Posting Server
12364 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
12365 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
12367 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
12369 It can be quite complicated.
12371 @vindex gnus-post-method
12372 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
12373 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
12374 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
12375 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
12376 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
12377 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
12378 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
12379 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
12380 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
12383 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
12386 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
12387 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
12388 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
12389 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
12391 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
12392 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
12394 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
12395 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
12398 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
12399 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
12401 @vindex message-send-mail-function
12402 When sending mail, Message invokes the function specified by the
12403 variable @code{message-send-mail-function}. Gnus tries to set it to a
12404 value suitable for your system.
12405 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Mail Variables,message,Message manual}, for more
12409 @node POP before SMTP
12410 @section POP before SMTP
12411 @cindex pop before smtp
12412 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
12414 Does your @acronym{ISP} use @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
12415 authentication? This authentication method simply requires you to
12416 contact the @acronym{POP} server before sending email. To do that,
12417 put the following lines in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
12420 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
12424 The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function does @acronym{POP}
12425 authentication according to the value of @code{mail-sources} without
12426 fetching mails, just before sending a mail. @xref{Mail Sources}.
12428 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
12429 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
12430 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
12431 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
12432 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
12433 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
12436 (setq mail-source-primary-source
12437 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12438 :password "secret"))
12442 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
12443 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
12446 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
12448 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
12449 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12450 :password "secret")))
12451 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
12455 @node Mail and Post
12456 @section Mail and Post
12458 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
12462 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
12463 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
12464 @cindex mailing lists
12466 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
12467 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
12468 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
12469 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
12470 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
12471 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
12472 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
12473 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
12474 still a pain, though.
12476 @item gnus-user-agent
12477 @vindex gnus-user-agent
12480 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
12481 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
12482 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
12483 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
12484 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
12485 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
12486 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
12490 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
12491 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
12492 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
12495 @findex ispell-message
12497 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
12500 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
12501 you're in, you could say something like the following:
12504 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
12508 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
12509 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
12511 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
12514 Modify to suit your needs.
12516 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
12517 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
12518 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
12521 @node Archived Messages
12522 @section Archived Messages
12523 @cindex archived messages
12524 @cindex sent messages
12526 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
12527 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
12528 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
12529 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}. The
12530 default is "sent.%Y-%m", which gives you one archive group per month.
12532 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
12533 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
12536 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
12537 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
12538 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
12539 actually being used it is expanded into:
12542 (nnfolder "archive"
12543 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
12544 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
12545 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
12546 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
12550 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
12551 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
12552 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
12553 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
12554 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
12555 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
12556 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12557 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
12558 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
12559 saved method to reflect always the value of
12560 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
12561 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
12562 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
12565 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
12566 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
12567 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
12568 directory chosen, you could say something like:
12571 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
12572 '(nnfolder "archive"
12573 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
12574 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
12575 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
12578 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
12580 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
12581 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
12582 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
12584 This variable can be used to do the following:
12588 Messages will be saved in that group.
12590 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
12591 message will not be stored in the select method given by
12592 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
12593 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12594 has the default value shown above. Then setting
12595 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
12596 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
12597 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
12600 @item a list of strings
12601 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
12603 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
12604 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
12607 No message archiving will take place.
12612 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
12614 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
12617 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
12619 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
12622 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
12624 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12625 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
12626 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
12627 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
12630 More complex stuff:
12632 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12633 '((if (message-news-p)
12638 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
12639 messages in one file per month:
12642 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12643 '((if (message-news-p)
12645 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
12648 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
12649 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
12650 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
12651 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
12652 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
12653 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
12654 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
12655 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
12656 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
12657 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
12660 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12661 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12662 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
12664 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12665 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12666 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
12667 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
12668 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
12669 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
12670 changed in the future.
12672 @item gnus-gcc-self-resent-messages
12673 @vindex gnus-gcc-self-resent-messages
12674 Like the @code{gcc-self} group parameter, applied only for unmodified
12675 messages that @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} (@pxref{Summary Mail
12676 Commands}) resends. Non-@code{nil} value of this variable takes
12677 precedence over any existing @code{Gcc} header.
12679 If this is @code{none}, no @code{Gcc} copy will be made. If this is
12680 @code{t}, messages resent will be @code{Gcc} copied to the current
12681 group. If this is a string, it specifies a group to which resent
12682 messages will be @code{Gcc} copied. If this is @code{nil}, @code{Gcc}
12683 will be done according to existing @code{Gcc} header(s), if any. If
12684 this is @code{no-gcc-self}, that is the default, resent messages will be
12685 @code{Gcc} copied to groups that existing @code{Gcc} header specifies,
12686 except for the current group.
12688 @item gnus-gcc-pre-body-encode-hook
12689 @vindex gnus-gcc-pre-body-encode-hook
12690 @itemx gnus-gcc-post-body-encode-hook
12691 @vindex gnus-gcc-post-body-encode-hook
12693 These hooks are run before/after encoding the message body of the Gcc
12694 copy of a sent message. The current buffer (when the hook is run)
12695 contains the message including the message header. Changes made to
12696 the message will only affect the Gcc copy, but not the original
12697 message. You can use these hooks to edit the copy (and influence
12698 subsequent transformations), e.g., remove MML secure tags
12699 (@pxref{Signing and encrypting}).
12704 @node Posting Styles
12705 @section Posting Styles
12706 @cindex posting styles
12709 All them variables, they make my head swim.
12711 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
12712 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
12713 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
12716 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
12717 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
12718 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
12719 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
12720 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
12725 (signature "Peace and happiness")
12726 (organization "What me?"))
12728 (signature "Death to everybody"))
12729 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
12730 (organization "Emacs is it")))
12733 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
12734 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
12735 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
12736 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
12737 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
12738 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
12739 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
12740 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
12742 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
12743 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
12744 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
12745 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
12746 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
12747 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
12748 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
12749 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
12750 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
12751 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
12752 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
12753 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
12754 said to @dfn{match}.
12756 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
12757 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
12758 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
12759 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
12760 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
12761 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
12762 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
12763 name can be one of:
12766 @item @code{signature}
12767 @item @code{signature-file}
12768 @item @code{x-face-file}
12769 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
12770 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
12774 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
12775 @code{message-signature-directory}.
12777 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
12778 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
12779 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
12780 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
12781 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
12783 The attribute value can be a string, a function with zero arguments
12784 (the return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used)
12785 or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be
12786 used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
12787 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current
12788 article are available through the @code{message-reply-headers}
12789 variable, which is a vector of the following headers: number subject
12790 from date id references chars lines xref extra.
12792 In the case of a string value, if the @code{match} is a regular
12793 expression, a @samp{gnus-match-substitute-replacement} is proceed on
12794 the value to replace the positional parameters @samp{\@var{n}} by the
12795 corresponding parenthetical matches (see @xref{Replacing Match,,
12796 Replacing the Text that Matched, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}.)
12798 @vindex message-reply-headers
12800 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
12801 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
12802 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
12804 @findex message-mail-p
12805 @findex message-news-p
12807 So here's a new example:
12810 (setq gnus-posting-styles
12812 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12814 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
12815 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12816 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12818 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
12819 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
12820 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
12821 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
12822 (signature my-news-signature))
12823 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
12824 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
12825 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
12826 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
12827 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12828 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12829 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12830 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12831 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12832 ("X-Message-SMTP-Method" "smtp smtp.example.org 587")
12833 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12835 (From (with-current-buffer gnus-article-buffer
12836 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12838 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12841 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12842 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12843 if you fill many roles.
12844 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
12845 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
12847 Of particular interest in the ``work-mail'' style is the
12848 @samp{X-Message-SMTP-Method} header. It specifies how to send the
12849 outgoing email. You may want to sent certain emails through certain
12850 @acronym{SMTP} servers due to company policies, for instance.
12851 @xref{Mail Variables, ,Message Variables, message, Message Manual}.
12858 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12859 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12860 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12861 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12862 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12864 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12865 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12866 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12867 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12868 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12872 @vindex nndraft-directory
12873 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12874 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12875 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12876 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12877 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12878 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12880 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12881 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12882 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12883 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12884 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12885 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12886 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12887 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12888 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12890 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12891 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12892 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12893 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12894 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12895 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12896 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12897 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12898 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12899 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12900 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12901 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12902 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12903 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12905 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12906 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12907 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12909 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12910 @kindex D e (Draft)
12911 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12912 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12913 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12915 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12918 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12919 @kindex D s (Draft)
12920 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12921 @kindex D S (Draft)
12922 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12923 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12924 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12925 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12926 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12929 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12930 @kindex D t (Draft)
12931 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12932 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12933 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12935 Finally, if you want to delete a draft, use the normal @kbd{B DEL}
12936 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12939 @node Rejected Articles
12940 @section Rejected Articles
12941 @cindex rejected articles
12943 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12944 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12945 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12946 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12948 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12949 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12950 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12951 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12952 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12954 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12955 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12956 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12958 @node Signing and encrypting
12959 @section Signing and encrypting
12961 @cindex using s/mime
12962 @cindex using smime
12964 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12965 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12966 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12967 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12969 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12970 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12971 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12972 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12973 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12974 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12975 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12976 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12977 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12978 automatically encrypted messages.
12980 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12981 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12982 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12987 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12988 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12990 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12993 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12994 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12996 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12999 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
13000 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
13002 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13005 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
13006 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
13008 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
13011 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
13012 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
13014 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
13017 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
13018 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
13020 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
13023 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
13024 @findex mml-unsecure-message
13025 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
13029 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
13031 @node Select Methods
13032 @chapter Select Methods
13033 @cindex foreign groups
13034 @cindex select methods
13036 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
13037 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
13038 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
13039 personal mail group.
13041 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
13042 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
13043 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g., @code{nntp},
13044 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
13045 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
13046 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
13048 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
13049 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
13051 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
13054 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
13055 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
13056 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
13057 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
13058 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
13060 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
13063 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
13064 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
13065 * Using IMAP:: Reading mail from @acronym{IMAP}.
13066 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
13067 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
13068 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files.
13069 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
13070 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
13071 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
13075 @node Server Buffer
13076 @section Server Buffer
13078 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
13079 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
13080 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
13081 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
13082 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
13083 back end represents a virtual server.
13085 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
13086 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
13087 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
13088 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
13090 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
13091 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
13092 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
13093 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
13094 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
13095 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
13096 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
13098 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
13099 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
13102 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
13103 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
13104 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
13105 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
13106 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
13107 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
13108 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
13111 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
13112 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
13115 @node Server Buffer Format
13116 @subsection Server Buffer Format
13117 @cindex server buffer format
13119 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
13120 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
13121 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
13122 variable, with some simple extensions:
13127 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
13130 The name of this server.
13133 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
13136 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
13139 Whether this server is agentized.
13142 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
13143 The mode line can also be customized by using the
13144 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
13145 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
13155 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
13158 @node Server Commands
13159 @subsection Server Commands
13160 @cindex server commands
13166 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
13167 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
13168 command or better use it as a prefix key.
13172 @findex gnus-server-add-server
13173 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
13177 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
13178 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
13182 @findex gnus-server-show-server
13183 Show the definition of a server (@code{gnus-server-show-server}).
13186 @kindex SPACE (Server)
13187 @findex gnus-server-read-server
13188 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
13192 @findex gnus-server-exit
13193 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
13197 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
13198 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
13202 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
13203 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
13207 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13208 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
13212 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
13213 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
13217 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
13218 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
13219 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
13224 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
13225 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
13226 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
13227 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
13231 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
13233 Compact all groups in the server under point
13234 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
13235 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
13236 hence getting a correct total article count.
13240 Some more commands for closing, disabling, and re-opening servers are
13241 listed in @ref{Unavailable Servers}.
13244 @node Example Methods
13245 @subsection Example Methods
13247 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
13250 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
13253 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
13259 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
13260 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
13263 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
13264 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
13266 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
13267 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
13271 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
13274 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
13275 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
13277 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
13278 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
13279 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
13283 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
13286 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
13289 Here's the method for a public spool:
13293 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
13294 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
13300 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
13301 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
13302 on the firewall machine and connect with
13303 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} from there to the
13304 @acronym{NNTP} server.
13305 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
13306 should probably look something like this:
13310 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)
13311 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
13312 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host"))
13315 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
13316 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
13317 configuration to the example above:
13320 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13323 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
13324 an indirect connection:
13327 (setq gnus-select-method
13329 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
13330 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
13331 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
13332 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
13333 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C"))
13334 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat)))
13337 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
13338 provide automatic authorization, of course.
13340 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
13341 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
13342 netcat connection to the news server as follows:
13346 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13347 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13348 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13352 @node Creating a Virtual Server
13353 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
13355 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
13356 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
13358 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
13359 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
13360 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
13362 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
13364 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
13365 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
13366 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
13367 will contain the following:
13377 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
13378 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
13381 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
13382 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
13383 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
13386 @node Server Variables
13387 @subsection Server Variables
13388 @cindex server variables
13389 @cindex server parameters
13391 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
13392 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
13393 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
13394 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
13395 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
13397 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
13398 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
13399 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
13400 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
13401 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
13402 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
13403 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
13404 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
13405 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
13409 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
13410 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
13411 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
13414 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
13416 @node Servers and Methods
13417 @subsection Servers and Methods
13419 Wherever you would normally use a select method
13420 (e.g., @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
13421 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
13422 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
13426 @node Unavailable Servers
13427 @subsection Unavailable Servers
13429 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
13430 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
13431 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
13432 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
13433 actually the case or not.
13435 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
13436 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
13437 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
13438 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
13439 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
13440 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
13441 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
13442 it will regard that server as ``down''.
13444 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
13445 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
13447 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
13448 with the following commands:
13454 @findex gnus-server-open-server
13455 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
13456 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
13460 @findex gnus-server-close-server
13461 Close the connection (if any) to the server
13462 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
13466 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
13467 Mark the current server as unreachable
13468 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
13471 @kindex M-o (Server)
13472 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
13473 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
13474 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
13477 @kindex M-c (Server)
13478 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
13479 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
13480 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
13484 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
13485 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
13486 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
13490 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
13491 Copy a server and give it a new name
13492 (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}). This can be useful if you have a
13493 complex method definition, and want to use the same definition towards
13494 a different (physical) server.
13498 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
13499 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
13505 @section Getting News
13506 @cindex reading news
13507 @cindex news back ends
13509 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
13510 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
13511 or it can read from a local spool.
13514 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13515 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
13523 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
13524 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
13525 server as the, uhm, address.
13527 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
13528 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
13529 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
13530 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13532 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
13533 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
13534 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
13536 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
13541 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
13542 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
13543 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
13545 @cindex authentication
13546 @cindex nntp authentication
13547 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13548 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
13549 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
13550 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
13551 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
13552 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
13553 present in this hook.
13555 @item nntp-authinfo-function
13556 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
13557 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13558 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
13559 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
13560 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
13561 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
13562 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
13563 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
13564 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
13565 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
13566 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
13570 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
13573 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
13575 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
13576 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
13577 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
13578 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
13579 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
13580 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
13581 @samp{force} is explained below.
13585 Here's an example file:
13588 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
13589 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
13592 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
13593 have to be first, for instance.
13595 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
13596 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
13597 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
13598 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
13599 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
13600 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
13601 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
13603 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
13604 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
13610 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
13611 previously mentioned.
13613 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
13615 @item nntp-server-action-alist
13616 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
13617 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
13618 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
13619 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
13622 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
13623 '(("innd" (ding))))
13626 You probably don't want to do that, though.
13628 The default value is
13631 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
13632 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
13633 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
13636 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
13637 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
13639 @item nntp-maximum-request
13640 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
13641 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
13642 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
13643 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
13644 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
13645 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
13646 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
13648 @item nntp-connection-timeout
13649 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
13650 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
13651 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
13652 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
13653 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
13654 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
13655 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
13656 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
13657 no timeouts are done.
13659 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
13660 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
13661 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
13662 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
13665 @item nntp-xover-commands
13666 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
13667 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
13669 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
13670 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
13674 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
13675 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
13676 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
13677 if you have read articles 2--5000 in the group, and only want to read
13678 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
13679 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
13680 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
13681 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
13682 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
13683 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
13684 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
13686 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13687 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13688 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
13689 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
13690 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
13691 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
13692 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
13693 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
13694 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
13695 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
13696 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
13697 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
13698 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
13699 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
13700 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
13701 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
13702 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
13705 (setq gnus-select-method
13707 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
13708 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
13712 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
13714 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
13715 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
13716 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13718 @item nntp-record-commands
13719 @vindex nntp-record-commands
13720 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
13721 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
13722 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
13723 that doesn't seem to work.
13725 @item nntp-open-connection-function
13726 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
13727 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
13728 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
13729 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
13730 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
13731 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
13732 indirect ones (three pre-made).
13734 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
13735 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
13736 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
13737 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
13738 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
13739 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
13740 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
13741 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
13742 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
13744 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13745 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13746 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
13747 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
13748 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
13749 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
13750 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
13752 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
13753 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
13754 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
13755 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
13756 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
13757 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
13758 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
13761 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
13764 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID@. This works for
13765 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
13767 @item nntp-server-list-active-group
13768 If @code{nil}, then always use @samp{GROUP} instead of @samp{LIST
13769 ACTIVE}. This is usually slower, but on misconfigured servers that
13770 don't update their active files often, this can help.
13776 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
13777 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
13778 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
13782 @node Direct Functions
13783 @subsubsection Direct Functions
13784 @cindex direct connection functions
13786 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
13787 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
13788 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
13789 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13792 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
13793 @item nntp-open-network-stream
13794 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
13795 remote system. If both Emacs and the server supports it, the
13796 connection will be upgraded to an encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS}
13797 connection automatically.
13800 The same as the above, but don't do automatic @acronym{STARTTLS} upgrades.
13802 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
13803 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
13804 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13805 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GnuTLS}
13806 installed. You then define a server as follows:
13809 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13810 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
13812 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13813 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
13814 (nntp-port-number 563)
13815 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13818 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
13819 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
13820 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13821 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
13822 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
13823 then define a server as follows:
13826 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13827 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
13829 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13830 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
13831 (nntp-port-number 563)
13832 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13835 @findex nntp-open-netcat-stream
13836 @item nntp-open-netcat-stream
13837 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server using the @code{netcat}
13838 program. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have
13839 the default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
13840 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
13841 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
13842 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
13846 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13847 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-netcat-stream)
13848 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13851 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
13852 session, which is not a good idea.
13854 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
13855 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
13856 Like @code{nntp-open-netcat-stream}, but uses @code{telnet} rather than
13857 @code{netcat}. @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things
13858 like line-end-conversion, but sometimes netcat is simply
13859 not available. The previous example would turn into:
13863 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13864 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
13865 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
13866 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
13871 @node Indirect Functions
13872 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
13873 @cindex indirect connection functions
13875 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
13876 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13877 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
13878 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
13879 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
13880 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13883 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13884 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13885 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then uses @code{netcat} to connect
13886 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13887 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13889 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13892 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13893 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13894 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13895 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13897 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13898 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13899 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13900 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13901 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13902 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections.
13905 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13906 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13907 Does essentially the same, but uses @code{telnet} instead of @samp{netcat}
13908 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13909 @code{telnet} is a bit less robust because of things like
13910 line-end-conversion, but sometimes @code{netcat} is simply not available.
13912 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13915 @item nntp-telnet-command
13916 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13917 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13918 intermediate host. The default is @samp{telnet}.
13920 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13921 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13922 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13923 @code{nntp-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{("-8")}.
13925 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13926 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13927 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13928 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13930 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13931 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13932 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13933 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. If you use @samp{ssh}, you may need to set
13934 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13935 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13936 host. The default is @code{nil}.
13939 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13940 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13942 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13943 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13944 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13945 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13947 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13950 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13951 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13952 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13955 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13956 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13957 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13958 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13960 @item nntp-via-user-password
13961 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13962 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13964 @item nntp-via-envuser
13965 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13966 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13967 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13968 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13970 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13971 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13972 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13973 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13977 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13978 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13982 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13987 @item nntp-via-user-name
13988 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13989 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13991 @item nntp-via-address
13992 @vindex nntp-via-address
13993 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13998 @node Common Variables
13999 @subsubsection Common Variables
14001 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
14002 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
14003 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
14004 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
14005 variables individually).
14009 @item nntp-pre-command
14010 @vindex nntp-pre-command
14011 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
14012 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
14013 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
14014 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
14017 @vindex nntp-address
14018 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
14020 @item nntp-port-number
14021 @vindex nntp-port-number
14022 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14023 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
14024 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
14025 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
14026 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
14027 not work with named ports.
14029 @item nntp-end-of-line
14030 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
14031 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
14032 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
14033 using a non native telnet connection function.
14035 @item nntp-netcat-command
14036 @vindex nntp-netcat-command
14037 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
14038 @samp{netcat}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
14039 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
14042 @item nntp-netcat-switches
14043 @vindex nntp-netcat-switches
14044 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-netcat-command}. The default
14050 @subsection News Spool
14054 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
14055 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
14056 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
14059 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
14060 anything else) as the address.
14062 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
14063 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
14064 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
14065 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
14069 @item nnspool-inews-program
14070 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
14071 Program used to post an article.
14073 @item nnspool-inews-switches
14074 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
14075 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
14077 @item nnspool-spool-directory
14078 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
14079 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
14080 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
14082 @item nnspool-nov-directory
14083 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
14084 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
14085 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
14087 @item nnspool-lib-dir
14088 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
14089 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
14091 @item nnspool-active-file
14092 @vindex nnspool-active-file
14093 The name of the active file.
14095 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
14096 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
14097 The name of the group descriptions file.
14099 @item nnspool-history-file
14100 @vindex nnspool-history-file
14101 The name of the news history file.
14103 @item nnspool-active-times-file
14104 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
14105 The name of the active date file.
14107 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
14108 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
14109 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
14112 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14113 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
14115 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
14116 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
14117 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
14124 @section Using IMAP
14127 The most popular mail backend is probably @code{nnimap}, which
14128 provides access to @acronym{IMAP} servers. @acronym{IMAP} servers
14129 store mail remotely, so the client doesn't store anything locally.
14130 This means that it's a convenient choice when you're reading your mail
14131 from different locations, or with different user agents.
14134 * Connecting to an IMAP Server:: Getting started with @acronym{IMAP}.
14135 * Customizing the IMAP Connection:: Variables for @acronym{IMAP} connection.
14136 * Client-Side IMAP Splitting:: Put mail in the correct mail box.
14140 @node Connecting to an IMAP Server
14141 @subsection Connecting to an IMAP Server
14143 Connecting to an @acronym{IMAP} can be very easy. Type @kbd{B} in the
14144 group buffer, or (if your primary interest is reading email), say
14148 (setq gnus-select-method
14149 '(nnimap "imap.gmail.com"))
14152 You'll be prompted for a user name and password. If you grow tired of
14153 that, then add the following to your @file{~/.authinfo} file:
14156 machine imap.gmail.com login <username> password <password> port imap
14159 That should basically be it for most users.
14162 @node Customizing the IMAP Connection
14163 @subsection Customizing the IMAP Connection
14165 Here's an example method that's more complex:
14168 (nnimap "imap.gmail.com"
14169 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14170 (nnimap-split-methods default)
14172 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14176 @item nnimap-address
14177 The address of the server, like @samp{imap.gmail.com}.
14179 @item nnimap-server-port
14180 If the server uses a non-standard port, that can be specified here. A
14181 typical port would be @code{"imap"} or @code{"imaps"}.
14183 @item nnimap-stream
14184 How @code{nnimap} should connect to the server. Possible values are:
14188 This is the default, and this first tries the @code{ssl} setting, and
14189 then tries the @code{network} setting.
14192 This uses standard @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14195 Non-encrypted and unsafe straight socket connection, but will upgrade
14196 to encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} if both Emacs and the server
14200 Encrypted @acronym{STARTTLS} over the normal @acronym{IMAP} port.
14203 If you need to tunnel via other systems to connect to the server, you
14204 can use this option, and customize @code{nnimap-shell-program} to be
14209 @item nnimap-authenticator
14210 Some @acronym{IMAP} servers allow anonymous logins. In that case,
14211 this should be set to @code{anonymous}. If this variable isn't set,
14212 the normal login methods will be used. If you wish to specify a
14213 specific login method to be used, you can set this variable to either
14214 @code{login} (the traditional @acronym{IMAP} login method),
14215 @code{plain} or @code{cram-md5}.
14217 @item nnimap-expunge
14218 If non-@code{nil}, expunge articles after deleting them. This is always done
14219 if the server supports UID EXPUNGE, but it's not done by default on
14220 servers that doesn't support that command.
14222 @item nnimap-streaming
14223 Virtually all @acronym{IMAP} server support fast streaming of data.
14224 If you have problems connecting to the server, try setting this to
14227 @item nnimap-fetch-partial-articles
14228 If non-@code{nil}, fetch partial articles from the server. If set to
14229 a string, then it's interpreted as a regexp, and parts that have
14230 matching types will be fetched. For instance, @samp{"text/"} will
14231 fetch all textual parts, while leaving the rest on the server.
14233 @item nnimap-record-commands
14234 If non-@code{nil}, record all @acronym{IMAP} commands in the
14235 @samp{"*imap log*"} buffer.
14240 @node Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14241 @subsection Client-Side IMAP Splitting
14243 Many people prefer to do the sorting/splitting of mail into their mail
14244 boxes on the @acronym{IMAP} server. That way they don't have to
14245 download the mail they're not all that interested in.
14247 If you do want to do client-side mail splitting, then the following
14248 variables are relevant:
14252 This is the @acronym{IMAP} mail box that will be scanned for new
14253 mail. This can also be a list of mail box names.
14255 @item nnimap-split-methods
14256 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-methods} (@pxref{Splitting
14257 Mail}), except the symbol @code{default}, which means that it should
14258 use the value of the @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable.
14260 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14261 Uses the same syntax as @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14263 @item nnimap-unsplittable-articles
14264 List of flag symbols to ignore when doing splitting. That is,
14265 articles that have these flags won't be considered when splitting.
14266 The default is @samp{(%Deleted %Seen)}.
14270 Here's a complete example @code{nnimap} backend with a client-side
14271 ``fancy'' splitting method:
14274 (nnimap "imap.example.com"
14275 (nnimap-inbox "INBOX")
14276 (nnimap-split-methods
14277 (| ("MailScanner-SpamCheck" "spam" "spam.detected")
14278 (to "foo@@bar.com" "foo")
14284 @section Getting Mail
14285 @cindex reading mail
14288 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD@? But of
14292 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
14293 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
14294 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
14295 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
14296 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
14297 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
14298 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
14299 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
14300 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
14301 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
14302 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
14303 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
14304 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
14308 @node Mail in a Newsreader
14309 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
14311 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
14312 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
14313 of a culture shock.
14315 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
14316 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
14318 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
14319 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
14320 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
14321 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
14323 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
14325 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
14326 deleted? How awful!
14328 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
14329 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
14330 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
14331 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
14334 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
14335 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
14336 they want to treat a message.
14338 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
14339 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
14340 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
14341 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
14342 archived somewhere else.
14344 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
14345 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
14346 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
14347 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
14348 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
14350 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
14351 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
14352 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
14354 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
14355 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
14358 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
14359 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
14360 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
14361 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
14362 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
14364 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
14365 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
14366 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
14367 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
14368 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
14369 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
14373 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
14374 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
14376 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
14377 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
14378 and things will happen automatically.
14380 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
14381 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
14384 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
14387 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
14388 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
14389 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
14390 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
14391 like any other group.
14393 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
14396 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14397 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14398 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14402 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
14403 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
14404 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
14407 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
14408 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
14409 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
14412 @node Splitting Mail
14413 @subsection Splitting Mail
14414 @cindex splitting mail
14415 @cindex mail splitting
14416 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
14418 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
14419 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
14420 to be split into groups.
14423 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14424 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
14425 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
14426 ("mail.other" "")))
14429 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
14430 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
14431 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
14432 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
14433 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
14434 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
14435 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
14438 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
14442 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
14443 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14445 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14446 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
14447 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
14448 mail belongs in that group.
14450 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
14451 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
14452 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
14453 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
14454 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
14455 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
14456 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
14457 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
14458 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
14459 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
14461 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
14462 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
14463 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
14464 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
14465 thinks should carry this mail message.
14467 This variable can also be a fancy split method. For the syntax,
14468 see @ref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14470 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
14471 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
14472 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
14473 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
14475 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
14476 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
14477 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
14478 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
14479 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
14481 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
14484 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
14485 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
14486 links. If that's the case for you, set
14487 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
14488 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
14490 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
14491 @findex nnmail-split-history
14492 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
14493 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
14494 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
14495 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
14498 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
14499 Header lines longer than the value of
14500 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
14503 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
14504 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
14505 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
14506 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
14507 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
14508 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
14509 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
14510 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
14511 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
14512 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
14513 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
14514 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
14516 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14517 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
14518 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
14519 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
14520 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
14521 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
14522 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
14523 other kinds of entries.)
14525 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
14526 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
14527 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
14528 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
14529 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
14530 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
14531 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
14532 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
14533 month's rent money.
14537 @subsection Mail Sources
14539 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
14540 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
14541 maildir, for instance.
14544 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
14545 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
14546 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
14550 @node Mail Source Specifiers
14551 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
14553 @cindex mail server
14556 @cindex mail source
14558 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
14559 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
14564 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
14567 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
14568 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
14569 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
14572 The @code{mail-sources} is global for all mail groups. You can specify
14573 an additional mail source for a particular group by including the
14574 @code{group} mail specifier in @code{mail-sources}, and setting a
14575 @code{mail-source} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) specifying
14576 a single mail source. When this is used, @code{mail-sources} is
14577 typically just @code{(group)}; the @code{mail-source} parameter for a
14578 group might look like this:
14581 (mail-source . (file :path "home/user/spools/foo.spool"))
14584 This means that the group's (and only this group's) messages will be
14585 fetched from the spool file @samp{/user/spools/foo.spool}.
14587 The following mail source types are available:
14591 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
14597 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
14598 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
14599 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
14603 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14606 An example file mail source:
14609 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
14612 Or using the default file name:
14618 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
14619 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
14620 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
14621 mail spool while moving the mail.
14623 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
14627 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
14630 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
14634 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
14637 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
14639 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
14642 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
14643 file you want to use.
14647 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
14648 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
14649 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
14650 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
14651 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
14652 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
14653 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
14654 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
14655 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
14656 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
14658 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14659 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
14660 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
14661 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
14667 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
14671 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
14675 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
14676 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
14677 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
14678 predicate are considered.
14682 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14686 An example directory mail source:
14689 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
14694 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14700 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
14701 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14704 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (e.g.,
14705 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (e.g., @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
14706 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
14707 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
14708 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
14711 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
14715 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
14716 the user is prompted.
14719 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
14720 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
14723 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
14726 The valid format specifier characters are:
14730 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
14731 included in this string.
14734 The name of the server.
14737 The port number of the server.
14740 The user name to use.
14743 The password to use.
14746 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14747 corresponding keywords.
14750 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14751 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14753 One popular way to use this is to set up an SSH tunnel to access the
14754 @acronym{POP} server. Here's an example:
14757 (pop :server "127.0.0.1"
14762 "nohup ssh -f -L 1234:pop.server:110 remote.host sleep 3600 &")
14766 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14767 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14770 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
14771 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
14772 mail should be moved to.
14774 @item :authentication
14775 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
14776 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
14780 Non-@code{nil} if the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
14781 after fetching. Mails once fetched will never be fetched again by the
14782 @acronym{UIDL} control. Only the built-in @code{pop3-movemail} program
14783 (the default) supports this keyword.
14785 If this is neither @code{nil} nor a number, all mails will be left on
14786 the server. If this is a number, leave mails on the server for this
14787 many days since you first checked new mails. If this is @code{nil}
14788 (the default), mails will be deleted on the server right after fetching.
14790 @vindex pop3-uidl-file
14791 The @code{pop3-uidl-file} variable specifies the file to which the
14792 @acronym{UIDL} data are locally stored. The default value is
14793 @file{~/.pop3-uidl}.
14795 Note that @acronym{POP} servers maintain no state information between
14796 sessions, so what the client believes is there and what is actually
14797 there may not match up. If they do not, then you may get duplicate
14798 mails or the whole thing can fall apart and leave you with a corrupt
14803 @findex pop3-movemail
14804 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
14805 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
14806 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
14808 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14810 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
14811 name, and default fetcher:
14817 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
14820 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
14821 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
14824 Leave mails on the server for 14 days:
14827 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
14828 :user "user-name" :password "secret"
14832 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
14835 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
14839 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
14840 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
14841 contains exactly one mail.
14847 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
14848 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
14851 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
14852 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
14854 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
14855 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
14856 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
14859 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
14860 from locking problems).
14864 Two example maildir mail sources:
14867 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
14868 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
14872 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
14877 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
14878 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (i.e.,
14879 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
14880 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
14881 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{Using IMAP}, for more information.
14887 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
14888 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14891 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
14892 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14895 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
14899 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
14903 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
14904 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
14905 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
14906 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
14908 @item :authentication
14909 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
14910 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
14911 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
14912 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
14915 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
14916 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
14917 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
14923 Make sure nothing is interfering with the output of the program, e.g.,
14924 don't forget to redirect the error output to the void. The valid format
14925 specifier characters are:
14929 The name of the server.
14932 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
14935 The port number of the server.
14938 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14939 corresponding keywords.
14942 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
14943 which normally is the mailbox which receives incoming mail.
14946 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
14947 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
14948 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
14949 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
14950 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
14951 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
14954 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
14955 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
14956 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
14957 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
14960 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
14961 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
14965 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
14968 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
14970 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
14974 Get the actual mail source from the @code{mail-source} group parameter,
14975 @xref{Group Parameters}.
14980 @item Common Keywords
14981 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
14987 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
14988 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
14993 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
14998 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
14999 useful when you use local mail and news.
15004 @subsubsection Function Interface
15006 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
15007 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
15008 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
15009 consider the following mail-source setting:
15012 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
15013 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
15016 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
15017 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
15018 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
15019 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
15020 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
15022 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
15025 @node Mail Source Customization
15026 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
15028 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
15029 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
15033 @item mail-source-crash-box
15034 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
15035 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
15036 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
15039 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
15040 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
15041 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
15042 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
15043 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
15044 (the deletion will only happen when receiving new mail). You may also
15045 set @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
15046 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
15047 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{10} in alpha Gnusae
15048 and @code{2} in released Gnusae. @xref{Gnus Development}.
15050 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15051 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
15052 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
15053 files. This variable only applies when
15054 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
15056 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
15057 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
15058 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
15060 @item mail-source-directory
15061 @vindex mail-source-directory
15062 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
15063 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
15064 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
15065 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
15067 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15068 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
15069 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
15070 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
15071 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
15072 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
15075 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
15076 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
15077 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is @code{#o600}.
15079 @item mail-source-movemail-program
15080 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
15081 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
15082 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
15087 @node Fetching Mail
15088 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
15090 @vindex mail-sources
15091 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
15092 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
15093 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
15095 If this variable is @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to
15096 fetch mail by themselves.
15098 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
15099 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
15104 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15105 :password "secret")))
15108 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
15112 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
15113 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
15116 :password "secret")))
15120 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
15121 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
15122 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
15123 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
15124 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
15125 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
15129 @node Mail Back End Variables
15130 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
15132 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
15136 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15137 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
15138 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
15139 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
15141 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
15142 @item nnmail-split-hook
15143 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
15144 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
15145 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
15146 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
15147 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
15148 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
15149 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
15150 in the buffer will show up in any files.
15151 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
15154 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15155 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15156 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15157 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15158 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
15159 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
15160 starting to handle the new mail) and
15161 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
15162 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
15163 default file modes the new mail files get:
15166 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
15167 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes #o700)))
15169 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
15170 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes #o775)))
15173 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
15174 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
15175 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
15176 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
15177 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
15178 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
15179 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
15181 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
15182 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
15183 @findex delete-file
15184 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
15186 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15187 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15188 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
15189 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
15190 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
15192 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15193 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
15194 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
15195 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
15196 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
15198 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
15199 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
15200 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
15205 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
15206 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
15207 @cindex mail splitting
15208 @cindex fancy mail splitting
15210 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
15211 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
15212 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
15213 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
15214 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
15215 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
15217 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
15220 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
15221 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
15222 ;; @r{from real errors.}
15223 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
15225 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
15226 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
15227 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
15228 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
15229 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
15230 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
15231 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
15232 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
15233 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
15234 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
15235 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
15236 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
15237 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
15238 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
15239 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
15240 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
15241 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
15245 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
15246 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
15247 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
15252 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
15253 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
15255 @c Don't fold this line.
15256 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
15257 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
15258 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
15259 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
15262 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
15263 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
15264 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
15265 @var{split} is processed.
15267 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
15268 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
15269 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
15270 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15272 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
15273 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
15274 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
15275 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
15276 stored in one or more groups.
15278 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
15279 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
15280 process all @var{split}s in the list.
15283 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
15284 this message. Use with extreme caution.
15286 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
15287 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
15288 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
15289 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
15292 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
15293 body of the messages:
15296 (defun split-on-body ()
15300 (goto-char (point-min))
15301 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
15305 The buffer is narrowed to the header of the message in question when
15306 @var{function} is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called
15307 after @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
15308 above. Also note that with the nnimap backend, message bodies will
15309 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
15310 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
15311 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
15313 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
15314 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
15315 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
15316 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
15317 should return a split.
15320 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
15324 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
15326 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
15327 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
15328 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
15329 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
15333 (any "joe" "joemail")
15337 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
15338 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
15339 of the following three ways:
15343 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
15344 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
15345 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
15346 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
15347 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
15350 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
15353 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
15354 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
15355 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
15356 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
15357 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
15360 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
15361 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
15362 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
15363 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15364 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
15365 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
15366 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
15369 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
15370 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
15371 they are expanded as specified by the variable
15372 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
15373 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
15374 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
15375 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
15379 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
15381 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
15382 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
15384 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
15387 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
15388 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
15389 when all this splitting is performed.
15391 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
15392 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
15393 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
15396 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
15399 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
15400 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
15402 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
15403 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
15404 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
15405 groupings 1 through 9.
15407 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
15408 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
15409 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
15410 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
15411 groups when users send to an address using different case
15412 (i.e., mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
15415 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
15416 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
15417 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
15418 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
15419 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
15420 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
15421 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
15422 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
15423 it once per thread.
15425 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
15426 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
15427 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
15428 using the colon feature, like so:
15430 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
15431 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
15433 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
15434 ;; @r{other splits go here}
15438 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
15439 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
15440 in the file specified by the variable
15441 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
15442 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
15443 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
15444 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
15445 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
15446 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
15447 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
15448 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
15449 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
15450 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
15451 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
15452 300 kBytes in size.)
15453 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
15454 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
15455 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
15456 messages goes into the new group.
15458 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
15459 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
15460 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
15461 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
15462 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
15463 ``outgoing'' group.
15466 @node Group Mail Splitting
15467 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
15468 @cindex mail splitting
15469 @cindex group mail splitting
15471 @findex gnus-group-split
15472 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
15473 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
15474 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
15475 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
15476 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
15477 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
15478 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
15479 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
15481 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
15482 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
15483 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
15484 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
15486 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
15487 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
15488 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
15489 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
15490 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
15491 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
15492 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
15494 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
15495 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
15496 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
15497 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
15498 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
15499 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
15500 @code{gnus-group-split}.
15502 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
15503 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
15504 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
15505 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
15506 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
15507 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
15508 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
15509 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
15510 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
15511 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
15512 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
15513 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
15514 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
15516 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
15521 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
15522 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
15524 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
15525 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
15526 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
15527 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
15529 ((split-spec . catch-all))
15532 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
15533 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
15534 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
15537 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
15538 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
15539 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
15543 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
15544 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
15545 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
15549 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
15552 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
15553 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
15554 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
15555 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
15556 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
15557 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
15558 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
15559 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
15560 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
15562 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
15563 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
15564 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
15565 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
15566 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
15567 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
15568 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
15569 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
15570 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
15572 @findex gnus-group-split-update
15573 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
15574 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
15575 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
15576 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
15577 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
15580 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
15583 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
15584 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
15585 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
15586 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
15587 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
15590 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
15591 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
15592 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
15593 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
15595 @node Incorporating Old Mail
15596 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
15597 @cindex incorporating old mail
15598 @cindex import old mail
15600 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
15601 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
15602 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
15605 Doing so can be quite easy.
15607 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
15608 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
15609 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
15610 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
15611 your @code{nnml} groups.
15617 Go to the group buffer.
15620 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
15621 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15624 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
15627 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
15628 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15631 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
15632 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
15635 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
15636 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
15637 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
15638 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
15639 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
15641 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
15642 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
15643 using the new mail back end.
15646 @node Expiring Mail
15647 @subsection Expiring Mail
15648 @cindex article expiry
15649 @cindex expiring mail
15651 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
15652 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
15653 different approach to mail reading.
15655 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
15656 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
15657 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
15658 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
15659 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
15660 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
15663 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
15664 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
15665 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
15666 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
15667 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
15668 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
15669 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
15670 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
15671 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
15673 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-marks
15674 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
15675 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
15676 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
15677 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
15678 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
15679 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
15680 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} (and so on) are considered
15681 expirable. @code{gnus-auto-expirable-marks} has the full list of
15684 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
15685 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
15686 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
15687 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
15688 into its own group.)
15690 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
15691 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
15692 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
15693 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
15694 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
15695 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
15696 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
15697 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
15700 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15701 Groups that match the regular expression
15702 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
15703 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
15704 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
15706 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
15707 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
15708 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
15709 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
15710 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15712 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
15714 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
15715 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
15716 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
15719 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
15720 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
15721 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
15722 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
15723 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
15725 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
15726 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
15729 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15730 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
15733 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
15734 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
15736 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
15737 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
15738 don't really mix very well.
15740 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
15741 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
15742 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
15743 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
15746 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
15747 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
15748 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
15749 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
15752 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15754 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15756 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
15758 ((string= group "mail.junk")
15760 ((string= group "important")
15766 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
15767 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
15769 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
15770 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
15771 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
15774 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
15775 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15777 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
15778 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
15779 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
15780 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
15781 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
15782 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
15783 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
15784 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
15785 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
15786 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
15787 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
15788 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
15789 name or @code{delete}.
15791 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
15793 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
15796 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15797 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15798 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
15799 expire mail to groups according to the variable
15800 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
15803 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15804 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15805 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
15806 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
15807 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
15810 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
15811 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
15812 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
15813 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
15814 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
15815 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
15817 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
15818 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
15819 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
15820 easier for procmail users.
15822 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
15823 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
15824 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
15825 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
15826 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
15827 caution. Even more dangerous is the
15828 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
15829 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
15830 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
15831 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
15832 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
15833 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
15834 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
15837 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
15839 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
15840 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
15841 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
15842 auto-expire turned on.
15844 @vindex gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable
15845 The expirable marks of articles will be removed when copying or moving
15846 them to a group in which auto-expire is not turned on. This is for
15847 preventing articles from being expired unintentionally. On the other
15848 hand, to a group that has turned auto-expire on, the expirable marks of
15849 articles that are copied or moved will not be changed by default. I.e.,
15850 when copying or moving to such a group, articles that were expirable
15851 will be left expirable and ones that were not expirable will not be
15852 marked as expirable. So, even though in auto-expire groups, some
15853 articles will never get expired (unless you read them again). If you
15854 don't side with that behavior that unexpirable articles may be mixed
15855 into auto-expire groups, you can set
15856 @code{gnus-mark-copied-or-moved-articles-as-expirable} to a
15857 non-@code{nil} value. In that case, articles that have been read will
15858 be marked as expirable automatically when being copied or moved to a
15859 group that has auto-expire turned on. The default value is @code{nil}.
15863 @subsection Washing Mail
15864 @cindex mail washing
15865 @cindex list server brain damage
15866 @cindex incoming mail treatment
15868 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
15869 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
15870 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
15871 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
15872 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
15873 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
15875 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
15876 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
15877 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
15880 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
15881 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
15882 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
15883 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
15886 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15887 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15888 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
15889 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
15890 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
15893 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15894 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15895 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
15896 Emacs running on MS machines.
15900 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15901 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15902 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
15903 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
15906 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15907 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15908 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
15909 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
15911 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
15912 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
15913 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
15914 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
15915 into a feature by documenting it.)
15917 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15918 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15919 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
15920 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
15921 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
15922 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
15923 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
15926 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
15927 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
15930 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
15931 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
15934 This can also be done non-destructively with
15935 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
15937 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
15938 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
15939 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
15941 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15942 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15943 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
15946 Some mail user agents (e.g., Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
15947 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
15948 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
15949 contain a line matching the regular expression
15950 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
15954 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15955 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15956 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
15960 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
15961 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
15962 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
15969 @subsection Duplicates
15971 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
15972 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
15973 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
15974 @cindex duplicate mails
15975 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
15976 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
15977 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
15978 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s:
15979 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
15980 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
15981 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
15982 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
15983 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
15984 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
15985 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
15986 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
15987 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
15989 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
15990 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
15991 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
15992 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
15994 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
15997 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
15998 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
16002 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
16003 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
16004 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
16005 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
16006 (any mail "mail.misc")
16007 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16013 (setq nnmail-split-methods
16014 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
16015 ;; @r{Other rules.}
16019 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
16020 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
16021 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
16022 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
16023 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
16026 @node Not Reading Mail
16027 @subsection Not Reading Mail
16029 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
16030 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
16031 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
16033 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
16034 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
16035 mail, which should help.
16037 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16038 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16039 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16040 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16041 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16042 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
16043 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old (pre-Emacs
16044 23) Rmail file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
16045 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
16046 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
16047 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
16049 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
16050 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
16054 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
16055 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
16057 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
16058 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
16059 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
16061 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
16062 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
16063 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
16067 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
16068 * Babyl:: Babyl was used by older versions of Rmail.
16069 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
16070 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
16071 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
16072 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
16073 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
16078 @node Unix Mail Box
16079 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
16081 @cindex unix mail box
16083 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16084 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16085 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
16086 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
16087 which group it belongs in.
16089 Virtual server settings:
16092 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
16093 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
16094 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
16097 @item nnmbox-active-file
16098 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
16099 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
16100 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
16102 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
16103 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
16104 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
16105 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
16110 @subsubsection Babyl
16113 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16114 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16115 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box to store mail.
16116 @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail article to say which
16117 group it belongs in.
16119 Virtual server settings:
16122 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
16123 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
16124 The name of the Babyl file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
16126 @item nnbabyl-active-file
16127 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
16128 The name of the active file for the Babyl file. The default is
16129 @file{~/.rmail-active}
16131 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16132 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
16133 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
16139 @subsubsection Mail Spool
16141 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
16143 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
16144 format. It should be used with some caution.
16146 @vindex nnml-directory
16147 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
16148 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
16149 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
16150 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
16152 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
16155 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
16156 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
16157 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
16158 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
16159 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
16160 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
16161 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
16162 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
16164 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
16165 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
16166 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
16167 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
16169 Virtual server settings:
16172 @item nnml-directory
16173 @vindex nnml-directory
16174 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
16175 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
16178 @item nnml-active-file
16179 @vindex nnml-active-file
16180 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
16181 @file{~/Mail/active}.
16183 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
16184 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
16185 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16186 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
16188 @item nnml-get-new-mail
16189 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
16190 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
16193 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
16194 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
16195 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16196 default is @code{nil}.
16198 @item nnml-nov-file-name
16199 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
16200 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
16202 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16203 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
16204 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
16206 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
16207 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
16208 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
16209 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
16210 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
16211 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
16212 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
16213 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
16214 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
16216 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16217 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
16218 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
16219 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
16220 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
16224 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
16225 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
16226 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
16227 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
16228 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
16229 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
16230 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
16235 @subsubsection MH Spool
16237 @cindex mh-e mail spool
16239 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
16240 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
16241 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
16242 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
16245 Virtual server settings:
16248 @item nnmh-directory
16249 @vindex nnmh-directory
16250 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
16251 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
16254 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
16255 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
16256 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
16260 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
16261 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
16262 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
16263 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
16264 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
16265 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
16266 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
16271 @subsubsection Maildir
16275 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
16276 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
16277 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
16278 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
16279 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
16282 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
16283 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
16284 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
16285 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
16286 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
16287 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
16288 that appear as group in Gnus.
16290 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
16291 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
16292 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
16294 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
16295 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
16296 another, and you will keep your marks.
16298 Virtual server settings:
16302 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
16303 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
16304 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
16305 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
16306 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
16307 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
16308 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
16309 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
16310 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
16311 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
16313 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
16314 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
16315 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
16316 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
16317 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
16318 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
16319 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
16320 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
16321 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
16322 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
16325 @item target-prefix
16326 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
16327 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
16328 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
16331 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
16332 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
16333 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
16334 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
16335 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
16336 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
16337 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
16338 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
16339 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
16341 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
16342 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
16343 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
16344 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
16345 symlinks pointing to them will be).
16347 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
16348 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
16349 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
16350 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
16351 @code{force} argument.
16353 @item directory-files
16354 This should be a function with the same interface as
16355 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
16356 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
16357 parameter is optional; the default is
16358 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
16359 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
16360 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
16361 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
16362 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
16363 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
16366 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
16367 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
16368 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
16369 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
16370 value is @code{nil}.
16372 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
16373 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
16374 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
16375 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
16376 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
16379 @subsubsection Group parameters
16381 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
16382 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
16383 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
16384 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
16385 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
16386 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
16389 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
16390 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
16391 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
16392 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
16393 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
16394 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
16395 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
16396 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
16397 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
16401 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
16402 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
16403 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
16404 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
16405 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
16406 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
16407 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
16408 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
16409 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
16410 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
16411 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
16412 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
16413 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
16416 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
16418 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
16420 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
16421 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
16422 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
16423 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
16424 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
16425 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
16426 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
16427 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
16428 article. So that form can refer to
16429 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
16430 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
16431 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
16432 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
16435 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
16436 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
16437 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
16438 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
16439 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
16440 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
16441 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
16442 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
16443 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
16444 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
16445 contain extra copies of the articles.
16447 @item directory-files
16448 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
16449 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
16450 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
16451 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
16453 @item distrust-Lines:
16454 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
16455 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
16456 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
16459 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
16460 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
16461 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
16462 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
16463 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
16464 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
16467 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
16468 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
16469 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
16470 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
16471 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
16472 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
16473 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
16475 @item nov-cache-size
16476 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
16477 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
16478 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
16479 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
16480 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
16481 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
16482 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
16483 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
16484 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
16485 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
16486 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
16489 @subsubsection Article identification
16490 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
16491 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
16492 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
16493 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
16494 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
16495 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
16496 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
16497 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
16498 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
16499 request the article in the summary buffer.
16501 @subsubsection NOV data
16502 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
16503 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
16504 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
16505 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
16506 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
16507 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
16508 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
16509 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
16510 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
16511 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
16512 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
16514 @subsubsection Article marks
16515 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
16516 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
16517 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
16518 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
16519 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
16520 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
16521 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
16522 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
16524 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
16525 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
16526 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
16527 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
16528 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
16529 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
16530 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
16531 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
16532 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
16536 @subsubsection Mail Folders
16538 @cindex mbox folders
16539 @cindex mail folders
16541 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
16542 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
16543 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
16544 numbers and arrival dates.
16546 Virtual server settings:
16549 @item nnfolder-directory
16550 @vindex nnfolder-directory
16551 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
16552 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
16553 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
16555 @item nnfolder-active-file
16556 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
16557 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
16559 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16560 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16561 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16562 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
16564 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
16565 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16566 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
16567 default is @code{t}
16569 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16570 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16571 @cindex backup files
16572 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
16573 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
16574 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
16575 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
16578 (defun turn-off-backup ()
16579 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
16581 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
16584 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16585 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16586 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
16587 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
16588 extract some information from it before removing it.
16590 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16591 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16592 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16593 default is @code{nil}.
16595 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16596 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16597 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
16599 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
16600 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
16601 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
16602 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16607 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
16608 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
16609 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
16610 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
16611 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
16612 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
16615 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
16616 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
16618 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
16619 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
16620 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
16621 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
16622 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
16624 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
16625 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
16626 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
16627 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
16628 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
16629 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
16630 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
16631 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
16634 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
16635 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
16636 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
16637 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
16642 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-defined
16643 format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
16644 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
16645 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
16646 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
16647 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
16648 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
16649 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
16650 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
16651 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
16652 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
16653 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
16654 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
16659 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
16660 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
16661 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
16662 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
16663 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
16664 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
16665 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
16666 Rmail was Emacs's first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
16667 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
16668 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
16669 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
16670 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
16671 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
16672 course, and is still maintained within Emacs. Since Emacs 23, it
16673 uses standard mbox format rather than Babyl.
16675 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
16676 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
16681 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
16682 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
16683 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
16684 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
16685 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
16686 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
16687 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
16688 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
16689 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
16690 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
16691 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
16692 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
16693 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
16694 provided by the active file and overviews.
16696 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
16697 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
16698 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
16699 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
16700 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
16703 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
16704 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
16709 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
16710 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
16711 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
16712 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
16713 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
16714 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
16715 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
16719 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
16720 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
16721 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
16722 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
16723 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
16724 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
16725 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
16726 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
16727 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
16729 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
16730 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
16731 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
16732 friendly mail back end all over.
16736 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
16737 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
16740 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
16741 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
16742 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
16743 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
16744 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}.
16745 (Use @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this
16746 slows you down or takes up very much space, a non-block-structured
16749 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
16750 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
16751 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
16752 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
16753 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
16754 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
16755 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
16756 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
16757 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
16758 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
16759 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
16761 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
16762 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
16763 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
16764 else, and still have your marks.
16766 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
16767 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
16768 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
16769 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
16770 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
16771 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
16772 removed in the future.
16774 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
16775 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
16776 on your file system.
16778 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
16779 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
16784 @node Browsing the Web
16785 @section Browsing the Web
16787 @cindex browsing the web
16791 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
16792 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
16793 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
16794 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
16795 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
16796 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
16797 even know what a news group is.
16799 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
16800 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
16801 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
16802 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
16803 you mad in the end.
16805 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
16808 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
16809 interfaces to these sources.
16813 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
16814 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
16815 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
16818 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
16819 alternatives to work.
16821 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
16822 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
16823 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
16824 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
16825 though, you should be ok.
16827 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
16828 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
16829 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
16830 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
16831 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
16833 @node Archiving Mail
16834 @subsection Archiving Mail
16835 @cindex archiving mail
16836 @cindex backup of mail
16838 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
16839 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
16840 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
16841 marks is fairly simple.
16843 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
16844 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
16847 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
16848 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
16849 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
16850 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
16851 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
16852 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
16853 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
16854 before you restore the data.
16857 @subsection Web Searches
16862 @cindex Usenet searches
16863 @cindex searching the Usenet
16865 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
16866 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
16867 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
16868 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
16869 searches without having to use a browser.
16871 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
16872 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
16873 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
16874 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
16875 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
16877 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
16878 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
16879 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
16880 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
16881 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
16882 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
16883 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
16884 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
16885 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
16886 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
16889 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
16890 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
16891 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
16892 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
16893 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
16894 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
16896 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
16897 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
16898 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
16900 Virtual server variables:
16905 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
16906 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
16907 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
16910 @vindex nnweb-search
16911 The search string to feed to the search engine.
16913 @item nnweb-max-hits
16914 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
16915 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
16918 @item nnweb-type-definition
16919 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
16920 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
16921 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
16926 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
16930 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
16933 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
16936 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
16940 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
16951 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16952 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16953 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16954 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16955 changes to a wiki (e.g., @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16957 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16958 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16960 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16961 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16962 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16965 @kindex G R (Group)
16966 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
16967 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16968 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16969 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16971 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16972 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16973 subscribe to groups.
16975 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16976 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16977 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16978 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16979 variable or other. Also @xref{Non-ASCII Group Names}, for more
16982 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
16983 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
16984 and a @samp{text/html} part.
16987 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16988 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16991 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16992 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16996 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16997 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16998 @acronym{OPML} format.
17001 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
17004 @item nnrss-directory
17005 @vindex nnrss-directory
17006 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
17007 @file{~/News/rss/}.
17009 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
17010 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
17011 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
17012 data files. The default is the value of
17013 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
17014 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
17016 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17017 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
17018 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
17019 e.g., to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
17020 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
17021 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
17022 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
17023 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
17025 @item nnrss-use-local
17026 @vindex nnrss-use-local
17027 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
17028 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
17029 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
17030 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
17031 download script using @command{wget}.
17034 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
17035 the summary buffer.
17038 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
17039 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
17041 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
17043 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
17044 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
17047 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
17051 (require 'browse-url)
17053 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
17055 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
17058 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
17059 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
17062 (browse-url (cdr url))
17063 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
17064 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
17066 (eval-after-load "gnus"
17067 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
17068 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
17069 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
17072 Even if you have added @samp{text/html} to the
17073 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
17074 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
17075 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
17076 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
17077 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
17078 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
17079 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
17080 @code{nnrss} groups:
17083 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
17084 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
17086 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
17087 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
17088 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
17090 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
17093 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
17097 @node Customizing W3
17098 @subsection Customizing W3
17104 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
17105 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
17106 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
17109 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
17110 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
17111 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
17114 (eval-after-load "w3"
17116 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
17117 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
17118 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
17119 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
17121 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
17124 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
17125 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
17129 @node Other Sources
17130 @section Other Sources
17132 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17133 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17137 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17138 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17139 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17140 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17141 * The Empty Backend:: The backend that never has any news.
17145 @node Directory Groups
17146 @subsection Directory Groups
17148 @cindex directory groups
17150 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17151 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17154 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17155 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17156 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17157 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17159 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17160 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17161 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17162 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17163 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17165 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17167 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17168 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17169 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17170 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17173 @node Anything Groups
17174 @subsection Anything Groups
17177 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17178 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17179 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17182 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17183 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17184 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17185 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17186 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17187 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17188 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17189 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g., a C source file),
17190 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17191 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17194 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17195 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17196 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17197 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17199 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17200 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17201 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17202 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17204 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17205 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17206 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17207 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17208 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17209 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17210 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17211 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17216 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17217 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17218 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17219 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17221 @item nneething-exclude-files
17222 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17223 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17224 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17226 @item nneething-include-files
17227 @vindex nneething-include-files
17228 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17229 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17231 @item nneething-map-file
17232 @vindex nneething-map-file
17233 Name of the map files.
17237 @node Document Groups
17238 @subsection Document Groups
17240 @cindex documentation group
17243 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17244 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17254 The standard Unix mbox file.
17256 @cindex MMDF mail box
17258 The MMDF mail box format.
17261 Several news articles appended into a file.
17263 @cindex rnews batch files
17265 The rnews batch transport format.
17268 Netscape mail boxes.
17271 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17273 @item standard-digest
17274 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17277 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17279 @item lanl-gov-announce
17280 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17282 @cindex git commit messages
17284 @code{git} commit messages.
17286 @cindex forwarded messages
17287 @item rfc822-forward
17288 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17291 The Outlook mail box.
17294 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17297 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17300 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17303 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17309 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17312 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17318 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17319 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17320 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17323 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17324 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17325 group. And that's it.
17327 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17328 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17329 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17330 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17331 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17332 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17333 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17334 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17335 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17336 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17338 Virtual server variables:
17341 @item nndoc-article-type
17342 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17343 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17344 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17345 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17346 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17347 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17349 @item nndoc-post-type
17350 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17351 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17352 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17357 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17361 @node Document Server Internals
17362 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17364 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17365 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17366 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17367 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17369 First, here's an example document type definition:
17373 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17374 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17377 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17378 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17379 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17380 types can be defined with very few settings:
17383 @item first-article
17384 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17385 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17388 @item article-begin
17389 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17390 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17391 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17392 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17394 @item article-begin-function
17395 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17396 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17399 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17400 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17401 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17403 @item head-begin-function
17404 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17405 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17408 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17409 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17412 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17413 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17414 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17416 @item body-begin-function
17417 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17418 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17421 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17422 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17423 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17425 @item body-end-function
17426 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17427 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17430 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17431 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17434 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17435 regexp will be totally ignored.
17439 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17440 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17441 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17442 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17443 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17446 @item prepare-body-function
17447 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17448 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17449 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17451 @item article-transform-function
17452 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17453 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17454 body of the article.
17456 @item generate-head-function
17457 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17458 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17459 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17460 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17462 @item generate-article-function
17463 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17464 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17465 parameter when requesting all articles.
17467 @item dissection-function
17468 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17469 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17470 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17471 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17472 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17473 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17477 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17482 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17483 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17484 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17485 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17486 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17487 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17488 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17489 (subtype digest guess))
17492 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17493 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17494 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17495 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17496 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17498 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17499 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17500 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17501 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17502 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17503 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17504 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17505 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17506 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17507 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17508 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17509 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17512 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
17513 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
17514 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
17517 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
17518 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
17519 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
17521 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
17527 @item nngateway-address
17528 @vindex nngateway-address
17529 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
17531 @item nngateway-header-transformation
17532 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
17533 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
17534 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
17535 transformation should be called, and defaults to
17536 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
17537 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
17540 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
17541 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
17542 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
17545 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
17548 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
17551 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
17554 The following pre-defined functions exist:
17556 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17559 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
17560 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17561 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
17563 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17565 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
17566 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
17567 @code{nngateway-address}.
17575 (setq gnus-post-method
17577 "mail2news@@replay.com"
17578 (nngateway-header-transformation
17579 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
17582 So, to use this, simply say something like:
17585 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
17589 @node The Empty Backend
17590 @subsection The Empty Backend
17593 @code{nnnil} is a backend that can be used as a placeholder if you
17594 have to specify a backend somewhere, but don't really want to. The
17595 classical example is if you don't want to have a primary select
17596 methods, but want to only use secondary ones:
17599 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnnil ""))
17600 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
17606 @node Combined Groups
17607 @section Combined Groups
17609 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
17613 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
17617 @node Virtual Groups
17618 @subsection Virtual Groups
17620 @cindex virtual groups
17621 @cindex merging groups
17623 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
17626 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
17627 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
17628 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
17630 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
17631 regexp to match component groups.
17633 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
17634 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
17635 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
17636 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
17637 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
17638 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
17639 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
17640 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
17642 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
17643 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
17646 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
17649 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
17650 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
17652 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
17653 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
17654 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
17655 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
17658 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
17661 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
17662 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
17663 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
17665 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
17666 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
17667 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
17668 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
17669 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
17671 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
17672 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
17673 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
17675 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
17676 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
17677 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
17678 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
17679 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
17680 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
17681 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
17682 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
17683 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
17684 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
17685 it---it'll have much the same effect.
17687 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
17688 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
17689 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
17690 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
17691 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
17692 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
17693 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
17695 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
17696 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
17698 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
17699 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
17703 @node Email Based Diary
17704 @section Email Based Diary
17706 @cindex email based diary
17709 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
17710 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
17711 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
17712 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
17713 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
17714 namely, as event reminders.
17716 Here is a typical scenario:
17720 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
17721 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
17723 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
17725 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
17727 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
17728 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
17729 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
17731 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
17732 of the night you're gonna have.
17734 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
17735 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
17738 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
17739 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
17740 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
17741 explained in the sections below.
17744 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
17745 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
17746 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
17750 @node The NNDiary Back End
17751 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
17753 @cindex the nndiary back end
17755 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
17756 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
17757 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
17758 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
17759 directory per group.
17761 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
17762 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
17763 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
17764 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
17767 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
17768 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
17769 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
17772 @node Diary Messages
17773 @subsubsection Diary Messages
17774 @cindex nndiary messages
17775 @cindex nndiary mails
17777 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
17778 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
17779 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
17780 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
17781 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
17782 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
17783 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
17787 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
17788 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
17789 (separated by a comma).
17791 A field is either an integer, or a range.
17793 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
17795 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
17796 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
17797 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
17799 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
17800 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
17801 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
17803 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
17804 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
17805 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
17806 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
17807 list of available time zone values, see the variable
17808 @code{nndiary-headers}.
17811 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
17812 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
17813 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
17818 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
17821 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
17823 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
17826 @node Running NNDiary
17827 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
17828 @cindex running nndiary
17829 @cindex nndiary operation modes
17831 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
17832 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
17833 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
17834 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
17835 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
17836 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
17838 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
17839 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
17840 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
17841 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
17842 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
17843 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
17844 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
17847 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
17852 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
17853 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
17856 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
17859 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
17860 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
17861 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
17862 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
17863 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
17865 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
17866 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
17875 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
17876 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
17878 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
17879 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17880 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
17881 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
17884 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
17885 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
17886 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
17889 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
17890 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
17891 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
17893 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
17894 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
17895 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
17896 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
17897 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
17899 @node Customizing NNDiary
17900 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
17901 @cindex customizing nndiary
17902 @cindex nndiary customization
17904 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
17905 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
17906 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
17907 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
17909 @defvar nndiary-reminders
17910 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
17911 appointments (e.g., 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
17912 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
17913 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
17917 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
17918 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
17923 @node The Gnus Diary Library
17924 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
17926 @cindex the gnus diary library
17928 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
17929 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
17930 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
17931 useful things for you.
17933 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
17936 (require 'gnus-diary)
17939 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
17940 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
17941 (sorry if you used them before).
17945 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
17946 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
17947 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
17948 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
17951 @node Diary Summary Line Format
17952 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
17953 @cindex diary summary buffer line
17954 @cindex diary summary line format
17956 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
17957 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
17958 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
17959 see the event's date.
17961 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
17962 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
17963 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g., ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
17964 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximate remaining time until the
17965 next occurrence of the event (e.g., ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
17967 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
17968 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
17969 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
17972 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
17975 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
17976 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
17979 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
17982 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
17983 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
17984 with the following user options:
17986 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
17987 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
17988 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
17989 diary groups'parameters.
17992 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
17993 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
17994 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
17997 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
17998 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
17999 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18000 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18001 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18004 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18005 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18006 @cindex diary articles sorting
18007 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18008 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18009 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18010 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18012 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18013 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18014 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18015 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18016 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18018 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18019 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18020 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18021 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18024 @node Diary Headers Generation
18025 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18026 @cindex diary headers generation
18027 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18029 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18030 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18031 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18032 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18035 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18036 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18037 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c C-f d} in
18038 @code{message-mode} and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the
18039 process of converting a usual mail to a diary one.
18041 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18042 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18043 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18046 @node Diary Group Parameters
18047 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18048 @cindex diary group parameters
18050 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18051 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18052 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18053 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18054 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18055 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18056 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18057 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18059 @node Sending or Not Sending
18060 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18062 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
18063 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18067 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18068 messages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18069 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18070 sending the diary message to them as well.
18072 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18073 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18074 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18075 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18078 @node Gnus Unplugged
18079 @section Gnus Unplugged
18084 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18086 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18087 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18088 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18089 read news. Believe it or not.
18091 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18092 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18093 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18094 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18095 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18097 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18098 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18099 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18100 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18101 reading news on a machine.
18103 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18104 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18105 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18107 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18110 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18111 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18112 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18113 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18114 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18115 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18116 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18117 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18118 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18119 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18120 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18121 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18122 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18123 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18128 @subsection Agent Basics
18130 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18132 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18133 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18134 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18135 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18137 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18138 connected to the net continuously.
18140 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18141 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18143 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18144 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18145 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18146 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18147 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18149 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18150 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18151 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18152 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18153 they're kinda like plugged always).
18155 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18156 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18157 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18160 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18161 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18162 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18163 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18164 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18166 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18171 @findex gnus-unplugged
18172 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18173 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18174 already fetched while in this mode.
18177 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18178 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18179 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18180 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18181 Source Specifiers}).
18184 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18185 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18186 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18187 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18188 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18191 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18192 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18193 then you read the news offline.
18196 And then you go to step 2.
18199 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18205 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18206 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18207 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18208 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18209 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18210 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18211 no servers are agentized.
18214 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18215 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18216 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18217 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18219 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18220 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18221 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18222 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18223 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18224 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18228 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18232 @node Agent Categories
18233 @subsection Agent Categories
18235 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18236 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18237 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18238 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18239 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18240 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18241 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18243 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18244 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18245 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18246 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18247 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18249 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18250 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18251 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18252 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18253 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18256 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18257 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18258 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18259 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18260 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18261 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18265 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18266 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18267 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18271 @node Category Syntax
18272 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18274 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18275 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18276 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18279 @cindex Agent Parameters
18282 The list of groups that are in this category.
18284 @item agent-predicate
18285 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18286 are eligible for downloading; and
18289 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18290 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18291 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18293 @item agent-enable-expiration
18294 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18295 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18296 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18297 only groups that should not be expired.
18299 @item agent-days-until-old
18300 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18301 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18303 @item agent-low-score
18304 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18306 @item agent-high-score
18307 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18309 @item agent-short-article
18310 an integer that overrides the value of
18311 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18313 @item agent-long-article
18314 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18316 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18317 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18318 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18319 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18320 undownloaded faces.
18323 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
18326 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
18327 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
18328 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
18331 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
18332 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
18333 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
18334 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
18336 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
18337 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
18338 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
18340 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
18341 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
18342 operators sprinkled in between.
18344 Perhaps some examples are in order.
18346 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
18347 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
18353 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
18354 short (for some value of ``short'').
18356 Here's a more complex predicate:
18365 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
18366 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
18369 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
18370 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
18371 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
18373 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
18374 you want to do, you can write your own.
18376 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
18377 bound to the value determined by calling
18378 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
18379 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
18380 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
18381 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
18382 predicate to individual groups.
18386 True if the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
18387 lines; default 100.
18390 True if the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
18391 lines; default 200.
18394 True if the article has a download score less than
18395 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
18398 True if the article has a download score greater than
18399 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
18402 True if the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
18403 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
18404 checksum and sees whether articles match.
18413 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
18414 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
18415 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
18418 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
18419 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g., posted
18420 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
18421 something along the lines of the following:
18424 (defun my-article-old-p ()
18425 "Say whether an article is old."
18426 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
18427 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
18430 with the predicate then defined as:
18433 (not my-article-old-p)
18436 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
18437 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
18441 (require 'gnus-agent)
18442 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
18443 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
18444 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
18447 and simply specify your predicate as:
18453 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
18454 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
18455 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
18456 just don't give a damn.
18458 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
18459 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
18460 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
18461 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
18462 parameters like so:
18465 (agent-predicate . short)
18468 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
18469 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
18470 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
18472 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
18475 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
18478 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
18479 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
18480 predicate is assumed to be a list.
18483 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
18484 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
18485 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
18486 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
18487 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
18488 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
18490 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
18491 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
18492 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
18493 if it's to be specific to that group.
18495 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
18502 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
18503 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
18509 Category specification
18513 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18519 Group/Topic Parameter specification
18522 (agent-score ("from"
18523 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
18528 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
18534 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
18535 keywords stated above.
18541 Category specification
18544 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
18550 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
18554 Group Parameter specification
18557 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
18560 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
18565 Use @code{normal} score files
18567 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
18568 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
18569 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
18570 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
18572 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
18573 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
18574 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
18575 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
18579 Category Specification
18586 Group Parameter specification
18589 (agent-score . file)
18594 @node Category Buffer
18595 @subsubsection Category Buffer
18597 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
18598 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
18599 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
18601 The following commands are available in this buffer:
18605 @kindex q (Category)
18606 @findex gnus-category-exit
18607 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
18610 @kindex e (Category)
18611 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
18612 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
18613 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
18616 @kindex k (Category)
18617 @findex gnus-category-kill
18618 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
18621 @kindex c (Category)
18622 @findex gnus-category-copy
18623 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
18626 @kindex a (Category)
18627 @findex gnus-category-add
18628 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
18631 @kindex p (Category)
18632 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
18633 Edit the predicate of the current category
18634 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
18637 @kindex g (Category)
18638 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
18639 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
18640 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
18643 @kindex s (Category)
18644 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
18645 Edit the download score rule of the current category
18646 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
18649 @kindex l (Category)
18650 @findex gnus-category-list
18651 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
18655 @node Category Variables
18656 @subsubsection Category Variables
18659 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
18660 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
18661 Hook run in category buffers.
18663 @item gnus-category-line-format
18664 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
18665 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
18666 Variables}). Valid elements are:
18670 The name of the category.
18673 The number of groups in the category.
18676 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
18677 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
18678 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
18680 @item gnus-agent-short-article
18681 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
18682 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
18684 @item gnus-agent-long-article
18685 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
18686 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
18688 @item gnus-agent-low-score
18689 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
18690 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
18693 @item gnus-agent-high-score
18694 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
18695 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
18698 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
18699 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18700 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
18701 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
18702 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
18703 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
18704 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
18705 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
18709 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18710 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
18711 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
18712 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
18713 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
18714 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
18715 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
18720 @node Agent Commands
18721 @subsection Agent Commands
18722 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
18723 @kindex J j (Agent)
18725 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
18726 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
18727 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
18731 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
18732 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
18733 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
18739 @node Group Agent Commands
18740 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
18744 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
18745 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
18746 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
18747 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
18750 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
18751 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
18752 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
18755 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
18756 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
18757 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
18758 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
18761 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
18762 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
18763 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
18764 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
18767 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
18768 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
18769 Add the current group to an Agent category
18770 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
18771 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18774 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
18775 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
18776 Remove the current group from its category, if any
18777 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
18778 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18781 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
18782 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
18783 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
18789 @node Summary Agent Commands
18790 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
18794 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
18795 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
18796 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
18799 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
18800 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
18801 Remove the downloading mark from the article
18802 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
18806 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
18807 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
18808 Toggle whether to download the article
18809 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
18813 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
18814 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
18815 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
18818 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
18819 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
18820 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
18821 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
18824 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
18825 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
18826 Download all processable articles in this group.
18827 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
18830 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
18831 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
18832 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
18833 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
18838 @node Server Agent Commands
18839 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
18843 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
18844 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
18845 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
18846 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
18849 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
18850 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
18851 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
18852 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
18857 @node Agent Visuals
18858 @subsection Agent Visuals
18860 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
18861 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
18862 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
18863 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
18864 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
18865 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
18866 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
18867 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
18868 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
18869 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
18871 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
18872 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
18873 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
18874 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
18875 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
18876 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
18877 the download status of each article so that you always know which
18878 articles will be available when unplugged.
18880 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
18881 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
18882 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
18883 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
18884 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
18885 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
18886 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
18887 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
18889 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
18890 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
18891 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
18892 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
18893 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
18894 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
18895 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
18896 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
18897 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
18899 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
18900 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
18901 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
18902 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
18903 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
18904 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
18905 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
18906 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
18907 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
18908 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
18910 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
18911 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
18912 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
18913 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
18914 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
18915 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
18917 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
18918 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
18919 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
18920 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
18921 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
18922 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
18923 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
18924 expiring'' articles.
18926 @node Agent as Cache
18927 @subsection Agent as Cache
18929 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
18930 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
18931 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
18932 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
18933 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
18934 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
18935 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
18936 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
18937 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
18939 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
18940 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
18941 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
18942 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
18943 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
18946 @subsection Agent Expiry
18948 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
18949 @findex gnus-agent-expire
18950 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
18951 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
18952 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
18953 @cindex agent expiry
18954 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
18955 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
18957 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
18958 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
18959 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
18960 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
18961 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
18962 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
18963 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
18964 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
18966 Note that other functions might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you
18967 to keep the agent synchronized with the group.
18969 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
18970 prevent expiration in selected groups.
18972 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
18973 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
18974 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
18975 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
18976 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
18977 be kept indefinitely.
18979 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
18980 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
18981 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
18982 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
18984 @node Agent Regeneration
18985 @subsection Agent Regeneration
18987 @cindex agent regeneration
18988 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
18989 @cindex regeneration
18991 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
18992 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
18993 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
18994 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
18995 internal inconsistencies.
18997 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
18998 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
18999 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19000 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19001 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19002 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19004 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19005 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19006 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19007 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19008 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19009 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19011 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19012 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19013 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19014 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19015 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19016 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19019 @node Agent and flags
19020 @subsection Agent and flags
19022 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19023 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19024 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19025 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19026 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19027 to the flags in its own files.
19029 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19030 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19031 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19033 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19034 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19035 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19036 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19037 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19038 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19040 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19041 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19042 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19043 in the group buffer.
19045 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19046 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19047 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19048 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19049 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19050 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19051 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19052 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19054 @node Agent and IMAP
19055 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19057 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19058 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19059 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19060 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19062 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19063 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19068 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19071 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19075 @node Outgoing Messages
19076 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19078 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19079 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19080 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19082 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19083 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19084 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19086 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19087 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19088 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19089 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19092 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19093 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19094 ask you to confirm your action (see
19095 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19097 @node Agent Variables
19098 @subsection Agent Variables
19103 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19104 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19105 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19106 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19108 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19109 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19112 @item gnus-agent-directory
19113 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19114 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19115 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19117 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19118 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19119 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19120 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19121 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19124 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19125 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19126 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19128 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19129 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19130 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19132 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19133 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19134 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19136 @item gnus-agent-cache
19137 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19138 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19139 articles when plugged, e.g., essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19140 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19142 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19143 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19144 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19145 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19146 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19147 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19148 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19151 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19152 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19153 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19154 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19155 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19156 read. The default is @code{t}.
19158 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19159 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19160 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19161 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19162 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19163 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19164 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19166 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19167 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19168 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19169 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19170 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19171 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19172 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19173 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19174 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19175 over and over again.
19177 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19178 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19179 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19180 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19181 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19182 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19183 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19184 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19185 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19186 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19187 However, all articles parsed prior to losing the connection will be
19188 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19191 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19192 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19193 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19194 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19195 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19196 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19197 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19198 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19199 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19201 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19202 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19203 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19204 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19205 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19206 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19208 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19209 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19210 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19211 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19212 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19214 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19215 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19216 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19217 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19218 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19219 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19221 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19222 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19223 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19224 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19225 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19227 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19228 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19229 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19230 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19231 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19232 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19233 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19234 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19235 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19236 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19237 start Gnus. The default is @samp{nil}.
19242 @node Example Setup
19243 @subsection Example Setup
19245 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19246 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19247 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19250 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19251 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19252 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19254 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19255 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19256 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19258 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19259 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19261 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19262 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19263 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19266 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19267 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19270 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19271 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19272 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19273 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19274 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19277 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19278 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19279 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19280 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19281 back all the killed groups.)
19283 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19284 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19285 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19288 @node Batching Agents
19289 @subsection Batching Agents
19290 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19292 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19293 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19294 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19296 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19297 following incantation:
19301 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19305 @node Agent Caveats
19306 @subsection Agent Caveats
19308 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19309 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19313 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19315 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19316 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19317 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19319 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
19320 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
19322 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
19326 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
19327 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
19328 locally stored articles.
19335 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
19336 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
19337 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
19340 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
19341 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
19342 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
19343 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
19344 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
19346 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
19347 before generating the summary buffer.
19349 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
19350 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
19351 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
19353 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
19354 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
19355 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
19356 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
19359 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
19360 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
19361 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
19362 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
19363 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
19364 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
19365 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
19366 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
19367 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
19368 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
19369 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
19370 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
19371 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
19372 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
19373 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
19374 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
19378 @node Summary Score Commands
19379 @section Summary Score Commands
19380 @cindex score commands
19382 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
19383 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
19384 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
19385 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
19386 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
19388 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
19389 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
19390 some other score file (e.g., @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
19391 score file the current one.
19393 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
19398 @kindex V s (Summary)
19399 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
19400 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
19403 @kindex V S (Summary)
19404 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
19405 Display the score of the current article
19406 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
19409 @kindex V t (Summary)
19410 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
19411 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
19412 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
19413 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
19414 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
19415 score file and edit it.
19418 @kindex V w (Summary)
19419 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
19420 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
19423 @kindex V R (Summary)
19424 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
19425 Run the current summary through the scoring process
19426 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
19427 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
19428 effect you're having.
19431 @kindex V c (Summary)
19432 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
19433 Make a different score file the current
19434 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
19437 @kindex V e (Summary)
19438 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
19439 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
19440 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
19444 @kindex V f (Summary)
19445 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
19446 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
19447 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
19450 @kindex V F (Summary)
19451 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19452 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
19453 after editing score files.
19456 @kindex V C (Summary)
19457 @findex gnus-score-customize
19458 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
19459 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
19463 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
19468 @kindex V m (Summary)
19469 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
19470 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
19471 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
19474 @kindex V x (Summary)
19475 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
19476 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
19477 expunge all articles below this score
19478 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
19481 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
19482 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
19485 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
19486 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
19490 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
19491 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
19493 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
19494 keys are available:
19498 Score on the author name.
19501 Score on the subject line.
19504 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
19507 Score on the @code{References} line.
19513 Score on the number of lines.
19516 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
19519 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
19520 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
19523 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
19524 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
19525 @file{ADAPT} files.)
19534 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
19540 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
19541 what headers you are scoring on.
19553 Substring matching.
19556 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
19585 Greater than number.
19590 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
19591 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
19592 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
19597 Temporary score entry.
19600 Permanent score entry.
19603 Immediately scoring.
19607 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
19608 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
19609 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
19613 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
19614 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
19615 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
19616 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
19618 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
19619 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
19620 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
19621 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
19622 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
19624 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
19625 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
19626 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
19627 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
19628 current score file.
19630 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
19631 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
19632 pretend they are keymaps or not.
19635 @node Group Score Commands
19636 @section Group Score Commands
19637 @cindex group score commands
19639 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
19644 @kindex W e (Group)
19645 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
19646 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
19647 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
19650 @kindex W f (Group)
19651 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
19652 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
19653 all the time. This command will flush the cache
19654 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
19658 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
19660 @findex gnus-batch-score
19661 @cindex batch scoring
19663 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
19667 @node Score Variables
19668 @section Score Variables
19669 @cindex score variables
19673 @item gnus-use-scoring
19674 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
19675 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
19676 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
19678 @item gnus-kill-killed
19679 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
19680 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
19681 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
19682 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
19683 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
19684 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
19685 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
19687 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
19688 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
19689 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
19690 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
19691 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
19693 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
19694 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
19695 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
19696 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
19698 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19699 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
19700 @cindex score cache
19701 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
19702 score files. However, this might make your Emacs grow big and
19703 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
19704 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
19705 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
19706 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
19707 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
19710 @item gnus-save-score
19711 @vindex gnus-save-score
19712 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
19713 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
19714 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
19716 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
19717 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
19718 across group visits.
19720 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19721 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
19722 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
19723 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
19724 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
19725 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
19726 manually entered data.
19728 @item gnus-summary-default-score
19729 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
19730 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
19732 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
19733 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
19734 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
19735 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
19736 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
19737 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
19739 @item gnus-score-over-mark
19740 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
19741 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
19742 default. Default is @samp{+}.
19744 @item gnus-score-below-mark
19745 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
19746 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
19747 default. Default is @samp{-}.
19749 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19750 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
19751 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
19752 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
19754 Predefined functions available are:
19757 @item gnus-score-find-single
19758 @findex gnus-score-find-single
19759 Only apply the group's own score file.
19761 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
19762 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
19763 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
19764 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
19765 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
19766 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
19767 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
19768 then a regexp match is done.
19770 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
19771 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
19773 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
19774 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
19775 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
19776 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
19778 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19779 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
19780 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
19781 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
19782 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
19786 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
19787 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
19788 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
19789 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
19790 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
19791 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
19792 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
19795 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
19796 overall score file, you could use the value
19798 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
19799 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
19802 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
19803 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
19804 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
19805 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
19806 are expired. It's 7 by default.
19808 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19809 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
19810 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
19811 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
19812 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
19813 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
19814 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
19815 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
19817 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19818 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
19819 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
19821 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
19822 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
19823 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
19824 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
19825 threading---according to the current value of
19826 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
19827 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
19828 simplified in this manner.
19833 @node Score File Format
19834 @section Score File Format
19835 @cindex score file format
19837 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
19838 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
19839 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
19841 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
19845 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
19847 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
19849 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
19851 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
19856 (mark-and-expunge -10)
19860 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
19861 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
19862 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
19863 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
19867 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
19868 Scoring}, for a different approach.
19870 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
19871 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
19872 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
19874 Six keys are supported by this alist:
19879 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
19880 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
19881 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
19882 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
19883 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
19884 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
19885 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
19886 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
19887 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
19888 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
19889 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
19890 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
19891 to articles that matches these score entries.
19893 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
19894 score entry has one to four elements.
19898 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
19899 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
19903 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
19904 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
19905 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
19906 is successful. If this element is not present, the
19907 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
19908 instead. This is 1000 by default.
19911 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
19912 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
19913 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
19914 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
19915 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
19918 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
19919 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
19920 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
19921 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
19924 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
19925 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
19926 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
19927 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
19928 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
19929 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
19930 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
19931 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
19932 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
19933 instead, if you feel like.
19936 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
19937 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
19938 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
19939 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
19940 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
19941 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
19945 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
19946 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
19950 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
19951 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
19953 These predicates are true if
19956 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
19959 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
19960 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
19967 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
19968 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
19969 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
19970 it's not. I think.)
19972 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
19973 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
19974 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
19975 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
19978 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
19979 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
19980 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
19981 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
19982 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
19983 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
19984 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
19988 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
19989 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
19990 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
19991 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
19992 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
19993 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
19994 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
19995 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
19998 @item Head, Body, All
19999 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20003 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20004 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20005 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20006 you to increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20007 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20008 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20009 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20013 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20014 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20015 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20016 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20017 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20018 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20019 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20020 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20021 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20022 nondeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20023 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20027 @cindex score file atoms
20029 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20030 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20033 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20034 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20036 @item mark-and-expunge
20037 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20038 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20041 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20042 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20043 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20044 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20045 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20048 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20049 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20052 @item exclude-files
20053 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20054 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20058 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}ed. This element will be
20059 ignored when handling global score files.
20062 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20063 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20064 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20065 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20068 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20069 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20070 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20071 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20073 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20077 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20080 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20081 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20082 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{c y}) the
20083 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20084 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20086 I.e., the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20087 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20088 scoring rules exist.
20091 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20092 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20093 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20094 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20095 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20096 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20097 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20098 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20099 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20100 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20101 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20105 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20106 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20107 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20108 file for a number of groups.
20111 @cindex local variables
20112 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20113 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20114 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20115 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20116 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20121 @node Score File Editing
20122 @section Score File Editing
20124 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20125 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20126 with a mode for that.
20128 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20129 additional commands:
20134 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20135 @findex gnus-score-edit-exit
20136 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20137 (@code{gnus-score-edit-exit}).
20140 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20141 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20142 Insert the current date in numerical format
20143 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20144 you were wondering.
20147 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20148 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20149 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20150 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20151 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20156 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20158 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20159 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20161 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20162 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20165 @node Adaptive Scoring
20166 @section Adaptive Scoring
20167 @cindex adaptive scoring
20169 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20170 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20171 stupidity, to be precise.
20173 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20174 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20175 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20176 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20177 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20178 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20179 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20180 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20181 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20183 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20184 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20185 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20186 might look something like this:
20189 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20190 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20191 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20192 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20193 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20194 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20195 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20196 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20197 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20198 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20199 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20200 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20203 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20204 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20205 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20206 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20207 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20208 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20211 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20212 will be applied to each article.
20214 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20215 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20216 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20217 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20219 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20220 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20221 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20222 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20224 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20225 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20226 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20227 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20229 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20230 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20231 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20232 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20233 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20234 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20236 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20237 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20238 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20240 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20241 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20242 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20244 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20245 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20246 let you use different rules in different groups.
20248 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20249 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20250 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20253 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20254 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20255 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20256 default) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20258 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20259 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20260 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20261 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20262 the length of the match is less than
20263 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20264 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20267 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20268 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20269 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20270 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20271 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20274 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20275 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20276 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20277 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20278 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20281 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20282 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20283 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20284 score with 30 points.
20286 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20287 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20288 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20289 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20290 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20292 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20293 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20294 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20295 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20296 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20298 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20299 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20300 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20301 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20303 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20304 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20305 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20306 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20308 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20309 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20310 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20311 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20312 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20314 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20315 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20316 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20318 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20319 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
20320 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
20321 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
20324 @node Home Score File
20325 @section Home Score File
20327 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
20328 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
20329 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
20330 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
20332 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
20333 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
20334 could perhaps use the same home score file.
20336 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
20337 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
20342 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
20346 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
20347 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
20351 A list. The elements in this list can be:
20355 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
20356 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
20359 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
20360 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
20361 name of the group as the parameter.
20364 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
20367 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
20372 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
20375 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20376 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
20379 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
20380 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
20382 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
20384 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20385 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
20388 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
20389 Other functions include
20392 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
20393 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
20394 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
20395 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
20399 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
20400 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
20401 their own home score files:
20404 (setq gnus-home-score-file
20405 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
20406 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
20407 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
20408 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
20411 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
20412 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
20413 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
20414 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
20415 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
20417 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
20418 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
20419 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
20420 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
20421 precedence over this variable.
20424 @node Followups To Yourself
20425 @section Followups To Yourself
20427 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
20428 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
20429 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
20430 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
20431 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
20432 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
20436 @item gnus-score-followup-article
20437 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
20438 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
20441 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
20442 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
20443 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
20447 @vindex message-sent-hook
20448 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
20449 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
20451 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
20455 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
20456 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
20460 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20461 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
20464 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
20465 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
20470 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
20474 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
20475 is system-dependent.
20478 @node Scoring On Other Headers
20479 @section Scoring On Other Headers
20480 @cindex scoring on other headers
20482 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
20483 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
20484 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
20485 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
20486 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
20488 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
20489 You can inhibit this slow scoring on headers or body by setting the
20490 variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
20491 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
20492 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
20493 inhibited for all groups.
20495 Now, there's not much you can do about the slowness for news groups, but for
20496 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
20497 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
20498 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
20499 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
20501 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
20504 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
20505 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
20508 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
20509 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
20510 time if you have much mail.
20512 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
20513 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
20519 @section Scoring Tips
20520 @cindex scoring tips
20526 @cindex scoring crossposts
20527 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
20528 the @code{Xref} header.
20530 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
20533 @item Multiple crossposts
20534 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
20535 more than, say, 3 groups:
20538 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
20542 @item Matching on the body
20543 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
20544 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
20545 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
20546 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
20547 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
20548 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
20549 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
20552 @item Marking as read
20553 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
20554 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
20555 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
20559 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
20561 @item Negated character classes
20562 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
20563 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
20564 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
20568 @node Reverse Scoring
20569 @section Reverse Scoring
20570 @cindex reverse scoring
20572 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
20573 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
20574 like this in your score file:
20578 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
20583 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
20584 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
20587 @node Global Score Files
20588 @section Global Score Files
20589 @cindex global score files
20591 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
20592 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
20593 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
20595 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
20596 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
20597 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
20599 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
20600 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
20601 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
20602 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
20603 files are applicable to which group.
20605 To use the score file
20606 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
20607 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
20611 (setq gnus-global-score-files
20612 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
20613 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
20616 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
20618 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
20619 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
20620 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
20621 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
20623 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
20624 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
20626 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
20627 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
20628 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
20629 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
20630 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
20631 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
20633 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
20639 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
20641 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
20643 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
20645 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
20646 lowered out of existence.
20648 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
20649 articles completely.
20652 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
20653 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
20654 old articles for a long time.
20657 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
20658 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
20659 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
20660 holding our breath yet?
20664 @section Kill Files
20667 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
20668 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
20669 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
20671 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
20672 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
20673 files into score files.
20675 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
20676 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
20677 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
20678 that isn't a very good idea.
20680 Normal kill files look like this:
20683 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20684 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
20688 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
20689 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
20691 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
20692 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
20695 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
20700 @kindex M-k (Summary)
20701 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
20702 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
20705 @kindex M-K (Summary)
20706 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
20707 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
20710 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
20715 @kindex M-k (Group)
20716 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
20717 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
20720 @kindex M-K (Group)
20721 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
20722 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
20725 Kill file variables:
20728 @item gnus-kill-file-name
20729 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
20730 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
20731 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
20732 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
20733 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
20734 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
20736 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20737 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
20738 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
20739 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
20742 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
20743 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
20744 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
20745 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
20746 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
20747 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
20748 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
20749 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
20750 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
20752 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20753 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
20754 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
20759 @node Converting Kill Files
20760 @section Converting Kill Files
20762 @cindex converting kill files
20764 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
20765 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
20766 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
20769 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Emacs by default.
20770 You can fetch it from the contrib directory of the Gnus distribution or
20772 @uref{http://heim.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
20774 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
20775 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
20776 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
20780 @node Advanced Scoring
20781 @section Advanced Scoring
20783 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
20784 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
20785 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
20786 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
20787 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
20789 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
20793 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
20794 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
20795 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
20799 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
20800 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
20802 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
20803 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
20804 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
20805 non-@code{nil} value.
20807 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
20808 operator, and various match operators.
20815 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20816 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
20817 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
20822 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
20823 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
20824 then this operator will return @code{false}.
20829 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
20830 logical negation of the value of its argument.
20834 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
20835 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
20836 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
20837 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
20838 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
20839 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
20840 the ancestry you want to go.
20842 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
20843 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
20844 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
20845 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
20846 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
20849 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
20850 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
20852 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
20853 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
20856 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
20857 when he's talking about Gnus:
20862 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20863 ("subject" "Gnus"))
20870 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
20874 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20881 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
20882 really don't want to read what he's written:
20886 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
20887 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
20891 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
20892 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
20893 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
20900 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
20901 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
20902 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
20903 ("body" "white.*socks"))
20907 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
20908 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
20909 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
20910 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
20913 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20915 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
20919 The possibilities are endless.
20921 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
20922 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
20924 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
20925 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
20926 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
20927 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
20928 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
20929 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
20930 @samp{subject}) first.
20932 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
20933 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
20944 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
20945 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
20951 ("subject" "Gnus")))
20958 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
20959 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
20964 @section Score Decays
20965 @cindex score decays
20968 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
20969 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
20970 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
20971 use them in any sensible way.
20973 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
20974 @findex gnus-decay-score
20975 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
20976 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
20977 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
20978 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
20979 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
20980 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
20981 regexp are treated. E.g., you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
20982 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
20983 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
20984 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
20988 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
20989 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
20990 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
20992 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
20994 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
20996 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
20997 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
20998 ;; XEmacs's floor can handle only the floating point
20999 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21000 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21002 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21006 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21007 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21008 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21009 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21013 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21016 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21019 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21023 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21024 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21025 the new score, which should be an integer.
21027 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21028 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21034 FIXME: Add a brief overview of Gnus search capabilities. A brief
21035 comparison of nnir, nnmairix, contrib/gnus-namazu would be nice
21038 This chapter describes tools for searching groups and servers for
21039 articles matching a query and then retrieving those articles. Gnus
21040 provides a simpler mechanism for searching through articles in a summary buffer
21041 to find those matching a pattern. @xref{Searching for Articles}.
21044 * nnir:: Searching with various engines.
21045 * nnmairix:: Searching with Mairix.
21052 This section describes how to use @code{nnir} to search for articles
21056 * What is nnir?:: What does @code{nnir} do?
21057 * Basic Usage:: How to perform simple searches.
21058 * Setting up nnir:: How to set up @code{nnir}.
21061 @node What is nnir?
21062 @subsection What is nnir?
21064 @code{nnir} is a Gnus interface to a number of tools for searching
21065 through mail and news repositories. Different backends (like
21066 @code{nnimap} and @code{nntp}) work with different tools (called
21067 @dfn{engines} in @code{nnir} lingo), but all use the same basic search
21070 The @code{nnimap} and @code{gmane} search engines should work with no
21071 configuration. Other engines require a local index that needs to be
21072 created and maintained outside of Gnus.
21076 @subsection Basic Usage
21078 In the group buffer typing @kbd{G G} will search the group on the
21079 current line by calling @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. This prompts
21080 for a query string, creates an ephemeral @code{nnir} group containing
21081 the articles that match this query, and takes you to a summary buffer
21082 showing these articles. Articles may then be read, moved and deleted
21083 using the usual commands.
21085 The @code{nnir} group made in this way is an @code{ephemeral} group, and
21086 some changes are not permanent: aside from reading, moving, and
21087 deleting, you can't act on the original article. But there is an
21088 alternative: you can @emph{warp} to the original group for the article
21089 on the current line with @kbd{A W}, aka
21090 @code{gnus-warp-to-article}. Even better, the function
21091 @code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}, bound by default in summary buffers to
21092 @kbd{A T}, will first warp to the original group before it works its
21093 magic and includes all the articles in the thread. From here you can
21094 read, move and delete articles, but also copy them, alter article marks,
21097 You say you want to search more than just the group on the current line?
21098 No problem: just process-mark the groups you want to search. You want
21099 even more? Calling for an nnir search with the cursor on a topic heading
21100 will search all the groups under that heading.
21102 Still not enough? OK, in the server buffer
21103 @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group} (now bound to @kbd{G}) will search all
21104 groups from the server on the current line. Too much? Want to ignore
21105 certain groups when searching, like spam groups? Just customize
21106 @code{nnir-ignored-newsgroups}.
21108 One more thing: individual search engines may have special search
21109 features. You can access these special features by giving a prefix-arg
21110 to @code{gnus-group-make-nnir-group}. If you are searching multiple
21111 groups with different search engines you will be prompted for the
21112 special search features for each engine separately.
21115 @node Setting up nnir
21116 @subsection Setting up nnir
21118 To set up nnir you may need to do some prep work. Firstly, you may need
21119 to configure the search engines you plan to use. Some of them, like
21120 @code{imap} and @code{gmane}, need no special configuration. Others,
21121 like @code{namazu} and @code{swish}, require configuration as described
21122 below. Secondly, you need to associate a search engine with a server or
21125 If you just want to use the @code{imap} engine to search @code{nnimap}
21126 servers, and the @code{gmane} engine to search @code{gmane} then you
21127 don't have to do anything. But you might want to read the details of the
21128 query language anyway.
21131 * Associating Engines:: How to associate engines.
21132 * The imap Engine:: Imap configuration and usage.
21133 * The gmane Engine:: Gmane configuration and usage.
21134 * The swish++ Engine:: Swish++ configuration and usage.
21135 * The swish-e Engine:: Swish-e configuration and usage.
21136 * The namazu Engine:: Namazu configuration and usage.
21137 * The hyrex Engine:: Hyrex configuration and usage.
21138 * Customizations:: User customizable settings.
21141 @node Associating Engines
21142 @subsubsection Associating Engines
21145 When searching a group, @code{nnir} needs to know which search engine to
21146 use. You can configure a given server to use a particular engine by
21147 setting the server variable @code{nnir-search-engine} to the engine
21148 name. For example to use the @code{namazu} engine to search the server
21149 named @code{home} you can use
21152 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
21154 (nnimap-address "localhost")
21155 (nnir-search-engine namazu))))
21158 Alternatively you might want to use a particular engine for all servers
21159 with a given backend. For example, you might want to use the @code{imap}
21160 engine for all servers using the @code{nnimap} backend. In this case you
21161 can customize the variable @code{nnir-method-default-engines}. This is
21162 an alist of pairs of the form @code{(backend . engine)}. By default this
21163 variable is set to use the @code{imap} engine for all servers using the
21164 @code{nnimap} backend, and the @code{gmane} backend for @code{nntp}
21165 servers. (Don't worry, the @code{gmane} search engine won't actually try
21166 to search non-gmane @code{nntp} servers.) But if you wanted to use
21167 @code{namazu} for all your servers with an @code{nnimap} backend you
21168 could change this to
21171 '((nnimap . namazu)
21175 @node The imap Engine
21176 @subsubsection The imap Engine
21178 The @code{imap} engine requires no configuration.
21180 Queries using the @code{imap} engine follow a simple query language.
21181 The search is always case-insensitive and supports the following
21182 features (inspired by the Google search input language):
21186 @item Boolean query operators
21187 AND, OR, and NOT are supported, and parentheses can be used to control
21188 operator precedence, e.g., (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux. Note that
21189 operators must be written with all capital letters to be
21190 recognized. Also preceding a term with a @minus{} sign is equivalent to NOT
21193 @item Automatic AND queries
21194 If you specify multiple words then they will be treated as an AND
21195 expression intended to match all components.
21197 @item Phrase searches
21198 If you wrap your query in double-quotes then it will be treated as a
21203 By default the whole message will be searched. The query can be limited
21204 to a specific part of a message by using a prefix-arg. After inputting
21205 the query this will prompt (with completion) for a message part.
21206 Choices include ``Whole message'', ``Subject'', ``From'', and
21207 ``To''. Any unrecognized input is interpreted as a header name. For
21208 example, typing @kbd{Message-ID} in response to this prompt will limit
21209 the query to the Message-ID header.
21211 Finally selecting ``Imap'' will interpret the query as a raw
21212 @acronym{IMAP} search query. The format of such queries can be found in
21215 If you don't like the default of searching whole messages you can
21216 customize @code{nnir-imap-default-search-key}. For example to use
21217 @acronym{IMAP} queries by default
21220 (setq nnir-imap-default-search-key "Imap")
21223 @node The gmane Engine
21224 @subsubsection The gmane Engine
21226 The @code{gmane} engine requires no configuration.
21228 Gmane queries follow a simple query language:
21231 @item Boolean query operators
21232 AND, OR, NOT (or AND NOT), and XOR are supported, and brackets can be
21233 used to control operator precedence, e.g., (emacs OR xemacs) AND linux.
21234 Note that operators must be written with all capital letters to be
21237 @item Required and excluded terms
21238 + and @minus{} can be used to require or exclude terms, e.g., football
21241 @item Unicode handling
21242 The search engine converts all text to utf-8, so searching should work
21246 Common English words (like 'the' and 'a') are ignored by default. You
21247 can override this by prefixing such words with a + (e.g., +the) or
21248 enclosing the word in quotes (e.g., "the").
21252 The query can be limited to articles by a specific author using a
21253 prefix-arg. After inputting the query this will prompt for an author
21254 name (or part of a name) to match.
21256 @node The swish++ Engine
21257 @subsubsection The swish++ Engine
21259 FIXME: Say something more here.
21261 Documentation for swish++ may be found at the swish++ sourceforge page:
21262 @uref{http://swishplusplus.sourceforge.net}
21266 @item nnir-swish++-program
21267 The name of the swish++ executable. Defaults to @code{search}
21269 @item nnir-swish++-additional-switches
21270 A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
21271 swish++. @code{nil} by default.
21273 @item nnir-swish++-remove-prefix
21274 The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish++ in order
21275 to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
21279 @node The swish-e Engine
21280 @subsubsection The swish-e Engine
21282 FIXME: Say something more here.
21284 Documentation for swish-e may be found at the swish-e homepage
21285 @uref{http://swish-e.org}
21289 @item nnir-swish-e-program
21290 The name of the swish-e search program. Defaults to @code{swish-e}.
21292 @item nnir-swish-e-additional-switches
21293 A list of strings to be given as additional arguments to
21294 swish-e. @code{nil} by default.
21296 @item nnir-swish-e-remove-prefix
21297 The prefix to remove from each file name returned by swish-e in order
21298 to get a group name. By default this is @code{$HOME/Mail}.
21302 @node The namazu Engine
21303 @subsubsection The namazu Engine
21305 Using the namazu engine requires creating and maintaining index files.
21306 One directory should contain all the index files, and nnir must be told
21307 where to find them by setting the @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory}
21310 To work correctly the @code{nnir-namazu-remove-prefix} variable must
21311 also be correct. This is the prefix to remove from each file name
21312 returned by Namazu in order to get a proper group name (albeit with `/'
21315 For example, suppose that Namazu returns file names such as
21316 @samp{/home/john/Mail/mail/misc/42}. For this example, use the
21317 following setting: @code{(setq nnir-namazu-remove-prefix
21318 "/home/john/Mail/")} Note the trailing slash. Removing this prefix from
21319 the directory gives @samp{mail/misc/42}. @code{nnir} knows to remove
21320 the @samp{/42} and to replace @samp{/} with @samp{.} to arrive at the
21321 correct group name @samp{mail.misc}.
21323 Extra switches may be passed to the namazu search command by setting the
21324 variable @code{nnir-namazu-additional-switches}. It is particularly
21325 important not to pass any any switches to namazu that will change the
21326 output format. Good switches to use include `--sort', `--ascending',
21327 `--early' and `--late'. Refer to the Namazu documentation for further
21328 information on valid switches.
21330 Mail must first be indexed with the `mknmz' program. Read the documentation
21331 for namazu to create a configuration file. Here is an example:
21335 package conf; # Don't remove this line!
21337 # Paths which will not be indexed. Don't use `^' or `$' anchors.
21338 $EXCLUDE_PATH = "spam|sent";
21340 # Header fields which should be searchable. case-insensitive
21341 $REMAIN_HEADER = "from|date|message-id|subject";
21343 # Searchable fields. case-insensitive
21344 $SEARCH_FIELD = "from|date|message-id|subject";
21346 # The max length of a word.
21347 $WORD_LENG_MAX = 128;
21349 # The max length of a field.
21350 $MAX_FIELD_LENGTH = 256;
21354 For this example, mail is stored in the directories @samp{~/Mail/mail/},
21355 @samp{~/Mail/lists/} and @samp{~/Mail/archive/}, so to index them go to
21356 the index directory set in @code{nnir-namazu-index-directory} and issue
21357 the following command:
21360 mknmz --mailnews ~/Mail/archive/ ~/Mail/mail/ ~/Mail/lists/
21363 For maximum searching efficiency you might want to have a cron job run
21364 this command periodically, say every four hours.
21366 @node The hyrex Engine
21367 @subsubsection The hyrex Engine
21368 This engine is obsolete.
21370 @node Customizations
21371 @subsubsection Customizations
21375 @item nnir-method-default-engines
21376 Alist of pairs of server backends and search engines. The default associations
21383 @item nnir-ignored-newsgroups
21384 A regexp to match newsgroups in the active file that should be skipped
21385 when searching all groups on a server.
21387 @item nnir-summary-line-format
21388 The format specification to be used for lines in an nnir summary buffer.
21389 All the items from `gnus-summary-line-format' are available, along with
21390 three items unique to nnir summary buffers:
21393 %Z Search retrieval score value (integer)
21394 %G Article original full group name (string)
21395 %g Article original short group name (string)
21398 If nil (the default) this will use @code{gnus-summary-line-format}.
21400 @item nnir-retrieve-headers-override-function
21401 If non-nil, a function that retrieves article headers rather than using
21402 the gnus built-in function. This function takes an article list and
21403 group as arguments and populates the `nntp-server-buffer' with the
21404 retrieved headers. It should then return either 'nov or 'headers
21405 indicating the retrieved header format. Failure to retrieve headers
21406 should return @code{nil}
21408 If this variable is nil, or if the provided function returns nil for a
21409 search result, @code{gnus-retrieve-headers} will be called instead."
21420 This paragraph describes how to set up mairix and the back end
21421 @code{nnmairix} for indexing and searching your mail from within
21422 Gnus. Additionally, you can create permanent ``smart'' groups which are
21423 bound to mairix searches and are automatically updated.
21426 * About mairix:: About the mairix mail search engine
21427 * nnmairix requirements:: What you will need for using nnmairix
21428 * What nnmairix does:: What does nnmairix actually do?
21429 * Setting up mairix:: Set up your mairix installation
21430 * Configuring nnmairix:: Set up the nnmairix back end
21431 * nnmairix keyboard shortcuts:: List of available keyboard shortcuts
21432 * Propagating marks:: How to propagate marks from nnmairix groups
21433 * nnmairix tips and tricks:: Some tips, tricks and examples
21434 * nnmairix caveats:: Some more stuff you might want to know
21437 @c FIXME: The markup in this section might need improvement.
21438 @c E.g., adding @samp, @var, @file, @command, etc.
21439 @c Cf. (info "(texinfo)Indicating")
21442 @subsection About mairix
21444 Mairix is a tool for indexing and searching words in locally stored
21445 mail. It was written by Richard Curnow and is licensed under the
21446 GPL@. Mairix comes with most popular GNU/Linux distributions, but it also
21447 runs under Windows (with cygwin), Mac OS X and Solaris. The homepage can
21449 @uref{http://www.rpcurnow.force9.co.uk/mairix/index.html}
21451 Though mairix might not be as flexible as other search tools like
21452 swish++ or namazu, which you can use via the @code{nnir} back end, it
21453 has the prime advantage of being incredibly fast. On current systems, it
21454 can easily search through headers and message bodies of thousands and
21455 thousands of mails in well under a second. Building the database
21456 necessary for searching might take a minute or two, but only has to be
21457 done once fully. Afterwards, the updates are done incrementally and
21458 therefore are really fast, too. Additionally, mairix is very easy to set
21461 For maximum speed though, mairix should be used with mails stored in
21462 @code{Maildir} or @code{MH} format (this includes the @code{nnml} back
21463 end), although it also works with mbox. Mairix presents the search
21464 results by populating a @emph{virtual} maildir/MH folder with symlinks
21465 which point to the ``real'' message files (if mbox is used, copies are
21466 made). Since mairix already presents search results in such a virtual
21467 mail folder, it is very well suited for using it as an external program
21468 for creating @emph{smart} mail folders, which represent certain mail
21471 @node nnmairix requirements
21472 @subsection nnmairix requirements
21474 Mairix searches local mail---that means, mairix absolutely must have
21475 direct access to your mail folders. If your mail resides on another
21476 server (e.g., an @acronym{IMAP} server) and you happen to have shell
21477 access, @code{nnmairix} supports running mairix remotely, e.g., via ssh.
21479 Additionally, @code{nnmairix} only supports the following Gnus back
21480 ends: @code{nnml}, @code{nnmaildir}, and @code{nnimap}. You must use
21481 one of these back ends for using @code{nnmairix}. Other back ends, like
21482 @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnfolder} or @code{nnmh}, won't work.
21484 If you absolutely must use mbox and still want to use @code{nnmairix},
21485 you can set up a local @acronym{IMAP} server, which you then access via
21486 @code{nnimap}. This is a rather massive setup for accessing some mbox
21487 files, so just change to MH or Maildir already... However, if you're
21488 really, really passionate about using mbox, you might want to look into
21489 the package @file{mairix.el}, which comes with Emacs 23.
21491 @node What nnmairix does
21492 @subsection What nnmairix does
21494 The back end @code{nnmairix} enables you to call mairix from within Gnus,
21495 either to query mairix with a search term or to update the
21496 database. While visiting a message in the summary buffer, you can use
21497 several pre-defined shortcuts for calling mairix, e.g., to quickly
21498 search for all mails from the sender of the current message or to
21499 display the whole thread associated with the message, even if the
21500 mails are in different folders.
21502 Additionally, you can create permanent @code{nnmairix} groups which are bound
21503 to certain mairix searches. This way, you can easily create a group
21504 containing mails from a certain sender, with a certain subject line or
21505 even for one specific thread based on the Message-ID@. If you check for
21506 new mail in these folders (e.g., by pressing @kbd{g} or @kbd{M-g}), they
21507 automatically update themselves by calling mairix.
21509 You might ask why you need @code{nnmairix} at all, since mairix already
21510 creates the group, populates it with links to the mails so that you can
21511 then access it with Gnus, right? Well, this @emph{might} work, but often
21512 does not---at least not without problems. Most probably you will get
21513 strange article counts, and sometimes you might see mails which Gnus
21514 claims have already been canceled and are inaccessible. This is due to
21515 the fact that Gnus isn't really amused when things are happening behind
21516 its back. Another problem can be the mail back end itself, e.g., if you
21517 use mairix with an @acronym{IMAP} server (I had Dovecot complaining
21518 about corrupt index files when mairix changed the contents of the search
21519 group). Using @code{nnmairix} should circumvent these problems.
21521 @code{nnmairix} is not really a mail back end---it's actually more like
21522 a wrapper, sitting between a ``real'' mail back end where mairix stores
21523 the searches and the Gnus front end. You can choose between three
21524 different mail back ends for the mairix folders: @code{nnml},
21525 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnimap}. @code{nnmairix} will call the mairix
21526 binary so that the search results are stored in folders named
21527 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>} on this mail back end, but it will
21528 present these folders in the Gnus front end only with @code{<NAME>}.
21529 You can use an existing mail back end where you already store your mail,
21530 but if you're uncomfortable with @code{nnmairix} creating new mail
21531 groups alongside your other mail, you can also create, e.g., a new
21532 @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml} server exclusively for mairix, but then
21533 make sure those servers do not accidentally receive your new mail
21534 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). A special case exists if you want to use
21535 mairix remotely on an IMAP server with @code{nnimap}---here the mairix
21536 folders and your other mail must be on the same @code{nnimap} back end.
21538 @node Setting up mairix
21539 @subsection Setting up mairix
21541 First: create a backup of your mail folders (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}).
21543 Setting up mairix is easy: simply create a @file{.mairixrc} file with
21544 (at least) the following entries:
21547 # Your Maildir/MH base folder
21551 This is the base folder for your mails. All the following directories
21552 are relative to this base folder. If you want to use @code{nnmairix}
21553 with @code{nnimap}, this base directory has to point to the mail
21554 directory where the @acronym{IMAP} server stores the mail folders!
21557 maildir= ... your maildir folders which should be indexed ...
21558 mh= ... your nnml/mh folders which should be indexed ...
21559 mbox = ... your mbox files which should be indexed ...
21562 This specifies all your mail folders and mbox files (relative to the
21563 base directory!) you want to index with mairix. Note that the
21564 @code{nnml} back end saves mails in MH format, so you have to put those
21565 directories in the @code{mh} line. See the example at the end of this
21566 section and mairixrc's man-page for further details.
21572 @vindex nnmairix-group-prefix
21573 This should make sure that you don't accidentally index the mairix
21574 search results. You can change the prefix of these folders with the
21575 variable @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
21578 mformat= ... 'maildir' or 'mh' ...
21579 database= ... location of database file ...
21582 The @code{format} setting specifies the output format for the mairix
21583 search folder. Set this to @code{mh} if you want to access search results
21584 with @code{nnml}. Otherwise choose @code{maildir}.
21586 To summarize, here is my shortened @file{.mairixrc} file as an example:
21590 maildir=.personal:.work:.logcheck:.sent
21591 mh=../Mail/nnml/*...
21592 mbox=../mboxmail/mailarchive_year*
21595 database=~/.mairixdatabase
21598 In this case, the base directory is @file{~/Maildir}, where all my Maildir
21599 folders are stored. As you can see, the folders are separated by
21600 colons. If you wonder why every folder begins with a dot: this is
21601 because I use Dovecot as @acronym{IMAP} server, which again uses
21602 @code{Maildir++} folders. For testing nnmairix, I also have some
21603 @code{nnml} mail, which is saved in @file{~/Mail/nnml}. Since this has
21604 to be specified relative to the @code{base} directory, the @code{../Mail}
21605 notation is needed. Note that the line ends in @code{*...}, which means
21606 to recursively scan all files under this directory. Without the three
21607 dots, the wildcard @code{*} will not work recursively. I also have some
21608 old mbox files with archived mail lying around in @file{~/mboxmail}.
21609 The other lines should be obvious.
21611 See the man page for @code{mairixrc} for details and further options,
21612 especially regarding wildcard usage, which may be a little different
21613 than you are used to.
21615 Now simply call @code{mairix} to create the index for the first time.
21616 Note that this may take a few minutes, but every following index will do
21617 the updates incrementally and hence is very fast.
21619 @node Configuring nnmairix
21620 @subsection Configuring nnmairix
21622 In group mode, type @kbd{G b c}
21623 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). This will ask you for all
21624 necessary information and create a @code{nnmairix} server as a foreign
21625 server. You will have to specify the following:
21630 The @strong{name} of the @code{nnmairix} server---choose whatever you
21634 The name of the @strong{back end server} where mairix should store its
21635 searches. This must be a full server name, like @code{nnml:mymail}.
21636 Just hit @kbd{TAB} to see the available servers. Currently, servers
21637 which are accessed through @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnimap} and
21638 @code{nnml} are supported. As explained above, for locally stored
21639 mails, this can be an existing server where you store your mails.
21640 However, you can also create, e.g., a new @code{nnmaildir} or @code{nnml}
21641 server exclusively for @code{nnmairix} in your secondary select methods
21642 (@pxref{Finding the News}). If you use a secondary @code{nnml} server
21643 just for mairix, make sure that you explicitly set the server variable
21644 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}, or you might lose mail
21645 (@pxref{nnmairix caveats}). If you want to use mairix remotely on an
21646 @acronym{IMAP} server, you have to choose the corresponding
21647 @code{nnimap} server here.
21650 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-search-options
21651 The @strong{command} to call the mairix binary. This will usually just
21652 be @code{mairix}, but you can also choose something like @code{ssh
21653 SERVER mairix} if you want to call mairix remotely, e.g., on your
21654 @acronym{IMAP} server. If you want to add some default options to
21655 mairix, you could do this here, but better use the variable
21656 @code{nnmairix-mairix-search-options} instead.
21659 The name of the @strong{default search group}. This will be the group
21660 where all temporary mairix searches are stored, i.e., all searches which
21661 are not bound to permanent @code{nnmairix} groups. Choose whatever you
21665 If the mail back end is @code{nnimap} or @code{nnmaildir}, you will be
21666 asked if you work with @strong{Maildir++}, i.e., with hidden maildir
21667 folders (=beginning with a dot). For example, you have to answer
21668 @samp{yes} here if you work with the Dovecot @acronym{IMAP}
21669 server. Otherwise, you should answer @samp{no} here.
21673 @node nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
21674 @subsection nnmairix keyboard shortcuts
21681 @kindex G b c (Group)
21682 @findex nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group
21683 Creates @code{nnmairix} server and default search group for this server
21684 (@code{nnmairix-create-server-and-default-group}). You should have done
21685 this by now (@pxref{Configuring nnmairix}).
21688 @kindex G b s (Group)
21689 @findex nnmairix-search
21690 Prompts for query which is then sent to the mairix binary. Search
21691 results are put into the default search group which is automatically
21692 displayed (@code{nnmairix-search}).
21695 @kindex G b m (Group)
21696 @findex nnmairix-widget-search
21697 Allows you to create a mairix search or a permanent group more
21698 comfortably using graphical widgets, similar to a customization
21699 group. Just try it to see how it works (@code{nnmairix-widget-search}).
21702 @kindex G b i (Group)
21703 @findex nnmairix-search-interactive
21704 Another command for creating a mairix query more comfortably, but uses
21705 only the minibuffer (@code{nnmairix-search-interactive}).
21708 @kindex G b g (Group)
21709 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group
21710 Creates a permanent group which is associated with a search query
21711 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group}). The @code{nnmairix} back end
21712 automatically calls mairix when you update this group with @kbd{g} or
21716 @kindex G b q (Group)
21717 @findex nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group
21718 Changes the search query for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor
21719 (@code{nnmairix-group-change-query-this-group}).
21722 @kindex G b t (Group)
21723 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group
21724 Toggles the 'threads' parameter for the @code{nnmairix} group under cursor,
21725 i.e., if you want see the whole threads of the found messages
21726 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-threads-this-group}).
21729 @kindex G b u (Group)
21730 @findex nnmairix-update-database
21731 @vindex nnmairix-mairix-update-options
21732 Calls mairix binary for updating the database
21733 (@code{nnmairix-update-database}). The default parameters are @code{-F}
21734 and @code{-Q} for making this as fast as possible (see variable
21735 @code{nnmairix-mairix-update-options} for defining these default
21739 @kindex G b r (Group)
21740 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group
21741 Keep articles in this @code{nnmairix} group always read or unread, or leave the
21742 marks unchanged (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-readmarks-this-group}).
21745 @kindex G b d (Group)
21746 @findex nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group
21747 Recreate @code{nnmairix} group on the ``real'' mail back end
21748 (@code{nnmairix-group-delete-recreate-this-group}). You can do this if
21749 you always get wrong article counts with a @code{nnmairix} group.
21752 @kindex G b a (Group)
21753 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group
21754 Toggles the @code{allow-fast} parameters for group under cursor
21755 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-allowfast-this-group}). The default
21756 behavior of @code{nnmairix} is to do a mairix search every time you
21757 update or enter the group. With the @code{allow-fast} parameter set,
21758 mairix will only be called when you explicitly update the group, but not
21759 upon entering. This makes entering the group faster, but it may also
21760 lead to dangling symlinks if something changed between updating and
21761 entering the group which is not yet in the mairix database.
21764 @kindex G b p (Group)
21765 @findex nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group
21766 Toggle marks propagation for this group
21767 (@code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group}). (@pxref{Propagating
21771 @kindex G b o (Group)
21772 @findex nnmairix-propagate-marks
21773 Manually propagate marks (@code{nnmairix-propagate-marks}); needed only when
21774 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} is set to @code{nil}.
21783 @kindex $ m (Summary)
21784 @findex nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article
21785 Allows you to create a mairix query or group based on the current
21786 message using graphical widgets (same as @code{nnmairix-widget-search})
21787 (@code{nnmairix-widget-search-from-this-article}).
21790 @kindex $ g (Summary)
21791 @findex nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message
21792 Interactively creates a new search group with query based on the current
21793 message, but uses the minibuffer instead of graphical widgets
21794 (@code{nnmairix-create-search-group-from-message}).
21797 @kindex $ t (Summary)
21798 @findex nnmairix-search-thread-this-article
21799 Searches thread for the current article
21800 (@code{nnmairix-search-thread-this-article}). This is effectively a
21801 shortcut for calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{m:msgid} of the
21802 current article and enabled threads.
21805 @kindex $ f (Summary)
21806 @findex nnmairix-search-from-this-article
21807 Searches all messages from sender of the current article
21808 (@code{nnmairix-search-from-this-article}). This is a shortcut for
21809 calling @code{nnmairix-search} with @samp{f:From}.
21812 @kindex $ o (Summary)
21813 @findex nnmairix-goto-original-article
21814 (Only in @code{nnmairix} groups!) Tries determine the group this article
21815 originally came from and displays the article in this group, so that,
21816 e.g., replying to this article the correct posting styles/group
21817 parameters are applied (@code{nnmairix-goto-original-article}). This
21818 function will use the registry if available, but can also parse the
21819 article file name as a fallback method.
21822 @kindex $ u (Summary)
21823 @findex nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article
21824 Remove possibly existing tick mark from original article
21825 (@code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article}). (@pxref{nnmairix
21830 @node Propagating marks
21831 @subsection Propagating marks
21833 First of: you really need a patched mairix binary for using the marks
21834 propagation feature efficiently. Otherwise, you would have to update
21835 the mairix database all the time. You can get the patch at
21837 @uref{http://www.randomsample.de/mairix-maildir-patch.tar}
21839 You need the mairix v0.21 source code for this patch; everything else
21840 is explained in the accompanied readme file. If you don't want to use
21841 marks propagation, you don't have to apply these patches, but they also
21842 fix some annoyances regarding changing maildir flags, so it might still
21845 With the patched mairix binary, you can use @code{nnmairix} as an
21846 alternative to mail splitting (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}). For
21847 example, instead of splitting all mails from @samp{david@@foobar.com}
21848 into a group, you can simply create a search group with the query
21849 @samp{f:david@@foobar.com}. This is actually what ``smart folders'' are
21850 all about: simply put everything in one mail folder and dynamically
21851 create searches instead of splitting. This is more flexible, since you
21852 can dynamically change your folders any time you want to. This also
21853 implies that you will usually read your mails in the @code{nnmairix}
21854 groups instead of your ``real'' mail groups.
21856 There is one problem, though: say you got a new mail from
21857 @samp{david@@foobar.com}; it will now show up in two groups, the
21858 ``real'' group (your INBOX, for example) and in the @code{nnmairix}
21859 search group (provided you have updated the mairix database). Now you
21860 enter the @code{nnmairix} group and read the mail. The mail will be
21861 marked as read, but only in the @code{nnmairix} group---in the ``real''
21862 mail group it will be still shown as unread.
21864 You could now catch up the mail group (@pxref{Group Data}), but this is
21865 tedious and error prone, since you may overlook mails you don't have
21866 created @code{nnmairix} groups for. Of course, you could first use
21867 @code{nnmairix-goto-original-article} (@pxref{nnmairix keyboard
21868 shortcuts}) and then read the mail in the original group, but that's
21869 even more cumbersome.
21871 Clearly, the easiest way would be if marks could somehow be
21872 automatically set for the original article. This is exactly what
21873 @emph{marks propagation} is about.
21875 Marks propagation is inactive by default. You can activate it for a
21876 certain @code{nnmairix} group with
21877 @code{nnmairix-group-toggle-propmarks-this-group} (bound to @kbd{G b
21878 p}). This function will warn you if you try to use it with your default
21879 search group; the reason is that the default search group is used for
21880 temporary searches, and it's easy to accidentally propagate marks from
21881 this group. However, you can ignore this warning if you really want to.
21883 With marks propagation enabled, all the marks you set in a @code{nnmairix}
21884 group should now be propagated to the original article. For example,
21885 you can now tick an article (by default with @kbd{!}) and this mark should
21886 magically be set for the original article, too.
21888 A few more remarks which you may or may not want to know:
21890 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close
21891 Marks will not be set immediately, but only upon closing a group. This
21892 not only makes marks propagation faster, it also avoids problems with
21893 dangling symlinks when dealing with maildir files (since changing flags
21894 will change the file name). You can also control when to propagate marks
21895 via @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-upon-close} (see the doc-string for
21898 Obviously, @code{nnmairix} will have to look up the original group for every
21899 article you want to set marks for. If available, @code{nnmairix} will first use
21900 the registry for determining the original group. The registry is very
21901 fast, hence you should really, really enable the registry when using
21902 marks propagation. If you don't have to worry about RAM and disc space,
21903 set @code{gnus-registry-max-entries} to a large enough value; to be on
21904 the safe side, choose roughly the amount of mails you index with mairix.
21906 @vindex nnmairix-only-use-registry
21907 If you don't want to use the registry or the registry hasn't seen the
21908 original article yet, @code{nnmairix} will use an additional mairix
21909 search for determining the file name of the article. This, of course, is
21910 way slower than the registry---if you set hundreds or even thousands of
21911 marks this way, it might take some time. You can avoid this situation by
21912 setting @code{nnmairix-only-use-registry} to t.
21914 Maybe you also want to propagate marks the other way round, i.e., if you
21915 tick an article in a "real" mail group, you'd like to have the same
21916 article in a @code{nnmairix} group ticked, too. For several good
21917 reasons, this can only be done efficiently if you use maildir. To
21918 immediately contradict myself, let me mention that it WON'T work with
21919 @code{nnmaildir}, since @code{nnmaildir} stores the marks externally and
21920 not in the file name. Therefore, propagating marks to @code{nnmairix}
21921 groups will usually only work if you use an IMAP server which uses
21922 maildir as its file format.
21924 @vindex nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups
21925 If you work with this setup, just set
21926 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t} and see what
21927 happens. If you don't like what you see, just set it to @code{nil} again. One
21928 problem might be that you get a wrong number of unread articles; this
21929 usually happens when you delete or expire articles in the original
21930 groups. When this happens, you can recreate the @code{nnmairix} group on the
21931 back end using @kbd{G b d}.
21933 @node nnmairix tips and tricks
21934 @subsection nnmairix tips and tricks
21940 @findex nnmairix-update-groups
21941 I put all my important mail groups at group level 1. The mairix groups
21942 have group level 5, so they do not get checked at start up (@pxref{Group
21945 I use the following to check for mails:
21948 (defun my-check-mail-mairix-update (level)
21950 ;; if no prefix given, set level=1
21951 (gnus-group-get-new-news (or level 1))
21952 (nnmairix-update-groups "mairixsearch" t t)
21953 (gnus-group-list-groups))
21955 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map "g" 'my-check-mail-mairix-update)
21958 Instead of @samp{"mairixsearch"} use the name of your @code{nnmairix}
21959 server. See the doc string for @code{nnmairix-update-groups} for
21963 Example: search group for ticked articles
21965 For example, you can create a group for all ticked articles, where the
21966 articles always stay unread:
21968 Hit @kbd{G b g}, enter group name (e.g., @samp{important}), use
21969 @samp{F:f} as query and do not include threads.
21971 Now activate marks propagation for this group by using @kbd{G b p}. Then
21972 activate the always-unread feature by using @kbd{G b r} twice.
21974 So far so good---but how do you remove the tick marks in the @code{nnmairix}
21975 group? There are two options: You may simply use
21976 @code{nnmairix-remove-tick-mark-original-article} (bound to @kbd{$ u}) to remove
21977 tick marks from the original article. The other possibility is to set
21978 @code{nnmairix-propagate-marks-to-nnmairix-groups} to @code{t}, but see the above
21979 comments about this option. If it works for you, the tick marks should
21980 also exist in the @code{nnmairix} group and you can remove them as usual,
21981 e.g., by marking an article as read.
21983 When you have removed a tick mark from the original article, this
21984 article should vanish from the @code{nnmairix} group after you have updated the
21985 mairix database and updated the group. Fortunately, there is a function
21986 for doing exactly that: @code{nnmairix-update-groups}. See the previous code
21987 snippet and the doc string for details.
21990 Dealing with auto-subscription of mail groups
21992 As described before, all @code{nnmairix} groups are in fact stored on
21993 the mail back end in the form @samp{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can
21994 see them when you enter the back end server in the server buffer. You
21995 should not subscribe these groups! Unfortunately, these groups will
21996 usually get @emph{auto-subscribed} when you use @code{nnmaildir} or
21997 @code{nnml}, i.e., you will suddenly see groups of the form
21998 @samp{zz_mairix*} pop up in your group buffer. If this happens to you,
21999 simply kill these groups with C-k. For avoiding this, turn off
22000 auto-subscription completely by setting the variable
22001 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups} to @code{nil} (@pxref{Filtering New
22002 Groups}), or if you like to keep this feature use the following kludge
22003 for turning it off for all groups beginning with @samp{zz_}:
22006 (setq gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
22007 "^\\(nnml\\|nnfolder\\|nnmbox\\|nnmh\\|nnbabyl\\|nnmaildir\\).*:\\([^z]\\|z$\\|\\z[^z]\\|zz$\\|zz[^_]\\|zz_$\\).*")
22012 @node nnmairix caveats
22013 @subsection nnmairix caveats
22017 You can create a secondary @code{nnml} server just for nnmairix, but then
22018 you have to explicitly set the corresponding server variable
22019 @code{nnml-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}. Otherwise, new mail might get
22020 put into this secondary server (and would never show up again). Here's
22021 an example server definition:
22024 (nnml "mairix" (nnml-directory "mairix") (nnml-get-new-mail nil))
22027 (The @code{nnmaildir} back end also has a server variable
22028 @code{get-new-mail}, but its default value is @code{nil}, so you don't
22029 have to explicitly set it if you use a @code{nnmaildir} server just for
22033 If you use the Gnus registry: don't use the registry with
22034 @code{nnmairix} groups (put them in
22035 @code{gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups}; this is the default). Be
22036 @emph{extra careful} if you use
22037 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}; mails which are split
22038 into @code{nnmairix} groups are usually gone for good as soon as you
22039 check the group for new mail (yes, it has happened to me...).
22042 Therefore: @emph{Never ever} put ``real'' mails into @code{nnmairix}
22043 groups (you shouldn't be able to, anyway).
22046 If you use the Gnus agent (@pxref{Gnus Unplugged}): don't agentize
22047 @code{nnmairix} groups (though I have no idea what happens if you do).
22050 mairix does only support us-ascii characters.
22053 @code{nnmairix} uses a rather brute force method to force Gnus to
22054 completely reread the group on the mail back end after mairix was
22055 called---it simply deletes and re-creates the group on the mail
22056 back end. So far, this has worked for me without any problems, and I
22057 don't see how @code{nnmairix} could delete other mail groups than its
22058 own, but anyway: you really should have a backup of your mail
22062 All necessary information is stored in the group parameters
22063 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). This has the advantage that no active file
22064 is needed, but also implies that when you kill a @code{nnmairix} group,
22065 it is gone for good.
22068 @findex nnmairix-purge-old-groups
22069 If you create and kill a lot of @code{nnmairix} groups, the
22070 ``zz_mairix-*'' groups will accumulate on the mail back end server. To
22071 delete old groups which are no longer needed, call
22072 @code{nnmairix-purge-old-groups}. Note that this assumes that you don't
22073 save any ``real'' mail in folders of the form
22074 @code{zz_mairix-<NAME>-<NUMBER>}. You can change the prefix of
22075 @code{nnmairix} groups by changing the variable
22076 @code{nnmairix-group-prefix}.
22079 The following only applies if you @emph{don't} use the mentioned patch
22080 for mairix (@pxref{Propagating marks}):
22082 A problem can occur when using @code{nnmairix} with maildir folders and
22083 comes with the fact that maildir stores mail flags like @samp{Seen} or
22084 @samp{Replied} by appending chars @samp{S} and @samp{R} to the message
22085 file name, respectively. This implies that currently you would have to
22086 update the mairix database not only when new mail arrives, but also when
22087 mail flags are changing. The same applies to new mails which are indexed
22088 while they are still in the @samp{new} folder but then get moved to
22089 @samp{cur} when Gnus has seen the mail. If you don't update the database
22090 after this has happened, a mairix query can lead to symlinks pointing to
22091 non-existing files. In Gnus, these messages will usually appear with
22092 ``(none)'' entries in the header and can't be accessed. If this happens
22093 to you, using @kbd{G b u} and updating the group will usually fix this.
22100 @include message.texi
22101 @chapter Emacs MIME
22102 @include emacs-mime.texi
22104 @include sieve.texi
22116 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
22117 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
22118 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
22119 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
22120 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
22121 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
22122 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
22123 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
22124 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
22125 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
22126 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
22127 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
22128 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
22129 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
22130 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
22131 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
22132 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
22133 * The Gnus Registry:: A package for tracking messages by Message-ID.
22134 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
22135 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
22139 @node Process/Prefix
22140 @section Process/Prefix
22141 @cindex process/prefix convention
22143 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
22144 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
22146 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
22147 command to be performed on.
22151 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
22152 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
22153 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
22154 with the current one.
22156 @vindex transient-mark-mode
22157 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
22158 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
22160 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
22161 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
22164 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
22165 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
22167 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
22170 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
22171 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
22172 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
22173 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22175 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
22176 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
22177 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
22178 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
22179 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
22180 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
22181 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
22182 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
22184 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
22185 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
22186 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
22187 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
22188 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
22192 @section Interactive
22193 @cindex interaction
22197 @item gnus-novice-user
22198 @vindex gnus-novice-user
22199 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
22200 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
22201 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
22202 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
22205 @item gnus-expert-user
22206 @vindex gnus-expert-user
22207 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
22208 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing,
22209 no matter how strange. For example, quitting Gnus, exiting a group
22210 without an update, catching up with a group, deleting expired
22211 articles, and replying by mail to a news message will not require
22214 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
22215 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
22216 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
22217 is @code{t} by default.
22219 @item gnus-interactive-exit
22220 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
22221 If non-@code{nil}, require a confirmation when exiting Gnus. If
22222 @code{quiet}, update any active summary buffers automatically without
22223 querying. The default value is @code{t}.
22227 @node Symbolic Prefixes
22228 @section Symbolic Prefixes
22229 @cindex symbolic prefixes
22231 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
22232 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
22233 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
22234 rule of 900 to the current article.
22236 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
22237 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
22238 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
22239 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
22240 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
22241 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
22242 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
22244 @kindex M-i (Summary)
22245 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
22246 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
22247 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
22248 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
22249 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
22250 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
22251 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
22252 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
22254 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
22255 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
22256 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
22258 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
22262 @node Formatting Variables
22263 @section Formatting Variables
22264 @cindex formatting variables
22266 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
22267 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
22268 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
22269 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
22270 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
22273 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
22274 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
22275 lots of percentages everywhere.
22278 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
22279 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
22280 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
22281 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
22282 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
22283 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
22284 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
22285 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
22288 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
22289 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
22290 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
22291 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
22292 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
22293 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
22294 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
22295 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
22297 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
22298 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
22300 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
22301 @findex gnus-update-format
22302 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
22303 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
22304 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
22305 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
22309 @node Formatting Basics
22310 @subsection Formatting Basics
22312 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
22313 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
22314 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
22316 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
22317 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
22318 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
22319 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
22320 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
22323 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
22324 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
22325 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
22326 less than 4 characters wide.
22328 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
22329 @samp{%&user-date;}.
22332 @node Mode Line Formatting
22333 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
22335 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
22336 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
22337 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
22338 with the following two differences:
22343 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
22346 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
22347 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
22348 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
22349 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
22350 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
22351 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
22352 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
22357 @node Advanced Formatting
22358 @subsection Advanced Formatting
22360 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
22361 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
22362 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
22363 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
22365 These are the valid modifiers:
22370 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
22374 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
22379 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
22382 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
22387 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22390 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22393 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22396 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22402 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22407 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22408 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22409 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22410 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22411 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22412 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22413 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22415 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22416 last operation, padding.
22419 @node User-Defined Specs
22420 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22422 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22423 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22424 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22425 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22426 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22427 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22428 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22429 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22430 should protect against that.
22432 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22433 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22435 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22436 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22437 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22438 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22442 @node Formatting Fonts
22443 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22446 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22447 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22448 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22449 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22450 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22454 @vindex gnus-face-0
22455 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22456 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22457 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22458 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22459 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22460 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22462 @cindex %<<, %>>, guillemets
22463 @c @cindex %<<, %>>, %«, %», guillemets
22464 @vindex gnus-balloon-face-0
22465 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22466 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22467 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22468 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22469 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22470 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22471 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22472 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22473 (in Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22474 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22475 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22478 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22481 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22482 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22483 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22485 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22486 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22487 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22488 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22489 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22490 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22491 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22493 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22494 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22495 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22498 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22499 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22501 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22502 mode-line variables.
22504 @node Positioning Point
22505 @subsection Positioning Point
22507 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22508 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22509 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22511 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22513 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22514 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22515 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22517 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22518 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22519 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22524 @subsection Tabulation
22526 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22527 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22528 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22529 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22531 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22532 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22534 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22535 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22536 This is the soft tabulator.
22538 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22539 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22540 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22543 @node Wide Characters
22544 @subsection Wide Characters
22546 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22547 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22548 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22550 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22551 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22552 these countries, that's not true.
22554 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22555 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22556 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22557 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22561 @node Window Layout
22562 @section Window Layout
22563 @cindex window layout
22565 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22567 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22568 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22569 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22570 @code{t} by default.
22572 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22573 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22575 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22576 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22577 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22580 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)))
22581 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22585 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22586 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22587 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22588 possible names is listed below.
22590 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22591 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example:
22594 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22598 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22599 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22600 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22601 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22602 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22603 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22604 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22605 size spec per split.
22607 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22608 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22609 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e., is the third or
22610 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22611 present) gets focus.
22613 Here's a more complicated example:
22616 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22617 (summary 0.25 point)
22621 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22622 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22623 occupy, not a percentage.
22625 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22626 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22627 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22628 be used as a split.
22630 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22633 (article (horizontal 1.0
22637 (summary 0.25 point)
22641 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22642 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22644 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22645 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22646 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22647 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22648 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22650 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22651 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22652 lines from the splits.
22654 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22659 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22660 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22661 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22662 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22663 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22664 size = number | frame-params
22665 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22669 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22670 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22671 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22672 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22674 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22675 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22676 @cindex window height
22677 @cindex window width
22678 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22679 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22680 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22681 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22682 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22683 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22685 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22686 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22687 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22688 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22690 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22691 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22692 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22693 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22694 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22695 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22696 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22697 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22698 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22699 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22700 configuration list.
22703 (gnus-configure-frame
22707 (article 0.3 point))
22715 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22716 @code{frame} split:
22719 (gnus-configure-frame
22722 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22724 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22725 (user-position . t)
22726 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22731 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22732 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
22733 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
22734 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
22735 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
22736 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
22737 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
22738 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22740 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22741 be found in its default value.
22743 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22744 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22745 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22749 (message (horizontal 1.0
22750 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22752 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22757 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22758 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22759 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22764 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22765 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22766 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22767 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22768 (name . "Message"))
22769 (message 1.0 point))))
22772 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22773 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22774 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22775 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22776 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22779 (gnus-add-configuration
22780 '(article (vertical 1.0
22782 (summary .25 point)
22786 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22787 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22788 Gnus has been loaded.
22790 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22791 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22792 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22793 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22794 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22796 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22797 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22798 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22801 @subsection Window Configuration Names
22803 Here's a list of most of the currently known window configurations,
22804 and when they're used:
22811 Entering a group and showing only the summary.
22814 Selecting an article.
22820 Browsing groups from the server buffer.
22823 Composing a (new) message.
22826 Showing only the article buffer.
22829 Editing an article.
22832 Editing group parameters and the like.
22835 Editing a server definition.
22838 Composing a news message.
22841 Replying or following up an article without yanking the text.
22844 Forwarding a message.
22847 Replying or following up an article with yanking the text.
22850 Bouncing a message.
22853 Sending an article to an external process.
22856 Sending a bug report.
22859 Displaying the score trace.
22862 Displaying the score words.
22865 Displaying the split trace.
22867 @item compose-bounce
22868 Composing a bounce message.
22871 Previewing a @acronym{MIME} part.
22876 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22880 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22881 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22896 (gnus-add-configuration
22899 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22901 (summary 0.16 point)
22904 (gnus-add-configuration
22907 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22908 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22914 @node Faces and Fonts
22915 @section Faces and Fonts
22920 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22921 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22922 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
22927 @section Mode Lines
22930 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
22931 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
22932 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
22933 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
22934 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
22935 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
22936 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
22939 @cindex display-time
22941 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
22942 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22943 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22944 to display (e.g., the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22945 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22946 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22947 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22948 additional elements on the mode line (e.g., a clock), you should modify
22951 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22953 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22954 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22956 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22957 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22958 (length display-time-string)))))
22961 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22962 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22963 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22964 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22965 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22968 @node Highlighting and Menus
22969 @section Highlighting and Menus
22971 @cindex highlighting
22974 @vindex gnus-visual
22975 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22976 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22977 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22980 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22981 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22984 @item group-highlight
22985 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22986 @item summary-highlight
22987 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22988 @item article-highlight
22989 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22991 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22993 Create menus in the group buffer.
22995 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22997 Create menus in the article buffer.
22999 Create menus in the browse buffer.
23001 Create menus in the server buffer.
23003 Create menus in the score buffers.
23005 Create menus in all buffers.
23008 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
23009 buffers, you could say something like:
23012 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
23015 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
23018 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
23021 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
23022 in all Gnus buffers.
23024 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
23027 @item gnus-mouse-face
23028 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
23029 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
23030 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
23034 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
23038 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
23039 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
23040 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
23042 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
23043 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
23044 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
23046 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
23047 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
23048 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
23050 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
23051 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
23052 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
23054 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
23055 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
23056 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
23058 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
23059 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
23060 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
23070 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
23071 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
23072 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
23073 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
23074 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
23076 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
23077 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
23078 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
23080 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
23081 been idle for thirty minutes:
23084 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
23087 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
23091 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
23094 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
23095 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
23096 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23098 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
23099 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
23100 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
23101 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
23103 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
23104 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
23105 @var{idle} minutes.
23107 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
23108 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
23111 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
23112 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
23113 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
23115 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
23116 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
23117 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
23118 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
23120 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
23121 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23123 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
23125 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
23128 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
23129 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
23130 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
23131 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
23132 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
23133 @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
23134 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
23135 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
23136 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
23137 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
23139 @findex gnus-demon-init
23140 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
23141 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
23142 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
23143 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
23144 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
23146 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
23147 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
23148 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
23156 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
23157 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
23158 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
23160 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
23161 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
23162 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
23163 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
23164 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
23165 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
23166 @code{undo} function.
23168 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
23169 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
23170 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
23171 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
23172 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
23173 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
23174 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
23175 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
23176 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
23177 never be totally undoable.
23179 @findex gnus-undo-mode
23180 @vindex gnus-use-undo
23182 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
23183 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
23184 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
23185 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
23189 @node Predicate Specifiers
23190 @section Predicate Specifiers
23191 @cindex predicate specifiers
23193 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
23194 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
23195 to type all that much.
23197 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
23202 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
23203 gnus-article-unread-p)
23206 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
23207 functions all take one parameter.
23209 @findex gnus-make-predicate
23210 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
23211 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
23212 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
23217 @section Moderation
23220 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
23221 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
23222 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
23225 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
23229 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
23232 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
23234 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
23239 You split your incoming mail by matching on
23240 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
23241 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
23244 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23245 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23248 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23249 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23253 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23256 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23257 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23261 @node Fetching a Group
23262 @section Fetching a Group
23263 @cindex fetching a group
23265 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23266 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23267 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23268 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23269 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23270 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23273 @node Image Enhancements
23274 @section Image Enhancements
23276 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23277 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23278 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23281 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23282 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23283 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23284 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23285 * Gravatars:: Display the avatar of people you read.
23286 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23294 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23295 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23296 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23300 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23301 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23302 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23310 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23311 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions have), or that you
23312 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23313 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23314 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23315 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23316 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23317 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23318 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23319 @code{display} program.
23321 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23322 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23323 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23324 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23325 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23326 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23327 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23328 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23330 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23331 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23332 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23333 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23334 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23335 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23337 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23345 @vindex gnus-x-face
23346 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23347 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23348 default colors are black and white.
23350 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23351 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23352 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23353 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23354 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23355 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23358 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23359 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23360 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23361 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23363 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23364 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23365 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23366 (png . (:relief -2))))
23369 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23370 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23371 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23372 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23373 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23374 @samp{libcompface} library.
23377 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23378 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23379 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23380 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23381 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23382 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23384 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23385 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23386 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23387 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23388 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23389 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23390 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23391 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23392 header data as a string.
23394 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23395 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23396 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23397 randomly generated data.
23399 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23400 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23401 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23402 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23403 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23405 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23406 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23409 (setq message-required-news-headers
23410 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23411 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23414 Using the last function would be something like this:
23417 (setq message-required-news-headers
23418 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23419 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23420 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23421 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23429 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23431 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23432 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23433 represent the author of the message.
23436 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23437 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23438 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23441 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23442 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23444 Viewing a @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23447 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23449 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23451 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23452 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23454 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23455 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23456 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23458 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23459 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23460 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23461 converts the file to Face format by using the
23462 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23464 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23465 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23468 (setq message-required-news-headers
23469 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23470 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23471 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23476 @subsection Smileys
23481 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23486 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23487 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23489 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23490 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23493 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23496 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23497 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23498 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23499 text and maps that to file names.
23501 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23502 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23503 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23504 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23505 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23508 The following variables customize the appearance of the smileys:
23513 @vindex smiley-style
23514 Specifies the smiley style. Predefined smiley styles include
23515 @code{low-color} (small 13x14 pixel, three-color images), @code{medium}
23516 (more colorful images, 16x16 pixel), and @code{grayscale} (grayscale
23517 images, 14x14 pixel). The default depends on the height of the default
23520 @item smiley-data-directory
23521 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23522 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files. You shouldn't set this
23523 variable anymore. Customize @code{smiley-style} instead.
23525 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23526 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23527 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23541 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23542 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23543 over your shoulder as you read news.
23545 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23554 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23555 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23556 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23557 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23558 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23559 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23560 @code{GIF} formats.
23563 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23564 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23565 point your Web browser at
23566 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23568 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23569 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23571 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23572 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23575 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23576 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23577 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23578 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23580 @vindex gnus-picon-properties
23581 The value of the variable @code{gnus-picon-properties} is a list of
23582 properties applied to picons.
23584 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
23588 @item gnus-picon-databases
23589 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23590 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
23591 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
23592 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
23593 "/usr/local/faces")}.
23595 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
23596 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
23597 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23598 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
23600 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
23601 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
23602 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
23603 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
23605 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
23606 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
23607 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23608 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
23609 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
23611 @item gnus-picon-file-types
23612 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
23613 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
23614 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23616 @item gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23617 @vindex gnus-picon-inhibit-top-level-domains
23618 If non-@code{nil} (which is the default), don't display picons for
23619 things like @samp{.net} and @samp{.de}, which aren't usually very
23625 @subsection Gravatars
23629 \include{gravatars}
23633 A gravatar is an image registered to an e-mail address.
23635 You can submit yours on-line at @uref{http://www.gravatar.com}.
23637 The following variables offer control over how things are displayed.
23641 @item gnus-gravatar-size
23642 @vindex gnus-gravatar-size
23643 The size in pixels of gravatars. Gravatars are always square, so one
23644 number for the size is enough.
23646 @item gnus-gravatar-properties
23647 @vindex gnus-gravatar-properties
23648 List of image properties applied to Gravatar images.
23650 @item gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23651 @vindex gnus-gravatar-too-ugly
23652 Regexp that matches mail addresses or names of people of which avatars
23653 should not be displayed, or @code{nil}. It default to the value of
23654 @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (@pxref{X-Face}).
23658 If you want to see them in the From field, set:
23660 (setq gnus-treat-from-gravatar 'head)
23663 If you want to see them in the Cc and To fields, set:
23666 (setq gnus-treat-mail-gravatar 'head)
23671 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23674 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23675 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23676 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23677 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23678 unusual directory structure.
23680 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23681 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23682 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23687 @subsubsection Toolbar
23691 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23692 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23693 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23694 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23695 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23696 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23697 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23698 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23700 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23701 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23702 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23703 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23704 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23705 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23707 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23708 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23709 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23711 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23712 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23713 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23715 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23716 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23717 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23728 @node Fuzzy Matching
23729 @section Fuzzy Matching
23730 @cindex fuzzy matching
23732 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23733 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23735 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23736 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23737 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23739 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23740 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23741 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23742 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23743 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23746 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23747 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23751 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23753 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23754 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23755 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23756 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23757 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23758 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23759 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23760 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23763 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23764 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23765 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23766 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23767 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23768 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23770 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23773 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23774 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23775 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23776 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23779 @node The problem of spam
23780 @subsection The problem of spam
23782 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23783 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23785 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23787 First, some background on spam.
23789 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23790 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23791 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23792 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23793 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23794 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23795 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23796 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23797 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23799 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23800 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23801 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23802 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23803 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23804 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23805 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23806 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23807 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23810 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23811 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23812 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23813 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23814 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23815 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23816 from Bulgarian IPs.
23818 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23819 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23820 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23821 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23823 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23824 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23825 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23826 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23828 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23829 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23830 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23831 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23832 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23833 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23834 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23835 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23836 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23838 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23839 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23840 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23841 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23842 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23843 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23844 down for some time because of the incident.
23846 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23847 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23848 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23849 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23850 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23851 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23852 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23853 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23854 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23855 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23856 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23858 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23859 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23860 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23861 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23862 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23863 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23864 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23867 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23868 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23872 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23874 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23875 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23877 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23878 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23879 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23880 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23881 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23882 part of the mail address.)
23885 (setq message-default-news-headers
23886 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23889 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23890 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23894 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23895 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23896 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23901 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23902 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23903 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23904 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23906 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23907 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23908 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23909 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23910 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23911 your fancy split rule in this way:
23916 (to "larsi" "misc")
23920 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23921 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23922 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23923 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23924 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23926 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23927 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23928 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23929 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23931 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23935 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23936 @cindex SpamAssassin
23937 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23940 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23941 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23942 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23943 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23944 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23945 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23946 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23948 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23949 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23950 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23953 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23954 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23955 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23956 Specifiers}) follow.
23960 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23964 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23967 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23968 the mail contain, e.g., a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23969 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23972 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23976 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23979 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23980 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23984 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23985 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23986 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23987 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23990 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23992 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23996 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23997 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
24001 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
24002 downloaded by default. You need to set
24003 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
24004 (@pxref{Client-Side IMAP Splitting}).
24006 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
24007 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
24008 spam. And here is the nifty function:
24011 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
24012 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
24014 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d" t)
24015 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
24019 @subsection Hashcash
24022 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
24023 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
24024 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
24025 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
24026 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
24028 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
24029 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
24030 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
24031 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
24032 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
24033 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
24034 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
24035 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
24036 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
24037 one of them separately.
24040 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
24041 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
24042 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
24043 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
24044 need to install to use this feature, see
24045 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
24046 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
24048 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
24049 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
24050 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
24053 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
24056 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
24060 @item hashcash-default-payment
24061 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
24062 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
24063 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
24066 @item hashcash-payment-alist
24067 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
24068 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
24069 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
24070 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
24071 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
24072 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
24073 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
24074 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
24076 @item hashcash-path
24077 @vindex hashcash-path
24078 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
24079 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
24080 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
24081 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
24082 when you generate hashcash payments.
24086 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
24087 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
24088 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
24089 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
24090 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
24091 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
24092 Hashcash Payments}).
24095 @section Spam Package
24096 @cindex spam filtering
24099 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
24100 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
24101 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
24102 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
24105 * Spam Package Introduction::
24106 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
24107 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
24108 * Spam and Ham Processors::
24109 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
24111 * Extending the Spam package::
24112 * Spam Statistics Package::
24115 @node Spam Package Introduction
24116 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
24117 @cindex spam filtering
24118 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
24121 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
24122 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
24124 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
24125 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
24127 @cindex spam-initialize
24128 @vindex spam-use-stat
24129 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
24130 @code{spam-initialize}:
24136 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
24137 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
24138 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
24139 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
24140 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
24142 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
24143 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
24145 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
24146 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
24148 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
24149 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
24150 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
24151 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
24152 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
24154 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
24155 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
24156 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
24157 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
24158 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
24161 @cindex spam back ends
24162 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
24163 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
24164 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
24165 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
24166 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24168 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
24169 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
24171 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
24172 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
24173 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
24174 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
24175 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
24176 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
24177 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
24179 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
24180 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
24181 point, the Spam package does several things:
24183 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
24184 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
24185 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
24186 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
24187 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
24188 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
24189 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
24190 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
24193 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
24194 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
24202 @kindex $ (Summary)
24203 @kindex M-d (Summary)
24204 @kindex S x (Summary)
24205 @kindex M s x (Summary)
24206 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24207 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
24208 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
24209 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
24213 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
24214 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
24216 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
24217 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
24218 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
24219 to be processed as ham by setting
24220 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
24221 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
24223 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24224 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24225 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
24226 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
24227 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
24228 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
24229 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
24230 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
24231 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
24232 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
24233 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
24234 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
24236 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
24237 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
24238 want each article to be processed only once, load the
24239 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
24240 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
24241 Configuration Examples}.
24243 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
24244 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
24245 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
24246 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
24248 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
24249 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
24251 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
24252 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
24253 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
24255 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
24256 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
24257 @cindex spam filtering
24258 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
24261 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
24262 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
24263 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
24264 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
24265 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
24271 @vindex spam-split-group
24273 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
24274 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
24275 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
24276 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
24277 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
24278 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
24279 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
24280 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
24281 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
24283 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
24285 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
24286 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
24287 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
24288 you should also set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to
24289 @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can ``scan''
24290 the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only retrieves
24291 the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells it to
24292 retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by default
24293 because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
24294 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Client-Side
24297 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
24298 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
24299 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
24300 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
24301 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
24302 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
24303 ends, and the following split rule:
24306 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24307 (any "ding" "ding")
24309 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24314 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24315 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24316 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24317 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24318 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24319 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24321 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24322 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24323 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24324 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24329 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24330 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24331 (any "ding" "ding")
24332 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24334 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24339 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24340 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24341 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24342 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24343 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24344 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24345 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24347 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24348 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24349 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24350 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24352 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24353 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24356 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24357 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24359 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24360 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24361 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24362 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24364 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24365 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24366 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24367 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24369 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24370 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24371 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24373 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24374 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24375 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24376 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24377 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24378 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24379 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24381 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24382 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24383 @cindex spam filtering
24384 @cindex spam filtering variables
24385 @cindex spam variables
24388 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24389 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24390 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24391 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24392 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24393 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24394 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24396 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24397 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24398 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24399 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24401 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24402 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24403 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24404 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24405 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24406 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24407 by customizing the corresponding variable
24408 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24409 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24410 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24411 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24412 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24413 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24414 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24417 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24419 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24420 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24421 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24422 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24423 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24424 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24425 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24426 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24427 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24428 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24429 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24430 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24431 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24433 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24434 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24435 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24436 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24437 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24438 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24439 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24440 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24443 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24444 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24445 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24446 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24447 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24448 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24449 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24454 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24455 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24456 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24457 you really want to.
24460 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24461 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24462 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24463 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24464 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24465 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24468 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24469 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24470 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24471 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24472 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24473 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24474 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24475 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24476 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24477 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24478 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24479 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24480 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24481 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24482 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24484 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24485 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24487 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24488 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24489 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24491 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24492 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24494 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24495 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24496 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24497 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24498 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24500 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24501 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24502 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24503 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24504 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24507 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24508 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24509 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24510 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24511 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24512 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24513 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24514 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24515 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24516 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24517 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24518 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24519 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24521 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24522 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24524 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24525 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24528 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24529 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24530 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24531 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24532 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24533 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24534 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24536 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24537 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24538 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24539 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24541 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24542 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24543 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24544 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24545 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24546 from the mail server.
24548 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24549 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24550 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24551 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24553 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24554 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24555 @cindex spam filtering
24556 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24557 @cindex spam configuration examples
24560 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24562 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24564 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24565 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24566 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24570 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24572 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24573 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24574 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24575 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24576 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24577 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24578 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24579 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24580 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24581 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
24582 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24583 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24584 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24585 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24586 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24587 (any "ding" "ding")
24588 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24590 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24593 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24595 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24596 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24597 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24598 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24600 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24602 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24603 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24604 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24605 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24606 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24608 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24609 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24611 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24613 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24614 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24616 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24617 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24618 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24620 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24622 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24623 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24625 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24626 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24627 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24629 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24630 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24631 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24632 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24634 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24635 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24636 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
24640 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
24641 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24643 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
24644 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
24645 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
24646 i.e., to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
24647 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
24648 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
24649 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
24650 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
24651 @samp{training.spam} folders.
24653 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
24654 does most of the job for me:
24657 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
24658 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
24659 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
24660 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24661 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
24662 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
24663 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24668 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24670 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24671 (i.e., legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24672 bogofilter or DCC).
24674 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24675 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24676 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24677 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24678 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24679 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24680 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24682 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24683 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24684 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e., chars) makes finding
24685 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24686 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24687 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24689 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24691 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24692 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24693 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24694 @samp{training.spam}.
24697 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24699 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24701 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24702 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24703 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24707 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24710 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24711 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24712 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e., the article numbers are
24713 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24714 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24716 @node Spam Back Ends
24717 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24718 @cindex spam back ends
24720 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24721 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24722 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24723 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24727 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24728 * BBDB Whitelists::
24729 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24730 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24732 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24734 * SpamAssassin back end::
24735 * ifile spam filtering::
24736 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24740 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24741 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24742 @cindex spam filtering
24743 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24744 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24747 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24749 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24750 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24751 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24752 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24757 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24759 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24760 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24761 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24762 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24763 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24767 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24769 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24770 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24771 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24775 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24777 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24778 customizing the group parameters or the
24779 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24780 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24781 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24785 Instead of the obsolete
24786 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24787 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24788 the same way, we promise.
24792 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24794 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24795 customizing the group parameters or the
24796 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24797 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24798 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24803 Instead of the obsolete
24804 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24805 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24806 the same way, we promise.
24810 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24811 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24812 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24813 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24814 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24816 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24817 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24818 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24819 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24821 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24822 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24823 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24824 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24825 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24826 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24828 @node BBDB Whitelists
24829 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24830 @cindex spam filtering
24831 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24832 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24835 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24837 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24838 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24839 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24840 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24841 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24842 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24843 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24847 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24849 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24850 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24851 unless the sender is in the BBDB@. Use with care. Only sender
24852 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24853 classified as spammers.
24855 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24856 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24857 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24858 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24863 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24865 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24866 customizing the group parameters or the
24867 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24868 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24869 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24874 Instead of the obsolete
24875 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24876 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24877 the same way, we promise.
24881 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24882 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24883 @cindex spam reporting
24884 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24885 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24888 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24890 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24891 customizing the group parameters or the
24892 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24893 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24894 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24897 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24901 Instead of the obsolete
24902 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24903 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24904 same way, we promise.
24908 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24910 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24911 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24912 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24913 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24914 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24918 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24920 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24921 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24922 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24926 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24927 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24928 @cindex spam filtering
24929 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24932 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24934 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24935 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24936 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24937 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24938 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24939 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24944 @subsubsection Blackholes
24945 @cindex spam filtering
24946 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24949 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24951 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24952 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24953 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24954 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24955 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24956 contains outdated servers.
24958 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24959 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24960 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24961 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24962 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24963 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24967 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24969 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24973 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24975 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24976 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24980 @defvar spam-use-dig
24982 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24983 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24987 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24988 ham processor for blackholes.
24990 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24991 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24992 @cindex spam filtering
24993 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24996 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24998 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24999 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
25000 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
25001 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
25002 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
25003 message is spam or ham, respectively.
25007 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
25009 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25010 the message, positively identify it as spam.
25014 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
25016 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
25017 the message, positively identify it as ham.
25021 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
25022 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
25025 @subsubsection Bogofilter
25026 @cindex spam filtering
25027 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
25030 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
25032 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25035 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
25036 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
25037 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
25038 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
25039 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
25040 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
25042 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
25043 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
25046 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
25047 processing will be turned off.
25049 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
25058 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
25059 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
25062 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
25064 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
25065 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
25066 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
25067 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
25068 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
25069 installation documents for details.
25071 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
25075 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
25076 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25077 customizing the group parameters or the
25078 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25079 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
25080 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
25084 Instead of the obsolete
25085 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25086 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25087 the same way, we promise.
25090 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
25091 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25092 customizing the group parameters or the
25093 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25094 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25095 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
25096 of non-spam messages.
25100 Instead of the obsolete
25101 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
25102 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
25103 the same way, we promise.
25106 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
25108 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
25109 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
25110 database directory.
25114 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
25115 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25116 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
25117 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
25118 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
25119 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
25121 @node SpamAssassin back end
25122 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
25123 @cindex spam filtering
25124 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
25127 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
25129 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
25131 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
25132 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
25133 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
25134 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
25137 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
25138 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
25139 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
25140 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
25143 You should not enable this if you use
25144 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
25148 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
25150 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
25151 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
25153 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
25157 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
25159 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
25160 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
25161 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
25162 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
25166 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
25167 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
25168 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
25169 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
25170 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
25171 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
25172 to test this functionality.
25174 @node ifile spam filtering
25175 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
25176 @cindex spam filtering
25177 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
25180 @defvar spam-use-ifile
25182 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
25183 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
25187 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
25189 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
25190 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
25191 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
25195 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
25197 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
25198 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
25199 the default value of @samp{spam}.
25202 @defvar spam-ifile-database
25204 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
25205 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
25209 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
25210 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
25211 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
25212 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
25215 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
25216 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
25217 @cindex spam filtering
25218 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
25222 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
25223 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
25224 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
25225 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
25226 spam-stat dictionary}.
25228 @defvar spam-use-stat
25232 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
25233 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25234 customizing the group parameters or the
25235 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25236 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
25237 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
25241 Instead of the obsolete
25242 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25243 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25244 the same way, we promise.
25247 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
25248 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25249 customizing the group parameters or the
25250 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
25251 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
25252 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
25253 of non-spam messages.
25257 Instead of the obsolete
25258 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
25259 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
25260 the same way, we promise.
25263 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
25264 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
25265 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
25266 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
25267 @code{spam-split} are provided.
25270 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
25271 @cindex spam filtering
25275 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
25276 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
25277 installed separately.
25279 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
25280 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
25281 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
25282 mail as a spam mail or not.
25284 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
25285 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
25286 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
25288 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
25291 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
25292 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
25293 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
25294 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
25295 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
25296 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
25297 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
25298 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
25301 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
25302 spam-split-group "Junk"
25303 ;; @r{for nnimap you'll probably want to set nnimap-split-methods, see the manual}
25304 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
25305 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
25308 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
25309 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25313 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25314 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25315 user's PATH@. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25319 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25320 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25321 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25322 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25323 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25324 database to live somewhere special, set
25325 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25328 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25329 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25330 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25331 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25332 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25333 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25334 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25335 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25336 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25337 @xref{Spam Package}.
25339 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25340 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25341 customizing the group parameter or the
25342 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25343 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25344 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25348 Instead of the obsolete
25349 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25350 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25351 the same way, we promise.
25354 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25355 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25356 customizing the group parameter or the
25357 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25358 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25359 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25364 Instead of the obsolete
25365 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25366 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25367 the same way, we promise.
25370 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25371 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25374 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25375 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25376 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25378 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25379 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25380 (e.g., because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25381 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25382 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25383 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25385 @node Extending the Spam package
25386 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25387 @cindex spam filtering
25388 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25389 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25391 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25392 incoming mail, provide the following:
25400 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25401 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25404 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25406 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25407 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25408 register/unregister routines as a start, or other register/unregister
25409 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25410 register/unregister spam and ham.
25415 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25416 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25417 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25418 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25423 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25430 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25431 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25433 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25434 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25435 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25436 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25439 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25440 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25441 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25443 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25444 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25445 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25454 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25455 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25457 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25458 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25459 variable customization.
25463 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25465 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25466 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25468 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25469 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25475 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25477 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25478 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25479 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25482 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25484 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25485 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25489 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25491 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25492 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25493 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25497 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25499 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25500 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25501 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25504 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25506 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25507 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25511 @code{spam-install-backend}
25513 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25514 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25515 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25518 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25520 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25521 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25522 never install such a back end.
25527 @node Spam Statistics Package
25528 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25529 @cindex Paul Graham
25530 @cindex Graham, Paul
25531 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25532 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25533 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25535 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25536 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25537 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25538 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25539 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25540 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25541 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25542 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25543 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25546 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25547 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25548 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25549 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25550 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25551 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25552 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25553 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25555 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25556 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25557 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25559 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25560 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25561 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25562 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25563 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25566 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25567 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25568 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25571 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25572 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25574 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25575 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25576 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25577 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25578 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25580 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25581 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25582 per mail. Use the following:
25584 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25585 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25586 is treated as one spam mail.
25589 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25590 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25591 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25594 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25595 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25596 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25597 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25598 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25599 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25601 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25602 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25603 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25604 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25605 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25608 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25609 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25610 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25611 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25614 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25615 reset the dictionary.
25617 @defun spam-stat-reset
25618 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25621 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25622 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25623 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25624 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25625 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25626 only non-spam mails.
25628 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25629 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25630 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25633 @defun spam-stat-save
25634 Save the dictionary.
25637 @defvar spam-stat-file
25638 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
25639 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
25642 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
25643 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
25645 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
25646 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
25648 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25651 (require 'spam-stat)
25655 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
25658 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
25659 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
25660 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
25661 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
25663 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
25664 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
25665 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25666 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25669 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25670 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25674 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25675 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25678 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25679 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25680 expression are considered potential spam.
25683 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25684 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25685 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25689 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25690 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25691 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25692 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25693 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25696 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25697 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25698 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25702 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25703 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25704 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25705 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25706 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25710 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25711 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25712 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25713 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25718 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25719 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25721 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25723 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25724 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25725 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25728 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25729 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25730 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25733 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25734 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25735 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25736 already been processed as non-spam.
25739 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25740 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25741 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25742 been processed as spam.
25745 @defun spam-stat-save
25746 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25747 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25750 @defun spam-stat-load
25751 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25752 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25755 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25756 Return the spam score for a word.
25759 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25760 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25763 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25764 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25765 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25768 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25769 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25772 (require 'spam-stat)
25776 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25779 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25780 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25781 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25782 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25783 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25784 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25785 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25786 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25787 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25788 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25789 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25790 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25791 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25792 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25795 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25798 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25799 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25800 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25801 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25802 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25803 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25806 @node The Gnus Registry
25807 @section The Gnus Registry
25812 The Gnus registry is a package that tracks messages by their
25813 Message-ID across all backends. This allows Gnus users to do several
25814 cool things, be the envy of the locals, get free haircuts, and be
25815 experts on world issues. Well, maybe not all of those, but the
25816 features are pretty cool.
25818 Although they will be explained in detail shortly, here's a quick list
25819 of said features in case your attention span is... never mind.
25823 Split messages to their parent
25825 This keeps discussions in the same group. You can use the subject and
25826 the sender in addition to the Message-ID@. Several strategies are
25830 Refer to messages by ID
25832 Commands like @code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article} can take
25833 advantage of the registry to jump to the referred article, regardless
25834 of the group the message is in.
25837 Store custom flags and keywords
25839 The registry can store custom flags and keywords for a message. For
25840 instance, you can mark a message ``To-Do'' this way and the flag will
25841 persist whether the message is in the nnimap, nnml, nnmaildir,
25845 Store arbitrary data
25847 Through a simple ELisp API, the registry can remember any data for a
25848 message. A built-in inverse map, when activated, allows quick lookups
25849 of all messages matching a particular set of criteria.
25853 * Gnus Registry Setup::
25854 * Fancy splitting to parent::
25855 * Registry Article Refer Method::
25856 * Store custom flags and keywords::
25857 * Store arbitrary data::
25860 @node Gnus Registry Setup
25861 @subsection Gnus Registry Setup
25863 Fortunately, setting up the Gnus registry is pretty easy:
25866 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500)
25868 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25871 This adds registry saves to Gnus newsrc saves (which happen on exit
25872 and when you press @kbd{s} from the @code{*Group*} buffer. It also
25873 adds registry calls to article actions in Gnus (copy, move, etc.) so
25874 it's not easy to undo the initialization. See
25875 @code{gnus-registry-initialize} for the gory details.
25877 Here are other settings used by the author of the registry (understand
25878 what they do before you copy them blindly).
25882 gnus-registry-split-strategy 'majority
25883 gnus-registry-ignored-groups '(("nntp" t)
25887 gnus-registry-max-entries 500000
25888 ;; this is the default
25889 gnus-registry-track-extra '(sender subject))
25892 They say: keep a lot of messages around, track messages by sender and
25893 subject (not just parent Message-ID), and when the registry splits
25894 incoming mail, use a majority rule to decide where messages should go
25895 if there's more than one possibility. In addition, the registry
25896 should ignore messages in groups that match ``nntp'', ``nnrss'',
25897 ``spam'', or ``train.''
25899 You are doubtless impressed by all this, but you ask: ``I am a Gnus
25900 user, I customize to live. Give me more.'' Here you go, these are
25901 the general settings.
25903 @defvar gnus-registry-unfollowed-groups
25904 The groups that will not be followed by
25905 @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent}. They will still be
25906 remembered by the registry. This is a list of regular expressions.
25907 By default any group name that ends with ``delayed'', ``drafts'',
25908 ``queue'', or ``INBOX'', belongs to the nnmairix backend, or contains
25909 the word ``archive'' is not followed.
25912 @defvar gnus-registry-max-entries
25913 The number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries the
25914 registry will keep.
25917 @defvar gnus-registry-max-pruned-entries
25918 The maximum number (an integer or @code{nil} for unlimited) of entries
25919 the registry will keep after pruning.
25922 @defvar gnus-registry-cache-file
25923 The file where the registry will be stored between Gnus sessions. By
25924 default the file name is @code{.gnus.registry.eioio} in the same
25925 directory as your @code{.newsrc.eld}.
25928 @node Registry Article Refer Method
25929 @subsection Fetching by @code{Message-ID} Using the Registry
25931 The registry knows how to map each @code{Message-ID} to the group it's
25932 in. This can be leveraged to enhance the ``article refer method'',
25933 the thing that tells Gnus how to look up an article given its
25934 Message-ID (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
25937 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
25939 The @code{nnregistry} refer method does exactly that. It has the
25940 advantage that an article may be found regardless of the group it's
25941 in---provided its @code{Message-ID} is known to the registry. It can
25942 be enabled by augmenting the start-up file with something along these
25946 ;; Keep enough entries to have a good hit rate when referring to an
25947 ;; article using the registry. Use long group names so that Gnus
25948 ;; knows where the article is.
25949 (setq gnus-registry-max-entries 2500)
25951 (gnus-registry-initialize)
25953 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
25956 (nnweb "gmane" (nnweb-type gmane))))
25959 The example above instructs Gnus to first look up the article in the
25960 current group, or, alternatively, using the registry, and finally, if
25961 all else fails, using Gmane.
25963 @node Fancy splitting to parent
25964 @subsection Fancy splitting to parent
25966 Simply put, this lets you put followup e-mail where it belongs.
25968 Every message has a Message-ID, which is unique, and the registry
25969 remembers it. When the message is moved or copied, the registry will
25970 notice this and offer the new group as a choice to the splitting
25973 When a followup is made, usually it mentions the original message's
25974 Message-ID in the headers. The registry knows this and uses that
25975 mention to find the group where the original message lives. You only
25976 have to put a rule like this:
25979 (setq nnimap-my-split-fancy '(|
25981 ;; split to parent: you need this
25982 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
25984 ;; other rules, as an example
25990 in your fancy split setup. In addition, you may want to customize the
25991 following variables.
25993 @defvar gnus-registry-track-extra
25994 This is a list of symbols, so it's best to change it from the
25995 Customize interface. By default it's @code{(subject sender)}, which
25996 may work for you. It can be annoying if your mail flow is large and
25997 people don't stick to the same groups.
26000 @defvar gnus-registry-split-strategy
26001 This is a symbol, so it's best to change it from the Customize
26002 interface. By default it's @code{nil}, but you may want to set it to
26003 @code{majority} or @code{first} to split by sender or subject based on
26004 the majority of matches or on the first found. I find @code{majority}
26008 @node Store custom flags and keywords
26009 @subsection Store custom flags and keywords
26011 The registry lets you set custom flags and keywords per message. You
26012 can use the Gnus->Registry Marks menu or the @kbd{M M x} keyboard
26013 shortcuts, where @code{x} is the first letter of the mark's name.
26015 @defvar gnus-registry-marks
26016 The custom marks that the registry can use. You can modify the
26017 default list, if you like. If you do, you'll have to exit Emacs
26018 before they take effect (you can also unload the registry and reload
26019 it or evaluate the specific macros you'll need, but you probably don't
26020 want to bother). Use the Customize interface to modify the list.
26022 By default this list has the @code{Important}, @code{Work},
26023 @code{Personal}, @code{To-Do}, and @code{Later} marks. They all have
26024 keyboard shortcuts like @kbd{M M i} for Important, using the first
26028 @defun gnus-registry-mark-article
26029 Call this function to mark an article with a custom registry mark. It
26030 will offer the available marks for completion.
26033 You can use @code{defalias} to install a summary line formatting
26034 function that will show the registry marks. There are two flavors of
26035 this function, either showing the marks as single characters, using
26036 their @code{:char} property, or showing the marks as full strings.
26039 ;; show the marks as single characters (see the :char property in
26040 ;; `gnus-registry-marks'):
26041 ;; (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-M 'gnus-registry-article-marks-to-chars)
26043 ;; show the marks by name (see `gnus-registry-marks'):
26044 ;; (defalias 'gnus-user-format-function-M 'gnus-registry-article-marks-to-names)
26048 @node Store arbitrary data
26049 @subsection Store arbitrary data
26051 The registry has a simple API that uses a Message-ID as the key to
26052 store arbitrary data (as long as it can be converted to a list for
26055 @defun gnus-registry-set-id-key (id key value)
26056 Store @code{value} under @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26059 @defun gnus-registry-get-id-key (id key)
26060 Get the data under @code{key} for message @code{id}.
26063 @defvar gnus-registry-extra-entries-precious
26064 If any extra entries are precious, their presence will make the
26065 registry keep the whole entry forever, even if there are no groups for
26066 the Message-ID and if the size limit of the registry is reached. By
26067 default this is just @code{(marks)} so the custom registry marks are
26072 @section Interaction with other modes
26077 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
26078 buffers. It is enabled with
26080 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
26085 @findex gnus-dired-attach
26086 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
26087 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
26088 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
26091 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
26092 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
26093 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
26097 @findex gnus-dired-print
26098 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
26099 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
26102 @node Various Various
26103 @section Various Various
26109 @item gnus-home-directory
26110 @vindex gnus-home-directory
26111 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
26112 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
26114 @item gnus-directory
26115 @vindex gnus-directory
26116 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
26117 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
26118 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
26120 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
26121 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
26122 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
26123 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
26125 @item gnus-default-directory
26126 @vindex gnus-default-directory
26127 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
26128 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
26129 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
26130 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
26131 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
26132 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
26135 @vindex gnus-verbose
26136 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
26137 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
26138 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
26139 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
26140 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
26142 @item gnus-verbose-backends
26143 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
26144 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
26145 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
26147 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26148 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
26149 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
26150 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
26151 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
26152 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
26153 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
26154 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
26155 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
26156 displayed in the echo area.
26158 @item nnheader-max-head-length
26159 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
26160 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
26161 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
26162 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
26163 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
26164 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
26165 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
26166 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
26167 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
26169 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
26170 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
26171 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
26172 read when doing the operation described above.
26174 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26175 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26177 @cindex invalid characters in file names
26178 @cindex characters in file names
26179 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
26180 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
26181 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
26185 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
26190 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
26191 Windows (phooey) systems.
26193 @item gnus-hidden-properties
26194 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
26195 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
26196 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
26197 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
26199 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
26200 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
26201 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
26202 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
26203 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
26205 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
26206 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
26207 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
26209 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26210 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
26212 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
26213 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
26214 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
26215 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
26218 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
26220 @item gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26221 @vindex gnus-safe-html-newsgroups
26222 Groups in which links in html articles are considered all safe. The
26223 value may be a regexp matching those groups, a list of group names, or
26224 @code{nil}. This overrides @code{mm-w3m-safe-url-regexp}. The default
26225 value is @code{"\\`nnrss[+:]"}. This is effective only when emacs-w3m
26226 renders html articles, i.e., in the case @code{mm-text-html-renderer} is
26227 set to @code{w3m}. @xref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization,
26228 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}.
26235 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
26236 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
26238 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
26240 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
26246 Not because of victories @*
26249 but for the common sunshine,@*
26251 the largess of the spring.
26255 but for the day's work done@*
26256 as well as I was able;@*
26257 not for a seat upon the dais@*
26258 but at the common table.@*
26263 @chapter Appendices
26266 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
26267 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
26268 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
26269 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
26270 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
26271 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
26272 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
26273 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
26274 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
26281 @cindex installing under XEmacs
26283 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
26284 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
26285 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
26286 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
26287 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
26288 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
26295 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
26296 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
26298 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
26299 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
26300 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
26301 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
26302 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
26304 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
26305 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
26306 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
26307 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
26308 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
26309 appropriate name, don't you think?)
26311 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
26312 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
26313 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
26314 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
26317 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
26318 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
26319 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
26320 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
26321 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
26322 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
26323 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
26324 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
26328 @node Gnus Versions
26329 @subsection Gnus Versions
26331 @cindex September Gnus
26333 @cindex Quassia Gnus
26334 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
26338 @cindex Gnus versions
26340 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
26341 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
26342 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
26344 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
26345 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
26347 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
26348 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
26350 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
26351 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
26353 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
26354 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
26357 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
26358 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
26360 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
26362 On April 19, 2010 Gnus development was moved to Git. See
26363 http://git.gnus.org for details (http://www.gnus.org will be updated
26364 with the information when possible).
26366 On the January 31th 2012, Ma Gnus was begun.
26368 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name---``(ding)
26369 Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
26370 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'', ``Ma Gnus''---don't
26371 panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly.
26372 Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of
26373 its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to
26380 What's the point of Gnus?
26382 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
26383 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
26384 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
26385 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
26386 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
26387 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
26388 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
26389 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
26390 keep track of millions of people who post?
26392 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
26393 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
26394 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
26395 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
26396 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
26397 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
26398 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
26399 every one of you to explore and invent.
26401 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
26402 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
26405 @node Compatibility
26406 @subsection Compatibility
26408 @cindex compatibility
26409 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
26410 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
26411 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
26416 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
26420 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
26423 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
26426 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
26427 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
26428 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
26429 important variables have their values copied into their global
26430 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
26431 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
26433 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
26434 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
26435 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
26436 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
26437 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
26441 @cindex highlighting
26442 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
26443 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
26444 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
26445 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
26446 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
26447 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
26450 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
26451 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
26452 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
26453 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
26455 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
26456 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
26457 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
26458 to stop doing it the old way.
26460 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
26462 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
26464 @cindex reporting bugs
26466 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
26467 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
26468 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
26470 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
26471 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
26472 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
26473 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
26478 @subsection Conformity
26480 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
26481 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
26489 There are no known breaches of this standard.
26493 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
26495 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
26496 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
26497 We do have some breaches to this one.
26503 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
26504 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
26505 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
26506 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
26507 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
26512 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
26513 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
26514 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
26515 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
26517 @item MIME---RFC 2045--2049 etc
26518 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
26519 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
26521 @item Disposition Notifications---RFC 2298
26522 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
26524 @item PGP---RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
26527 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
26528 published as an informational RFC@. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
26529 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
26530 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
26531 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
26534 @item PGP/MIME---RFC 2015/3156
26535 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
26536 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
26537 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
26539 @item S/MIME---RFC 2633
26540 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
26542 @item IMAP---RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
26543 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
26544 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
26545 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
26546 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
26547 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
26548 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
26549 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
26553 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
26554 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
26559 @subsection Emacsen
26565 This version of Gnus should work on:
26573 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26577 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26578 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26579 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26580 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26582 @c No-merge comment: The paragraph added in v5-10 here must not be
26585 @node Gnus Development
26586 @subsection Gnus Development
26588 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26589 discussion on the development mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}, where people
26590 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26591 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26592 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26593 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26594 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26595 have names like ``Oort Gnus'' and ``No Gnus''. @xref{Gnus Versions}.
26597 After futzing around for 10--100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26598 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26599 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.10.1'' instead. Normal people are
26600 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26601 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup. This newgroup is mirrored to the
26602 mailing list @samp{info-gnus-english@@gnu.org} which is carried on Gmane
26603 as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.user}. These releases are finally integrated
26607 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26608 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26609 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26610 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26611 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26613 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26614 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26615 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26616 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26617 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26618 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26619 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26620 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26621 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26622 can't be assumed to do so.
26624 So if you have problems with or questions about the alpha versions,
26625 direct those to the ding mailing list @samp{ding@@gnus.org}. This list
26626 is also available on Gmane as @samp{gmane.emacs.gnus.general}.
26629 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26630 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae,
26631 in particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming}. This is to prevent
26632 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26633 @xref{Mail Source Customization}.
26636 @subsection Contributors
26637 @cindex contributors
26639 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26640 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26641 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26642 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26643 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26644 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26645 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26646 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26647 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26648 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26650 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26656 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26659 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el,
26660 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26661 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26662 functionality and stuff.
26665 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26666 well as numerous other things).
26669 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26672 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
26675 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
26678 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
26681 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
26682 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
26685 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
26688 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
26691 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
26694 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
26697 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bug detection and fixes.
26700 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
26703 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
26704 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
26707 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
26710 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
26713 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
26716 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
26720 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
26723 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
26726 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
26729 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
26730 well as autoconf support.
26734 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
26735 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
26737 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
26752 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
26754 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
26758 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
26768 Alexei V. Barantsev,
26783 Massimo Campostrini,
26788 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
26789 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
26793 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
26796 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
26802 Michael Welsh Duggan,
26807 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
26811 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
26819 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
26821 Michelangelo Grigni,
26825 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
26827 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
26829 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
26837 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
26838 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
26839 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
26841 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
26851 Peter Skov Knudsen,
26852 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
26854 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
26855 Thor Kristoffersen,
26858 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
26876 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
26877 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
26884 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
26889 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
26893 John McClary Prevost,
26899 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
26904 Christian von Roques,
26907 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
26914 Philippe Schnoebelen,
26916 Randal L. Schwartz,
26930 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
26935 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
26955 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
26956 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
26957 (550kB and counting).
26959 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
26962 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
26963 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
26967 @subsection New Features
26968 @cindex new features
26971 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
26972 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
26973 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
26974 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
26975 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
26976 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
26977 * No Gnus:: Very punny. Gnus 5.12/5.13.
26978 * Ma Gnus:: Celebrating 25 years of Gnus.
26981 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
26982 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
26983 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
26986 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
26988 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
26993 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
26994 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
26997 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
26998 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
27001 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
27004 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
27005 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
27006 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
27009 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
27010 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
27011 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
27012 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27015 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
27016 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27019 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
27020 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
27021 (@pxref{The Active File}).
27024 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
27025 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
27028 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
27029 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
27030 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27033 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
27034 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
27035 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
27038 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
27039 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
27042 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
27043 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
27046 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
27047 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27050 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
27051 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
27054 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
27055 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27058 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
27061 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
27062 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
27065 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
27066 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
27069 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
27070 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
27073 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
27076 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
27077 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27080 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
27084 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
27088 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
27089 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
27094 @node September Gnus
27095 @subsubsection September Gnus
27099 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
27103 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
27108 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
27109 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
27113 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
27114 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
27118 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
27122 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
27123 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
27126 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
27130 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
27133 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
27136 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
27139 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
27143 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
27144 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
27147 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
27151 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
27155 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
27159 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
27163 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
27166 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
27167 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
27170 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
27174 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
27175 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
27178 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
27181 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
27182 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
27183 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
27186 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets.
27189 The Gnus cache is much faster.
27192 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
27196 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
27197 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
27200 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
27201 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
27204 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
27205 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
27208 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
27209 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
27210 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
27213 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
27214 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
27217 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
27220 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27223 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
27226 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
27229 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
27230 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
27233 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
27237 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
27240 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
27245 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
27248 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
27252 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
27255 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
27258 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
27259 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
27262 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
27263 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
27267 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
27268 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
27271 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
27275 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
27276 buffer to allow easier treatment.
27279 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
27282 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
27286 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
27290 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
27291 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
27294 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
27298 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
27299 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
27302 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
27303 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27306 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
27310 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
27313 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
27316 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
27322 @subsubsection Red Gnus
27324 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
27328 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
27335 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
27338 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
27339 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
27342 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
27343 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
27347 Article washing status can be displayed in the
27348 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
27351 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
27354 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
27355 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
27358 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
27362 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
27363 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
27367 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extensible (@pxref{Document
27368 Server Internals}).
27371 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
27375 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
27378 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
27379 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
27382 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
27383 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
27384 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
27387 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
27388 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27391 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
27392 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
27395 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
27399 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
27400 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27403 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
27404 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
27407 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
27411 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
27414 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
27418 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
27419 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
27422 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
27423 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
27426 A new command for reading collections of documents
27427 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
27428 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
27431 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
27435 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
27436 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
27439 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
27440 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
27441 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
27444 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
27445 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
27449 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
27453 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
27457 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
27462 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
27466 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
27470 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
27471 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
27474 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
27480 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
27482 New features in Gnus 5.6:
27487 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
27488 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
27489 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
27492 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
27493 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
27494 group, which is created automatically.
27497 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
27501 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-IDs.
27504 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
27505 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
27508 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
27512 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
27515 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
27516 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
27519 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
27522 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
27526 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
27527 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
27530 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
27531 control over simplification.
27534 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
27537 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
27541 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
27544 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
27547 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
27548 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
27549 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
27552 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
27553 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
27556 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
27560 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
27561 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
27564 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
27565 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
27568 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27572 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27575 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27578 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27579 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27582 A new function for citing in Message has been
27583 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27586 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27589 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27593 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27594 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27597 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27598 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27601 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27604 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27608 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27609 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27611 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27616 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27617 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27619 If you used procmail like in
27622 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27623 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27624 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27625 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27628 this now has changed to
27632 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27636 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27639 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27640 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27643 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27644 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27647 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27648 called to position point.
27651 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27652 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27655 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27656 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27659 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27660 subtly different manner.
27663 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27664 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
27665 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
27668 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
27673 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
27676 New features in Gnus 5.10:
27680 @item Installation changes
27681 @c ***********************
27685 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
27687 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
27688 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
27689 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
27690 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
27691 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
27692 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
27693 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
27694 isn't save in general.
27697 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
27698 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
27699 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
27700 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
27701 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
27702 remove-installed-shadows}.
27705 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
27707 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
27708 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
27709 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, if you want
27710 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
27711 the second parameter.
27713 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
27714 automatic recognition of XEmacs and Emacs, generates
27715 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
27716 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
27717 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
27718 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
27719 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
27720 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
27721 cycle used under Unix systems.
27723 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
27724 superfluous, so they have been removed.
27727 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
27729 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
27730 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
27733 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
27734 @c the repository. We should find a better place for this item.
27736 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
27738 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
27739 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
27740 lisp directory into load-path.
27742 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
27743 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
27747 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
27748 @c *****************************************
27753 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
27754 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
27757 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
27759 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
27760 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GnuTLS.
27763 Improved anti-spam features.
27765 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
27766 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
27767 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
27768 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
27769 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
27770 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
27773 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27775 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27776 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27777 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27778 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27779 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27783 @item Changes in group mode
27784 @c ************************
27789 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
27793 Retrieval of charters and control messages
27795 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
27796 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
27799 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
27801 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
27802 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
27803 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
27804 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
27805 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
27808 (setq gnus-parameters
27810 (gnus-show-threads nil)
27811 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
27812 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
27813 (to-group . "\\1"))))
27817 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
27819 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
27820 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
27821 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
27822 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
27823 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
27824 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
27825 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
27826 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
27827 when getting new mail, remove the function.
27830 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27832 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27833 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27834 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27837 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27838 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27840 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27841 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27842 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27844 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27848 Old intermediate incoming mail files (@file{Incoming*}) are deleted
27849 after a couple of days, not immediately. @xref{Mail Source
27850 Customization}. (New in Gnus 5.10.10 / Emacs 22.2)
27854 @item Changes in summary and article mode
27855 @c **************************************
27860 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
27861 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
27862 region if the region is active.
27865 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
27866 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
27871 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
27872 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
27873 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
27874 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
27877 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
27882 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
27883 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
27885 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
27886 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
27890 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
27891 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
27894 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
27897 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
27898 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
27901 Warn about email replies to news
27903 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
27904 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
27908 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
27909 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
27913 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
27914 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
27917 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
27918 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
27921 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
27922 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
27925 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
27927 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
27928 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
27929 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
27930 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
27933 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
27934 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
27935 Outlook (Express) articles.
27938 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
27940 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
27941 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
27942 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
27943 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
27945 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
27946 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
27947 message cited below.
27950 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
27953 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
27957 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
27960 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
27961 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
27964 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
27967 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
27969 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
27970 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
27971 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
27972 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
27973 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
27977 Deleting of attachments.
27979 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
27980 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
27981 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
27982 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
27983 that support editing.
27986 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27988 The default value is determined from the
27989 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27990 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27991 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27994 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27996 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27997 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27998 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
28001 Extended format specs.
28003 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
28004 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
28005 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
28006 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
28007 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
28008 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
28011 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
28012 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
28014 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
28015 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
28016 out other articles.
28019 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
28021 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
28022 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
28023 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
28024 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
28027 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
28031 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28032 @c ****************************************************
28039 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
28040 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
28041 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
28044 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
28045 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
28048 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
28049 Gcc articles as read.
28052 Externalizing of attachments
28054 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
28055 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
28056 local files as external parts.
28059 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
28060 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
28063 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
28065 Earlier it was generated when the user configurable email address was
28066 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
28067 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
28068 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
28069 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
28070 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
28071 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
28072 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
28073 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
28076 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
28078 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
28079 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
28080 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
28081 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
28082 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
28083 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
28086 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
28087 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
28091 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
28094 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
28096 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
28097 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
28098 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
28099 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
28100 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
28101 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
28102 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
28103 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
28104 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
28105 was inserted directly.
28108 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
28110 @c FIXME should that not be 'message-user-agent?
28111 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
28112 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
28113 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
28114 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
28117 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
28119 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
28121 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
28122 'bbdb-complete-name)
28126 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
28128 Add a new format of match like
28130 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
28131 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28133 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
28135 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
28136 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
28140 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
28142 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
28143 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
28144 need add those two headers too.
28147 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
28148 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
28149 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
28153 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
28154 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
28155 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
28156 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
28157 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
28160 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
28162 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
28165 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
28167 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
28171 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
28173 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
28174 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
28175 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
28176 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
28177 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
28178 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
28179 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
28180 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
28183 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
28184 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630--2633).
28186 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
28187 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
28188 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
28189 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
28192 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
28195 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
28196 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
28199 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
28202 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
28203 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
28204 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
28205 invalidate the digital signature.
28208 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
28209 decompressed when activated.
28210 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
28213 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
28215 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
28216 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
28217 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
28218 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
28219 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
28222 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
28223 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
28224 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
28225 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.1)
28227 @item @code{auto-fill-mode} is enabled by default in Message mode.
28228 See @code{message-fill-column}. @xref{Various Message Variables, ,
28229 Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
28230 @c New in Gnus 5.10.12 / 5.11 (Emacs 22.3)
28234 @item Changes in back ends
28235 @c ***********************
28239 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
28242 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
28245 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
28247 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
28250 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
28252 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
28253 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
28254 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
28255 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within, e.g., a department. It
28256 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
28257 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
28258 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
28259 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
28260 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
28261 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
28262 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
28272 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
28273 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
28276 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
28277 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
28278 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
28279 message, Message Manual}).
28282 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
28283 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars: @kbd{M-x
28284 customize-apropos RET -tool-bar$} should get you started. This is a new
28285 feature in Gnus 5.10.10. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
28287 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
28288 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
28289 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
28294 @item Miscellaneous changes
28295 @c ************************
28302 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
28303 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
28304 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
28305 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
28306 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
28307 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
28308 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
28309 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
28310 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
28311 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
28312 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
28313 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
28314 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
28315 is not needed any more.
28318 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
28320 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
28321 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
28322 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
28327 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
28328 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
28329 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
28333 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
28336 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
28338 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
28345 @subsubsection No Gnus
28348 New features in No Gnus:
28349 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
28351 @include gnus-news.texi
28354 @subsubsection Ma Gnus
28357 I'm sure there will be lots of text here. It's really spelled 真
28360 New features in Ma Gnus:
28364 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
28365 @c ****************************************************
28370 The new hooks @code{gnus-gcc-pre-body-encode-hook} and
28371 @code{gnus-gcc-post-body-encode-hook} are run before/after encoding
28372 the message body of the Gcc copy of a sent message. See
28373 @xref{Archived Messages}.
28383 @section The Manual
28387 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
28388 either @code{texi2dvi}
28390 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
28391 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
28393 to get what you hold in your hands now.
28395 The following conventions have been used:
28400 This is a @samp{string}
28403 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
28406 This is a @file{file}
28409 This is a @code{symbol}
28413 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
28417 (setq flargnoze "yes")
28420 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
28423 (setq flumphel 'yes)
28426 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
28427 ever get them confused.
28431 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
28432 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
28433 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
28434 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
28435 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
28436 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
28437 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
28443 @node On Writing Manuals
28444 @section On Writing Manuals
28446 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
28447 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
28448 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
28449 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
28450 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
28451 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code go hand
28454 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
28455 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
28456 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
28459 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
28460 reference manual as source material. It would look quite different.
28465 @section Terminology
28467 @cindex terminology
28472 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
28473 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
28474 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
28475 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
28476 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
28480 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
28481 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
28482 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
28483 not posting, and replying is not following up.
28487 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
28491 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
28496 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
28497 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
28498 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
28499 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
28500 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
28501 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
28502 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
28503 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
28504 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
28507 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
28508 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
28509 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
28510 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
28511 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
28512 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
28514 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
28515 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
28516 access the articles.
28518 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
28519 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
28520 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
28525 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
28526 default, way of getting news. Groups from the native select method
28527 have names like @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}.
28531 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same
28532 time. These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends
28533 for getting news. Foreign groups have names like
28534 @samp{nntp+news.gmane.org:gmane.emacs.gnus.devel}.
28538 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and
28539 being foreign, but they mostly act like they are native, but they, too
28540 have names like @samp{nntp+news.gmane.org:gmane.emacs.gnus.devel}.
28544 A message that has been posted as news.
28547 @cindex mail message
28548 A message that has been mailed.
28552 A mail message or news article
28556 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
28561 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
28566 A line from the head of an article.
28570 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
28571 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
28573 @item @acronym{NOV}
28574 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
28575 @acronym{NOV} stands for News OverView, which is a type of news server
28576 header which provide datas containing the condensed header information
28577 of articles. They are produced by the server itself; in the @code{nntp}
28578 back end Gnus uses the ones that the @acronym{NNTP} server makes, but
28579 Gnus makes them by itself for some backends (in particular, @code{nnml}).
28581 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
28582 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
28583 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
28584 normal @sc{head} format.
28586 The @acronym{NOV} data consist of one or more text lines (@pxref{Text
28587 Lines, ,Motion by Text Lines, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual})
28588 where each line has the header information of one article. The header
28589 information is a tab-separated series of the header's contents including
28590 an article number, a subject, an author, a date, a message-id,
28593 Those data enable Gnus to generate summary lines quickly. However, if
28594 the server does not support @acronym{NOV} or you disable it purposely or
28595 for some reason, Gnus will try to generate the header information by
28596 parsing each article's headers one by one. It will take time.
28597 Therefore, it is not usually a good idea to set nn*-nov-is-evil
28598 (@pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}) to a non-@code{nil} value unless you
28599 know that the server makes wrong @acronym{NOV} data.
28603 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1--9). The ones
28604 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
28605 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1--5 are considered
28606 @dfn{subscribed}; 6--7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
28607 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
28608 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
28610 @item killed groups
28611 @cindex killed groups
28612 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
28613 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
28615 @item zombie groups
28616 @cindex zombie groups
28617 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
28620 @cindex active file
28621 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
28622 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
28623 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28626 @cindex bogus groups
28627 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28628 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28629 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28632 @cindex activating groups
28633 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28634 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28635 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28639 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28640 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28641 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28645 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28647 @item select method
28648 @cindex select method
28649 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28652 @item virtual server
28653 @cindex virtual server
28654 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28655 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28656 whole is a virtual server.
28660 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28661 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28664 @item ephemeral groups
28665 @cindex ephemeral groups
28666 @cindex temporary groups
28667 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28668 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28669 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28672 @cindex solid groups
28673 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28674 group buffer are solid groups.
28676 @item sparse articles
28677 @cindex sparse articles
28678 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28679 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28683 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28684 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
28688 @cindex thread root
28689 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
28690 articles in the thread.
28694 An article that has responses.
28698 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
28702 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
28703 specified by RFC 1153.
28706 @cindex splitting, terminology
28707 @cindex mail sorting
28708 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
28709 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
28710 incorrectly called mail filtering.
28716 @node Customization
28717 @section Customization
28718 @cindex general customization
28720 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
28721 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
28722 for some quite common situations.
28725 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
28726 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
28727 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
28728 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
28732 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
28733 @subsection Slow/Expensive Connection
28735 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
28736 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
28737 Gnus has to get from the server.
28741 @item gnus-read-active-file
28742 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
28743 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
28744 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28745 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
28746 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
28748 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
28749 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
28750 Usually this one must @emph{always} be @code{nil} (which is the
28751 default). If, for example, you wish to not use @acronym{NOV}
28752 (@pxref{Terminology}) with the @code{nntp} back end (@pxref{Crosspost
28753 Handling}), set @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} to a non-@code{nil} value
28754 instead of setting this. But you normally do not need to set
28755 @code{nntp-nov-is-evil} since Gnus by itself will detect whether the
28756 @acronym{NNTP} server supports @acronym{NOV}. Anyway, grabbing article
28757 headers from the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast if you tell
28758 Gnus not to use @acronym{NOV}.
28760 As the variables for the other back ends, there are
28761 @code{nndiary-nov-is-evil}, @code{nndir-nov-is-evil},
28762 @code{nnfolder-nov-is-evil}, @code{nnimap-nov-is-evil},
28763 @code{nnml-nov-is-evil}, and @code{nnspool-nov-is-evil}. Note that a
28764 non-@code{nil} value for @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} overrides all those
28769 @node Slow Terminal Connection
28770 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
28772 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
28773 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
28774 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
28778 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
28779 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
28780 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
28781 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
28782 horizontal and vertical recentering.
28784 @item gnus-visible-headers
28785 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
28786 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
28787 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
28788 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
28790 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
28792 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
28793 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
28794 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
28797 @item gnus-use-full-window
28798 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
28799 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
28800 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
28801 want to read them anyway.
28803 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
28804 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
28808 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
28809 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
28810 lines, which might save some time.
28814 @node Little Disk Space
28815 @subsection Little Disk Space
28818 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
28819 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
28823 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
28824 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
28825 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28826 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28829 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
28830 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
28831 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28832 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28835 @item gnus-save-killed-list
28836 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
28837 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
28838 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
28839 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
28845 @subsection Slow Machine
28846 @cindex slow machine
28848 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
28849 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
28851 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28852 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
28854 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
28855 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
28856 summary buffer faster. Also @pxref{Slow/Expensive Connection}.
28860 @node Troubleshooting
28861 @section Troubleshooting
28862 @cindex troubleshooting
28864 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
28872 Make sure your computer is switched on.
28875 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
28876 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
28880 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
28882 @samp{Ma Gnus v0.6} @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change this line!
28884 you have the right files loaded. Otherwise you have some old @file{.el}
28885 files lying around. Delete these.
28888 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
28889 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
28892 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
28893 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
28894 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
28895 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
28896 something like that.
28899 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
28902 @cindex reporting bugs
28904 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
28906 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
28907 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
28908 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
28909 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
28911 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
28912 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
28913 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
28914 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
28917 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
28918 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
28919 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
28920 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
28921 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
28922 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
28924 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
28925 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
28926 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
28930 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
28931 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
28934 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
28935 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
28936 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
28937 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
28938 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
28939 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
28940 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
28941 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
28942 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
28943 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
28944 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
28945 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
28946 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
28947 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
28952 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
28953 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
28954 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
28955 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
28956 helps isolating the real problem areas).
28958 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP@. The profiler is
28959 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
28960 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
28961 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g., @kbd{M-x
28962 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
28963 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
28964 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
28965 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
28966 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
28967 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
28968 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
28969 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
28970 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
28973 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
28974 @cindex ding mailing list
28975 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
28976 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
28977 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
28978 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
28982 @node Gnus Reference Guide
28983 @section Gnus Reference Guide
28985 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
28986 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
28987 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
28988 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
28991 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
28992 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
28993 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
28994 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
28995 and general methods of operation.
28998 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
28999 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
29000 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
29001 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
29002 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
29003 * Group Info:: The group info format.
29004 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
29005 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
29006 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
29010 @node Gnus Utility Functions
29011 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
29012 @cindex Gnus utility functions
29013 @cindex utility functions
29015 @cindex internal variables
29017 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
29018 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
29019 Below is a list of the most common ones.
29023 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
29024 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
29025 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
29027 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
29028 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
29029 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
29031 @item gnus-group-real-name
29032 @findex gnus-group-real-name
29033 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
29036 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
29037 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
29038 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
29039 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
29041 @item gnus-get-info
29042 @findex gnus-get-info
29043 Returns the group info list for @var{group} (@pxref{Group Info}).
29045 @item gnus-group-unread
29046 @findex gnus-group-unread
29047 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
29051 @findex gnus-active
29052 The active entry (i.e., a cons cell containing the lowest and highest
29053 article numbers) for @var{group}.
29055 @item gnus-set-active
29056 @findex gnus-set-active
29057 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
29059 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29060 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
29061 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
29064 @item gnus-continuum-version
29065 @findex gnus-continuum-version
29066 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
29067 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
29070 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
29071 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
29072 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
29074 @item gnus-news-group-p
29075 @findex gnus-news-group-p
29076 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
29078 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29079 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
29080 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
29082 @item gnus-server-to-method
29083 @findex gnus-server-to-method
29084 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
29086 @item gnus-server-equal
29087 @findex gnus-server-equal
29088 Says whether two virtual servers are essentially equal. For instance,
29089 two virtual servers may have server parameters in different order, but
29090 this function will consider them equal.
29092 @item gnus-group-native-p
29093 @findex gnus-group-native-p
29094 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
29096 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
29097 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
29098 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
29100 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
29101 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
29102 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
29104 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
29105 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
29106 Returns the parameter list of @var{group} (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
29107 If given a second parameter, returns the value of that parameter for
29110 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
29111 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
29112 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
29114 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
29115 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
29116 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
29118 @item gnus-check-backend-function
29119 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
29120 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
29121 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
29124 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
29128 @item gnus-read-method
29129 @findex gnus-read-method
29130 Prompts the user for a select method.
29135 @node Back End Interface
29136 @subsection Back End Interface
29138 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
29139 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
29140 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
29141 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
29142 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
29143 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
29145 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
29146 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
29147 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
29148 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
29149 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
29150 been opened, the function should fail.
29152 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
29153 name. Take this example:
29157 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
29158 (nntp-port-number 4324))
29161 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
29162 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
29164 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
29165 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
29166 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
29168 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
29169 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
29170 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
29172 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
29173 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
29174 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
29175 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
29176 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
29177 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
29180 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
29181 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
29182 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server'';
29183 they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
29186 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
29187 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
29188 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
29189 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
29190 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
29191 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
29192 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
29193 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
29194 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
29195 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
29197 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
29198 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
29199 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
29200 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
29201 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
29202 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
29203 of numbers as long as possible.
29205 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
29206 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
29207 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
29209 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
29212 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
29215 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
29216 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
29217 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
29218 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
29219 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
29220 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
29224 @node Required Back End Functions
29225 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
29229 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
29231 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
29232 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
29233 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
29234 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
29236 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
29237 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
29238 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
29239 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
29241 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
29242 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
29243 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
29244 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
29245 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
29246 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
29247 number, do maximum fetches.
29249 Here's an example HEAD:
29252 221 1056 Article retrieved.
29253 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
29254 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
29255 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
29256 Subject: Re: Something very droll
29257 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
29258 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
29260 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
29261 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
29262 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
29266 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
29267 these in the data buffer.
29269 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
29273 head = error / valid-head
29274 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
29275 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
29276 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
29277 header = <text> eol
29281 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
29283 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
29284 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
29288 nov-buffer = *nov-line
29289 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
29290 field = <text except TAB>
29293 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
29297 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
29299 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
29300 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
29302 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
29303 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
29304 server. In fact, it should do so.
29306 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
29307 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
29310 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
29312 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
29313 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
29316 There should be no data returned.
29319 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
29321 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
29322 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
29323 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
29324 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
29326 There should be no data returned.
29329 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
29331 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
29332 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
29333 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
29334 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
29336 There should be no data returned.
29339 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
29341 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
29343 There should be no data returned.
29346 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
29348 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
29349 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
29350 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
29351 it would be nice if that were possible.
29353 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
29354 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
29355 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
29356 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
29357 into its article buffer.
29359 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
29360 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
29361 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
29362 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
29363 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
29364 on successful article retrieval.
29367 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST INFO)
29369 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
29370 making @var{group} the current group.
29372 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
29375 If @var{info}, it allows the backend to update the group info
29378 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
29381 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
29384 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
29385 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
29386 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
29387 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
29388 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
29389 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
29390 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
29391 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
29392 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
29396 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
29397 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
29398 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
29402 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29404 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
29405 a no-op on most back ends.
29407 There should be no data returned.
29410 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
29412 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
29415 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
29418 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
29419 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
29422 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
29423 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
29424 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
29425 and the highest as 0.
29428 active-file = *active-line
29429 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
29431 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
29434 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
29435 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
29436 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
29439 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
29441 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
29442 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
29443 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
29444 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
29445 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
29446 clear if the posting could not be completed.
29448 There should be no result data from this function.
29453 @node Optional Back End Functions
29454 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
29458 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
29460 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
29461 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
29462 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
29464 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
29465 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
29466 former is in the same format as the data from
29467 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
29468 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
29471 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
29475 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
29477 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
29478 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
29479 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
29480 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
29481 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
29482 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
29483 the network resources).
29485 There should be no result data from this function.
29488 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
29490 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
29491 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
29492 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
29493 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
29494 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
29495 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
29496 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
29497 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
29499 There should be no result data from this function.
29502 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
29504 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
29505 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
29506 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
29507 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
29508 propagate the mark information to the server.
29510 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
29513 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
29516 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
29517 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
29518 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
29519 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
29520 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
29521 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend}, and
29522 @code{forward}, but your back end should, if possible, not limit
29525 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
29526 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
29527 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
29528 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
29530 An example action list:
29533 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
29534 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
29535 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
29538 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
29539 mark on (currently not used for anything).
29541 There should be no result data from this function.
29543 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
29545 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
29546 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
29547 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
29548 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
29549 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
29551 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
29552 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
29553 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
29556 There should be no result data from this function.
29559 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
29561 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
29562 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
29563 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
29564 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
29565 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
29566 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
29567 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
29568 local if that's practical.
29570 There should be no result data from this function.
29573 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
29575 The result data from this function should be a description of
29579 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
29581 description = <text>
29584 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
29586 The result data from this function should be the description of all
29587 groups available on the server.
29590 description-buffer = *description-line
29594 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
29596 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
29597 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
29598 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
29599 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
29600 in the active buffer format.
29602 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
29603 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
29604 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
29605 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
29606 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
29607 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
29608 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
29611 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
29613 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
29615 There should be no return data.
29618 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
29620 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
29621 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
29622 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
29623 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
29624 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
29627 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
29630 There should be no result data returned.
29633 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
29635 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
29636 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
29638 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
29639 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
29640 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
29641 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
29642 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
29643 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
29645 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
29646 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29649 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29650 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29652 There should be no data returned.
29655 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29657 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29658 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29659 this function in short order.
29661 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29662 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29664 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29665 article for that group.
29667 There should be no data returned.
29670 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29672 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29673 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29675 There should be no data returned.
29678 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29680 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29681 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29682 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29684 There should be no data returned.
29687 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29689 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29690 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29692 There should be no data returned.
29697 @node Error Messaging
29698 @subsubsection Error Messaging
29700 @findex nnheader-report
29701 @findex nnheader-get-report
29702 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
29703 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
29704 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
29705 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
29706 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
29707 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
29710 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
29712 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
29715 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
29716 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
29717 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
29718 takes one argument---the server symbol.
29720 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
29721 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
29722 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
29725 @node Writing New Back Ends
29726 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
29728 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
29729 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
29730 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
29731 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
29732 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
29735 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
29736 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
29737 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
29739 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
29740 package called @code{nnoo}.
29742 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
29743 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
29749 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
29750 parameters. For instance:
29753 (nnoo-declare nndir
29757 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
29758 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
29761 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
29762 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
29763 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
29765 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
29766 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
29767 a function in those back ends.
29770 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29771 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29772 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29775 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
29776 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
29777 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
29779 @item nnoo-define-basics
29780 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
29784 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29788 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
29789 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
29790 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
29792 @item nnoo-map-functions
29793 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
29794 functions from the parent back ends.
29797 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29798 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29799 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
29802 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
29803 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
29804 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
29805 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
29808 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
29809 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
29810 haven't already been defined.
29816 nnmh-request-newgroups)
29820 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
29821 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
29822 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
29827 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
29830 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
29831 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,1996 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
29835 (require 'nnheader)
29839 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
29841 (nnoo-declare nndir
29844 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29845 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29846 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29848 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
29849 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
29852 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
29854 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
29855 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
29856 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
29858 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
29859 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
29861 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
29863 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29865 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
29866 (setq nndir-directory
29867 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
29869 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
29870 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
29871 (push `(nndir-current-group
29872 ,(file-name-nondirectory
29873 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29875 (push `(nndir-top-directory
29876 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29878 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
29880 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29881 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29882 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29883 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
29884 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
29888 nnmh-status-message
29890 nnmh-request-newgroups))
29896 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29897 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29899 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
29900 @findex gnus-declare-backend
29901 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
29902 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
29903 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
29905 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
29906 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
29911 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
29914 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
29916 The abilities can be:
29920 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
29922 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
29924 This back end supports both mail and news.
29926 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
29929 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
29930 articles and groups.
29932 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
29933 true for almost all back ends.
29934 @item prompt-address
29935 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
29936 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
29937 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
29941 @node Mail-like Back Ends
29942 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
29944 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
29945 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
29946 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
29947 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
29950 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
29951 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
29952 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
29955 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
29956 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
29959 This function takes four parameters.
29963 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
29966 @item exit-function
29967 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
29969 @item temp-directory
29970 Where the temporary files should be stored.
29973 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
29974 performed for one group only.
29977 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
29978 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
29979 find the article number assigned to this article.
29981 The function also uses the following variables:
29982 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
29983 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
29984 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
29985 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
29989 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
29990 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
29994 @node Score File Syntax
29995 @subsection Score File Syntax
29997 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
29998 malleable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
29999 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
30001 Here's a typical score file:
30005 ("Windows 95" -10000 nil s)
30012 BNF definition of a score file:
30015 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
30016 element = rule / atom
30017 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
30018 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
30019 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
30020 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
30022 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
30023 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
30024 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
30025 date-header = "date"
30026 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30027 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30028 score = "nil" / <integer>
30029 date = "nil" / <natural number>
30030 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
30031 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
30032 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
30033 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
30034 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30035 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30036 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
30037 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
30038 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
30039 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
30040 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
30041 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
30042 exclude-files / read-only / touched
30043 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
30044 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
30045 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
30046 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
30047 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
30048 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
30049 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
30050 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
30051 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
30052 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
30053 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
30054 eval = "eval" space <form>
30055 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
30058 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
30061 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
30062 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
30063 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
30064 one looong line, then that's ok.
30066 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
30067 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
30071 @subsection Headers
30073 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
30074 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
30075 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
30076 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
30078 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
30079 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
30080 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
30081 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
30082 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
30083 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
30084 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
30086 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
30087 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
30088 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
30089 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
30090 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
30092 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
30093 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
30099 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
30100 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
30102 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
30103 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
30104 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
30105 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
30107 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
30111 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
30114 is transformed into
30117 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
30120 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
30121 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
30124 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
30127 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
30128 is slightly tricky:
30131 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
30137 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
30140 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
30146 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
30153 and is equal to the previous range.
30155 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
30156 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
30157 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
30161 range = simple-range / normal-range
30162 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
30163 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
30164 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
30165 number *[ " " contents ]
30168 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
30169 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
30170 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
30171 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
30172 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
30177 @subsection Group Info
30179 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
30180 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
30181 describes the group.
30183 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
30184 second is a more complex one:
30187 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
30189 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
30190 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
30192 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
30195 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
30196 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
30197 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
30198 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
30199 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
30200 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
30201 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
30202 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
30203 this section is about.
30205 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
30206 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
30207 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
30209 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
30212 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
30213 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
30214 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
30215 group = quote <string> quote
30216 ralevel = rank / level
30217 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30218 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
30219 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
30221 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
30222 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
30223 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
30224 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
30227 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
30228 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
30231 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
30232 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
30235 @item gnus-info-group
30236 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
30237 @findex gnus-info-group
30238 @findex gnus-info-set-group
30239 Get/set the group name.
30241 @item gnus-info-rank
30242 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
30243 @findex gnus-info-rank
30244 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
30245 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
30247 @item gnus-info-level
30248 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
30249 @findex gnus-info-level
30250 @findex gnus-info-set-level
30251 Get/set the group level.
30253 @item gnus-info-score
30254 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
30255 @findex gnus-info-score
30256 @findex gnus-info-set-score
30257 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
30259 @item gnus-info-read
30260 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
30261 @findex gnus-info-read
30262 @findex gnus-info-set-read
30263 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
30265 @item gnus-info-marks
30266 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
30267 @findex gnus-info-marks
30268 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
30269 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
30271 @item gnus-info-method
30272 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
30273 @findex gnus-info-method
30274 @findex gnus-info-set-method
30275 Get/set the group select method.
30277 @item gnus-info-params
30278 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
30279 @findex gnus-info-params
30280 @findex gnus-info-set-params
30281 Get/set the group parameters.
30284 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
30285 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
30287 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
30288 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
30289 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
30290 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
30293 @node Extended Interactive
30294 @subsection Extended Interactive
30295 @cindex interactive
30296 @findex gnus-interactive
30298 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
30299 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
30300 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
30303 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
30304 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
30309 The best thing to do would have been to implement
30310 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
30311 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
30312 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
30313 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
30314 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
30315 @code{interactive}.
30317 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
30322 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
30323 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
30327 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
30328 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
30329 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
30332 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
30336 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
30340 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
30346 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
30347 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
30351 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
30352 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
30353 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
30355 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
30356 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
30357 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
30358 Gnus, that's very useful.
30360 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
30361 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
30362 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
30363 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
30364 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
30365 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
30366 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
30367 following function:
30370 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
30374 (,function ,@@args))
30378 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
30379 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
30380 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
30383 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
30384 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
30385 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
30387 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
30388 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
30389 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
30392 @node Various File Formats
30393 @subsection Various File Formats
30396 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
30397 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
30401 @node Active File Format
30402 @subsubsection Active File Format
30404 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
30405 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
30408 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
30411 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
30412 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
30413 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
30414 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
30415 no.general 1000 900 y
30418 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
30421 active = *group-line
30422 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
30423 group = <non-white-space string>
30425 high-number = <non-negative integer>
30426 low-number = <positive integer>
30427 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
30430 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
30431 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
30434 @node Newsgroups File Format
30435 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
30437 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
30438 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
30439 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
30442 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
30443 Here's the definition:
30447 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
30448 group = <non-white-space string>
30450 description = <string>
30455 @node Emacs for Heathens
30456 @section Emacs for Heathens
30458 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
30459 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
30460 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
30461 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
30462 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
30463 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
30464 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
30468 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
30469 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
30474 @subsection Keystrokes
30478 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
30481 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
30484 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
30485 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
30486 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
30487 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
30488 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
30489 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
30491 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
30492 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
30493 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
30494 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
30495 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
30496 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
30497 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
30499 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
30500 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
30501 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
30502 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
30503 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
30504 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
30505 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
30507 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
30508 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
30509 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
30510 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
30511 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
30517 @subsection Emacs Lisp
30519 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
30520 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
30521 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
30522 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
30524 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
30525 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
30526 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
30527 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
30528 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
30529 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
30530 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
30531 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
30532 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
30533 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
30535 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
30536 write the following:
30539 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
30542 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
30543 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
30544 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
30545 change how Gnus works.
30547 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
30548 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
30549 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
30550 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
30551 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
30553 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
30554 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
30555 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
30559 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
30563 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
30566 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server-file} to
30567 @samp{/etc/nntpserver}'', that means:
30570 (setq gnus-nntp-server-file "/etc/nntpserver")
30573 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
30574 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
30577 @include gnus-faq.texi
30579 @node GNU Free Documentation License
30580 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
30581 @include doclicense.texi
30599 @c Local Variables: