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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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266 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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275 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
278 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
279 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
280 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
281 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
282 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
283 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
284 License'' in the Emacs manual.
286 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
287 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
288 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
290 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
291 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
292 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
293 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
301 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
303 Copyright (C) 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
305 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
306 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
307 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
308 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
309 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
310 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
311 License'' in the Emacs manual.
313 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
314 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
315 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
317 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
318 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
319 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
320 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
328 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
331 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
332 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97,98,99,2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
334 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
335 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
336 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
337 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
338 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
339 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
340 License'' in the Emacs manual.
342 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
343 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
344 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
346 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
347 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
348 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
349 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
358 @top The Gnus Newsreader
362 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
363 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
364 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
367 This manual corresponds to pre-Oort Gnus.
378 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
379 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
381 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
382 being accused of plagiarism:
384 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
385 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
386 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
387 can even read news with it!
389 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
390 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
391 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
392 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
393 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
399 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
400 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
401 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
402 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
403 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
404 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
405 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
406 * Various:: General purpose settings.
407 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
408 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
409 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
410 * Key Index:: Key Index.
413 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
417 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
418 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
419 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
420 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
421 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
422 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
423 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
424 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
425 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
426 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
427 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
431 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
432 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
433 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
437 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
438 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
439 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
440 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
441 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
442 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
443 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
444 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
445 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
446 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
447 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
448 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
449 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
450 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
451 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
452 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
453 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
457 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
458 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
459 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
463 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
464 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
465 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
466 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
467 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
471 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
472 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
473 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
474 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
478 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
479 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
480 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
481 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
482 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
483 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
484 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
485 * Threading:: How threads are made.
486 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
487 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
488 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
489 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
490 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
491 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
492 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
493 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
494 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
495 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
496 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
497 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
498 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
499 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
500 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
501 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
502 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
503 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
504 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
505 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
506 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
508 Summary Buffer Format
510 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
511 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
512 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
513 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
517 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
518 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
520 Reply, Followup and Post
522 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
523 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
524 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
525 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
529 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
530 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
531 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
532 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
533 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
534 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
538 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
539 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
541 Customizing Threading
543 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
544 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
545 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
546 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
550 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
551 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
552 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
553 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
554 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
555 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
559 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
560 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
561 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
565 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
566 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
567 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
568 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
569 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
570 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
571 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
572 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
574 Alternative Approaches
576 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
577 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
579 Various Summary Stuff
581 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
582 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
583 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
584 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
588 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
589 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
590 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
591 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
592 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
596 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
597 * Post:: Posting and following up.
598 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
599 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
600 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
601 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
602 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
603 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
607 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
608 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
609 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
610 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
611 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
612 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
613 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
617 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
618 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
619 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
620 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
621 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
622 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
623 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
627 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
628 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
632 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
633 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
634 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
635 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
636 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
637 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
638 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
639 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
640 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
641 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
642 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
643 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
644 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
648 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
649 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
650 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
652 Choosing a Mail Backend
654 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
655 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
656 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
657 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
658 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
659 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
663 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
664 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
665 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
666 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
670 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
671 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
672 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
673 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
674 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
675 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
679 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
683 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
684 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
685 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
689 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
690 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
691 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
695 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
696 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
700 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
701 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
702 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
703 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
704 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
705 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
706 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
707 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
708 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
709 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
713 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
714 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
715 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
719 * Group Agent Commands::
720 * Summary Agent Commands::
721 * Server Agent Commands::
725 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
726 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
727 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
728 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
729 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
730 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
731 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
732 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
733 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
734 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
735 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
736 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
737 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
738 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
739 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
740 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
744 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
745 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
746 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
747 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
751 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
752 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
753 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
757 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
758 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
759 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
760 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
761 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
762 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
763 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
764 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
765 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
766 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
767 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
768 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
769 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
770 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
771 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
772 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
773 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
774 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
778 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
779 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
780 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
781 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
782 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
786 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
787 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
788 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
789 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
793 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
794 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
795 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
796 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
797 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
801 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
802 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
803 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
804 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
805 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
806 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
807 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
808 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
812 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
813 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
814 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
815 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
816 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
817 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
818 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
819 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
820 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
821 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
825 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
826 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
827 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
828 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
832 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
833 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
834 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
835 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
839 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
840 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
841 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
842 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
843 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
844 * Group Info:: The group info format.
845 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
846 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
847 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
851 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
852 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
853 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
854 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
855 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
856 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
860 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
861 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
865 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
866 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
872 @chapter Starting Gnus
877 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
878 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
881 @findex gnus-other-frame
882 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
883 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
884 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
886 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
887 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
888 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
890 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
891 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
894 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
895 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
896 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
897 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
898 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
899 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
900 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
901 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
902 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
903 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
904 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
908 @node Finding the News
909 @section Finding the News
912 @vindex gnus-select-method
914 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
915 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
916 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
917 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
920 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
921 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
924 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
927 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
930 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
933 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
934 certainly be much faster.
936 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
938 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
939 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
940 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
941 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
942 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
943 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
945 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
946 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
947 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
948 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
950 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
951 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
952 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
953 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
954 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
955 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
956 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
957 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
958 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
961 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
963 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
964 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
965 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
966 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
967 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
968 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
970 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
972 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
973 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
974 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
975 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
976 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
977 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
980 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
981 would typically set this variable to
984 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
989 @section The First Time
990 @cindex first time usage
992 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
993 be subscribed by default.
995 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
996 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
997 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
998 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1001 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1002 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1003 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1005 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1006 help you with most common problems.
1008 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1009 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1013 @node The Server is Down
1014 @section The Server is Down
1015 @cindex server errors
1017 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1018 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1019 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1021 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1022 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1023 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1024 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1025 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1026 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1027 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1029 @findex gnus-no-server
1030 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1032 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1033 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1034 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1035 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1036 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1037 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1042 @section Slave Gnusae
1045 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1046 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1047 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1048 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1050 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1051 @code{.newsrc} file.
1053 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1054 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1055 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1056 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1057 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1058 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1059 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1061 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1062 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1063 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1064 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1065 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1066 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1067 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1068 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1070 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1071 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1074 @node Fetching a Group
1075 @section Fetching a Group
1076 @cindex fetching a group
1078 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1079 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1080 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1081 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1082 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1083 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1089 @cindex subscription
1091 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1092 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1093 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1094 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1095 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1096 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1097 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1098 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1099 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1102 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1103 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1104 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1108 @node Checking New Groups
1109 @subsection Checking New Groups
1111 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1112 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1113 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1114 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1115 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1116 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1117 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1118 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1119 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1120 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1122 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1123 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1124 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1125 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1126 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1127 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1128 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1129 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1130 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1131 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1132 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1134 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1135 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1136 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1137 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1138 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1139 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1142 @node Subscription Methods
1143 @subsection Subscription Methods
1145 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1146 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1147 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1149 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1150 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1152 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1156 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1157 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1158 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1159 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1160 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1162 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1163 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1164 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1165 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1167 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1168 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1169 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1171 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1172 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1173 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1174 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1175 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1176 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1177 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1178 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1179 up. Or something like that.
1181 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1182 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1183 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1184 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1185 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1187 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1188 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1189 Kill all new groups.
1191 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1192 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1193 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1194 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1195 topic parameter that looks like
1201 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1204 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1209 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1210 A closely related variable is
1211 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1212 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1213 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1214 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1217 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1218 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1219 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1220 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1223 @node Filtering New Groups
1224 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1226 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1227 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1228 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1231 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1234 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1235 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1236 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1237 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1238 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1239 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1240 subscribing these groups.
1241 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1242 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1244 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1245 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1246 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1247 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1248 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1249 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1250 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1251 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1253 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1254 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1255 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1256 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1257 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1258 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1259 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1260 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1261 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1262 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1264 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1265 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1268 @node Changing Servers
1269 @section Changing Servers
1270 @cindex changing servers
1272 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1273 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1274 very flaky and you want to use another.
1276 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1277 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1281 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1282 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1283 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1284 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1287 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1288 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1289 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1290 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1292 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1293 @findex gnus-change-server
1294 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1295 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1296 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1297 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1298 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1300 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1301 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1302 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1303 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1304 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1306 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1307 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1308 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1309 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1310 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1311 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1313 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1314 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1315 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1319 @section Startup Files
1320 @cindex startup files
1325 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1326 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1328 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1329 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1330 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1331 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1332 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1333 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1334 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1336 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1337 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1338 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1339 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1340 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1341 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1343 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1344 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1345 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1346 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1347 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1348 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1349 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1350 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1351 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1352 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1354 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1355 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1356 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1357 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1358 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1359 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1360 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1361 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1362 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1363 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1364 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1365 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1367 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1368 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1369 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1370 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1372 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1373 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1374 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1375 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1376 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1377 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1378 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1379 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1380 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1381 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1384 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1385 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1387 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1388 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1391 @vindex gnus-init-file
1392 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1393 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1394 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1395 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1396 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1397 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1398 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1399 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1400 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1406 @cindex dribble file
1409 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1410 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1411 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1412 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1413 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1416 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1417 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1420 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1421 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1422 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1424 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1425 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1426 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1427 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1428 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1429 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1431 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1432 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1433 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1436 @node The Active File
1437 @section The Active File
1439 @cindex ignored groups
1441 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1442 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1443 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1445 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1446 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1447 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1448 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1449 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1450 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1451 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1454 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1455 @c if you set it to anything else.
1457 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1459 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1460 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1461 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1463 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1464 you actually subscribe to.
1466 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1467 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1468 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1469 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1471 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1472 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1473 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1474 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1475 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1476 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1478 Some news servers (Leafnode and old versions of INN, for instance) do
1479 not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these servers, @code{nil}
1480 is probably the most efficient value for this variable.
1482 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1483 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1484 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1485 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1486 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1487 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1489 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1490 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1492 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1493 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1495 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1496 secondary select methods.
1499 @node Startup Variables
1500 @section Startup Variables
1504 @item gnus-load-hook
1505 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1506 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1507 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1508 times you start Gnus.
1510 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1512 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1514 @item gnus-startup-hook
1515 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1516 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1518 @item gnus-started-hook
1519 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1520 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1523 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1524 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1525 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1526 generating the group buffer.
1528 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1529 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1530 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1531 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1532 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1533 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1534 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1535 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1537 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1538 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1539 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1540 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1541 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1542 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1544 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1545 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1546 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1548 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1549 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1550 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1552 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1553 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1554 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1555 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1560 @node The Group Buffer
1561 @chapter The Group Buffer
1562 @cindex group buffer
1564 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1565 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1566 long as Gnus is active.
1570 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1571 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1572 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1573 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1574 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1575 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1576 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1577 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1583 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1584 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1585 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1586 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1587 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1588 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1589 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1590 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1591 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1592 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1593 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1594 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1595 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1596 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1597 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1598 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1599 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1603 @node Group Buffer Format
1604 @section Group Buffer Format
1607 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1608 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1609 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1613 @node Group Line Specification
1614 @subsection Group Line Specification
1615 @cindex group buffer format
1617 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1618 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1620 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1623 25: news.announce.newusers
1624 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1629 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1630 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1631 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1632 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1634 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1635 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1636 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1637 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1638 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1639 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1641 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1643 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1644 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1645 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1646 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1649 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1650 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1651 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1653 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1658 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1661 Whether the group is subscribed.
1664 Level of subscribedness.
1667 Number of unread articles.
1670 Number of dormant articles.
1673 Number of ticked articles.
1676 Number of read articles.
1679 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1680 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1683 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1686 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1695 Newsgroup description.
1698 @samp{m} if moderated.
1701 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1710 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1714 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1717 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1718 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1719 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1720 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1721 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1724 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1726 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1730 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1734 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1735 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1736 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1737 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1738 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1739 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1744 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1745 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1746 group, or a bogus native group.
1749 @node Group Modeline Specification
1750 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1751 @cindex group modeline
1753 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1754 The mode line can be changed by setting
1755 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1756 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1760 The native news server.
1762 The native select method.
1766 @node Group Highlighting
1767 @subsection Group Highlighting
1768 @cindex highlighting
1769 @cindex group highlighting
1771 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1772 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1773 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1774 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1775 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1777 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1781 (cond (window-system
1782 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1783 (defface my-group-face-1
1784 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1785 (defface my-group-face-2
1786 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1787 (defface my-group-face-3
1788 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1789 (defface my-group-face-4
1790 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1791 (defface my-group-face-5
1792 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1794 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1795 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1796 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1797 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1798 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1799 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1802 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1804 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1811 The number of unread articles in the group.
1815 Whether the group is a mail group.
1817 The level of the group.
1819 The score of the group.
1821 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1823 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1824 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1826 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1827 topic being inserted.
1830 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1831 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1832 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1834 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1835 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1836 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1837 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1838 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1841 @node Group Maneuvering
1842 @section Group Maneuvering
1843 @cindex group movement
1845 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1846 expected, hopefully.
1852 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1853 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1854 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1860 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1861 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1862 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1866 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1867 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1871 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1872 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1876 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1877 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1878 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1882 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1883 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1884 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1887 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1893 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1894 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1895 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1900 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1901 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1902 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1906 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1907 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1908 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1911 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1912 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1913 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1914 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1918 @node Selecting a Group
1919 @section Selecting a Group
1920 @cindex group selection
1925 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1926 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1927 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1928 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1929 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1930 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1931 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1932 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1933 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1934 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1938 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1939 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1940 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1941 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1942 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1946 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1947 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1948 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1949 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1950 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1951 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1952 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1953 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1954 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1955 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1958 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1959 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1960 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1961 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1962 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1965 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1966 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1967 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1968 doing any processing of its contents
1969 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1970 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1971 manner will have no permanent effects.
1975 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1976 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1977 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1978 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1979 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1980 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1981 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1982 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1985 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1986 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1987 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1988 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1993 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1994 full summary buffer.
1997 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2000 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2005 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2006 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2007 Useful functions include:
2010 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2011 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2012 don't select the article.
2014 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2015 Select the first unread article.
2017 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2018 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2022 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2023 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2024 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2028 @node Subscription Commands
2029 @section Subscription Commands
2030 @cindex subscription
2038 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2039 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2040 Toggle subscription to the current group
2041 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2047 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2048 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2049 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2050 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2057 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2058 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2064 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2065 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2068 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2069 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2070 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2071 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2072 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2078 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2079 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2083 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2084 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2087 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2088 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2089 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2090 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2091 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2092 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2093 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2094 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2095 @file{.newsrc} file.
2099 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2109 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2110 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2111 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2112 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2113 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2114 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2119 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2120 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2121 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2125 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2126 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2127 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2129 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2130 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2131 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2132 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2133 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2134 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2141 @section Group Levels
2145 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2146 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2147 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2148 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2149 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2151 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2157 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2158 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2159 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2160 prompted for a level.
2163 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2164 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2165 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2166 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2167 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2168 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2169 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2170 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2171 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2172 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2173 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2174 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2175 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2176 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2177 reasons of efficiency.
2179 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2180 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2182 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2183 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2184 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2185 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2186 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2187 groups are hidden, in a way.
2189 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2190 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2191 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2192 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2193 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2194 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2196 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2197 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2198 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2199 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2200 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2201 list of killed groups.)
2203 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2204 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2205 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2207 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2208 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2209 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2210 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2211 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2212 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2213 relevant valid ranges.
2215 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2216 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2217 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2218 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2219 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2220 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2223 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2224 one with the best level.
2226 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2227 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2228 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2231 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2232 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2233 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2234 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2237 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2238 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2239 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2240 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2242 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2243 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2244 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2245 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2246 to 5. The default is 6.
2250 @section Group Score
2255 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2256 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2257 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2260 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2261 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2262 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2263 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2264 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2265 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2266 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2267 least significant part.))
2269 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2270 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2271 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2272 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2273 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2274 action after each summary exit, you can add
2275 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2276 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2277 slow things down somewhat.
2280 @node Marking Groups
2281 @section Marking Groups
2282 @cindex marking groups
2284 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2285 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2286 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2287 bidding on those groups.
2289 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2290 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2291 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2299 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2300 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2306 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2307 Remove the mark from the current group
2308 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2312 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2313 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2317 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2318 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2322 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2323 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2327 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2328 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2329 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2332 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2334 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2335 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2336 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2337 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2338 the command to be executed.
2341 @node Foreign Groups
2342 @section Foreign Groups
2343 @cindex foreign groups
2345 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2346 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2347 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2348 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2355 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2356 @cindex making groups
2357 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2358 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2359 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2363 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2364 @cindex renaming groups
2365 Rename the current group to something else
2366 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2367 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2373 @findex gnus-group-customize
2374 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2378 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2379 @cindex renaming groups
2380 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2381 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2385 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2386 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2387 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2391 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2392 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2393 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2397 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2399 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2400 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2406 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2410 @cindex (ding) archive
2411 @cindex archive group
2412 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2413 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2414 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2415 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2416 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2417 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2418 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2422 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2424 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2425 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2426 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2427 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2431 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2433 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2434 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2435 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2439 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2440 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2442 Make a group based on some file or other
2443 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2444 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2445 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2446 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2447 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2448 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2449 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2453 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2454 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2455 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2456 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2460 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2465 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2466 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2467 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2468 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2469 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2470 @xref{Web Searches}.
2472 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2473 to a particular group by using a match string like
2474 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2477 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2478 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2479 This function will delete the current group
2480 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2481 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2482 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2483 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2484 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2488 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2489 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2490 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2494 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2495 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2496 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2499 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2502 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2503 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2504 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2505 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2506 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2507 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2511 @node Group Parameters
2512 @section Group Parameters
2513 @cindex group parameters
2515 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2516 Here's an example group parameter list:
2519 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2523 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2524 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2525 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2526 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2528 The following group parameters can be used:
2533 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2536 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2539 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2540 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2541 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2542 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2543 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2545 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2546 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2547 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2548 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2549 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2550 list address instead.
2554 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2557 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2560 It is totally ignored
2561 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2562 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2564 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2565 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2566 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2567 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2568 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2570 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2571 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2572 sending the message.
2576 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2577 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2578 of whether it has any unread articles.
2580 @item broken-reply-to
2581 @cindex broken-reply-to
2582 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2583 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2584 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2585 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2586 broken behavior. So there!
2590 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2591 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2595 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2596 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2597 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2602 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2603 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2604 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2605 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2606 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2607 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2608 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2612 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2613 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2614 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2617 @cindex total-expire
2618 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2619 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2620 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2621 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2626 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2627 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2628 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2629 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2630 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2631 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2634 @cindex score file group parameter
2635 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2636 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2637 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2640 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2641 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2642 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2643 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2646 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2647 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2648 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2649 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2652 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2653 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2657 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2660 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2665 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2666 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2667 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2671 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2672 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2673 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2675 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2676 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2677 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2678 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2679 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2680 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2681 @code{eval}ed there.
2683 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2684 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2685 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2686 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2687 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2690 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2691 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2692 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2693 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2694 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2696 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2697 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2698 like this in the group parameters:
2703 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2707 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2708 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2709 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2710 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2711 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2715 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group. You
2716 might also be interested in reading about topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
2720 @node Listing Groups
2721 @section Listing Groups
2722 @cindex group listing
2724 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2732 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2733 List all groups that have unread articles
2734 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2735 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2736 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2737 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2744 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2745 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2746 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2747 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2748 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2749 unsubscribed groups).
2753 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2754 List all unread groups on a specific level
2755 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2756 with no unread articles.
2760 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2761 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2762 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2763 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2768 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2769 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2773 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2774 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2775 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2779 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2780 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2784 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2785 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2786 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2787 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2788 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2789 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2790 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2791 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2795 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2796 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2797 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2801 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2802 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2803 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2807 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2808 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2812 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2813 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2817 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2818 List groups limited within the current selection
2819 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2823 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2824 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2828 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2829 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2833 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2834 @cindex visible group parameter
2835 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2836 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2837 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2838 get the same effect.
2840 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2841 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2842 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2843 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2844 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2847 @node Sorting Groups
2848 @section Sorting Groups
2849 @cindex sorting groups
2851 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2852 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2853 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2854 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2855 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2856 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2861 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2862 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2863 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2865 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2866 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2867 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2869 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2870 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2871 Sort by group level.
2873 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2874 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2875 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2877 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2878 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2879 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2880 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2882 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2883 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2884 Sort by number of unread articles.
2886 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2887 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2888 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2893 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2894 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2898 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2899 some sorting criteria:
2903 @kindex G S a (Group)
2904 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2905 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2906 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2909 @kindex G S u (Group)
2910 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2911 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2912 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2915 @kindex G S l (Group)
2916 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2917 Sort the group buffer by group level
2918 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2921 @kindex G S v (Group)
2922 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2923 Sort the group buffer by group score
2924 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2927 @kindex G S r (Group)
2928 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2929 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2930 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2933 @kindex G S m (Group)
2934 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2935 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2936 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2940 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2941 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2943 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2944 commands will sort in reverse order.
2946 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2950 @kindex G P a (Group)
2951 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2952 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2953 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2956 @kindex G P u (Group)
2957 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2958 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2959 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2962 @kindex G P l (Group)
2963 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2964 Sort the groups by group level
2965 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2968 @kindex G P v (Group)
2969 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2970 Sort the groups by group score
2971 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2974 @kindex G P r (Group)
2975 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2976 Sort the groups by group rank
2977 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2980 @kindex G P m (Group)
2981 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2982 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
2983 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2989 @node Group Maintenance
2990 @section Group Maintenance
2991 @cindex bogus groups
2996 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2997 Find bogus groups and delete them
2998 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3002 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3003 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3004 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3005 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3006 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3010 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3011 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3012 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3013 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
3016 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3017 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3018 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
3019 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3024 @node Browse Foreign Server
3025 @section Browse Foreign Server
3026 @cindex foreign servers
3027 @cindex browsing servers
3032 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3033 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3034 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3035 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3038 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3039 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3040 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3041 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3043 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3048 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3049 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3053 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3054 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3057 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3058 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3059 Enter the current group and display the first article
3060 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3063 @kindex RET (Browse)
3064 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3065 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3069 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3070 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3071 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3077 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3078 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3082 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3083 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3084 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3089 @section Exiting Gnus
3090 @cindex exiting Gnus
3092 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3097 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3098 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3099 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3100 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3104 @findex gnus-group-exit
3105 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3106 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3110 @findex gnus-group-quit
3111 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3112 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3115 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3116 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3117 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3118 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3119 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3124 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3125 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3126 trying to customize meta-variables.
3131 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3132 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3133 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3139 @section Group Topics
3142 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3143 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3144 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3145 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3146 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3147 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3151 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3152 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3163 2: alt.religion.emacs
3166 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3168 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3169 13: comp.sources.unix
3172 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3174 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3175 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3176 is a toggling command.)
3178 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3179 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3180 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3181 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3184 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3185 the hook for the group mode:
3188 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3192 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3193 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3194 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3195 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3196 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3200 @node Topic Variables
3201 @subsection Topic Variables
3202 @cindex topic variables
3204 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3205 really neat, I think.
3207 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3208 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3209 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3222 Number of groups in the topic.
3224 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3226 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3229 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3230 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3231 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3234 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3235 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3237 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3238 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3239 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3242 @node Topic Commands
3243 @subsection Topic Commands
3244 @cindex topic commands
3246 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3247 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3248 definitions slightly.
3254 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3255 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3256 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3260 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3261 Move the current group to some other topic
3262 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3263 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3267 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3268 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3272 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3273 Copy the current group to some other topic
3274 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3275 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3279 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3280 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3281 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3285 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3286 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3287 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3291 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3292 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3293 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3294 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3295 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3296 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3297 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3300 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3301 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3305 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3306 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3307 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3311 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3312 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3313 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3317 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3318 Toggle hiding empty topics
3319 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3323 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3324 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3325 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3328 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3329 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3330 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3331 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3335 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3337 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3338 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3339 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3340 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3343 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3344 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3345 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3346 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3350 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3352 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3353 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3354 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3355 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3356 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3357 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3360 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3361 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3362 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3363 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3367 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3368 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3369 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3373 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3374 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3375 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3380 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3381 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3384 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3385 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3386 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3390 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3391 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3392 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3396 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3397 @cindex group parameters
3398 @cindex topic parameters
3400 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3401 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3407 @subsection Topic Sorting
3408 @cindex topic sorting
3410 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3416 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3417 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3418 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3419 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3422 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3423 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3424 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3425 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3428 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3429 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3430 Sort the current topic by group level
3431 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3434 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3435 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3436 Sort the current topic by group score
3437 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3440 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3441 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3442 Sort the current topic by group rank
3443 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3446 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3447 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3448 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3449 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3453 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3456 @node Topic Topology
3457 @subsection Topic Topology
3458 @cindex topic topology
3461 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3467 2: alt.religion.emacs
3470 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3472 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3473 13: comp.sources.unix
3476 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3477 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3478 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3483 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3484 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3488 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3489 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3490 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3491 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3492 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3493 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3495 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3496 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3497 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3500 @node Topic Parameters
3501 @subsection Topic Parameters
3502 @cindex topic parameters
3504 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3505 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3506 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3508 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3513 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3514 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3515 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3520 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3521 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3522 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3523 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3529 2: alt.religion.emacs
3533 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3535 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3536 13: comp.sources.unix
3540 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3541 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3542 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3543 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3544 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3545 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3547 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3548 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3549 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3550 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3551 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3553 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3554 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3555 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3556 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3557 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3558 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3559 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3560 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3563 @node Misc Group Stuff
3564 @section Misc Group Stuff
3567 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3568 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3569 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3570 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3577 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3578 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3579 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3583 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3584 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3585 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3589 @findex gnus-group-mail
3590 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3594 Variables for the group buffer:
3598 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3599 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3600 is called after the group buffer has been
3603 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3604 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3605 is called after the group buffer is
3606 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3609 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3610 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3611 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3612 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3614 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3615 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3616 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3617 whether they are empty or not.
3619 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3620 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3621 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3622 non-ASCII group names.
3626 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3627 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3630 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3631 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3632 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3633 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3637 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3638 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3643 @node Scanning New Messages
3644 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3645 @cindex new messages
3646 @cindex scanning new news
3652 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3653 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3654 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3655 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3656 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3657 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3662 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3663 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3664 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3665 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3666 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3667 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3668 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3670 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3671 @cindex activating groups
3673 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3674 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3679 @findex gnus-group-restart
3680 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3681 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3682 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3686 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3687 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3689 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3690 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3694 @node Group Information
3695 @subsection Group Information
3696 @cindex group information
3697 @cindex information on groups
3704 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3705 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3708 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3709 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3710 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3711 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3712 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3713 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3714 for fetching the file.
3716 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3717 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3721 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3723 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3724 @cindex describing groups
3725 @cindex group description
3726 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3727 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3728 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3732 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3733 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3734 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3741 @findex gnus-version
3742 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3746 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3747 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3750 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3753 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3754 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3758 @node Group Timestamp
3759 @subsection Group Timestamp
3761 @cindex group timestamps
3763 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3764 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3765 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3768 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3771 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3773 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3774 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3777 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3778 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3781 This will result in lines looking like:
3784 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3785 0: custom 19961002T012713
3788 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3789 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3793 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3794 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3799 @subsection File Commands
3800 @cindex file commands
3806 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3807 @vindex gnus-init-file
3808 @cindex reading init file
3809 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3810 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3814 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3815 @cindex saving .newsrc
3816 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3817 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3818 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3821 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3822 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3823 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3828 @node The Summary Buffer
3829 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3830 @cindex summary buffer
3832 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3833 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3835 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3836 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3838 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3841 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3842 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3843 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3844 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3845 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3846 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3847 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3848 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3849 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3850 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3851 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3852 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3853 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3854 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3855 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3856 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3857 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3858 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3859 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3860 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3861 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3862 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3863 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3864 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3865 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3866 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3867 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3868 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3869 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3873 @node Summary Buffer Format
3874 @section Summary Buffer Format
3875 @cindex summary buffer format
3879 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3880 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3881 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3887 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3888 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3889 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3890 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3893 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3894 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3895 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3896 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3897 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3898 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3899 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3900 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3901 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3902 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3903 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3906 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3907 'mail-extract-address-components)
3910 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3911 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3912 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3913 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3916 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3917 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3919 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3920 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3921 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3922 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3923 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3925 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3927 The following format specification characters are understood:
3933 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3934 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3936 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3937 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3938 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3940 Full @code{From} header.
3942 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3944 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3945 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3947 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3948 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3949 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3950 may be more thorough.
3952 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3955 Number of lines in the article.
3957 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3958 methods (like nnfolder).
3960 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3962 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3963 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3965 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3966 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3968 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3969 for adopted articles.
3971 One space for each thread level.
3973 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3978 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
3979 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
3983 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3985 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3986 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3987 default level. If the difference between
3988 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
3989 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3997 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3999 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4005 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4006 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4008 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4009 article has any children.
4015 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4016 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4017 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4018 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4019 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4020 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4023 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4024 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4025 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4026 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4027 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4028 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4030 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4031 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4033 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4036 @node To From Newsgroups
4037 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4041 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4042 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4043 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4044 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4045 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4049 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4050 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4051 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4055 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4056 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4059 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4060 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4063 @findex gnus-extra-header
4064 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4065 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4066 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4069 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4073 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4074 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4075 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4076 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4077 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4078 headers are used instead.
4082 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4083 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4084 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4085 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4088 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4089 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4090 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4091 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4093 In summary, you'd typically do something like the following:
4096 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4098 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4099 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4100 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4101 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4105 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4106 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4113 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4114 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4117 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4118 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4120 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4121 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4122 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4123 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4125 Here are the elements you can play with:
4131 Unprefixed group name.
4133 Current article number.
4135 Current article score.
4139 Number of unread articles in this group.
4141 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4144 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4145 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4146 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4147 and no unselected ones.
4149 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4150 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4152 Subject of the current article.
4154 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4156 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4158 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4160 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4162 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4164 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4168 @node Summary Highlighting
4169 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4173 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4174 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4175 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4176 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4177 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4179 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4180 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4181 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4182 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4184 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4185 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4186 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4187 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4189 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4190 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4191 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4192 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4193 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4194 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4197 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4198 ((> score default) . bold))
4200 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4201 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4205 @node Summary Maneuvering
4206 @section Summary Maneuvering
4207 @cindex summary movement
4209 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4210 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4212 None of these commands select articles.
4217 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4218 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4219 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4220 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4221 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4225 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4226 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4227 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4228 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4229 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4234 @kindex G j (Summary)
4235 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4236 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4237 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4240 @kindex G g (Summary)
4241 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4242 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4243 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4246 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4247 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4248 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4249 to the group buffer.
4251 Variables related to summary movement:
4255 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4256 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4257 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4258 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4259 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4260 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4261 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4262 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4263 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4264 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4265 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4266 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4267 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4268 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4270 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4271 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4272 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4273 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4274 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4275 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4276 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4278 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4280 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4281 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4282 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4283 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4284 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4286 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4287 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4288 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4289 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4290 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4291 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4292 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4293 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4296 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4297 the given number of lines from the top.
4302 @node Choosing Articles
4303 @section Choosing Articles
4304 @cindex selecting articles
4307 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4308 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4312 @node Choosing Commands
4313 @subsection Choosing Commands
4315 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4316 and they all select and display an article.
4320 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4321 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4322 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4323 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4328 @kindex G n (Summary)
4329 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4330 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4331 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4336 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4337 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4338 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4343 @kindex G N (Summary)
4344 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4345 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4350 @kindex G P (Summary)
4351 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4352 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4355 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4356 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4357 Go to the next article with the same subject
4358 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4361 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4362 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4363 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4364 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4368 @kindex G f (Summary)
4370 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4371 Go to the first unread article
4372 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4376 @kindex G b (Summary)
4378 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4379 Go to the article with the highest score
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4385 @kindex G l (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4387 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4390 @kindex G o (Summary)
4391 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4393 @cindex article history
4394 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4395 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4396 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4397 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4398 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4399 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4403 @node Choosing Variables
4404 @subsection Choosing Variables
4406 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4409 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4410 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4411 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4412 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4413 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4414 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4416 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4417 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4418 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4419 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4421 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4422 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4423 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4424 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4425 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4426 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4427 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4428 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4429 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4430 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4431 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4432 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4433 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4434 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4439 @node Paging the Article
4440 @section Scrolling the Article
4441 @cindex article scrolling
4446 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4447 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4448 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4449 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4450 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4453 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4454 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4455 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4458 @kindex RET (Summary)
4459 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4460 Scroll the current article one line forward
4461 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4464 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4465 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4466 Scroll the current article one line backward
4467 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4471 @kindex A g (Summary)
4473 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4474 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4475 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4476 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4477 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4478 the way it came from the server.
4480 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4481 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4482 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4485 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4490 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4495 @kindex A < (Summary)
4496 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4497 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4498 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4503 @kindex A > (Summary)
4504 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4505 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4509 @kindex A s (Summary)
4511 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4512 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4513 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4517 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4518 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4523 @node Reply Followup and Post
4524 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4527 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4528 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4529 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4530 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4534 @node Summary Mail Commands
4535 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4537 @cindex composing mail
4539 Commands for composing a mail message:
4545 @kindex S r (Summary)
4547 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4548 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4549 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4550 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4551 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4556 @kindex S R (Summary)
4557 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4558 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4559 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4560 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4561 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4564 @kindex S w (Summary)
4565 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4566 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4567 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4568 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4569 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4572 @kindex S W (Summary)
4573 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4574 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4575 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4576 the process/prefix convention.
4580 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4581 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4582 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4583 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4584 Forward the current article to some other person
4585 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4586 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4587 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4588 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, foward message
4589 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4590 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, foward message
4591 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4592 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4593 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4598 @kindex S m (Summary)
4599 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4600 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4601 Send a mail to some other person
4602 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4605 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4606 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4607 @cindex bouncing mail
4608 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4609 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4610 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4611 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4612 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4613 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4614 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4615 very well fail, though.
4618 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4619 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4620 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4621 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4622 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4623 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4624 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4625 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4626 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4627 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4629 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4630 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4631 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4632 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4633 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4635 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4636 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4639 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4640 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4641 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4642 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4643 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4646 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4648 @cindex crossposting
4649 @cindex excessive crossposting
4650 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4651 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4653 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4654 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4655 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4656 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4657 command understands the process/prefix convention
4658 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4662 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4665 @node Summary Post Commands
4666 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4668 @cindex composing news
4670 Commands for posting a news article:
4676 @kindex S p (Summary)
4677 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4678 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4679 Post an article to the current group
4680 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4685 @kindex S f (Summary)
4686 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4687 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4688 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4692 @kindex S F (Summary)
4694 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4695 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4696 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4697 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4698 process/prefix convention.
4701 @kindex S n (Summary)
4702 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4703 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4704 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4707 @kindex S N (Summary)
4708 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4709 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4710 message through mail and include the original message
4711 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4712 the process/prefix convention.
4715 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4716 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4717 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4718 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4719 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4720 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4721 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4722 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, foward message
4723 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4724 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, foward message
4725 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4726 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4727 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4730 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4731 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4733 @cindex making digests
4734 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4735 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4736 process/prefix convention.
4739 @kindex S u (Summary)
4740 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4741 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4742 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4743 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4746 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4749 @node Summary Message Commands
4750 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4754 @kindex S y (Summary)
4755 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4756 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4757 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4758 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4759 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4764 @node Canceling and Superseding
4765 @subsection Canceling Articles
4766 @cindex canceling articles
4767 @cindex superseding articles
4769 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4770 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4772 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4774 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4776 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4777 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4778 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4779 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4780 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4781 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4783 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4784 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4787 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4788 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4789 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4791 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4792 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4793 your original article.
4795 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4797 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4798 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4799 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4802 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4803 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4804 have posted almost the same article twice.
4806 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4807 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4808 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4809 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4810 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4811 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4812 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4813 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4814 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4815 canceled/superseded.
4817 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4820 @node Marking Articles
4821 @section Marking Articles
4822 @cindex article marking
4823 @cindex article ticking
4826 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4828 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4829 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4830 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4832 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4835 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4836 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4837 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4841 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4845 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4846 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4847 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4851 @node Unread Articles
4852 @subsection Unread Articles
4854 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4859 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4860 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4862 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4863 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4864 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4865 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4866 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4870 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4871 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4873 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4874 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4875 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4878 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4879 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4881 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4886 @subsection Read Articles
4887 @cindex expirable mark
4889 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4894 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4895 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4896 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4899 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4900 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4903 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4904 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4905 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4908 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4909 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4912 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4913 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4916 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4917 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4920 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4921 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4924 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4925 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4928 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4929 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4932 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4933 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4937 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4938 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4939 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4943 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4944 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4946 One more special mark, though:
4950 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4951 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4953 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4954 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4955 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4956 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4962 @subsection Other Marks
4963 @cindex process mark
4966 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4972 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4973 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4974 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4975 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4976 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
4979 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4980 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4981 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4982 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4985 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4986 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4987 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
4990 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4991 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4992 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4993 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4996 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4997 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4998 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4999 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5000 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5003 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5004 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5005 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5006 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5007 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5008 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5012 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5013 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5014 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5016 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5017 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5018 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5022 @subsection Setting Marks
5023 @cindex setting marks
5025 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5030 @kindex M c (Summary)
5031 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5032 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5033 @cindex mark as unread
5034 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5035 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5041 @kindex M t (Summary)
5042 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5043 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5044 @xref{Article Caching}.
5049 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5050 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5051 Mark the current article as dormant
5052 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5056 @kindex M d (Summary)
5058 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5059 Mark the current article as read
5060 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5064 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5065 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5066 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5071 @kindex M k (Summary)
5072 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5073 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5074 and then select the next unread article
5075 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5079 @kindex M K (Summary)
5080 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5082 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5083 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5086 @kindex M C (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5088 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5089 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5092 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5093 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5094 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5095 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5098 @kindex M H (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5100 Catchup the current group to point
5101 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5104 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5105 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5106 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5107 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5110 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5111 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5112 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5113 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5117 @kindex M e (Summary)
5119 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5120 Mark the current article as expirable
5121 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5124 @kindex M b (Summary)
5125 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5126 Set a bookmark in the current article
5127 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5130 @kindex M B (Summary)
5131 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5132 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5133 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5136 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5137 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5138 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5139 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5142 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5143 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5144 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5145 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5148 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5149 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5150 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5151 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5152 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5155 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5156 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5157 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5158 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5159 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5160 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5161 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5162 The default is @code{t}.
5165 @node Generic Marking Commands
5166 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5168 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5169 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5170 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5171 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5172 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5175 Multiply these five behaviours with five different marking commands, and
5176 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5179 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5180 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5181 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5182 to list in this manual.
5184 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5185 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5186 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5187 article, you could say something like:
5190 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5191 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5192 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5198 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5199 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5203 @node Setting Process Marks
5204 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5205 @cindex setting process marks
5212 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5213 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5214 Mark the current article with the process mark
5215 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5216 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5220 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5221 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5222 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5223 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5226 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5228 Remove the process mark from all articles
5229 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5232 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5233 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5234 Invert the list of process marked articles
5235 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5238 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5239 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5240 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5241 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5244 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5245 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5246 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5247 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5250 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5251 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5252 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5255 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5257 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5258 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5261 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5263 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5264 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5267 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5269 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5270 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5273 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5275 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5278 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5279 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5280 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5281 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5284 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5285 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5286 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5289 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5291 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5292 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5295 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5297 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5298 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5301 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5302 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5303 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5304 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5307 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5309 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5310 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5314 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5315 set process marks based on article body contents.
5322 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5323 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5324 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5327 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5328 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5329 additional articles.
5335 @kindex / / (Summary)
5336 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5337 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5338 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5341 @kindex / a (Summary)
5342 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5343 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5344 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5347 @kindex / x (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5349 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5350 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5351 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5355 @kindex / u (Summary)
5357 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5358 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5359 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5360 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5361 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5364 @kindex / m (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5366 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5367 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5370 @kindex / t (Summary)
5371 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5372 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5373 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5374 articles younger than that number of days.
5377 @kindex / n (Summary)
5378 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5379 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5380 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5381 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5384 @kindex / w (Summary)
5385 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5386 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5387 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5391 @kindex / v (Summary)
5392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5393 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5394 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5398 @kindex M S (Summary)
5399 @kindex / E (Summary)
5400 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5401 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5402 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5405 @kindex / D (Summary)
5406 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5407 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5408 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5411 @kindex / * (Summary)
5412 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5413 Include all cached articles in the limit
5414 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5417 @kindex / d (Summary)
5418 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5419 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5420 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5423 @kindex / M (Summary)
5424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5425 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5428 @kindex / T (Summary)
5429 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5430 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5433 @kindex / c (Summary)
5434 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5435 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5436 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5439 @kindex / C (Summary)
5440 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5441 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5442 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5443 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5451 @cindex article threading
5453 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5454 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5455 hierarchical fashion.
5457 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5458 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5459 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5460 or simply missing. Weird news propagation excarcerbates the problem,
5461 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5462 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5463 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5465 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5469 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5472 A tree-like article structure.
5475 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5478 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5479 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5480 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5481 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5482 called loose threads.
5484 @item thread gathering
5485 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5487 @item sparse threads
5488 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5489 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5495 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5496 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5500 @node Customizing Threading
5501 @subsection Customizing Threading
5502 @cindex customizing threading
5505 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5506 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5507 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5508 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5513 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5516 @cindex loose threads
5519 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5520 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5521 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5522 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5523 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5524 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5526 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5527 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5528 There are four possible values:
5532 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5533 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5534 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5535 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5536 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5541 @cindex adopting articles
5546 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5547 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5548 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5549 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5552 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5553 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5554 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5555 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5556 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5557 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5558 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5561 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5562 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5563 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5567 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5568 display them after one another.
5571 Don't gather loose threads.
5574 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5575 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5576 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5577 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5578 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5579 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5580 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5581 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5582 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5583 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5584 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5586 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5587 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5588 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5591 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5592 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5593 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5594 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5595 simplification is used.
5597 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5598 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5599 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5600 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5602 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5604 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5610 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5611 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5612 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5613 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5618 (mapconcat 'identity
5619 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5621 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5624 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5627 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5628 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5629 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5630 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5631 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5632 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5634 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5637 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5638 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5639 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5641 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5642 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5645 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5646 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5647 Remove excessive whitespace.
5650 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5653 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5654 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5655 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5656 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5657 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5658 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5659 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5660 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5662 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5663 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5664 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5665 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5666 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5667 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5668 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5669 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5670 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5674 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5675 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5676 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5677 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5679 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5680 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5681 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5684 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5688 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5689 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5695 @node Filling In Threads
5696 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5699 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5700 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5701 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5702 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5703 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5704 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5705 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5706 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5707 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5708 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5709 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5710 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5712 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5713 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5714 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5716 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5717 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5718 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5719 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5720 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5721 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5722 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5723 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5724 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5725 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5726 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5727 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5728 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5729 @code{nil} by default.
5734 @node More Threading
5735 @subsubsection More Threading
5738 @item gnus-show-threads
5739 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5740 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5741 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5742 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5743 slower and more awkward.
5745 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5746 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5747 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5750 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5751 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5752 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5753 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5754 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5755 threads are expunged.
5757 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5758 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5759 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5762 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5763 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5764 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5765 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5766 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5769 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5770 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5771 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5774 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5775 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5776 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5777 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5778 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5779 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5780 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5781 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5782 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5783 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5784 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5789 @node Low-Level Threading
5790 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5794 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5795 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5796 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5798 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5799 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5800 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5801 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5802 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5803 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5804 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5805 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5806 meaningful. Here's one example:
5809 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5811 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5812 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5814 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5816 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5823 @node Thread Commands
5824 @subsection Thread Commands
5825 @cindex thread commands
5831 @kindex T k (Summary)
5832 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5833 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5834 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5835 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5836 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5841 @kindex T l (Summary)
5842 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5843 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5844 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5845 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5848 @kindex T i (Summary)
5849 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5850 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5851 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5854 @kindex T # (Summary)
5855 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5856 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5857 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5860 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5861 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5862 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5863 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5866 @kindex T T (Summary)
5867 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5868 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5871 @kindex T s (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5873 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5874 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5877 @kindex T h (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5879 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5882 @kindex T S (Summary)
5883 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5884 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5887 @kindex T H (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5889 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5892 @kindex T t (Summary)
5893 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5894 Re-thread the current article's thread
5895 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5896 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5899 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5900 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5901 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5902 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5906 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5907 understand the numeric prefix.
5912 @kindex T n (Summary)
5914 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5916 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5917 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5918 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5921 @kindex T p (Summary)
5923 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5925 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5926 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5927 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5930 @kindex T d (Summary)
5931 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5932 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5935 @kindex T u (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5937 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5940 @kindex T o (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5942 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5945 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5946 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5947 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5948 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5949 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5950 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5951 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5952 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5953 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5954 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
5955 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
5956 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
5963 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
5964 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
5965 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
5966 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5967 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
5968 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5969 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
5970 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
5971 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
5972 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
5973 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
5975 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
5976 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
5977 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
5978 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
5979 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
5981 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
5982 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
5983 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
5985 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
5986 last function in the list. You should probably always include
5987 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
5988 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
5989 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
5990 ascending article order.
5992 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
5993 by number, you could do something like:
5996 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5997 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
5998 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
5999 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6002 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6003 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6004 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6005 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6006 which the articles arrived.
6008 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6012 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6014 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6015 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6018 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6019 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6020 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6021 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6024 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6025 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6026 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6027 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6028 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6029 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6030 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6031 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6032 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6033 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6034 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6035 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6036 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6038 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6042 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6043 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6044 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6049 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6050 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6051 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6052 @cindex article pre-fetch
6055 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6056 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6057 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6058 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6059 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6061 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6062 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6064 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6065 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6066 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6067 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6068 connection is blocked.
6070 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6071 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6072 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6073 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6075 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6076 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6077 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6078 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6081 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6084 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6085 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6086 happen automatically.
6088 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6089 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6090 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6091 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6092 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6093 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6094 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6096 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6097 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6098 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6099 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6100 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6101 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6102 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6103 data structure as the only parameter.
6105 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6108 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6109 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6110 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6111 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6114 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6117 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6118 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6119 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6121 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6122 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6123 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6124 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6128 Remove articles when they are read.
6131 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6134 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6136 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6137 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6138 @c from the next group.
6141 @node Article Caching
6142 @section Article Caching
6143 @cindex article caching
6146 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6147 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6148 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6149 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6150 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6152 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6154 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6155 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6156 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6157 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6158 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6159 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6160 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
6161 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6163 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6164 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6165 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6166 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6167 as dormant, and don't worry.
6169 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6171 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6172 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6173 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6174 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6175 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6176 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6177 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6178 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6179 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6180 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6182 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6183 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6184 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6185 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6186 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6187 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6188 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6189 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6190 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6191 not then be downloaded by this command.
6193 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6194 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6195 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6196 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6197 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6198 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6200 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6201 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6202 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6203 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6204 variables, the group is not cached.
6206 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6207 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6208 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6209 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6210 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6211 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6212 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6213 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6214 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6218 @node Persistent Articles
6219 @section Persistent Articles
6220 @cindex persistent articles
6222 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6223 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6224 useful in my opinion.
6226 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6227 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6228 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6229 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6230 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6231 the expiry going on at the news server.
6233 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6234 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6235 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6241 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6242 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6245 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6246 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6247 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6248 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6252 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6254 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6255 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6256 interested in persistent articles:
6259 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6263 @node Article Backlog
6264 @section Article Backlog
6266 @cindex article backlog
6268 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6269 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6270 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6271 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6272 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6273 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6274 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6275 increase memory usage some.
6277 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6278 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6279 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6280 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6281 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6282 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6283 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6285 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6288 @node Saving Articles
6289 @section Saving Articles
6290 @cindex saving articles
6292 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6293 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6294 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6295 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6296 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6298 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6299 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6300 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6302 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6303 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6304 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6305 deleted before saving.
6311 @kindex O o (Summary)
6313 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6314 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6315 Save the current article using the default article saver
6316 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6319 @kindex O m (Summary)
6320 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6321 Save the current article in mail format
6322 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6325 @kindex O r (Summary)
6326 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6327 Save the current article in rmail format
6328 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6331 @kindex O f (Summary)
6332 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6333 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6334 Save the current article in plain file format
6335 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6338 @kindex O F (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6340 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6341 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6344 @kindex O b (Summary)
6345 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6346 Save the current article body in plain file format
6347 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6350 @kindex O h (Summary)
6351 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6352 Save the current article in mh folder format
6353 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6356 @kindex O v (Summary)
6357 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6358 Save the current article in a VM folder
6359 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6362 @kindex O p (Summary)
6363 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6364 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6365 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6368 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6369 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6370 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6371 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6372 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6373 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6374 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6375 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6376 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6377 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6378 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6379 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6383 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6384 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6385 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6386 functions below, or you can create your own.
6390 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6391 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6392 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6393 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6394 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6395 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6396 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6398 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6399 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6400 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6401 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6402 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6403 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6405 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6406 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6407 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6408 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6409 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6410 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6411 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6413 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6414 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6415 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6416 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6417 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6419 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6420 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6421 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6422 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6423 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6426 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6427 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6428 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6429 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6430 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6432 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6433 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6434 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6435 reader to use this setting.
6438 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6439 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6440 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6441 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6444 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6445 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6446 available functions that generate names:
6450 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6451 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6452 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6454 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6455 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6456 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6458 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6459 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6460 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6462 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6463 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6464 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6467 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6468 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6469 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6470 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6471 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6475 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6476 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6477 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6478 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6481 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6482 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6483 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6484 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6485 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6486 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6487 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6488 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6489 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6491 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6492 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6493 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6494 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6496 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6497 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6498 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6501 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6502 lots of mail groups called things like
6503 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6504 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6505 following will do just that:
6508 (defun my-save-name (group)
6509 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6510 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6512 (setq gnus-split-methods
6513 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6518 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6519 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6520 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6521 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6522 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6523 all the files in the top level directory
6524 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6525 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6526 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6527 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6529 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6530 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6531 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6532 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6533 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6536 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6540 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6541 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6544 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6545 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6546 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6547 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6550 @node Decoding Articles
6551 @section Decoding Articles
6552 @cindex decoding articles
6554 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6555 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6558 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6559 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6560 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6561 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6562 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6563 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6567 @cindex article series
6568 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6569 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6570 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6571 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6572 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6574 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6575 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6576 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6578 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6579 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6580 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6582 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6583 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6584 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6587 @node Uuencoded Articles
6588 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6590 @cindex uuencoded articles
6595 @kindex X u (Summary)
6596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6597 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6598 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6601 @kindex X U (Summary)
6602 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6603 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6604 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6607 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6608 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6609 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6612 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6613 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6614 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6615 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6619 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6620 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6621 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6622 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6623 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6625 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6626 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6627 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6628 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6631 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6632 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6633 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6634 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6635 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6636 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6640 @node Shell Archives
6641 @subsection Shell Archives
6643 @cindex shell archives
6644 @cindex shared articles
6646 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6647 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6648 some commands to deal with these:
6653 @kindex X s (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6655 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6658 @kindex X S (Summary)
6659 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6660 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6663 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6664 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6665 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6668 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6669 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6670 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6671 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6675 @node PostScript Files
6676 @subsection PostScript Files
6682 @kindex X p (Summary)
6683 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6684 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6687 @kindex X P (Summary)
6688 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6689 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6690 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6693 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6694 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6695 View the current PostScript series
6696 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6699 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6700 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6701 View and save the current PostScript series
6702 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6707 @subsection Other Files
6711 @kindex X o (Summary)
6712 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6713 Save the current series
6714 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6717 @kindex X b (Summary)
6718 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6719 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6720 doesn't really work yet.
6724 @node Decoding Variables
6725 @subsection Decoding Variables
6727 Adjective, not verb.
6730 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6731 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6732 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6736 @node Rule Variables
6737 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6738 @cindex rule variables
6740 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6741 variables are of the form
6744 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6751 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6752 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6754 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6755 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6758 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6759 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6762 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6763 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6764 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6765 user and default view rules.
6767 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6768 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6769 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6774 @node Other Decode Variables
6775 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6778 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6780 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6781 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6782 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6783 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6784 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6788 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6789 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6792 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6793 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6794 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6797 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6798 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6799 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6800 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6801 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6804 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6805 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6806 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6808 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6809 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6810 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6811 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6812 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6815 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6816 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6817 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6819 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6820 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6821 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6822 looking for files to display.
6824 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6825 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6826 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6829 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6830 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6831 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6834 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6835 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6836 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6839 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6840 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6841 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6844 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6845 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6846 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6847 decoded articles as unread.
6849 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6850 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6851 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6852 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6854 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6855 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6856 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6858 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6859 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6861 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6862 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6863 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6864 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6866 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6867 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6868 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6869 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6870 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6871 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6872 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6873 simply dropped them.
6878 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6879 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6883 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6884 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6885 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6886 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6887 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6888 for you when you post the article.
6890 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6891 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6892 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6893 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6895 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6896 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6897 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6898 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6899 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6900 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6901 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6903 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6904 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6905 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6906 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6907 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6908 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6909 Default is @code{t}.
6915 @subsection Viewing Files
6916 @cindex viewing files
6917 @cindex pseudo-articles
6919 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6920 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6921 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6922 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6923 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6924 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6925 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6927 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6928 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6929 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6930 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6932 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6933 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6934 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6936 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6937 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6938 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6939 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6940 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6942 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6943 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6944 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6945 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6946 a list of parameters to that command.
6948 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6949 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6950 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6952 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6953 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6954 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
6957 @node Article Treatment
6958 @section Article Treatment
6960 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
6961 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
6962 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
6963 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
6964 these articles easier.
6967 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
6968 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
6969 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
6970 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
6971 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
6972 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
6973 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
6974 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
6978 @node Article Highlighting
6979 @subsection Article Highlighting
6980 @cindex highlighting
6982 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
6983 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
6988 @kindex W H a (Summary)
6989 @findex gnus-article-highlight
6990 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
6991 Do much highlighting of the current article
6992 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
6993 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
6996 @kindex W H h (Summary)
6997 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
6998 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
6999 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7000 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7001 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7002 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7003 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7004 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7005 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7006 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7007 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7010 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7011 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7012 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7014 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7017 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7019 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7020 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7021 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7023 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7024 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7025 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7027 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7028 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7029 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7030 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7031 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7032 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7034 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7035 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7036 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7038 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7039 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7040 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7042 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7043 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7044 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7045 that it's a citation.
7047 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7048 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7049 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7051 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7052 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7053 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7055 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7056 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7057 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7058 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7064 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7065 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7066 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7067 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7068 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7069 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7070 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7071 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7076 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7079 @node Article Fontisizing
7080 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7082 @cindex article emphasis
7084 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7085 @kindex W e (Summary)
7086 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7087 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7088 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7089 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7091 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7092 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7093 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7094 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7095 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7096 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7097 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7098 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7102 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7103 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7104 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7113 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7114 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7115 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7116 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7117 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7118 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7119 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7120 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7121 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7122 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7123 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7124 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7125 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7127 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7128 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7129 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7133 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7136 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7138 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7139 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7140 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7141 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7143 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7146 @node Article Hiding
7147 @subsection Article Hiding
7148 @cindex article hiding
7150 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7151 too much cruft in most articles.
7156 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7157 @findex gnus-article-hide
7158 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7159 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7160 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7163 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7164 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7165 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7169 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7170 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7171 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7172 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7175 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7176 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7177 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7181 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7182 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7183 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7184 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7185 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7186 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7187 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7188 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7192 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7193 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7194 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7195 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7200 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7201 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7202 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7203 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7204 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7205 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7206 articles that have signatures in them do:
7208 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7210 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7212 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7213 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7215 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7218 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7223 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7224 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7225 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7226 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7229 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7230 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7233 @cindex stripping advertisments
7234 @cindex advertisments
7235 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7236 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7237 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7238 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7239 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7240 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7241 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7242 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7243 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7244 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7248 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7249 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7250 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7251 customizing the hiding:
7255 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7256 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7257 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7258 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7259 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7260 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7261 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7266 Starting point of the hidden text.
7268 Ending point of the hidden text.
7270 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7272 Number of lines of hidden text.
7275 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7276 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7277 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7278 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7279 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7284 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7287 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7288 following two variables:
7291 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7292 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7293 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7294 50), hide the cited text.
7296 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7297 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7298 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7303 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7304 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7305 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7306 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7307 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7308 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7312 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7313 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7314 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7316 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7317 citation customization.
7319 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7323 @node Article Washing
7324 @subsection Article Washing
7326 @cindex article washing
7328 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7329 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7331 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7332 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7338 @kindex W l (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7340 Remove page breaks from the current article
7341 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7345 @kindex W r (Summary)
7346 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7347 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7348 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7349 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7350 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7351 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7353 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7354 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7355 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7356 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7360 @kindex W t (Summary)
7362 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7363 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7364 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7367 @kindex W v (Summary)
7368 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7369 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7370 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7373 @kindex W o (Summary)
7374 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7375 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7378 @kindex W d (Summary)
7379 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7380 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7382 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7384 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7385 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7386 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7387 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7390 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7391 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7392 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7393 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7396 @kindex W w (Summary)
7397 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7398 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7400 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7404 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7405 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7406 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7409 @kindex W C (Summary)
7410 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7411 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7412 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7415 @kindex W c (Summary)
7416 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7417 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7418 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7419 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7420 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7423 @kindex W q (Summary)
7424 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7425 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7426 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7427 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7428 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7429 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7430 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7431 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7434 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7435 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7436 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7437 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7438 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7439 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7440 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7444 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7445 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7446 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7447 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7448 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7451 @kindex W h (Summary)
7452 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7453 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7454 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7455 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7459 @kindex W f (Summary)
7461 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7462 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7463 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7464 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7470 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7471 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7472 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7473 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7474 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7475 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7476 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7477 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7478 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7479 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7480 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7481 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7482 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7483 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7484 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7485 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7486 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7487 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7488 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7489 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7493 @kindex W b (Summary)
7494 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7495 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7496 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7499 @kindex W B (Summary)
7500 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7501 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7502 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7505 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7506 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7507 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7508 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7511 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7512 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7513 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7514 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7517 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7518 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7519 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7520 lines with a single empty line.
7521 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7524 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7526 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7527 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7530 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7532 Do all the three commands above
7533 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7536 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7537 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7538 Remove all blank lines
7539 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7542 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7543 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7544 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7545 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7548 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7549 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7550 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7551 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7555 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7558 @node Article Buttons
7559 @subsection Article Buttons
7562 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7563 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7564 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7565 button on these references.
7567 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7568 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7569 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7574 @item gnus-button-alist
7575 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7576 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7579 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7585 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7586 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7587 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7590 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7591 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7592 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7595 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7596 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7597 avoid false matches.
7600 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7603 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7604 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7608 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7611 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7614 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7615 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7616 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7617 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7618 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7621 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7624 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7626 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7627 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7628 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7629 default values of the variables above.
7631 @item gnus-article-button-face
7632 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7633 Face used on buttons.
7635 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7636 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7637 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7641 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7645 @subsection Article Date
7647 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7648 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7649 when the article was sent.
7654 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7655 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7656 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7657 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7660 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7661 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7663 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7664 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7667 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7668 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7669 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7672 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7673 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7674 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7675 @findex format-time-string
7676 Display the date using a user-defined format
7677 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7678 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7679 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7680 for a list of possible format specs.
7683 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7684 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7685 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7686 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7687 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7688 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7691 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7694 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7695 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7698 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7699 into wonderful absurdities.
7701 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7704 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7707 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7708 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7712 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7713 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7714 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7715 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7716 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7717 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7718 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7722 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7723 preferred format automatically.
7726 @node Article Signature
7727 @subsection Article Signature
7729 @cindex article signature
7731 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7732 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7733 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7734 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7735 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7736 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7737 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7738 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7739 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7742 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7743 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7744 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7745 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7746 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7747 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7748 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7749 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7752 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7755 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7756 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7757 signature when displaying articles.
7761 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7764 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7767 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7768 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7770 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7771 in question is not a signature.
7774 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7775 listed above. Here's an example:
7778 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7779 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7782 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7783 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7784 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7785 signature after all.
7788 @node Article Miscellania
7789 @subsection Article Miscellania
7793 @kindex A t (Summary)
7794 @findex gnus-article-babel
7795 Translate the article from one language to another
7796 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7802 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7803 @cindex MIME decoding
7805 @cindex viewing attachments
7807 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7808 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7814 @kindex K v (Summary)
7815 View the @sc{mime} part.
7818 @kindex K o (Summary)
7819 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7822 @kindex K c (Summary)
7823 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7826 @kindex K e (Summary)
7827 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7830 @kindex K i (Summary)
7831 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7834 @kindex K | (Summary)
7835 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7838 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7843 @kindex K b (Summary)
7844 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7845 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7849 @kindex K m (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7851 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7852 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7853 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7854 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7857 @kindex X m (Summary)
7858 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7859 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7860 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7861 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7864 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7865 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7866 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7867 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7870 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7871 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7872 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7875 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7876 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7877 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7879 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7880 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7881 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7882 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7883 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7884 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7887 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7888 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7889 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7896 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7897 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7898 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7899 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7902 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7905 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7909 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7910 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7911 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7912 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7913 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7915 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7916 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7917 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7918 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7919 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7920 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7921 save all jpegs into some directory).
7923 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7926 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7927 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7929 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7930 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7931 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7932 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7933 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7936 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7937 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7938 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
7947 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
7948 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
7949 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
7950 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
7951 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
7952 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
7953 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
7955 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
7956 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
7957 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match group names) and
7958 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
7960 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
7961 aren't. These blitely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
7962 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
7963 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
7964 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
7965 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
7966 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
7967 something some agents insist on having in there.
7969 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
7970 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
7971 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
7972 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
7973 quoted-printable header encoding.
7975 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
7976 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
7977 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
7981 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
7984 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
7985 means encode all charsets),
7987 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
7988 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
7989 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
7996 @cindex coding system aliases
7997 @cindex preferred charset
7999 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8001 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8002 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8005 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8006 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8009 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8010 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8012 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8015 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8018 This will almost do the right thing.
8020 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8024 (codepage-setup 1251)
8025 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8029 @node Article Commands
8030 @section Article Commands
8037 @kindex A P (Summary)
8038 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8039 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8040 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8041 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8042 run just before printing the buffer.
8047 @node Summary Sorting
8048 @section Summary Sorting
8049 @cindex summary sorting
8051 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8052 can't really see why you'd want that.
8057 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8058 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8059 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8062 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8063 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8064 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8067 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8069 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8072 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8073 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8074 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8077 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8078 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8079 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8082 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8083 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8084 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8087 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8088 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8089 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8092 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8093 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8094 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8095 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8096 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8100 @node Finding the Parent
8101 @section Finding the Parent
8102 @cindex parent articles
8103 @cindex referring articles
8108 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8109 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8110 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8111 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8112 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8113 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8114 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8115 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8116 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8118 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8119 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8120 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8121 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8122 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8126 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8127 @kindex A R (Summary)
8128 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8129 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8132 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8133 @kindex A T (Summary)
8134 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8135 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8136 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8137 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8138 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8139 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8140 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8142 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8143 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8144 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8145 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8146 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8147 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8150 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8151 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8153 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8154 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8155 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8156 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8157 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8158 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8159 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8162 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8163 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8164 by giving this command a prefix.
8166 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8167 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8168 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8169 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8170 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8171 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8174 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8175 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8176 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8179 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8180 then ask Deja if that fails:
8183 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8185 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8188 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8189 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8190 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8191 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8192 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8193 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8196 @node Alternative Approaches
8197 @section Alternative Approaches
8199 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8200 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8203 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8204 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8209 @subsection Pick and Read
8210 @cindex pick and read
8212 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8213 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8214 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8215 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8217 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8218 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8219 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8220 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8221 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8222 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8224 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8229 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8230 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8231 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8232 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8233 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8234 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8235 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8236 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8239 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8240 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8241 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8242 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8246 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8247 Unpick the thread or article
8248 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8249 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8250 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8251 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8252 the thread or article at that line.
8256 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8257 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8258 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8259 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8260 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8261 will still be visible when you are reading.
8265 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8266 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8267 which is mapped to the same function
8268 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8270 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8273 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8276 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8277 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8279 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8280 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8281 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8283 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8284 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8285 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8286 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8287 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8288 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8289 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8293 @subsection Binary Groups
8294 @cindex binary groups
8296 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8297 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8298 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8299 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8300 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8301 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8302 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8305 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8306 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8307 command, when you have turned on this mode
8308 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8310 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8311 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8315 @section Tree Display
8318 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8319 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8320 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8321 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8324 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8327 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8328 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8329 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8331 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8332 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8333 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8334 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8335 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8337 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8338 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8339 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8340 default is @code{modeline}.
8342 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8343 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8344 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8345 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8346 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8347 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8348 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8354 The name of the poster.
8356 The @code{From} header.
8358 The number of the article.
8360 The opening bracket.
8362 The closing bracket.
8367 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8369 Variables related to the display are:
8372 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8373 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8374 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8375 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8376 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8377 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8379 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8380 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8381 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8382 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8386 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8387 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8388 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8389 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8390 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8391 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8392 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8393 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8394 other windows displayed next to it.
8396 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8397 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8398 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8399 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8400 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8401 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8402 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8406 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8409 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8419 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8423 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8424 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8426 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8428 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8433 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8434 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8435 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8438 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8439 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8440 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8441 (gnus-add-configuration
8445 (summary 0.75 point)
8450 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8453 @node Mail Group Commands
8454 @section Mail Group Commands
8455 @cindex mail group commands
8457 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8458 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8460 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8461 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8466 @kindex B e (Summary)
8467 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8468 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8469 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8472 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8473 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8474 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8475 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8476 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8477 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8480 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8481 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8482 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8483 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8484 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8485 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8488 @kindex B m (Summary)
8490 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8491 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8492 Move the article from one mail group to another
8493 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8494 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8497 @kindex B c (Summary)
8499 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8500 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8501 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8502 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8503 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8506 @kindex B B (Summary)
8507 @cindex crosspost mail
8508 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8509 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8510 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8511 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8512 be properly updated.
8515 @kindex B i (Summary)
8516 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8517 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8518 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8519 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8522 @kindex B r (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8524 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8525 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8526 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8527 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8528 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8529 (which is the default).
8533 @kindex B w (Summary)
8535 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8536 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8537 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8538 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8539 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8540 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8543 @kindex B q (Summary)
8544 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8545 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8546 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8547 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8550 @kindex B t (Summary)
8551 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8552 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8553 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8556 @kindex B p (Summary)
8557 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8558 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8559 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8560 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8561 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8562 article from your news server (or rather, from
8563 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8564 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8565 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8566 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8567 just not have arrived yet.
8571 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8572 @cindex moving articles
8573 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8574 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8575 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8576 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8577 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8578 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8579 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8582 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8583 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8584 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8585 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8589 @node Various Summary Stuff
8590 @section Various Summary Stuff
8593 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8594 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8595 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8596 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8600 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8601 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8602 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8604 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8605 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8606 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8607 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8608 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8609 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8612 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8613 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8614 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8615 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8616 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8618 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8619 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8620 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8623 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8624 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8625 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8626 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8627 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8628 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8629 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8630 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8631 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8632 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8634 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8635 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8636 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8637 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8638 list of articles to be selected.
8640 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8641 the list in one particular group:
8644 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8645 (if (string= group "some.group")
8646 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8653 @node Summary Group Information
8654 @subsection Summary Group Information
8659 @kindex H f (Summary)
8660 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8661 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8662 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8663 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8664 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8665 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8666 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8667 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8668 be used for fetching the file.
8671 @kindex H d (Summary)
8672 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8673 Give a brief description of the current group
8674 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8675 rereading the description from the server.
8678 @kindex H h (Summary)
8679 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8680 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8681 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8684 @kindex H i (Summary)
8685 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8686 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8690 @node Searching for Articles
8691 @subsection Searching for Articles
8696 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8697 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8698 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8699 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8702 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8703 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8704 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8705 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8709 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8710 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8711 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8712 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8713 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8714 search backward instead.
8716 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8717 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8720 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8721 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8722 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8723 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8726 @node Summary Generation Commands
8727 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8732 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8733 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8734 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8737 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8738 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8739 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8740 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8745 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8746 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8752 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8753 @kindex A D (Summary)
8754 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8755 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8756 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8757 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8758 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8759 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8760 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8761 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8765 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8766 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8767 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8768 several documents into one biiig group
8769 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8770 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8771 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8772 command understands the process/prefix convention
8773 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8776 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8778 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8779 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8780 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8781 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8785 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8786 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8787 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8790 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8791 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8792 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8793 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8796 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8797 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8798 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8799 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8804 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8805 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8806 @cindex summary exit
8807 @cindex exiting groups
8809 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8810 group and return you to the group buffer.
8816 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8818 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8819 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8820 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8821 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8822 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8823 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8824 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8825 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8826 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8827 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8828 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8832 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8834 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8835 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8836 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8840 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8842 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8843 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8844 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8845 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8848 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8850 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8851 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8854 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8855 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8856 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8857 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8860 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8861 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8862 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8863 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8864 all articles, both read and unread.
8868 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8869 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8870 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8871 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8872 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8873 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8874 articles, both read and unread.
8877 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8878 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8879 Exit the group and go to the next group
8880 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8883 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8884 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8885 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8886 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8889 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8890 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8891 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8892 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8893 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8894 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8897 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8898 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8899 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8900 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8902 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8903 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8904 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8905 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8906 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8907 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8908 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8909 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8910 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8911 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8912 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8913 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8915 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8917 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8918 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8919 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8920 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8921 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8922 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8923 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8924 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8925 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8928 @node Crosspost Handling
8929 @section Crosspost Handling
8933 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8934 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8935 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8936 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8937 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8938 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
8941 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
8942 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
8943 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
8944 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
8945 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
8947 @cindex cross-posting
8950 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
8951 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
8952 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
8953 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
8954 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
8955 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
8956 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
8957 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
8958 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
8959 the cross reference mechanism.
8961 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
8962 @cindex overview.fmt
8963 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
8964 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
8965 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
8966 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
8967 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
8968 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
8971 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
8972 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
8973 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
8978 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
8981 @node Duplicate Suppression
8982 @section Duplicate Suppression
8984 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
8985 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
8986 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
8987 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
8992 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
8993 is evil and not very common.
8996 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
8997 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9000 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9001 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9004 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9007 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9008 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9010 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9011 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9012 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9013 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9014 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9015 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9016 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9019 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9020 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9021 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9022 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9023 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9027 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9028 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9029 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9031 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9032 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9033 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9034 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9035 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9036 session are suppressed.
9038 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9039 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9040 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9041 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9043 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9044 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9045 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9046 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9049 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9050 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9051 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9052 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9053 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9054 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9055 to you to figure out, I think.
9060 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9065 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9071 @item mm-verify-option
9072 @vindex mm-verify-option
9073 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9074 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9075 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9077 @item mm-decrypt-option
9078 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9079 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9080 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9081 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9085 @node The Article Buffer
9086 @chapter The Article Buffer
9087 @cindex article buffer
9089 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9090 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9091 tell Gnus otherwise.
9094 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9095 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9096 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9097 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9098 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9102 @node Hiding Headers
9103 @section Hiding Headers
9104 @cindex hiding headers
9105 @cindex deleting headers
9107 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9108 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9110 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9111 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9112 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9113 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9114 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9115 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9116 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9117 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9118 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9120 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9124 @item gnus-visible-headers
9125 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9126 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9127 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9128 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9130 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9131 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9134 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9137 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9140 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9141 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9142 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9143 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9144 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9145 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9147 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9148 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9151 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9154 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9157 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9158 variable will have no effect.
9162 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9163 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9164 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9165 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9166 the headers are to be displayed.
9168 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9169 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9172 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9175 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9176 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9178 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9179 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9180 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9181 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
9182 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9183 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9184 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9187 These conditions are:
9190 Remove all empty headers.
9192 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9193 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9195 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9198 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9201 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9204 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9206 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9209 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9212 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9213 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9216 This is also the default value for this variable.
9220 @section Using @sc{mime}
9223 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9224 while people stand around yawning.
9226 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9227 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9229 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9230 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9231 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9233 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9234 @findex gnus-display-mime
9235 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9236 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9237 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9238 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9240 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9244 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9246 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9247 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9248 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9250 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9251 @item M-RET (Article)
9253 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9254 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9256 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9258 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9259 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9261 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9263 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9264 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9266 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9268 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9269 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9271 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9273 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9275 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9277 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9278 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9279 the raw contens without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9280 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9281 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9284 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9286 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9287 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9291 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9292 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9295 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9296 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9297 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9298 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9299 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9300 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9301 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9302 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9303 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9305 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9307 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9310 @node Customizing Articles
9311 @section Customizing Articles
9312 @cindex article customization
9314 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9315 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9316 called automatically when you select the articles.
9318 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9319 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9320 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9321 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9323 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9324 for sensible values.
9328 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9331 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9334 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9337 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9340 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9344 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9345 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9346 regexps in the list.
9349 A list where the first element is not a string:
9351 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9352 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9353 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9357 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9362 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9363 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9364 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9365 considered to contain just a single part.
9367 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9368 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9369 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9370 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9371 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9372 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9373 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9375 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9376 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9377 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9378 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9381 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9382 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9383 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9384 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9385 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9386 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9387 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9388 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9389 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9390 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9391 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9392 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9393 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9394 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9395 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9396 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9397 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9398 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9399 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9400 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9401 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9402 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9403 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9404 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9405 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9406 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9407 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9408 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9409 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9410 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9411 @item gnus-treat-translate
9414 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9415 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9416 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9417 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9418 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9422 @node Article Keymap
9423 @section Article Keymap
9425 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9426 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9427 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9428 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9431 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9436 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9437 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9438 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9441 @kindex DEL (Article)
9442 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9443 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9446 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9447 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9448 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9449 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9450 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9453 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9454 @findex gnus-article-mail
9455 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9456 given a prefix, include the mail.
9460 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9461 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9462 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9466 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9467 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9468 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9471 @kindex TAB (Article)
9472 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9473 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9474 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9477 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9478 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9479 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9485 @section Misc Article
9489 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9490 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9491 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9492 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9495 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9496 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9498 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9499 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9501 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9502 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9503 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9504 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9505 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9506 the contents of the article buffer.
9508 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9509 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9510 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9512 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9513 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9514 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9515 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9517 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9518 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9519 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9520 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9521 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9526 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9527 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9530 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9533 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9535 @item gnus-break-pages
9536 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9537 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9538 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9539 paging will not be done.
9541 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9542 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9543 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9548 @node Composing Messages
9549 @chapter Composing Messages
9550 @cindex composing messages
9553 @cindex sending mail
9559 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9560 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9561 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9562 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9563 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9564 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9567 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9568 * Post:: Posting and following up.
9569 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9570 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9571 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9572 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9573 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9574 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9575 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9578 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9579 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9585 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9588 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9589 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9590 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9591 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9593 @item gnus-add-to-list
9594 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9595 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9596 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9598 @item message-send-mail-partially-limit
9599 @vindex message-send-mail-partially-limit
9600 The limitation of messages sent as message/partial.
9601 The lower bound of message size in characters, beyond which the message
9602 should be sent in several parts. If it is nil, the size is unlimited.
9610 Variables for composing news articles:
9613 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9614 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
9615 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
9616 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
9617 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
9618 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
9619 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
9620 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
9621 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
9624 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9625 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
9626 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
9627 file. It is 1000 by default.
9632 @node Posting Server
9633 @section Posting Server
9635 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9636 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9638 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9640 @vindex gnus-post-method
9642 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9643 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9644 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9645 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9646 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9649 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9652 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9653 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9654 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9655 the ``current'' server for posting.
9657 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9658 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9660 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9661 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9664 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9665 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9666 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9671 @section Mail and Post
9673 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9677 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9678 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9679 @cindex mailing lists
9681 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9682 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9683 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9684 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9685 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9686 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9687 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9688 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9689 still a pain, though.
9693 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9694 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9695 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9698 @findex ispell-message
9700 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9703 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9704 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9707 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9710 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9711 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9713 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9716 Modify to suit your needs.
9719 @node Archived Messages
9720 @section Archived Messages
9721 @cindex archived messages
9722 @cindex sent messages
9724 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9725 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9726 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9727 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9730 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9731 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9732 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9736 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9737 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9738 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9739 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9742 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9743 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
9744 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9745 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9748 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9749 '(nnfolder "archive"
9750 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9751 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9752 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9755 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9757 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9758 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9759 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9761 This variable can be used to do the following:
9765 Messages will be saved in that group.
9767 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9768 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9769 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9770 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9771 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9772 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9773 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9774 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9776 @item a list of strings
9777 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9778 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9779 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9781 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9786 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9788 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9791 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9793 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9796 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9798 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9799 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9800 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9801 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9806 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9807 '((if (message-news-p)
9812 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9813 messages in one file per month:
9816 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9817 '((if (message-news-p)
9819 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9822 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9823 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9825 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9826 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9827 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9828 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9829 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9830 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9831 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9832 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9833 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9834 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9836 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9837 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9838 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9839 this will disable archiving.
9842 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9843 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9844 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9845 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9846 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9849 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9850 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9851 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9854 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9855 but the latter is the preferred method.
9857 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9858 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9859 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9864 @node Posting Styles
9865 @section Posting Styles
9866 @cindex posting styles
9869 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9871 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9872 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9873 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9876 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9877 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9878 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9879 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9880 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9885 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9886 (organization "What me?"))
9888 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9889 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9890 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9893 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9894 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9895 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9896 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9897 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9898 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9899 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9900 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9902 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9903 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9904 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9905 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9906 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9907 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9908 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9909 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9912 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9913 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9914 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9915 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9916 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9917 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9918 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9919 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9920 result is thrown away.
9922 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9923 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9924 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9925 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9926 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9927 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9929 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9930 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9931 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9933 @findex message-mail-p
9934 @findex message-news-p
9936 So here's a new example:
9939 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9941 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9943 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9944 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9946 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9947 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9948 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9950 (signature my-news-signature))
9951 (header "From\\|To" "larsi.*org"
9952 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9953 ((posting-from-work-p)
9954 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9955 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9956 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9957 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9959 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
9967 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
9968 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
9969 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
9970 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
9971 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
9973 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
9974 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
9975 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
9976 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
9977 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
9981 @vindex nndraft-directory
9982 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
9983 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
9984 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
9985 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
9986 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
9987 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
9989 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
9990 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
9993 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
9994 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
9995 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
9996 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
9997 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
9998 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
9999 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10000 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10001 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10002 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10003 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10004 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10005 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10006 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10008 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10009 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10010 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10012 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10013 @kindex D e (Draft)
10014 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10015 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10016 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10018 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10021 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10022 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10023 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10024 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10025 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10026 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10027 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10030 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10031 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10032 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10035 @node Rejected Articles
10036 @section Rejected Articles
10037 @cindex rejected articles
10039 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10040 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10041 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10042 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10044 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10045 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10046 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10047 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10048 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10050 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10051 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10052 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10058 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el} and
10059 @file{mml2015.el}. When viewing signed or encrypted messages, Gnus automatically
10060 asks if you want to verify or decrypt them.
10062 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10063 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10066 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10067 (setq gpg-temp-directory "~/.gnupg/tmp")
10070 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10071 to 700, for your own safety.
10073 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10074 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10078 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10081 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10082 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10085 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10088 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security menu or
10089 @kbd{M-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{M-m s s} to sign your
10090 message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{M-m c p} to encrypt your message with
10091 PGP/MIME and @kbd{M-m c s} to encrypt using S/MIME.
10093 Gnus will ask for your passphrase three times and then it will send your
10094 message, if you've typed it correctly.
10097 @node Select Methods
10098 @chapter Select Methods
10099 @cindex foreign groups
10100 @cindex select methods
10102 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10103 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10104 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10105 personal mail group.
10107 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10108 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10109 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10110 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10111 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10112 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10114 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10115 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
10117 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10120 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10121 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10122 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10123 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10124 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10126 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10129 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10130 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10131 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10132 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10133 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10134 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10135 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10139 @node The Server Buffer
10140 @section The Server Buffer
10142 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10143 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10144 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10145 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10146 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10147 backend represents a virtual server.
10149 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10150 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10151 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10152 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10154 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10155 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10156 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10157 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10158 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10159 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10160 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10162 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10163 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10166 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10167 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10168 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10169 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10170 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10171 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10172 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10175 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10176 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10179 @node Server Buffer Format
10180 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10181 @cindex server buffer format
10183 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10184 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10185 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10186 variable, with some simple extensions:
10191 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10194 The name of this server.
10197 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10200 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10203 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10204 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10205 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10206 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10216 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10219 @node Server Commands
10220 @subsection Server Commands
10221 @cindex server commands
10227 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10228 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10232 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10233 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10236 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10237 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10238 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10242 @findex gnus-server-exit
10243 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10247 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10248 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10252 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10253 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10257 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10258 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10262 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10263 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10267 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10268 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10269 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10274 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10275 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10276 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10277 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
10282 @node Example Methods
10283 @subsection Example Methods
10285 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10288 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10291 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10297 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10298 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10301 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10302 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10304 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10305 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10309 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10312 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10313 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10315 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10316 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10317 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10321 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10324 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10327 Here's the method for a public spool:
10331 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10332 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10338 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10339 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10340 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10341 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10342 should probably look something like this:
10346 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10347 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10348 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10349 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10350 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10353 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10354 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10355 server that would look something like this:
10359 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10360 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10361 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10362 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10363 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10364 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10367 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10368 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10369 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10370 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10373 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10374 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10376 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10377 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10379 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10380 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10381 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10383 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10385 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10386 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10387 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10388 will contain the following:
10398 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10399 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10400 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10403 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10404 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10405 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10408 @node Server Variables
10409 @subsection Server Variables
10411 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10412 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10413 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10414 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10415 won't change the "derived" variables.
10417 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10418 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10419 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10420 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10421 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10422 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10423 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10424 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10425 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10429 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10430 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10431 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10435 @node Servers and Methods
10436 @subsection Servers and Methods
10438 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10439 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10440 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10441 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10445 @node Unavailable Servers
10446 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10448 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10449 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10450 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10451 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10452 actually the case or not.
10454 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10455 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10456 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10457 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10458 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10459 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10460 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10461 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10463 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10464 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10466 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10467 with the following commands:
10473 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10474 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10475 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10479 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10480 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10481 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10485 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10486 Mark the current server as unreachable
10487 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10490 @kindex M-o (Server)
10491 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10492 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10493 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10496 @kindex M-c (Server)
10497 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10498 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10499 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10503 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10504 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10505 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10511 @section Getting News
10512 @cindex reading news
10513 @cindex news backends
10515 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10516 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10517 or it can read from a local spool.
10520 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10521 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10526 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10529 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10530 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10531 server as the, uhm, address.
10533 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10534 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10535 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10536 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10538 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10539 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10540 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10542 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10547 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10548 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10549 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10551 @cindex authentification
10552 @cindex nntp authentification
10553 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10554 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10555 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10556 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10557 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10558 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10559 present in this hook.
10561 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10562 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10563 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10564 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10565 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10566 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10567 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10568 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10569 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10570 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10571 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10572 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10576 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10579 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10582 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10583 @samp{default}. Gnus introduce two new tokens, not present in the
10584 original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10585 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10586 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10587 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to, @samp{force}
10588 is explained below.
10590 Here's an example file:
10593 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10594 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10597 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10598 have to be first, for instance.
10600 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10601 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10602 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10603 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10604 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10605 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10606 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10608 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10609 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10615 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10616 previously mentioned.
10618 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10620 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10621 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10622 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10623 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10624 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10627 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10628 '(("innd" (ding))))
10631 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10633 The default value is
10636 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10637 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10640 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10641 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10643 @item nntp-maximum-request
10644 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10645 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10646 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10647 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10648 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10649 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10650 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10652 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10653 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10654 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10655 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10656 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10657 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10658 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10659 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10660 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10661 no timeouts are done.
10663 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10664 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10665 @c @cindex PPP connections
10666 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10667 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10668 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10669 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10670 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10671 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10672 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10673 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10674 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10675 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10677 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10678 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10679 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10680 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10681 @c described above.
10683 @item nntp-server-hook
10684 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10685 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10688 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10689 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10690 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10691 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10692 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10693 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10694 functions are supplied:
10697 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10698 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10701 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10702 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10703 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10706 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10710 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10711 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10712 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10713 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10715 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10716 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10717 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10719 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10720 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10721 User name on the remote system.
10725 @item nntp-open-telnet
10726 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10727 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10729 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10732 @item nntp-telnet-command
10733 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10734 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10736 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10737 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10738 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10740 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10741 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10742 User name for log in on the remote system.
10744 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10745 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10746 Password to use when logging in.
10748 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10749 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10750 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10753 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10754 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10755 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10756 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10758 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10759 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10760 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10761 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10762 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10766 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10767 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10768 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10769 you must have SSLay installed
10770 (@file{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10771 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distributeion, for instance). You then
10772 define a server as follows:
10775 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10777 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10779 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10780 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10781 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10782 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10787 @item nntp-end-of-line
10788 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10789 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10790 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10791 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10793 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10794 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10795 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10799 @vindex nntp-address
10800 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10802 @item nntp-port-number
10803 @vindex nntp-port-number
10804 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10807 @item nntp-buggy-select
10808 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10809 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10811 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10812 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10813 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10814 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10817 @item nntp-xover-commands
10818 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10821 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10822 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10826 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10827 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10828 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10829 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10830 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10831 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10832 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10833 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10834 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10835 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10836 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10838 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10839 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10840 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10842 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10843 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10844 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10845 server closes connection.
10847 @item nntp-record-commands
10848 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10849 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10850 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestep) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10851 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10852 that doesn't seem to work.
10858 @subsection News Spool
10862 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10863 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10864 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10867 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10868 anything else) as the address.
10870 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10871 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10872 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10873 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10877 @item nnspool-inews-program
10878 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10879 Program used to post an article.
10881 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10882 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10883 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10885 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10886 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10887 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10888 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10890 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10891 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10892 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10893 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10895 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10896 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10897 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10899 @item nnspool-active-file
10900 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10901 The path to the active file.
10903 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10904 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10905 The path to the group descriptions file.
10907 @item nnspool-history-file
10908 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10909 The path to the news history file.
10911 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10912 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10913 The path to the active date file.
10915 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10916 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10917 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10920 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10921 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10923 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10924 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10925 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10931 @section Getting Mail
10932 @cindex reading mail
10935 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10939 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10940 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10941 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10942 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10943 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10944 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10945 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10946 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10947 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10948 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10949 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10950 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10951 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
10955 @node Mail in a Newsreader
10956 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
10958 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
10959 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
10960 of a culture shock.
10962 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
10963 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
10965 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
10966 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
10967 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
10968 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
10970 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
10972 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
10973 deleted? How awful!
10975 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
10976 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
10977 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
10978 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
10981 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
10982 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
10983 they want to treat a message.
10985 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
10986 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
10987 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
10988 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
10989 archived somewhere else.
10991 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
10992 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
10993 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
10994 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
10995 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
10997 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
10998 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
10999 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11001 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11002 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11005 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11006 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11007 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11008 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11009 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11011 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11012 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11013 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11014 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11015 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11016 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11020 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11021 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11023 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11024 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11025 and things will happen automatically.
11027 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11028 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11031 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11032 '((nnml "private")))
11035 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11036 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11037 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11038 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11039 like any other group.
11041 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11044 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11045 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11046 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11050 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11051 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11052 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11055 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11056 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11057 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11060 @node Splitting Mail
11061 @subsection Splitting Mail
11062 @cindex splitting mail
11063 @cindex mail splitting
11065 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11066 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11067 to be split into groups.
11070 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11071 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11072 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11073 ("mail.other" "")))
11076 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11077 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11078 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11079 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11080 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11081 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11082 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11085 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11088 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11089 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11090 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11091 mail belongs in that group.
11093 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11094 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11095 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11096 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11097 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11098 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11100 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11101 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11102 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11103 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11104 thinks should carry this mail message.
11106 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11107 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11108 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11109 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11111 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11112 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11113 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11114 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11115 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11117 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11120 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11121 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11122 links. If that's the case for you, set
11123 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11124 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11126 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11127 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11128 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11129 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11130 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11131 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11134 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11135 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11136 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11137 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11138 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11139 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11140 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11141 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11142 month's rent money.
11146 @subsection Mail Sources
11148 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11149 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11153 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11154 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11155 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11159 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11160 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11162 @cindex mail server
11165 @cindex mail source
11167 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11168 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11173 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11176 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11177 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11178 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11181 The following mail source types are available:
11185 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11191 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11192 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11195 An example file mail source:
11198 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11201 Or using the default path:
11207 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11208 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11209 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11212 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11216 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11219 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11223 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11226 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11228 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11231 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11235 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11236 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11237 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11238 scan the mail source only once.
11244 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11248 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11252 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11253 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11254 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11255 predicate are considered.
11259 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11263 An example directory mail source:
11266 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11271 Get mail from a POP server.
11277 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11278 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11281 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11282 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11283 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11284 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}.
11287 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11291 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11295 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This is should be
11296 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11299 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11302 The valid format specifier characters are:
11306 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11307 included in this string.
11310 The name of the server.
11313 The port number of the server.
11316 The user name to use.
11319 The password to use.
11322 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11323 corresponding keywords.
11326 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11327 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11330 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11331 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11334 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11335 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11338 @item :authentication
11339 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11340 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11345 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11346 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11348 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11349 default user name, and default fetcher:
11355 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11358 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11359 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11362 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11365 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11369 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11370 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11371 contains exactly one mail.
11377 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11378 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11381 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11382 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11384 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11385 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11386 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11389 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11390 from locking problems).
11394 Two example maildir mail sources:
11397 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11401 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11405 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap} as
11406 intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for some
11407 reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server and
11408 fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox.
11414 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11415 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11418 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11419 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11422 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11426 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11430 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11431 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11432 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11434 @item :authentication
11435 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11436 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11437 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11441 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11442 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11445 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11446 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11447 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11448 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11449 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11450 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11453 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11454 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11455 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11456 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11459 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11460 after finishing the fetch.
11464 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11467 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11471 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11472 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11474 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11477 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11478 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11480 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11486 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11487 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11490 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11494 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11498 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11499 folder after finishing the fetch.
11503 An example webmail source:
11506 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11511 @item Common Keywords
11512 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11518 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11519 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11523 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11528 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11529 useful when you use local mail and news.
11534 @subsubheading Function Interface
11536 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11537 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11538 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11539 consider the following mail-source setting:
11542 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11543 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11546 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11547 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11548 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11549 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11550 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11552 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11555 @node Mail Source Customization
11556 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11558 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11559 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11563 @item mail-source-crash-box
11564 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11565 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11566 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11568 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11569 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11570 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11572 @item mail-source-directory
11573 @vindex mail-source-directory
11574 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11575 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11576 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11579 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11580 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11581 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11582 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11583 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11584 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11586 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11587 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11588 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11593 @node Fetching Mail
11594 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11596 @vindex mail-sources
11597 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11598 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11599 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11600 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11602 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11603 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11606 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11607 mail server, you'd say something like:
11612 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11613 :password "secret")))
11616 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11620 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11621 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11624 :password "secret")))
11628 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11629 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11630 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11631 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11632 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11633 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11637 @node Mail Backend Variables
11638 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11640 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11644 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11645 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11646 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11647 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11649 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11650 @item nnmail-split-hook
11651 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11652 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11653 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11654 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11655 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11656 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11657 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11658 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11659 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11662 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11663 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11664 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11665 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11666 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11667 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11668 starting to handle the new mail) and
11669 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11670 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11671 default file modes the new mail files get:
11674 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11675 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11677 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11678 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11681 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11682 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11683 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11684 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11685 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11686 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11687 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11689 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11690 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11691 @findex delete-file
11692 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11694 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11695 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11696 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11697 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11698 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11703 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11704 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11705 @cindex mail splitting
11706 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11708 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11709 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11710 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11711 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11712 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11713 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11715 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11718 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11719 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11720 ;; from real errors.
11721 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11723 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11724 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11725 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11726 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11727 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11728 ;; Other mailing lists...
11729 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11730 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11731 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11732 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11733 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11734 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11735 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11736 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11738 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11739 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11743 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11744 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11745 the five possible split syntaxes:
11750 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11751 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11755 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11756 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11757 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11758 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11759 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11760 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11761 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11762 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11765 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11766 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11767 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11768 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11771 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11772 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11775 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11776 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11779 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11780 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11781 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11782 function should return a @var{split}.
11784 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11785 body of the messages:
11788 (defun split-on-body ()
11790 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11791 (goto-char (point-min))
11792 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11797 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11798 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11799 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11803 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11807 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11808 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11809 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11810 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11811 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11813 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11814 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11815 are expanded as specified by the variable
11816 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11817 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11820 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11821 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11822 when all this splitting is performed.
11824 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11825 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11826 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11829 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11832 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11833 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11835 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11836 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11837 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11838 groupings 1 through 9.
11840 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
11841 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
11842 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
11843 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
11844 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
11845 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
11846 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
11847 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
11848 it once per thread.
11850 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
11851 non-nil value. And then you can include
11852 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
11854 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11855 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
11856 ;; other splits go here
11860 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
11861 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
11862 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
11863 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
11864 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
11865 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
11866 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
11867 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
11868 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
11869 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
11870 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
11871 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300
11872 kBytes in size.) When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is
11873 non-nil, Gnus also records the message ids of moved articles, so that
11874 the followup messages goes into the new group.
11877 @node Group Mail Splitting
11878 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11879 @cindex mail splitting
11880 @cindex group mail splitting
11882 @findex gnus-group-split
11883 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11884 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11885 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11886 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11887 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11888 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11889 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11890 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11892 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11893 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11894 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11895 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11897 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11898 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11899 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11900 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11901 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11902 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11903 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11905 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11906 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11907 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11908 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11909 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11910 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11911 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11913 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11914 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11915 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11916 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11917 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11918 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11919 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
11920 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
11921 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
11922 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
11923 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
11924 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
11925 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
11927 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
11932 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
11933 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
11935 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
11936 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
11937 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
11938 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
11940 ((split-spec . catch-all))
11943 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
11944 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
11945 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
11948 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
11949 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
11950 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
11954 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
11955 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
11956 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
11960 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
11963 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
11964 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
11965 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
11966 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
11967 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
11968 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
11969 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
11970 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
11971 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
11973 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
11974 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
11975 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
11976 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
11977 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
11978 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
11979 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
11980 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
11981 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
11983 @findex gnus-group-split-update
11984 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
11985 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
11986 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
11987 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
11988 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
11991 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
11994 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
11995 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
11996 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
11997 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional; same as nil),
11998 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12001 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12002 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12003 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12004 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12006 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12007 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12009 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12010 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12011 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12014 Doing so can be quite easy.
12016 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12017 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12018 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12019 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12020 your @code{nnml} groups.
12026 Go to the group buffer.
12029 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12030 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12033 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12036 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12037 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12040 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12041 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12044 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12045 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12046 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12047 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12048 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12050 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12051 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12052 using the new mail backend.
12055 @node Expiring Mail
12056 @subsection Expiring Mail
12057 @cindex article expiry
12059 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12060 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12061 different approach to mail reading.
12063 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12064 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12065 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12066 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12067 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12068 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12071 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12072 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12073 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12074 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12075 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12076 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12077 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12078 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12080 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12081 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12082 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12083 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12084 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12085 column in the summary buffer.
12087 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12088 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12089 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12090 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12093 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12095 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12096 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12097 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12100 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12101 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12102 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12103 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12104 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12106 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12107 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12110 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12111 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12114 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12115 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12117 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12118 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12119 don't really mix very well.
12121 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12122 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12123 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12124 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12127 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12128 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12129 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12130 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12133 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12135 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12137 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12139 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12141 ((string= group "important")
12147 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12148 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12150 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12151 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12152 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12155 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12156 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12158 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12159 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12160 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12161 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12162 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12163 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12164 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12165 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12166 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12167 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12168 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12169 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12172 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12174 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12178 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12179 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12180 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12181 easier for procmail users.
12183 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12184 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12185 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12186 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12187 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12188 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12189 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12190 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12191 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12192 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12193 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12194 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12195 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12198 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12200 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12201 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12202 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12203 auto-expire turned on.
12207 @subsection Washing Mail
12208 @cindex mail washing
12209 @cindex list server brain damage
12210 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12212 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12213 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12214 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12215 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12216 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12217 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12219 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12220 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12221 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12224 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12225 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12226 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12227 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12230 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12231 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12232 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12233 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12234 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12237 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12238 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12239 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12240 Emacs running on MS machines.
12244 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12245 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12246 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12247 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12250 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12251 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12252 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12253 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12255 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12256 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12257 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12258 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12259 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12260 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12261 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12264 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12265 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12268 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12269 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12272 This can also be done non-destructively with
12273 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12275 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12276 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12277 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12279 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12280 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12282 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12283 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12284 @code{References} headers.
12288 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12289 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12290 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12294 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12295 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12296 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12303 @subsection Duplicates
12305 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12306 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12307 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12308 @cindex duplicate mails
12309 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12310 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12311 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12312 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12313 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12314 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12315 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12316 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12317 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12318 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12319 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12320 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12321 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12323 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12324 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12325 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12326 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12328 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12331 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12332 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12336 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12337 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12338 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12339 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12340 (any mail "mail.misc")
12347 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12348 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12353 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12354 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12355 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12356 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12357 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12360 @node Not Reading Mail
12361 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12363 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12364 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12365 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12367 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12368 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12369 mail, which should help.
12371 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12372 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12373 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12374 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12375 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12376 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12377 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12378 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12379 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12380 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12381 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12383 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12384 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12388 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12389 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12391 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12392 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12393 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12395 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12396 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12397 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12398 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12401 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12402 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12403 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12404 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12405 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12406 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12410 @node Unix Mail Box
12411 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12413 @cindex unix mail box
12415 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12416 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12417 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12418 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12419 which group it belongs in.
12421 Virtual server settings:
12424 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12425 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12426 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12428 @item nnmbox-active-file
12429 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12430 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12432 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12433 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12434 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12440 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12444 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12445 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12446 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12447 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12448 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12450 Virtual server settings:
12453 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12454 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12455 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12457 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12458 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12459 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12461 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12462 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12463 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12468 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12470 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12472 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12473 format. It should be used with some caution.
12475 @vindex nnml-directory
12476 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12477 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12478 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12479 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12481 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12484 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12485 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12486 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12487 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12488 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12489 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12490 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12491 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12493 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12494 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12495 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12496 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12498 Virtual server settings:
12501 @item nnml-directory
12502 @vindex nnml-directory
12503 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12505 @item nnml-active-file
12506 @vindex nnml-active-file
12507 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12509 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12510 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12511 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12514 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12515 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12516 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12518 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12519 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12520 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12522 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12523 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12524 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12526 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12527 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12528 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12532 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12533 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12534 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12535 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12536 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12537 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12538 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12543 @subsubsection MH Spool
12545 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12547 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12548 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12549 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12550 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12552 Virtual server settings:
12555 @item nnmh-directory
12556 @vindex nnmh-directory
12557 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12559 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12560 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12561 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12564 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12565 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12566 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12567 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12568 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12569 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12570 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12575 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12577 @cindex mbox folders
12578 @cindex mail folders
12580 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12581 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12582 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12585 Virtual server settings:
12588 @item nnfolder-directory
12589 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12590 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12592 @item nnfolder-active-file
12593 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12594 The name of the active file.
12596 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12597 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12598 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12600 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12601 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12602 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12604 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12605 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12606 @cindex backup files
12607 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12608 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12609 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12610 your @file{.emacs} file:
12613 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12614 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12616 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12619 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12620 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12621 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12622 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12623 extract some information from it before removing it.
12625 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12626 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12627 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12632 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12633 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12634 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12635 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12636 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12637 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12640 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12641 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12643 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12644 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12645 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12646 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12647 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12649 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12650 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12651 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12652 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12653 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12654 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12655 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12656 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12659 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12660 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12661 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12662 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12667 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12668 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12669 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12670 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12671 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12672 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12673 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12674 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12675 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12676 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12677 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12678 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12679 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12684 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12685 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12686 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12687 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12688 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12689 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12690 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12691 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12692 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12693 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12694 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12695 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12696 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12697 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12699 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12700 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12705 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12706 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12707 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12708 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12709 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12710 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12711 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12712 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12713 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12714 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12715 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12716 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12717 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12718 provided by the active file and overviews.
12720 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12721 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12722 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12723 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12724 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12727 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12728 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12733 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12734 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12735 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12736 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12737 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12738 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12739 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12743 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12744 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12745 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12746 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12747 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12748 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12749 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12750 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12751 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12753 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12754 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12755 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12756 friendly mail backend all over.
12761 @node Browsing the Web
12762 @section Browsing the Web
12764 @cindex browsing the web
12768 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12769 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12770 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12771 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12772 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12773 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12774 even know what a news group is.
12776 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12777 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12778 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12779 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12780 you mad in the end.
12782 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12785 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12786 interfaces to these sources.
12789 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12790 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12791 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12792 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12793 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12796 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12798 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12799 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12800 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12801 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12802 though, you should be ok.
12804 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12805 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12806 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12807 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12808 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12812 @subsection Web Searches
12816 @cindex InReference
12817 @cindex Usenet searches
12818 @cindex searching the Usenet
12820 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12821 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12822 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12823 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12824 searches without having to use a browser.
12826 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12827 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12828 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12829 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12830 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12832 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12833 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12834 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12835 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12836 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12837 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12838 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12839 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12840 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12841 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12844 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12845 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12846 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12847 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12848 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12849 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12851 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12852 to use @code{nnweb}.
12854 Virtual server variables:
12859 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12860 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12864 @vindex nnweb-search
12865 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12867 @item nnweb-max-hits
12868 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12869 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12872 @item nnweb-type-definition
12873 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12874 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12875 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12880 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12884 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12887 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12890 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12894 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12901 @subsection Slashdot
12905 Slashdot (@file{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12906 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12907 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12909 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12910 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12913 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12914 '((nnslashdot "")))
12917 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12918 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12919 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12920 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12921 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12924 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12925 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12927 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
12928 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
12929 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
12930 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
12931 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
12932 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
12935 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
12938 @item nnslashdot-threaded
12939 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
12940 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
12941 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
12942 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
12943 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
12944 but much, much slower than untreaded.
12946 @item nnslashdot-login-name
12947 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
12948 The login name to use when posting.
12950 @item nnslashdot-password
12951 @vindex nnslashdot-password
12952 The password to use when posting.
12954 @item nnslashdot-directory
12955 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
12956 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
12957 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
12959 @item nnslashdot-active-url
12960 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
12961 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
12962 news articles and comments. The default is
12963 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
12965 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
12966 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
12967 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
12969 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
12971 @item nnslashdot-article-url
12972 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
12973 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
12975 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
12977 @item nnslashdot-threshold
12978 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
12979 The score threshold. The default is -1.
12981 @item nnslashdot-group-number
12982 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
12983 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
12984 updated. The default is 0.
12991 @subsection Ultimate
12993 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
12995 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@file{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
12996 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
12997 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
12998 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13000 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13001 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13002 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13003 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13004 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13005 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13006 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13008 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13011 @item nnultimate-directory
13012 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13013 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13014 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13019 @subsection Web Archive
13021 @cindex Web Archive
13023 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13024 @file{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13025 @file{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13026 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13029 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13030 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13031 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13032 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13033 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13034 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13035 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13037 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13040 @item nnwarchive-directory
13041 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13042 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13043 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13045 @item nnwarchive-login
13046 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13047 The account name on the web server.
13049 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13050 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13051 The password for your account on the web server.
13055 @node Customizing w3
13056 @subsection Customizing w3
13062 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13063 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13064 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13066 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13067 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13068 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13071 (eval-after-load "w3"
13073 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13074 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13075 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13076 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13078 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13081 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13082 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13086 @node Other Sources
13087 @section Other Sources
13089 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13090 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13094 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13095 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13096 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13097 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13098 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13099 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13103 @node Directory Groups
13104 @subsection Directory Groups
13106 @cindex directory groups
13108 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13109 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13112 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13113 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13114 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13115 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13117 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13118 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13119 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13120 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13121 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13123 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13125 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13126 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13127 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13128 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13131 @node Anything Groups
13132 @subsection Anything Groups
13135 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13136 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13137 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13140 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13141 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13142 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13143 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13144 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13145 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13146 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13147 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13148 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13149 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13152 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13153 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13154 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13155 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13157 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13158 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13159 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13160 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13162 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13163 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13164 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13165 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13166 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13167 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13168 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13169 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13174 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13175 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13176 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13177 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13179 @item nneething-exclude-files
13180 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13181 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13182 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13184 @item nneething-include-files
13185 @vindex nneething-include-files
13186 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13187 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13189 @item nneething-map-file
13190 @vindex nneething-map-file
13191 Name of the map files.
13195 @node Document Groups
13196 @subsection Document Groups
13198 @cindex documentation group
13201 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13202 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13209 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13214 The standard Unix mbox file.
13216 @cindex MMDF mail box
13218 The MMDF mail box format.
13221 Several news articles appended into a file.
13224 @cindex rnews batch files
13225 The rnews batch transport format.
13226 @cindex forwarded messages
13229 Forwarded articles.
13232 Netscape mail boxes.
13235 MIME multipart messages.
13237 @item standard-digest
13238 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13241 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13244 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13245 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13246 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13249 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13250 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13251 group. And that's it.
13253 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13254 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13255 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13256 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13257 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13258 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13259 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13260 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13261 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13262 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13264 Virtual server variables:
13267 @item nndoc-article-type
13268 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13269 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13270 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13271 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13272 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13274 @item nndoc-post-type
13275 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13276 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13277 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13282 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13286 @node Document Server Internals
13287 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13289 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13290 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13291 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13292 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13294 First, here's an example document type definition:
13298 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13299 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13302 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13303 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13304 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13305 types can be defined with very few settings:
13308 @item first-article
13309 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13310 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13313 @item article-begin
13314 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13315 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13317 @item head-begin-function
13318 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13321 @item nndoc-head-begin
13322 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13325 @item nndoc-head-end
13326 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13327 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13329 @item body-begin-function
13330 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13334 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13337 @item body-end-function
13338 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13342 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13345 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13346 regexp will be totally ignored.
13350 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13351 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13352 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13353 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13354 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13357 @item prepare-body-function
13358 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13359 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13360 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13362 @item article-transform-function
13363 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13364 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13365 body of the article.
13367 @item generate-head-function
13368 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13369 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13370 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13371 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13375 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13380 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13381 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13382 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13383 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13384 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13385 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13386 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13387 (subtype digest guess))
13390 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13391 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13392 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13393 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13394 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13396 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13397 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13398 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13399 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13400 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
13401 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13402 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13403 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13404 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13405 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13413 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13414 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13415 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13417 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13418 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13419 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13422 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13423 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13424 that interested in doing things properly.
13426 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13427 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13430 First some terminology:
13435 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13436 get news and/or mail from.
13439 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13440 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13443 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13447 @item message packets
13448 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13449 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13450 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13452 @item response packets
13453 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13454 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13455 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13465 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13466 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13467 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13468 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13471 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13474 You put the packet in your home directory.
13477 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13478 the native or secondary server.
13481 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13482 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13485 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13489 You transfer this packet to the server.
13492 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13495 You then repeat until you die.
13499 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13500 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13503 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13504 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13505 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13509 @node SOUP Commands
13510 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13512 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13516 @kindex G s b (Group)
13517 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13518 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13519 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13520 process/prefix convention.
13523 @kindex G s w (Group)
13524 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13525 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13528 @kindex G s s (Group)
13529 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13530 Send all replies from the replies packet
13531 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13534 @kindex G s p (Group)
13535 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13536 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13539 @kindex G s r (Group)
13540 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13541 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13544 @kindex O s (Summary)
13545 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13546 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13547 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13548 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13553 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13558 @item gnus-soup-directory
13559 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13560 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13561 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13563 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13564 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13565 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13566 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13568 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13569 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13570 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13571 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13573 @item gnus-soup-packer
13574 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13575 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13576 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13578 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13579 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13580 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13581 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13583 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13584 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13585 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13587 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13588 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13589 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13590 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13596 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13599 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13600 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13601 you can read them at leisure.
13603 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13607 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13608 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13609 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13610 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13612 @item nnsoup-directory
13613 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13614 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13615 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13617 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13618 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13619 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13620 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13622 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13623 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13624 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13625 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13626 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13628 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13629 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13630 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13631 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13633 @item nnsoup-active-file
13634 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13635 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13636 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13637 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13638 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13640 @item nnsoup-packer
13641 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13642 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13643 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13645 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13646 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13647 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13648 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13650 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13651 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13652 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13655 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13656 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13657 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13660 @item nnsoup-always-save
13661 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13662 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13668 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13670 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13671 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13672 more for that to happen.
13674 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13675 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13676 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13679 In specific, this is what it does:
13682 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13683 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13686 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13687 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13688 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13691 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13692 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13693 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13696 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13697 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13698 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13700 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13706 @item nngateway-address
13707 @vindex nngateway-address
13708 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13710 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13711 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13712 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13713 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13714 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13715 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13716 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13719 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13720 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13721 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13724 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13727 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13730 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13733 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13735 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13738 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13739 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13740 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13742 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13744 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13745 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13746 @code{nngateway-address}.
13751 (setq gnus-post-method
13752 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13753 (nngateway-header-transformation
13754 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13762 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13765 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13771 @subsection @sc{imap}
13775 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13776 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap} server
13777 is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just specify the
13778 network address of the server.
13780 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13781 might look something like this:
13784 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13785 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13786 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13788 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13789 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13790 ; a UW server running on localhost
13792 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13793 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13794 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13795 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13796 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13797 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13798 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13799 (nnimap-stream network))
13800 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13802 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13803 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13804 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13807 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13812 @item nnimap-address
13813 @vindex nnimap-address
13815 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13816 server name if not specified.
13818 @item nnimap-server-port
13819 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13820 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13822 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13825 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13826 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13829 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13830 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13831 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13832 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13833 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13834 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13835 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13837 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13838 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13839 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13842 Example server specification:
13845 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13846 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
13847 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
13850 @item nnimap-stream
13851 @vindex nnimap-stream
13852 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13853 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13854 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13855 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13857 Example server specification:
13860 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13861 (nnimap-stream ssl))
13864 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
13868 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13869 @samp{imtest} program.
13871 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13873 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13874 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13877 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13878 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13880 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start IMAP connection.
13882 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13885 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13886 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13887 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13888 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13891 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13892 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13893 @file{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13894 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
13895 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13896 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13897 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13900 @vindex imap-shell-program
13901 @vindex imap-shell-host
13902 For IMAP connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13903 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13905 @item nnimap-authenticator
13906 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13908 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13909 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
13911 Example server specification:
13914 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13915 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
13918 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
13922 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
13923 external program @code{imtest}.
13925 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
13928 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
13929 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
13931 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
13933 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
13935 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
13938 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
13940 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
13941 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
13942 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
13943 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
13944 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
13945 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
13948 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
13949 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
13950 running in circles yet?
13952 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
13953 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
13956 The possible options are:
13961 The default behaviour, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
13964 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
13965 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
13966 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
13967 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
13969 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
13974 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
13975 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
13977 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
13978 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
13979 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
13981 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
13982 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
13983 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
13989 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
13990 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
13991 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
13996 @node Splitting in IMAP
13997 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
13998 @cindex splitting imap mail
14000 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14001 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14002 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14003 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14004 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14008 Here are the variables of interest:
14012 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14013 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14015 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14017 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14018 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14020 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14022 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14023 @cindex splitting, inbox
14025 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14027 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14028 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14032 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14033 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14036 No nnmail equivalent.
14038 @item nnimap-split-rule
14039 @cindex Splitting, rules
14040 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14042 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14045 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14046 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14047 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14048 Neither did I, we need examples.
14051 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14052 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14053 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14054 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14057 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14058 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14059 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
14061 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14062 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14066 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14069 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14070 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14071 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14072 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14074 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14075 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14076 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14077 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
14078 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14079 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14081 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14082 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14083 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14085 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14086 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14087 thinks the article should be splitted to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14089 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14091 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14092 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14093 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14096 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14097 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14098 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14099 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14100 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14101 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14104 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14105 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14106 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14107 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14108 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14109 group/function elements.
14111 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14113 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14115 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14117 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14118 splitted, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14120 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14121 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14122 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14125 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14126 @cindex splitting, fancy
14127 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14128 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14130 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14131 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14132 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14134 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14135 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14136 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14137 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14142 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14143 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14146 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14150 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14151 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14152 @cindex editing imap acls
14153 @cindex Access Control Lists
14154 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14156 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14158 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14159 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14160 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14163 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14164 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14165 editing window with detailed instructions.
14167 Some possible uses:
14171 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14172 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14173 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14175 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14176 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14177 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14181 @node Expunging mailboxes
14182 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14186 @cindex Manual expunging
14188 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14190 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
14191 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14192 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14194 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14199 @node Combined Groups
14200 @section Combined Groups
14202 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14206 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14207 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14211 @node Virtual Groups
14212 @subsection Virtual Groups
14214 @cindex virtual groups
14215 @cindex merging groups
14217 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14220 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14221 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14222 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14224 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14225 regexp to match component groups.
14227 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14228 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14229 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14230 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14231 the virtual group.)
14233 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14234 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14237 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14240 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14241 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14243 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14244 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14245 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14246 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14249 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14252 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14253 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14254 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14256 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14257 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14258 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14259 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14260 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14262 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14263 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14264 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14266 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14267 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14268 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14269 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14270 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14271 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14272 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14273 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14274 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14275 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14276 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14278 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14279 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14280 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14281 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14282 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14283 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14284 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14286 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14287 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14291 @node Kibozed Groups
14292 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14296 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14297 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14298 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14299 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14301 @kindex G k (Group)
14302 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14305 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14306 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14307 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14308 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14310 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14311 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14312 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14314 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14315 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14316 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14317 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14318 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14319 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14320 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14321 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14323 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14324 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14325 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14326 Stranger things have happened.
14328 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14329 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14331 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14332 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14333 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14334 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14335 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14336 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14338 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14339 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14342 @node Gnus Unplugged
14343 @section Gnus Unplugged
14348 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14350 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14351 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14352 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14353 read news. Believe it or not.
14355 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14356 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14357 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14358 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14359 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14361 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14362 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14363 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14364 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14365 reading news on a machine.
14367 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14371 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14372 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14376 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14377 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14384 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14386 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14389 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14390 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14391 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14392 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14393 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14394 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14395 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14396 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14397 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14398 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14403 @subsection Agent Basics
14405 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14407 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14408 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14409 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14410 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14412 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14413 connected to the net continuously.
14415 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14416 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14418 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14423 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14424 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14425 already fetched while in this mode.
14428 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14429 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14430 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14431 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14432 Source Specifiers}).
14435 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14436 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14437 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14438 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14439 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14442 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14443 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14444 then you read the news offline.
14447 And then you go to step 2.
14450 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14456 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14457 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14458 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14459 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14460 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14461 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14464 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14471 @node Agent Categories
14472 @subsection Agent Categories
14474 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14475 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14476 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14477 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14478 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14479 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14480 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14482 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14483 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14484 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14485 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14486 managing categories.
14489 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14490 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14491 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14495 @node Category Syntax
14496 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14498 A category consists of two things.
14502 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14503 are eligible for downloading; and
14506 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14507 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14508 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14511 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14512 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14513 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14514 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14516 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14517 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14518 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14520 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14521 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14522 operators sprinkled in between.
14524 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14526 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14527 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14533 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14534 short (for some value of ``short'').
14536 Here's a more complex predicate:
14545 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14546 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14549 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14550 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14551 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14553 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14554 you want to do, you can write your own.
14558 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14559 lines; default 100.
14562 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14563 lines; default 200.
14566 True iff the article has a download score less than
14567 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14570 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14571 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14574 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14575 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14576 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14585 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14586 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14587 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14590 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14591 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14592 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14593 something along the lines of the following:
14596 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14597 "Say whether an article is old."
14598 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14599 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14602 with the predicate then defined as:
14605 (not my-article-old-p)
14608 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14609 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14610 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14611 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14614 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
14615 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14616 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14619 and simply specify your predicate as:
14625 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14626 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14627 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14628 just don't give a damm.
14630 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14631 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14632 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14633 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14634 parameters like so:
14637 (agent-predicate . short)
14640 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14641 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14642 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14644 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14647 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14650 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14651 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14652 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14655 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14656 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14657 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14658 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14659 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14660 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14662 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14663 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14664 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14665 if it's to be specific to that group.
14667 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14674 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14675 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14681 Category specification
14685 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14691 Group Parameter specification
14694 (agent-score ("from"
14695 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14700 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14706 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14713 Category specification
14716 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14722 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14726 Group Parameter specification
14729 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14732 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14737 Use @code{normal} score files
14739 If you dont want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14740 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14741 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14742 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14744 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14745 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14746 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14747 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14751 Category Specification
14758 Group Parameter specification
14761 (agent-score . file)
14766 @node The Category Buffer
14767 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14769 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14770 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14771 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14773 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14777 @kindex q (Category)
14778 @findex gnus-category-exit
14779 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14782 @kindex k (Category)
14783 @findex gnus-category-kill
14784 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14787 @kindex c (Category)
14788 @findex gnus-category-copy
14789 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14792 @kindex a (Category)
14793 @findex gnus-category-add
14794 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14797 @kindex p (Category)
14798 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14799 Edit the predicate of the current category
14800 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14803 @kindex g (Category)
14804 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14805 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14806 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14809 @kindex s (Category)
14810 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14811 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14812 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14815 @kindex l (Category)
14816 @findex gnus-category-list
14817 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14821 @node Category Variables
14822 @subsubsection Category Variables
14825 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14826 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14827 Hook run in category buffers.
14829 @item gnus-category-line-format
14830 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14831 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14832 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14836 The name of the category.
14839 The number of groups in the category.
14842 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14843 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14844 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14846 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14847 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14848 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14850 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14851 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14852 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14854 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14855 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14856 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14859 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14860 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14861 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14867 @node Agent Commands
14868 @subsection Agent Commands
14870 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14871 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14872 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14876 * Group Agent Commands::
14877 * Summary Agent Commands::
14878 * Server Agent Commands::
14881 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14882 following incantation:
14884 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14886 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14891 @node Group Agent Commands
14892 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14896 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14897 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14898 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14899 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14902 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14903 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14904 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14907 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14908 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14909 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
14910 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
14913 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
14914 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
14915 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
14916 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
14919 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
14920 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
14921 Add the current group to an Agent category
14922 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
14923 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14926 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
14927 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
14928 Remove the current group from its category, if any
14929 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
14930 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14933 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
14934 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
14935 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
14941 @node Summary Agent Commands
14942 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
14946 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
14947 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
14948 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
14951 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
14952 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
14953 Remove the downloading mark from the article
14954 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
14957 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
14958 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
14959 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
14962 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
14963 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
14964 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
14969 @node Server Agent Commands
14970 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
14974 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
14975 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
14976 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
14977 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
14980 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
14981 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
14982 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
14983 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
14989 @subsection Agent Expiry
14991 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
14992 @findex gnus-agent-expire
14993 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
14994 @cindex Agent expiry
14995 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
14998 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
14999 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15000 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15001 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15002 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15003 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15005 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15006 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15007 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15008 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15009 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15012 @node Agent and IMAP
15013 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15015 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However, since
15016 there are some conceptual differences between NNTP and IMAP, this
15017 section (should) provide you with some information to make Gnus Agent
15018 work smoother as a IMAP Disconnected Mode client.
15020 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15021 are kept on the IMAP server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15022 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15023 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15025 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15026 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15027 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize theese
15028 with the server. This behaviour is customizable with
15029 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15031 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15032 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15033 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15034 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15035 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15036 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15038 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15039 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15040 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15041 in the group buffer by default.
15043 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15044 expect from a disconnected IMAP client, including:
15049 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15052 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15056 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15057 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15058 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15059 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15060 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15061 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15062 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15063 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15066 @node Outgoing Messages
15067 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15069 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15070 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15071 after posting, and edit them at will.
15073 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15074 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15075 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15076 messages in the draft group.
15080 @node Agent Variables
15081 @subsection Agent Variables
15084 @item gnus-agent-directory
15085 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15086 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15087 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15089 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15090 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15091 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15092 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15093 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15096 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15097 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15098 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15100 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15101 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15102 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15107 @node Example Setup
15108 @subsection Example Setup
15110 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15111 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15112 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15115 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15116 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15117 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15119 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15120 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15121 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15123 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15124 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15126 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15130 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15131 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15134 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15135 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15136 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15137 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15138 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15141 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15142 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15143 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15144 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15145 back all the killed groups.)
15147 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15148 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15149 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15152 @node Batching Agents
15153 @subsection Batching Agents
15155 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15156 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15157 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15161 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15165 @node Agent Caveats
15166 @subsection Agent Caveats
15168 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15169 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15173 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15178 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15179 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15185 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15186 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15193 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15194 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15195 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15198 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15199 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15200 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15201 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15202 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15204 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15205 before generating the summary buffer.
15207 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15208 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15209 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15211 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15212 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15213 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15214 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15217 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15218 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15219 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15220 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15221 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15222 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15223 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15224 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15225 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15226 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15227 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15228 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15229 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15230 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15231 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15232 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15236 @node Summary Score Commands
15237 @section Summary Score Commands
15238 @cindex score commands
15240 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15241 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15242 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15243 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15244 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15246 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15247 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15248 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15249 score file the current one.
15251 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15256 @kindex V s (Summary)
15257 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15258 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15261 @kindex V S (Summary)
15262 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15263 Display the score of the current article
15264 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15267 @kindex V t (Summary)
15268 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15269 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15270 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15273 @kindex V R (Summary)
15274 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15275 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15276 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15277 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15278 effect you're having.
15281 @kindex V c (Summary)
15282 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15283 Make a different score file the current
15284 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15287 @kindex V e (Summary)
15288 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15289 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15290 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15294 @kindex V f (Summary)
15295 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15296 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15297 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15300 @kindex V F (Summary)
15301 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15302 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15303 after editing score files.
15306 @kindex V C (Summary)
15307 @findex gnus-score-customize
15308 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15309 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15313 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15318 @kindex V m (Summary)
15319 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15320 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15321 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15324 @kindex V x (Summary)
15325 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15326 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15327 expunge all articles below this score
15328 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15331 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15332 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15335 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15336 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15340 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15341 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15343 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15344 keys are available:
15348 Score on the author name.
15351 Score on the subject line.
15354 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15357 Score on the @code{References} line.
15363 Score on the number of lines.
15366 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15369 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15370 the followups to this author.
15384 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15385 what headers you are scoring on.
15397 Substring matching.
15400 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15429 Greater than number.
15434 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15435 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15436 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15440 Temporary score entry.
15443 Permanent score entry.
15446 Immediately scoring.
15451 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15452 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15453 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15454 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15456 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15457 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15458 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15459 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15460 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15462 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15463 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15464 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15465 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15466 current score file.
15468 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15469 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15470 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15473 @node Group Score Commands
15474 @section Group Score Commands
15475 @cindex group score commands
15477 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15482 @kindex W f (Group)
15483 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15484 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15485 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15486 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15490 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15492 @findex gnus-batch-score
15493 @cindex batch scoring
15495 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15499 @node Score Variables
15500 @section Score Variables
15501 @cindex score variables
15505 @item gnus-use-scoring
15506 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15507 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15508 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15510 @item gnus-kill-killed
15511 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15512 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15513 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15514 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15515 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15516 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15517 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15519 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15520 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15521 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15522 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15523 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15525 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15526 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15527 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15528 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15530 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15531 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15532 @cindex score cache
15533 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15534 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15535 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
15536 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15537 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15538 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15541 @item gnus-save-score
15542 @vindex gnus-save-score
15543 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15544 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15545 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15547 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15548 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15549 across group visits.
15551 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15552 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15553 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15554 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15555 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15556 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15557 manually entered data.
15559 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15560 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15561 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15563 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15564 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15565 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15566 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15567 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15568 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15570 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15571 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15572 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15573 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15575 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15576 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15577 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15578 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15580 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15581 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15582 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15583 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15585 Predefined functions available are:
15588 @item gnus-score-find-single
15589 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15590 Only apply the group's own score file.
15592 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15593 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15594 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15595 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15596 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15597 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15598 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15599 then a regexp match is done.
15601 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15602 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15604 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15605 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15606 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15607 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15609 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15610 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15611 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15612 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15613 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
15617 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15618 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
15619 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
15620 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
15621 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
15622 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
15623 returned is the local score file. Phu.
15625 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
15626 overall score file, you could use the value
15628 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE")) 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
15631 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15632 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15633 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15634 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15635 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15637 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15638 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15639 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15640 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15641 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15642 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15643 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15646 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15647 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15648 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15650 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15651 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15652 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15653 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15654 threading---according to the current value of
15655 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15656 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15657 simplified in this manner.
15662 @node Score File Format
15663 @section Score File Format
15664 @cindex score file format
15666 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15667 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15668 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15670 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15674 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15676 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15678 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15680 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15685 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15689 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15690 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15691 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15692 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15696 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15697 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15699 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15700 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15701 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15703 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15708 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15709 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15710 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15711 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15712 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15713 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15714 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15715 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15716 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15717 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15718 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15719 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15720 to articles that matches these score entries.
15722 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15723 score entry has one to four elements.
15727 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15728 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15732 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15733 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15734 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15735 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15736 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15737 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15740 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15741 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15742 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15743 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15744 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15747 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15748 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15749 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15750 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15753 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15754 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15755 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15756 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15757 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15758 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15759 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15760 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15761 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15762 instead, if you feel like.
15765 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15766 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15768 These predicates are true if
15771 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15774 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15775 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15782 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15783 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15784 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15785 it's not. I think.)
15787 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15788 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15789 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15790 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15793 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15794 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15795 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15796 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15797 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15798 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15799 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15803 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15804 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15805 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15806 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15807 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15808 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15809 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15810 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15813 @item Head, Body, All
15814 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15818 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15819 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15820 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15821 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15822 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15823 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15824 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15828 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15829 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15830 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15831 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15832 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15833 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15834 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15835 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15836 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15837 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15838 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15842 @cindex Score File Atoms
15844 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15845 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15848 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15849 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15851 @item mark-and-expunge
15852 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15853 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15856 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15857 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15858 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15859 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15860 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15863 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15864 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15867 @item exclude-files
15868 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15869 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15873 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15874 ignored when handling global score files.
15877 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15878 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15879 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15880 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15883 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15884 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15885 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15886 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15888 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15892 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15895 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15896 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15897 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15898 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15899 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15901 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15902 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15903 ordinary scoring rules.
15906 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15907 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15908 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15909 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
15910 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
15911 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
15912 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15913 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
15914 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
15915 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
15916 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
15920 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
15921 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
15922 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
15923 file for a number of groups.
15926 @cindex local variables
15927 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
15928 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
15929 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
15930 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
15931 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
15935 @node Score File Editing
15936 @section Score File Editing
15938 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
15939 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
15940 with a mode for that.
15942 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
15943 additional commands:
15948 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
15949 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
15950 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
15951 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
15954 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
15955 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
15956 Insert the current date in numerical format
15957 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
15958 you were wondering.
15961 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
15962 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
15963 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
15964 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
15965 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
15970 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
15972 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
15973 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
15975 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
15976 e} to begin editing score files.
15979 @node Adaptive Scoring
15980 @section Adaptive Scoring
15981 @cindex adaptive scoring
15983 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
15984 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
15985 stupidity, to be precise.
15987 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
15988 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
15989 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
15990 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
15991 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
15992 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
15993 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
15994 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
15995 variable to @code{(word line)}.
15997 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
15998 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
15999 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16000 might look something like this:
16003 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16004 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16005 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16006 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16007 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16008 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16009 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16010 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16011 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16012 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16013 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16014 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16017 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16018 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16019 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16020 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16021 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16022 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16025 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16026 will be applied to each article.
16028 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16029 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16030 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16031 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16033 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16034 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16035 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16036 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16038 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16039 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16040 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16041 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16043 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16044 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16045 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16046 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16047 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16048 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16050 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16051 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16052 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16053 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16054 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16055 aspirins afterwards.)
16057 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16058 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16059 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16061 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16062 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16063 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16065 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16066 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16067 let you use different rules in different groups.
16069 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16070 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16071 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16074 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16075 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16076 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16077 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16078 the length of the match is less than
16079 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16080 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16083 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16084 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16085 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16086 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16087 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16090 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16091 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16092 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16093 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16094 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16097 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16098 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16099 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16100 score with 30 points.
16102 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16103 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16104 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16105 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16106 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16108 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16109 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16110 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16111 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16113 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16114 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16115 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16116 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16118 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16119 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16120 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16121 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16122 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16124 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16125 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16126 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16128 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16129 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16130 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16131 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16134 @node Home Score File
16135 @section Home Score File
16137 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16138 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16139 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16140 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16142 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16143 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16144 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16146 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16147 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16152 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16156 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16157 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16161 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16165 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16166 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
16169 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16170 the home score file.
16173 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16176 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16181 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16184 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16185 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16188 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16189 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16191 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16193 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16194 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16197 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16198 Other functions include
16201 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16202 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16203 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16204 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16208 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16209 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16210 their own home score files:
16213 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16214 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16215 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16216 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16217 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16220 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16221 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16222 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16223 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16224 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16226 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16227 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16228 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16229 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16230 precedence over this variable.
16233 @node Followups To Yourself
16234 @section Followups To Yourself
16236 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16237 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16238 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16239 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16240 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16241 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16245 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16246 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16247 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16250 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16251 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16252 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16256 @vindex message-sent-hook
16257 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16258 @code{message-sent-hook}.
16260 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16261 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16265 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16266 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16269 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16270 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16275 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
16279 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16280 is system-dependent.
16284 @section Scoring Tips
16285 @cindex scoring tips
16291 @cindex scoring crossposts
16292 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16293 the @code{Xref} header.
16295 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16298 @item Multiple crossposts
16299 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16300 more than, say, 3 groups:
16302 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
16305 @item Matching on the body
16306 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16307 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16308 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16309 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16310 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16311 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16312 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16315 @item Marking as read
16316 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16317 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16318 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16322 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16324 @item Negated character classes
16325 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16326 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16327 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16331 @node Reverse Scoring
16332 @section Reverse Scoring
16333 @cindex reverse scoring
16335 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16336 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16337 like this in your score file:
16341 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16346 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16347 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16350 @node Global Score Files
16351 @section Global Score Files
16352 @cindex global score files
16354 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16355 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16356 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16358 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16359 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16360 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16362 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16363 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16364 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16365 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16366 files are applicable to which group.
16368 Say you want to use the score file
16369 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16370 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
16373 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16374 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16375 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16378 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16379 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16380 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16381 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16382 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16384 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16385 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16387 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16388 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16389 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16390 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16391 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16392 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16394 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16400 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16402 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16404 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16406 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16407 lowered out of existence.
16409 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16410 articles completely.
16413 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16414 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16415 old articles for a long time.
16418 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16419 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16420 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16421 holding our breath yet?
16425 @section Kill Files
16428 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16429 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16430 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16432 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16433 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16434 files into score files.
16436 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16437 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16438 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16439 that isn't a very good idea.
16441 Normal kill files look like this:
16444 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16445 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16449 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16450 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16452 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16453 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16456 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16461 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16462 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16463 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16466 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16467 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16468 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16471 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16476 @kindex M-k (Group)
16477 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16478 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16481 @kindex M-K (Group)
16482 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16483 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16486 Kill file variables:
16489 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16490 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16491 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16492 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16493 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16494 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16495 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16497 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16498 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16499 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16500 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16503 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16504 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16505 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16506 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16507 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16508 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16509 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16510 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16511 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16513 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16514 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16515 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16520 @node Converting Kill Files
16521 @section Converting Kill Files
16523 @cindex converting kill files
16525 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16526 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16527 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16530 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16531 You can fetch it from
16532 @file{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
16534 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16535 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16536 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16544 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16545 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16546 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16548 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16549 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16550 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16551 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16552 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16553 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16554 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16555 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16559 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16560 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16561 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16562 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16566 @node Using GroupLens
16567 @subsection Using GroupLens
16569 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16571 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16572 better bit in town at the moment.
16574 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16578 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16579 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16580 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16581 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16583 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16584 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16585 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16586 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16588 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16589 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16590 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16594 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16595 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16596 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16597 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16598 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16599 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16602 @node Rating Articles
16603 @subsection Rating Articles
16605 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16606 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16607 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16608 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16611 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16616 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16617 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16618 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16621 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16622 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16623 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16624 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16625 threads in rec.humor.
16629 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16630 the score of the article you're reading.
16635 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16636 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16637 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16640 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16641 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16642 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16646 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16647 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16650 @node Displaying Predictions
16651 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16653 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16654 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16655 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16656 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16657 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16659 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16660 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16661 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16662 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16663 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16664 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16665 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16666 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16667 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16668 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16669 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16670 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16671 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16673 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16674 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16675 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16676 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16678 The following are valid values for that variable.
16681 @item prediction-spot
16682 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16685 @item confidence-interval
16686 A numeric confidence interval.
16688 @item prediction-bar
16689 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16691 @item confidence-bar
16692 Numerical confidence.
16694 @item confidence-spot
16695 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16697 @item prediction-num
16698 Plain-old numeric value.
16700 @item confidence-plus-minus
16701 Prediction +/- confidence.
16706 @node GroupLens Variables
16707 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16711 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16712 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16713 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16714 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16717 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16718 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16721 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16722 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16724 @item grouplens-score-offset
16725 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16726 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16729 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16730 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16731 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16736 @node Advanced Scoring
16737 @section Advanced Scoring
16739 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16740 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16741 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16742 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16743 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16745 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16749 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16750 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16751 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16755 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16756 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16758 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16759 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16760 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16761 non-@code{nil} value.
16763 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16764 operator, and various match operators.
16771 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16772 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16773 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16778 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16779 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16780 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16785 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16786 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16790 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16791 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16792 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16793 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16794 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16795 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16796 the ancestry you want to go.
16798 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16799 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16800 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16801 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16802 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16805 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16806 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16808 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16809 when he's talking about Gnus:
16813 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16814 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16820 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16824 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16831 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16832 really don't want to read what he's written:
16836 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16837 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16841 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16842 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16843 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16850 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16851 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16852 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16853 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16857 The possibilities are endless.
16860 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16861 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16863 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16864 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16865 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16866 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16867 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16868 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16869 @samp{subject}) first.
16871 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16872 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16883 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16884 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16890 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16897 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16898 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16903 @section Score Decays
16904 @cindex score decays
16907 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
16908 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
16909 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
16910 use them in any sensible way.
16912 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
16913 @findex gnus-decay-score
16914 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
16915 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
16916 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
16917 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
16918 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
16919 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
16920 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
16921 definition of that function:
16924 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
16926 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
16927 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
16930 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
16932 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
16934 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
16937 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
16938 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
16939 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
16940 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
16944 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
16947 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
16950 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
16954 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
16955 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
16956 the new score, which should be an integer.
16958 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
16959 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
16966 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
16967 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
16968 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
16969 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
16970 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
16971 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
16972 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
16973 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
16974 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
16975 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
16976 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
16977 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
16978 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
16979 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
16980 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
16981 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
16982 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
16983 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
16987 @node Process/Prefix
16988 @section Process/Prefix
16989 @cindex process/prefix convention
16991 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
16992 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
16994 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
16995 command to be performed on.
16999 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17000 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17001 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17002 with the current one.
17004 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17005 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17006 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17008 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17009 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17012 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17013 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17015 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17018 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17019 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17020 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17021 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17023 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17024 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17025 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17026 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17027 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17028 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17029 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17030 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17032 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17033 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17034 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17035 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17036 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17040 @section Interactive
17041 @cindex interaction
17045 @item gnus-novice-user
17046 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17047 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17048 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17049 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17050 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17053 @item gnus-expert-user
17054 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17055 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17056 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17057 matter how strange.
17059 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17060 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17061 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17062 is @code{t} by default.
17064 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17065 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17066 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17071 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17072 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17073 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17075 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17076 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17077 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17078 rule of 900 to the current article.
17080 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17081 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17082 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17083 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17084 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17085 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17086 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17088 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17089 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17090 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17091 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17092 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17093 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17094 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17095 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17096 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17098 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17099 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17100 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17102 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17106 @node Formatting Variables
17107 @section Formatting Variables
17108 @cindex formatting variables
17110 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17111 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17112 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17113 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17114 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17117 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17118 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17119 lots of percentages everywhere.
17122 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17123 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17124 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17125 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17126 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17129 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17130 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17131 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17132 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17133 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17134 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17135 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17136 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17138 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17139 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17141 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17142 @findex gnus-update-format
17143 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17144 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17145 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17146 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17150 @node Formatting Basics
17151 @subsection Formatting Basics
17153 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17154 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17155 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17157 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17158 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17159 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17160 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17161 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17164 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17165 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17166 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17167 less than 4 characters wide.
17170 @node Mode Line Formatting
17171 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17173 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17174 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17175 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17176 with the following two differences:
17181 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17184 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17185 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17186 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17187 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17188 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17189 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17190 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17195 @node Advanced Formatting
17196 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17198 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17199 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17200 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17201 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17203 These are the valid modifiers:
17208 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17212 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17217 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17220 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17225 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17228 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17231 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17234 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17238 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17239 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17240 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17241 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17242 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17243 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17244 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17246 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17247 last operation, padding.
17249 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
17250 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
17251 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
17252 @xref{Compilation}.
17255 @node User-Defined Specs
17256 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17258 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17259 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17260 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17261 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17262 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17263 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17264 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17265 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17266 should protect against that.
17268 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17269 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17270 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17271 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17275 @node Formatting Fonts
17276 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17278 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17279 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17280 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17281 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17284 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17285 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17286 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17287 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17288 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17289 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17291 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17292 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17293 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17294 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17295 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17296 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17297 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17298 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17300 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17303 ;; Create three face types.
17304 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17305 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17307 ;; We want the article count to be in
17308 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17309 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17310 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17312 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17313 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17315 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17316 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17317 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17320 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17321 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17323 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17324 mode-line variables.
17327 @node Windows Configuration
17328 @section Windows Configuration
17329 @cindex windows configuration
17331 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17333 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17334 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17335 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17336 @code{t} by default.
17338 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17339 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17341 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17342 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17343 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17346 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17347 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17348 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17352 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17353 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17354 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17355 possible names is listed below.
17357 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17358 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17361 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17365 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17366 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17367 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17368 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17369 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17370 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17371 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17372 size spec per split.
17374 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17375 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17376 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17377 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17378 present) gets focus.
17380 Here's a more complicated example:
17383 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17384 (summary 0.25 point)
17385 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17389 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17390 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17391 occupy, not a percentage.
17393 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17394 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17395 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17396 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17397 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17400 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17403 (article (horizontal 1.0
17408 (summary 0.25 point)
17413 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17414 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17416 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17417 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17418 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17419 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17420 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17422 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17423 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17424 lines from the splits.
17426 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17430 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17431 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17432 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17433 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17434 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17435 size = number | frame-params
17436 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17439 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17440 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17441 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17442 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17444 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17445 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17446 @cindex window height
17447 @cindex window width
17448 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17449 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17450 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17451 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17452 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17453 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17455 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17456 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17457 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17458 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17460 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17461 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17462 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17463 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17464 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17465 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17466 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17467 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17468 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17469 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17470 configuration list.
17473 (gnus-configure-frame
17477 (article 0.3 point))
17485 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17486 @code{frame} split:
17489 (gnus-configure-frame
17492 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17494 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17495 (user-position . t)
17496 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17501 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17502 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17503 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17504 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17505 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17506 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17507 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17508 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17510 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17511 be found in its default value.
17513 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17514 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17515 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17519 (message (horizontal 1.0
17520 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17522 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17527 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17528 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17529 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17532 (message (frame 1.0
17533 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17534 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17535 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17536 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17537 (name . "Message"))
17538 (message 1.0 point))))
17541 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17542 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17543 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17544 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17545 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17548 (gnus-add-configuration
17549 '(article (vertical 1.0
17551 (summary .25 point)
17555 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17556 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17557 Gnus has been loaded.
17559 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17560 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17561 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17562 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17563 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17565 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17566 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17567 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17570 @subsection Example Window Configurations
17574 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
17575 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
17590 (gnus-add-configuration
17593 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17595 (summary 0.16 point)
17598 (gnus-add-configuration
17601 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17602 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
17608 @node Faces and Fonts
17609 @section Faces and Fonts
17614 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17615 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17616 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17621 @section Compilation
17622 @cindex compilation
17623 @cindex byte-compilation
17625 @findex gnus-compile
17627 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17628 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17629 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
17630 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17631 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17632 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17635 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17636 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17637 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17638 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17639 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17640 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17641 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17645 @section Mode Lines
17648 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17649 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17650 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17651 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17652 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17653 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17654 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17657 @cindex display-time
17659 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17660 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17661 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17662 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17663 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17664 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17665 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17666 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17669 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17671 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17672 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17674 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17675 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17676 (length display-time-string)))))
17679 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17680 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17681 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17682 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17683 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17686 @node Highlighting and Menus
17687 @section Highlighting and Menus
17689 @cindex highlighting
17692 @vindex gnus-visual
17693 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17694 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17695 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17698 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17699 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17702 @item group-highlight
17703 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17704 @item summary-highlight
17705 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17706 @item article-highlight
17707 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17709 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17711 Create menus in the group buffer.
17713 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17715 Create menus in the article buffer.
17717 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17719 Create menus in the server buffer.
17721 Create menus in the score buffers.
17723 Create menus in all buffers.
17726 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17727 buffers, you could say something like:
17730 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17733 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17736 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17739 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17740 in all Gnus buffers.
17742 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17745 @item gnus-mouse-face
17746 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17747 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17748 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17752 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17756 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17757 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17758 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17760 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17761 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17762 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17764 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17765 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17766 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17768 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17769 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17770 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17772 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17773 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17774 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17776 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17777 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17778 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17789 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17790 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17791 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17792 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17793 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17797 @vindex gnus-carpal
17798 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17799 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17800 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17805 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17806 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17807 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17809 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17810 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17811 Face used on buttons.
17813 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17814 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17815 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17817 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17818 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17819 Buttons in the group buffer.
17821 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17822 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17823 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17825 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17826 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17827 Buttons in the server buffer.
17829 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17830 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17831 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17834 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17835 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17836 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17844 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17845 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17846 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17847 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17848 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17850 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17851 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17852 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17854 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17855 been idle for thirty minutes:
17858 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17861 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17865 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17868 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17869 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17870 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17872 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17873 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17874 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17875 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17877 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17878 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17879 @var{idle} minutes.
17881 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17882 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17885 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17886 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17887 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17889 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17890 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17891 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17892 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17894 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17895 your @file{.gnus} file:
17897 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17899 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17902 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17903 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17904 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17905 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
17906 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
17907 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
17908 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
17909 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
17910 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
17911 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
17912 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
17914 @findex gnus-demon-init
17915 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
17916 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
17917 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
17918 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
17919 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
17921 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
17922 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
17923 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
17932 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
17933 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
17935 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
17936 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
17937 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
17938 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
17941 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
17942 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
17943 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
17944 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
17946 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
17947 this will make spam disappear.
17949 There are some variables to customize, of course:
17952 @item gnus-use-nocem
17953 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
17954 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
17957 @item gnus-nocem-groups
17958 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
17959 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
17960 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
17961 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
17963 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
17964 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
17965 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
17966 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
17967 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
17968 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
17970 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
17971 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
17973 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
17974 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
17975 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
17976 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
17977 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
17978 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
17979 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
17980 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
17981 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
17982 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
17984 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
17985 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
17988 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
17991 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
17992 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
17995 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
17998 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18001 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18002 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18004 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18005 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18006 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18007 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18009 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18010 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18013 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18015 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18023 This might be dangerous, though.
18025 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18026 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18027 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18028 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18030 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18031 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18032 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18033 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18034 might then see old spam.
18036 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18037 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18038 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18039 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18040 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18043 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18044 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18045 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18046 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18050 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18051 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18052 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18053 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18060 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18061 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18062 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18064 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18065 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18066 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18067 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18068 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18069 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18070 @code{undo} function.
18072 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18073 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18074 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18075 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18076 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18077 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18078 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18079 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18080 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18081 never be totally undoable.
18083 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18084 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18086 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18087 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18088 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
18089 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18094 @section Moderation
18097 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18098 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18099 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18102 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18106 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18109 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18111 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18116 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18117 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18118 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18121 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18122 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18125 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18126 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18130 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18133 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18134 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18138 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18139 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18142 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18146 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18147 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18148 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18149 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18162 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18163 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18164 over your shoulder as you read news.
18167 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18168 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18169 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18170 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18171 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18176 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18178 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18187 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18188 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18189 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18190 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18191 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18192 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18193 @code{GIF} formats.
18196 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18197 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18198 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18199 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18200 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18202 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18203 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18204 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18205 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18206 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18207 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18210 @node Picon Requirements
18211 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18213 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18214 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18217 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18218 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18219 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18221 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18222 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18223 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18224 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18225 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18229 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18231 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18232 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18235 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18236 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18239 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18240 containing the Picons databases.
18242 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18245 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18246 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18251 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18259 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18260 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18261 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18262 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18263 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18268 @item gnus-picons-database
18269 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18270 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18271 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18272 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18273 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18274 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18276 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18277 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18278 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18279 engine is @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18280 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18281 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18282 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18284 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18285 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18286 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18287 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18288 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18289 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18290 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18291 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18293 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18294 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18295 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18300 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18301 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18303 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18304 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18307 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18309 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18310 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18311 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18312 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18314 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18315 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18316 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18322 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18323 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18331 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18332 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18333 don't need to worry about.
18337 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18338 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18339 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18340 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18342 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18343 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18344 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18345 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18347 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18348 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18349 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18350 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18351 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18353 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18354 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18355 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18356 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18357 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18358 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18359 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18361 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18362 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18363 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18364 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18366 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18367 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18368 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18369 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18370 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18371 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18372 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18374 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18375 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18376 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18377 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18379 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18380 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18381 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18382 Defaults to @code{t}.
18384 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18385 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18386 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18387 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18389 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18390 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18391 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18393 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18394 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18395 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18396 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18398 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18399 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the defailt.
18401 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18402 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18403 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18404 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18405 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18406 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18407 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18408 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18419 @subsection Smileys
18424 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18429 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18430 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18432 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18433 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18436 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18439 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18440 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18441 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18442 text and maps that to file names.
18444 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18445 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18446 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18447 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18448 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18449 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18451 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18452 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18454 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18455 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18456 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18458 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18459 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18463 @item smiley-data-directory
18464 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18465 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18467 @item smiley-flesh-color
18468 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18469 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18471 @item smiley-features-color
18472 @vindex smiley-features-color
18473 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18475 @item smiley-tongue-color
18476 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18477 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18479 @item smiley-circle-color
18480 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18481 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18483 @item smiley-mouse-face
18484 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18485 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18491 @subsection Toolbar
18501 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18502 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18503 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18504 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18505 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18507 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18508 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18509 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18511 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18512 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18513 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18515 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18516 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18517 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18523 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18526 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18527 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18528 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18529 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18530 unusual directory structure.
18532 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18533 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18534 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18535 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18537 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18538 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18539 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18540 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18541 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18542 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18544 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18545 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18546 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18560 @node Fuzzy Matching
18561 @section Fuzzy Matching
18562 @cindex fuzzy matching
18564 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18565 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18567 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18568 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18569 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18571 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18572 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18573 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18574 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18575 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18578 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18579 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18583 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18585 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18586 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18587 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18588 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18589 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18590 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18591 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18592 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18595 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18596 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18597 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18598 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18599 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18600 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18604 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18605 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18607 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18608 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18609 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18610 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18611 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18612 part of the mail address.)
18615 (setq message-default-news-headers
18616 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18619 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18620 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18625 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18626 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18627 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18633 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18634 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18635 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18636 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18638 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18639 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18640 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18641 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18642 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18643 your fancy split rule in this way:
18648 (to "larsi" "misc")
18652 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18653 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18654 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18655 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18656 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18658 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18659 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18660 at @* @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
18661 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18662 cosmic balance somewhat.
18664 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18665 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18666 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18667 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18670 @node Various Various
18671 @section Various Various
18677 @item gnus-home-directory
18678 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18679 defaults to @file{~/}.
18681 @item gnus-directory
18682 @vindex gnus-directory
18683 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18684 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18685 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18687 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18688 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18689 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18690 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18692 @item gnus-default-directory
18693 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18694 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18695 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18696 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18697 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18698 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18699 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18702 @vindex gnus-verbose
18703 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18704 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18705 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18706 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18707 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18709 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18710 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18711 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18712 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18714 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18715 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18716 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18717 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18718 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18719 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18720 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18721 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18722 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18723 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18725 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18726 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18727 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18728 read when doing the operation described above.
18730 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18731 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18733 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18734 @cindex characters in file names
18735 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18736 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18737 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18740 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18744 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18745 Windows (phooey) systems.
18747 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18748 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18749 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18750 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18751 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18753 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18754 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18755 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18756 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18757 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18759 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18760 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18761 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18763 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18764 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18766 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18767 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18768 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18769 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18772 IMAP users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18781 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18782 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18784 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18786 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18792 Not because of victories @*
18795 but for the common sunshine,@*
18797 the largess of the spring.
18801 but for the day's work done@*
18802 as well as I was able;@*
18803 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18804 but at the common table.@*
18809 @chapter Appendices
18812 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18813 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18814 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18815 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18816 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18817 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18818 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18819 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18827 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18828 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18830 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18831 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18832 @file{http://quimby.gnus.org/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
18833 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18834 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18836 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18837 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18838 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18839 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18840 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18841 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18843 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18844 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18845 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18846 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18849 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18850 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18851 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18852 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18853 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18854 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18855 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18856 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18857 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18858 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
18862 @node Gnus Versions
18863 @subsection Gnus Versions
18864 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18866 @cindex September Gnus
18867 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18869 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18870 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18871 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18873 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18874 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18876 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18877 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18879 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18880 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18882 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18883 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18886 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18887 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
18888 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
18889 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
18890 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
18894 @node Other Gnus Versions
18895 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18898 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18899 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18900 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18901 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18903 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18904 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
18905 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
18906 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
18913 What's the point of Gnus?
18915 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
18916 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
18917 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
18918 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
18919 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
18920 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
18921 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
18922 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
18923 keep track of millions of people who post?
18925 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
18926 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
18927 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
18928 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
18929 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
18930 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
18931 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
18932 every one of you to explore and invent.
18934 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
18935 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
18938 @node Compatibility
18939 @subsection Compatibility
18941 @cindex compatibility
18942 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
18943 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
18944 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
18949 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
18953 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
18956 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
18959 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
18960 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
18961 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
18962 important variables have their values copied into their global
18963 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
18964 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
18966 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
18967 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
18968 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
18969 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
18970 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
18974 @cindex highlighting
18975 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
18976 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
18977 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
18978 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
18979 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
18980 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
18983 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
18984 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
18985 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
18986 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
18988 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
18989 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
18990 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
18991 to stop doing it the old way.
18993 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
18995 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
18997 @cindex reporting bugs
18999 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19000 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19001 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19003 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19004 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19005 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19006 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19011 @subsection Conformity
19013 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19014 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19021 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19025 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19027 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19028 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19029 We do have some breaches to this one.
19035 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19036 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19037 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19038 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19039 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19044 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19045 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19046 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19047 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19051 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19052 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19057 @subsection Emacsen
19063 Gnus should work on :
19071 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
19075 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19076 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19079 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19080 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19081 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19085 @node Gnus Development
19086 @subsection Gnus Development
19088 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19089 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19090 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19091 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19092 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19093 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19094 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19095 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19097 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19098 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19099 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19100 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19101 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19104 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19105 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19106 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19107 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19108 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19110 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19111 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19112 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19113 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19114 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19115 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19116 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19117 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19118 usually keep up with these rapid changes, whille people on the newsgroup
19119 can't be assumed to do so.
19124 @subsection Contributors
19125 @cindex contributors
19127 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19128 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19129 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19130 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19131 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19132 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19133 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19134 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19135 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19136 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19138 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19144 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19147 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19148 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19149 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19150 functionality and stuff.
19153 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19154 well as numerous other things).
19157 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19160 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19163 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19166 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19167 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19170 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19173 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19174 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19177 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19180 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19183 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19186 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19189 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19190 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19193 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19196 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19199 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19202 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19206 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19209 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19212 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19215 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19216 well as autoconf support.
19220 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19221 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19223 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19232 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19236 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19246 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19261 Massimo Campostrini,
19266 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19267 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19271 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19274 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19280 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19285 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19289 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19297 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19299 Michelangelo Grigni,
19303 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19305 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19307 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19314 François Felix Ingrand,
19315 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19316 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19318 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19329 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19330 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19332 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19333 Thor Kristoffersen,
19336 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19354 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19355 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19362 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19367 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19371 John McClary Prevost,
19377 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19382 Christian von Roques,
19385 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19392 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19394 Randal L. Schwartz,
19408 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19413 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19429 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19434 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19435 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19436 (550kB and counting).
19438 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19441 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19442 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19446 @subsection New Features
19447 @cindex new features
19450 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19451 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
19452 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19453 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19456 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19457 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19458 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19462 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19464 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19469 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19470 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19473 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19474 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19477 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19480 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19481 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19482 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19485 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19486 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19487 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19488 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19491 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19492 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19495 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19496 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19497 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19500 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19501 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19504 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19505 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19506 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19509 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19510 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19511 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19514 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19515 the @file{.emacs} file.
19518 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19519 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19522 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19523 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19526 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19527 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19530 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19531 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19534 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19535 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19538 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19541 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19542 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19545 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19546 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19549 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19550 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19553 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19556 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19557 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19560 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19564 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19568 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19569 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19572 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19578 @node September Gnus
19579 @subsubsection September Gnus
19583 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19587 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19592 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19593 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19597 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19598 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19602 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19606 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19607 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19610 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19614 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19617 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19620 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19623 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19627 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19628 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19631 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19635 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19639 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19643 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19647 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19650 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19651 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19654 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19658 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19659 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19662 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19665 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19666 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19667 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19670 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19674 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19677 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19681 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19682 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19685 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19686 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19689 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19690 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19693 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19694 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19695 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19698 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19699 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19702 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19705 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19708 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19711 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19714 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19715 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19718 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19722 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19725 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19730 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19733 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19737 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19740 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19744 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19747 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19750 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19751 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19754 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19755 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19759 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19760 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19763 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19767 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19768 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19771 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19774 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19778 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19782 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19783 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19786 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19790 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19791 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19794 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19795 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19798 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19802 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19805 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19808 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19814 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19816 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19820 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19827 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19830 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19831 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19834 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19835 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19839 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19840 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19843 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19846 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19847 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19850 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19854 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19855 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19859 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19860 Server Internals}).
19863 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19867 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19870 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19871 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19874 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19875 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19876 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19879 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19880 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19883 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19884 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19887 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19891 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19892 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19895 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19896 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19899 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19903 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
19906 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
19910 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
19911 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19914 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
19915 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19918 A new command for reading collections of documents
19919 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
19920 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
19923 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
19927 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
19928 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
19931 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
19932 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
19933 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
19936 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
19937 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
19941 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
19945 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
19949 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
19954 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
19958 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
19962 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
19963 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
19966 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
19972 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
19974 New features in Gnus 5.6:
19979 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
19980 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
19981 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
19984 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
19985 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
19986 group, which is created automatically.
19989 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
19993 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
19996 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
19997 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20000 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20004 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20007 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20008 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20011 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20014 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20015 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20018 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20019 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20022 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20023 control over simplification.
20026 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20029 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20033 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20036 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20039 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20040 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20041 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20044 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20045 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20048 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20052 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20053 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20056 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20057 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20060 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20064 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20067 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20070 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20071 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20074 A new function for citing in Message has been
20075 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20078 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20081 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20085 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20086 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20089 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20090 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20093 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20096 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20101 @node Newest Features
20102 @subsection Newest Features
20105 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
20108 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
20110 (That a feature appears in this list doesn't necessarily mean that I've
20111 decided to actually implement it. It just means that I think it sounds
20114 (Yes, this is the actual, up-to-the-second todo list.)
20119 I would like the zombie-page to contain an URL to the source of the
20120 latest version of gnus or some explanation on where to find it.
20123 A way to continue editing the latest Message composition.
20126 http://www.sonicnet.com/feature/ari3/
20129 facep is not declared.
20132 Include a section in the manual on why the number of articles
20133 isn't the same in the group buffer and on the SPC prompt.
20136 Interacting with rmail fcc isn't easy.
20141 <URL:http://www.falch.no/people/pepper/DSSSL-Lite/archives/>
20142 <URL:http://www.eit.com/software/hypermail/hypermail.html>
20143 <URL:http://homer.ncm.com/>
20144 <URL:http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Internet/World_Wide_Web/HTML_Converters/>
20145 http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9610/index.html
20146 <URL:http://union.ncsa.uiuc.edu/HyperNews/get/www/html/converters.html>
20147 http://www.miranova.com/gnus-list/
20152 @samp{^-- } is made into - in LaTeX.
20155 gnus-kill is much slower than it was in GNUS 4.1.3.
20158 when expunging articles on low score, the sparse nodes keep hanging on?
20160 starting the first time seems to hang Gnus on some systems. Does
20161 NEWGROUPS answer too fast?
20163 nndir doesn't read gzipped files.
20165 FAQ doesn't have an up node?
20167 when moving mail from a procmail spool to the crash-box,
20168 the crash-box is only appropriate to one specific group.
20170 `t' `t' makes X-Faces disappear.
20172 nnmh-be-safe means that crossposted articles will
20173 be marked as unread.
20175 Orphan score entries don't show on "V t" score trace
20177 when clearing out data, the cache data should also be reset.
20179 rewrite gnus-summary-limit-children to be non-recursive
20180 to avoid exceeding lisp nesting on huge groups.
20182 expunged articles are counted when computing scores.
20184 implement gnus-batch-brew-soup
20186 ticked articles aren't easy to read in pick mode -- `n' and
20187 stuff just skips past them. Read articles are the same.
20189 topics that contain just groups with ticked
20190 articles aren't displayed.
20192 nndoc should always allocate unique Message-IDs.
20194 If there are mail groups the first time you use Gnus, Gnus'll
20195 make the mail groups killed.
20197 no "no news is good news" when using topics.
20199 when doing crosspost marking, the cache has to be consulted
20200 and articles have to be removed.
20202 nnweb should fetch complete articles when they are split into several
20205 scoring on head immediate doesn't work.
20207 finding short score file names takes forever.
20209 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20211 nntp-open-rlogin no longer works.
20213 C-u C-x C-s (Summary) switches to the group buffer.
20215 move nnmail-split-history out to the backends.
20217 nnweb doesn't work properly.
20219 using a virtual server name as `gnus-select-method' doesn't work?
20221 when killing/yanking a group from one topic to another in a slave, the
20222 master will yank it first to one topic and then add it to another.
20226 warn user about `=' redirection of a group in the active file?
20228 take over the XEmacs menubar and offer a toggle between the XEmacs
20229 bar and the Gnus bar.
20232 push active file and NOV file parsing down into C code.
20233 `(canonize-message-id id)'
20234 `(mail-parent-message-id references n)'
20235 `(parse-news-nov-line &optional dependency-hashtb)'
20236 `(parse-news-nov-region beg end &optional dependency-hashtb fullp)'
20237 `(parse-news-active-region beg end hashtb)'
20242 nnml .overview directory with splits.
20246 postponed commands.
20248 the selected article show have its Subject displayed in its summary line.
20250 when entering groups, get the real number of unread articles from
20253 sort after gathering threads -- make false roots have the
20254 headers of the oldest orphan with a 0 article number?
20256 nndoc groups should inherit the score files of their parents? Also
20257 inherit copy prompts and save files.
20259 command to start up Gnus (if not running) and enter a mail mode buffer.
20261 allow editing the group description from the group buffer
20262 for backends that support that.
20264 gnus-hide,show-all-topics
20266 groups and sub-topics should be allowed to mingle inside each topic,
20267 and not just list all subtopics at the end.
20269 a command to remove all read articles that are not needed to connect
20270 threads -- `gnus-summary-limit-to-sparse-unread'?
20272 a variable to turn off limiting/cutting of threads in the tree buffer.
20274 a variable to limit how many files are uudecoded.
20276 add zombie groups to a special "New Groups" topic.
20278 server mode command: close/open all connections
20280 put a file date in gnus-score-alist and check whether the file
20281 has been changed before using it.
20283 on exit from a digest group, go to the next article in the parent group.
20285 hide (sub)threads with low score.
20287 when expiring, remove all marks from expired articles.
20289 gnus-summary-limit-to-body
20291 a regexp alist that says what level groups are to be subscribed
20292 on. Eg. -- `(("nnml:" . 1))'.
20294 easier interface to nnkiboze to create ephemeral groups that
20295 contain groups that match a regexp.
20297 allow newlines in <URL:> urls, but remove them before using
20300 If there is no From line, the mail backends should fudge one from the
20303 fuzzy simplifying should strip all non-alpha-numerical info
20304 from subject lines.
20306 gnus-soup-brew-soup-with-high-scores.
20308 nntp-ping-before-connect
20310 command to check whether NOV is evil. "list overview.fmt".
20312 when entering a group, Gnus should look through the score
20313 files very early for `local' atoms and set those local variables.
20315 message annotations.
20317 topics are always yanked before groups, and that's not good.
20319 (set-extent-property extent 'help-echo "String to display in minibuf")
20320 to display help in the minibuffer on buttons under XEmacs.
20322 allow group line format spec to say how many articles there
20327 `run-with-idle-timer' in gnus-demon.
20329 stop using invisible text properties and start using overlays instead
20331 C-c C-f C-e to add an Expires header.
20333 go from one group to the next; everything is expunged; go to the
20334 next group instead of going to the group buffer.
20336 gnus-renumber-cache -- to renumber the cache using "low" numbers.
20338 record topic changes in the dribble buffer.
20340 `nnfolder-generate-active-file' should look at the folders it
20341 finds and generate proper active ranges.
20343 nneething-look-in-files-for-article-heads variable to control
20344 whether nneething should sniff all files in the directories.
20346 gnus-fetch-article -- start Gnus, enter group, display article
20348 gnus-dont-move-articles-to-same-group variable when respooling.
20350 when messages are crossposted between several auto-expirable groups,
20351 articles aren't properly marked as expirable.
20353 nneething should allow deletion/moving.
20355 TAB on the last button should go to the first button.
20357 if the car of an element in `mail-split-methods' is a function,
20358 and the function returns non-nil, use that as the name of the group(s) to
20361 command for listing all score files that have been applied.
20363 a command in the article buffer to return to `summary' config.
20365 `gnus-always-post-using-current-server' -- variable to override
20366 `C-c C-c' when posting.
20368 nnmail-group-spool-alist -- says where each group should use
20371 when an article is crossposted to an auto-expirable group, the article
20372 should be marker as expirable.
20374 article mode command/menu for "send region as URL to browser".
20376 on errors, jump to info nodes that explain the error. For instance,
20377 on invalid From headers, or on error messages from the nntp server.
20379 when gathering threads, make the article that has no "Re: " the parent.
20380 Also consult Date headers.
20382 a token in splits to call shrink-window-if-larger-than-buffer
20384 `1 0 A M' to do matches on the active hashtb.
20386 duplicates -- command to remove Gnus-Warning header, use the read
20387 Message-ID, delete the "original".
20389 when replying to several messages at once, put the "other" message-ids
20390 into a See-Also header.
20392 support setext: URL:http://www.bsdi.com/setext/
20394 support ProleText: <URL:http://proletext.clari.net/prole/proletext.html>
20396 when browsing a foreign server, the groups that are already subscribed
20397 should be listed as such and not as "K".
20399 generate font names dynamically.
20401 score file mode auto-alist.
20403 allow nndoc to change/add/delete things from documents. Implement
20404 methods for each format for adding an article to the document.
20406 `gnus-fetch-old-headers' `all' value to incorporate
20407 absolutely all headers there is.
20409 function like `|', but concatenate all marked articles
20410 and pipe them to the process.
20412 cache the list of killed (or active) groups in a separate file. Update
20413 the file whenever we read the active file or the list
20414 of killed groups in the .eld file reaches a certain length.
20416 function for starting to edit a file to put into
20417 the current mail group.
20419 score-find-trace should display the total score of the article.
20421 "ghettozie" -- score on Xref header and nix it out after using it
20422 to avoid marking as read in other groups it has been crossposted to.
20424 look at procmail splitting. The backends should create
20425 the groups automatically if a spool file exists for that group.
20427 function for backends to register themselves with Gnus.
20429 when replying to several process-marked articles,
20430 have all the From end up in Cc headers? Variable to toggle.
20432 command to delete a crossposted mail article from all
20433 groups it has been mailed to.
20435 `B c' and `B m' should be crosspost aware.
20437 hide-pgp should also hide PGP public key blocks.
20439 Command in the group buffer to respool process-marked groups.
20441 `gnus-summary-find-matching' should accept
20442 pseudo-"headers" like "body", "head" and "all"
20444 When buttifying <URL: > things, all white space (including
20445 newlines) should be ignored.
20447 Process-marking all groups in a topic should process-mark
20448 groups in subtopics as well.
20450 Add non-native groups to the list of killed groups when killing them.
20452 nntp-suggest-kewl-config to probe the nntp server and suggest
20455 add edit and forward secondary marks.
20457 nnml shouldn't visit its .overview files.
20459 allow customizing sorting within gathered threads.
20461 `B q' shouldn't select the current article.
20463 nnmbox should support a newsgroups file for descriptions.
20465 allow fetching mail from several pop servers.
20467 Be able to specify whether the saving commands save the original
20468 or the formatted article.
20470 a command to reparent with the child process-marked (cf. `T ^'.).
20472 I think the possibility to send a password with nntp-open-rlogin
20473 should be a feature in Red Gnus.
20475 The `Z n' command should be possible to execute from a mouse click.
20477 more limiting functions -- date, etc.
20479 be able to limit on a random header; on body; using reverse matches.
20481 a group parameter (`absofucking-total-expiry') that will make Gnus expire
20482 even unread articles.
20484 a command to print the article buffer as postscript.
20486 variable to disable password fetching when opening by nntp-open-telnet.
20488 manual: more example servers -- nntp with rlogin, telnet
20490 checking for bogus groups should clean topic alists as well.
20492 canceling articles in foreign groups.
20494 article number in folded topics isn't properly updated by
20497 Movement in the group buffer to the next unread group should go to the
20498 next closed topic with unread messages if no group can be found.
20500 Extensive info pages generated on the fly with help everywhere --
20501 in the "*Gnus edit*" buffers, for instance.
20503 Topic movement commands -- like thread movement. Up, down, forward, next.
20505 a way to tick/mark as read Gcc'd articles.
20507 a way to say that all groups within a specific topic comes
20508 from a particular server? Hm.
20510 `gnus-article-fill-if-long-lines' -- a function to fill
20511 the article buffer if there are any looong lines there.
20513 `T h' should jump to the parent topic and fold it.
20515 a command to create an ephemeral nndoc group out of a file,
20516 and then splitting it/moving it to some other group/backend.
20518 a group parameter for nnkiboze groups that says that
20519 all kibozed articles should be entered into the cache.
20521 It should also probably be possible to delimit what
20522 `gnus-jog-cache' does -- for instance, work on just some groups, or on
20523 some levels, and entering just articles that have a score higher than
20526 nnfolder should append to the folder instead of re-writing
20527 the entire folder to disk when accepting new messages.
20529 allow all backends to do the proper thing with .gz files.
20531 a backend for reading collections of babyl files nnbabylfolder?
20533 a command for making the native groups into foreign groups.
20535 server mode command for clearing read marks from all groups
20538 when following up multiple articles, include all To, Cc, etc headers
20541 a command for deciding what the total score of the current
20542 thread is. Also a way to highlight based on this.
20544 command to show and edit group scores
20546 a gnus-tree-minimize-horizontal to minimize tree buffers
20549 command to generate nnml overview file for one group.
20551 `C-u C-u a' -- prompt for many crossposted groups.
20553 keep track of which mail groups have received new articles (in this session).
20554 Be able to generate a report and perhaps do some marking in the group
20557 gnus-build-sparse-threads to a number -- build only sparse threads
20558 that are of that length.
20560 have nnmh respect mh's unseen sequence in .mh_profile.
20562 cache the newsgroups descriptions locally.
20564 asynchronous posting under nntp.
20566 be able to control word adaptive scoring from the score files.
20568 a variable to make `C-c C-c' post using the "current" select method.
20570 `limit-exclude-low-scored-articles'.
20572 if `gnus-summary-show-thread' is a number, hide threads that have
20573 a score lower than this number.
20575 split newsgroup subscription variable up into "order" and "method".
20577 buttonize ange-ftp file names.
20579 a command to make a duplicate copy of the current article
20580 so that each copy can be edited separately.
20582 nnweb should allow fetching from the local nntp server.
20584 record the sorting done in the summary buffer so that
20585 it can be repeated when limiting/regenerating the buffer.
20587 nnml-generate-nov-databses should generate for
20590 when the user does commands in the group buffer, check
20591 the modification time of the .newsrc.eld file and use
20592 ask-user-about-supersession-threat. Also warn when trying
20593 to save .newsrc.eld and it has changed.
20595 M-g on a topic will display all groups with 0 articles in
20598 command to remove all topic stuff.
20600 allow exploding incoming digests when reading incoming mail
20601 and splitting the resulting digests.
20603 nnsoup shouldn't set the `message-' variables.
20605 command to nix out all nnoo state information.
20607 nnmail-process-alist that calls functions if group names
20608 matches an alist -- before saving.
20610 use buffer-invisibility-spec everywhere for hiding text.
20612 variable to activate each group before entering them
20613 to get the (new) number of articles. `gnus-activate-before-entering'.
20615 command to fetch a Message-ID from any buffer, even
20616 starting Gnus first if necessary.
20618 when posting and checking whether a group exists or not, just
20619 ask the nntp server instead of relying on the active hashtb.
20621 buttonize the output of `C-c C-a' in an apropos-like way.
20623 `G p' should understand process/prefix, and allow editing
20624 of several groups at once.
20626 command to create an ephemeral nnvirtual group that
20627 matches some regexp(s).
20629 nndoc should understand "Content-Type: message/rfc822" forwarded messages.
20631 it should be possible to score "thread" on the From header.
20633 hitting RET on a "gnus-uu-archive" pseudo article should unpack it.
20635 `B i' should display the article at once in the summary buffer.
20637 remove the "*" mark at once when unticking an article.
20639 `M-s' should highlight the matching text.
20641 when checking for duplicated mails, use Resent-Message-ID if present.
20643 killing and yanking groups in topics should be better. If killing one copy
20644 of a group that exists in multiple topics, only that copy should
20645 be removed. Yanking should insert the copy, and yanking topics
20646 should be possible to be interspersed with the other yankings.
20648 command for enter a group just to read the cached articles. A way to say
20649 "ignore the nntp connection; just read from the cache."
20651 `X u' should decode base64 articles.
20653 a way to hide all "inner" cited text, leaving just the most
20654 recently cited text.
20656 nnvirtual should be asynchronous.
20658 after editing an article, gnus-original-article-buffer should
20661 there should probably be a way to make Gnus not connect to the
20662 server and just read the articles in the server
20664 allow a `set-default' (or something) to change the default
20665 value of nnoo variables.
20667 a command to import group infos from a .newsrc.eld file.
20669 groups from secondary servers have the entire select method
20670 listed in each group info.
20672 a command for just switching from the summary buffer to the group
20675 a way to specify that some incoming mail washing functions
20676 should only be applied to some groups.
20678 Message `C-f C-t' should ask the user whether to heed
20679 mail-copies-to: never.
20681 new group parameter -- `post-to-server' that says to post
20682 using the current server. Also a variable to do the same.
20684 the slave dribble files should auto-save to the slave file names.
20686 a group parameter that says what articles to display on group entry, based
20689 a way to visually distinguish slave Gnusae from masters. (Whip instead
20692 Use DJ Bernstein "From " quoting/dequoting, where applicable.
20694 Why is hide-citation-maybe and hide-citation different? Also
20697 group user-defined meta-parameters.
20701 From: John Griffith <griffith@@sfs.nphil.uni-tuebingen.de>
20703 I like the option for trying to retrieve the FAQ for a group and I was
20704 thinking it would be great if for those newsgroups that had archives
20705 you could also try to read the archive for that group. Part of the
20706 problem is that archives are spread all over the net, unlike FAQs.
20707 What would be best I suppose is to find the one closest to your site.
20709 In any case, there is a list of general news group archives at @*
20710 ftp://ftp.neosoft.com/pub/users/claird/news.lists/newsgroup_archives.html
20717 From: Jason L Tibbitts III <tibbs@@hpc.uh.edu>
20718 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
20720 (gnus-group-add-parameter group
20721 (cons 'gnus-group-date-last-entered (list (current-time-string))))))
20723 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
20724 "Return the date the group was last read."
20725 (cond ((car (gnus-group-get-parameter gnus-tmp-group 'gnus-group-date-last-entered)))
20730 tanken var at når du bruker `gnus-startup-file' som prefix (FOO) til å lete
20731 opp en fil FOO-SERVER, FOO-SERVER.el, FOO-SERVER.eld, kan du la den være en
20732 liste hvor du bruker hvert element i listen som FOO, istedet. da kunne man
20733 hatt forskjellige serveres startup-filer forskjellige steder.
20737 LMI> Well, nnbabyl could alter the group info to heed labels like
20738 LMI> answered and read, I guess.
20740 It could also keep them updated (the same for the Status: header of
20743 They could be used like this:
20747 `M l <name> RET' add label <name> to current message.
20748 `M u <name> RET' remove label <name> from current message.
20749 `/ l <expr> RET' limit summary buffer according to <expr>.
20751 <expr> would be a boolean expression on the labels, e.g.
20753 `/ l bug & !fixed RET'
20756 would show all the messages which are labeled `bug' but not labeled
20759 One could also imagine the labels being used for highlighting, or
20760 affect the summary line format.
20764 Sender: abraham@@dina.kvl.dk
20766 I'd like a gnus-find-file which work like find file, except that it
20767 would recognize things that looks like messages or folders:
20769 - If it is a directory containing numbered files, create an nndir
20772 - For other directories, create a nneething summary buffer.
20774 - For files matching "\\`From ", create a nndoc/mbox summary.
20776 - For files matching "\\`BABYL OPTIONS:", create a nndoc/baby summary.
20778 - For files matching "\\`[^ \t\n]+:", create an *Article* buffer.
20780 - For other files, just find them normally.
20782 I'd like `nneething' to use this function, so it would work on a
20783 directory potentially containing mboxes or babyl files.
20786 Please send a mail to bwarsaw@@cnri.reston.va.us (Barry A. Warsaw) and
20787 tell him what you are doing.
20790 Currently, I get prompted:
20794 decend into sci.something ?
20798 The problem above is that since there is really only one subsection of
20799 science, shouldn't it prompt you for only descending sci.something? If
20800 there was a sci.somethingelse group or section, then it should prompt
20801 for sci? first the sci.something? then sci.somethingelse?...
20804 Ja, det burde være en måte å si slikt. Kanskje en ny variabel?
20805 `gnus-use-few-score-files'? SÃ¥ kunne score-regler legges til den
20806 "mest" lokale score-fila. F. eks. ville no-gruppene betjenes av
20807 "no.all.SCORE", osv.
20810 What i want is for Gnus to treat any sequence or combination of the following
20811 as a single spoiler warning and hide it all, replacing it with a "Next Page"
20817 more than n blank lines
20819 more than m identical lines
20820 (which should be replaced with button to show them)
20822 any whitespace surrounding any of the above
20826 Well, we could allow a new value to `gnus-thread-ignore-subject' --
20827 `spaces', or something. (We could even default to that.) And then
20828 subjects that differ in white space only could be considered the
20829 "same" subject for threading purposes.
20832 Modes to preprocess the contents (e.g. jka-compr) use the second form
20833 "(REGEXP FUNCTION NON-NIL)" while ordinary modes (e.g. tex) use the first
20834 form "(REGEXP . FUNCTION)", so you could use it to distinguish between
20835 those two types of modes. (auto-modes-alist, insert-file-contents-literally.)
20838 Under XEmacs -- do funny article marks:
20841 soup - bowl of soup
20842 score below - dim light bulb
20843 score over - bright light bulb
20846 Yes. I think the algorithm is as follows:
20851 show-list-of-articles-in-group
20852 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20853 if (no-more-articles-in-group-to-select)
20854 if (articles-selected)
20855 start-reading-selected-articles;
20856 junk-unread-articles;
20861 else if (key-pressed = '.')
20862 if (consolidated-menus) # same as hide-thread in Gnus
20863 select-thread-under-cursor;
20865 select-article-under-cursor;
20869 if (key-pressed == SPACE)
20870 if (more-pages-in-article)
20872 else if (more-selected-articles-to-read)
20879 My precise need here would have been to limit files to Incoming*.
20880 One could think of some `nneething-only-files' variable, but I guess
20881 it would have been unacceptable if one was using many unrelated such
20884 A more useful approach would be to, in response to the `G D' prompt, be
20885 allowed to say something like: `~/.mail/Incoming*', somewhat limiting
20886 the top-level directory only (in case directories would be matched by
20887 the wildcard expression).
20890 It would be nice if it also handled
20892 <URL:news://sunsite.auc.dk/>
20894 which should correspond to `B nntp RET sunsite.auc.dk' in *Group*.
20899 Take a look at w3-menu.el in the Emacs-W3 distribution - this works out
20900 really well. Each menu is 'named' by a symbol that would be on a
20901 gnus-*-menus (where * would be whatever, but at least group, summary, and
20902 article versions) variable.
20904 So for gnus-summary-menus, I would set to '(sort mark dispose ...)
20906 A value of '1' would just put _all_ the menus in a single 'GNUS' menu in
20907 the main menubar. This approach works really well for Emacs-W3 and VM.
20911 nndoc should take care to create unique Message-IDs for all its
20914 gnus-score-followup-article only works when you have a summary buffer
20915 active. Make it work when posting from the group buffer as well.
20916 (message-sent-hook).
20918 rewrite gnus-demon to use run-with-idle-timers.
20921 * Enhancements to Gnus:
20925 * gnus-servers (gnus-start-server-buffer?)--enters Gnus and goes
20926 straight to the server buffer, without opening any connections to
20929 * gnus-server-read-server-newsrc--produces a buffer very similar to
20930 the group buffer, but with only groups from that server listed;
20931 quitting this buffer returns to the server buffer.
20934 add a command to check the integrity of an nnfolder folder --
20935 go through the article numbers and see that there are no duplicates,
20939 `unsmileyfy-buffer' to undo smileification.
20942 a command to give all relevant info on an article, including all
20946 when doing `-request-accept-article', the backends should do
20947 the nnmail duplicate checking.
20950 allow `message-signature-file' to be a function to return the
20951 value of the signature file.
20954 In addition, I would love it if I could configure message-tab so that it
20955 could call `bbdb-complete-name' in other headers. So, some sort of
20958 (setq message-tab-alist
20959 '((message-header-regexp message-expand-group)
20960 ("^\\(To\\|[cC]c\\|[bB]cc\\)" bbdb-complete-name)))
20962 then you could run the relevant function to complete the information in
20966 cache the newsgroups file locally to avoid reloading it all the time.
20969 a command to import a buffer into a group.
20972 nnweb should allow fetching by Message-ID from servers.
20975 point in the article buffer doesn't always go to the
20976 beginning of the buffer when selecting new articles.
20979 a command to process mark all unread articles.
20982 `gnus-gather-threads-by-references-and-subject' -- first
20983 do gathering by references, and then go through the dummy roots and
20984 do more gathering by subject.
20987 gnus-uu-mark-in-numerical-order -- process mark articles in
20988 article numerical order.
20991 (gnus-thread-total-score
20992 (gnus-id-to-thread (mail-header-id (gnus-summary-article-header))))
20996 sorting by score is wrong when using sparse threads.
20999 a command to fetch an arbitrary article -- without having to be
21000 in the summary buffer.
21003 a new nncvs backend. Each group would show an article, using
21004 version branches as threading, checkin date as the date, etc.
21007 http://www.dejanews.com/forms/dnsetfilter_exp.html ?
21008 This filter allows one to construct advance queries on the Dejanews
21009 database such as specifying start and end dates, subject, author,
21010 and/or newsgroup name.
21013 new Date header scoring type -- older, newer
21016 use the summary toolbar in the article buffer.
21019 a command to fetch all articles that are less than X days old.
21022 in pick mode, `q' should save the list of selected articles in the
21023 group info. The next time the group is selected, these articles
21024 will automatically get the process mark.
21027 Isn't it possible to (also?) allow M-^ to automatically try the
21028 default server if it fails on the current server? (controlled by a
21029 user variable, (nil, t, 'ask)).
21032 make it possible to cancel articles using the select method for the
21036 `gnus-summary-select-article-on-entry' or something. It'll default
21037 to t and will select whatever article decided by `gnus-auto-select-first'.
21040 a new variable to control which selection commands should be unselecting.
21041 `first', `best', `next', `prev', `next-unread', `prev-unread' are
21045 be able to select groups that have no articles in them
21046 to be able to post in them (using the current select method).
21049 be able to post via DejaNews.
21052 `x' should retain any sortings that have been performed.
21055 allow the user to specify the precedence of the secondary marks. Also
21056 allow them to be displayed separately.
21059 gnus-summary-save-in-pipe should concatenate the results from
21060 the processes when doing a process marked pipe.
21063 a new match type, like Followup, but which adds Thread matches on all
21064 articles that match a certain From header.
21067 a function that can be read from kill-emacs-query-functions to offer
21068 saving living summary buffers.
21071 a function for selecting a particular group which will contain
21072 the articles listed in a list of article numbers/id's.
21075 a battery of character translation functions to translate common
21076 Mac, MS (etc) characters into ISO 8859-1.
21079 (defun article-fix-m$word ()
21080 "Fix M$Word smartquotes in an article."
21083 (let ((buffer-read-only nil))
21084 (goto-char (point-min))
21085 (while (search-forward "\221" nil t)
21086 (replace-match "`" t t))
21087 (goto-char (point-min))
21088 (while (search-forward "\222" nil t)
21089 (replace-match "'" t t))
21090 (goto-char (point-min))
21091 (while (search-forward "\223" nil t)
21092 (replace-match "\"" t t))
21093 (goto-char (point-min))
21094 (while (search-forward "\224" nil t)
21095 (replace-match "\"" t t)))))
21100 (add-hook 'gnus-exit-query-functions
21102 (if (and (file-exists-p nnmail-spool-file)
21103 (> (nnheader-file-size nnmail-spool-file) 0))
21104 (yes-or-no-p "New mail has arrived. Quit Gnus anyways? ")
21105 (y-or-n-p "Are you sure you want to quit Gnus? "))))
21109 allow message-default-headers to be a function.
21112 new Date score match types -- < > = (etc) that take floating point
21113 numbers and match on the age of the article.
21117 > > > If so, I've got one gripe: It seems that when I fire up gnus 5.2.25
21118 > > > under xemacs-19.14, it's creating a new frame, but is erasing the
21119 > > > buffer in the frame that it was called from =:-O
21121 > > Hm. How do you start up Gnus? From the toolbar or with
21122 > > `M-x gnus-other-frame'?
21124 > I normally start it up from the toolbar; at
21125 > least that's the way I've caught it doing the
21130 all commands that react to the process mark should push
21131 the current process mark set onto the stack.
21134 gnus-article-hide-pgp
21135 Selv ville jeg nok ha valgt å slette den dersom teksten matcher
21137 "\\(This\s+\\)?[^ ]+ has been automatically signed by"
21139 og det er maks hundre tegn mellom match-end og ----linja. Men -det-
21140 er min type heuristikk og langt fra alles.
21143 `gnus-subscribe-sorted' -- insert new groups where they would have been
21144 sorted to if `gnus-group-sort-function' were run.
21147 gnus-(group,summary)-highlight should respect any `face' text props set
21151 use run-with-idle-timer for gnus-demon instead of the
21152 home-brewed stuff for better reliability.
21155 add a way to select which NoCeM type to apply -- spam, troll, etc.
21158 nndraft-request-group should tally auto-save files.
21161 implement nntp-retry-on-break and nntp-command-timeout.
21164 gnus-article-highlight-limit that says when not to highlight (long)
21168 (nnoo-set SERVER VARIABLE VALUE)
21174 interrupitng agent fetching of articles should save articles.
21177 command to open a digest group, and copy all the articles there to the
21181 a variable to disable article body highlights if there's more than
21182 X characters in the body.
21185 handle 480/381 authinfo requests separately.
21188 include the texi/dir file in the distribution.
21191 format spec to "tab" to a position.
21194 Move all prompting to the new `M-n' default style.
21197 command to display all dormant articles.
21200 gnus-auto-select-next makeover -- list of things it should do.
21203 a score match type that adds scores matching on From if From has replied
21204 to something someone else has said.
21207 Read Netscape discussion groups:
21208 snews://secnews.netscape.com/netscape.communicator.unix
21211 One command to edit the original version if an article, and one to edit
21212 the displayed version.
21215 @kbd{T v} -- make all process-marked articles the children of the
21219 Switch from initial text to the new default text mechanism.
21222 How about making it possible to expire local articles? Will it be
21223 possible to make various constraints on when an article can be
21224 expired, e.g. (read), (age > 14 days), or the more interesting (read
21228 New limit command---limit to articles that have a certain string
21229 in the head or body.
21232 Allow breaking lengthy @sc{nntp} commands.
21235 gnus-article-highlight-limit, to disable highlighting in big articles.
21238 Editing an article should put the article to be edited
21239 in a special, unique buffer.
21242 A command to send a mail to the admin-address group param.
21245 A Date scoring type that will match if the article
21246 is less than a certain number of days old.
21249 New spec: %~(tab 56) to put point on column 56
21252 Allow Gnus Agent scoring to use normal score files.
21255 Rething the Agent active file thing. `M-g' doesn't update the active
21256 file, for instance.
21259 With dummy roots, `^' and then selecing the first article
21260 in any other dummy thread will make Gnus highlight the
21261 dummy root instead of the first article.
21264 Propagate all group properties (marks, article numbers, etc) up to the
21265 topics for displaying.
21268 `n' in the group buffer with topics should go to the next group
21269 with unread articles, even if that group is hidden in a topic.
21272 gnus-posting-styles doesn't work in drafts.
21275 gnus-summary-limit-include-cached is slow when there are
21276 many articles in the cache, since it regenerates big parts of the
21277 summary buffer for each article.
21280 Implement gnus-batch-brew-soup.
21283 Group parameters and summary commands for un/subscribing to mailing
21287 Introduce nnmail-home-directory.
21290 gnus-fetch-group and friends should exit Gnus when the user
21294 The jingle is only played on the second invocation of Gnus.
21297 Bouncing articles should do MIME.
21300 Crossposted articles should "inherit" the % or @ mark from the other
21301 groups it has been crossposted to, or something. (Agent.)
21304 If point is on a group that appears multiple times in topics, and
21305 you press `l', point will move to the first instance of the group.
21308 A spec for the group line format to display the number of
21309 agent-downloaded articles in the group.
21312 Some nntp servers never respond when posting, so there should be a
21313 timeout for all commands.
21316 When stading on a topic line and `t'-ing, point goes to the last line.
21317 It should go somewhere else.
21320 I'm having trouble accessing a newsgroup with a "+" in its name with
21321 Gnus. There is a new newsgroup on msnews.microsoft.com named
21322 "microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time" that I'm trying to
21324 "nntp+msnews.microsoft.com:microsoft.public.multimedia.directx.html+time"
21325 but it gives an error that it cant access the group.
21327 Is the "+" character illegal in newsgroup names? Is there any way in
21328 Gnus to work around this? (gnus 5.6.45 - XEmacs 20.4)
21335 Subject: Answer to your mails 01.01.1999-01.05.1999
21336 --text follows this line--
21337 Sorry I killfiled you...
21339 Under the subject "foo", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21341 Under the subject "foo1", you wrote on 01.01.1999:
21346 Allow "orphan" scores in the Agent scoring.
21350 - Edit article's summary line.
21352 - Sort lines in buffer by subject
21354 --> the old subject line appears in Summary buffer, not the one that was
21360 Remove list identifiers from the subject in the summary when doing `^'
21364 Have the Agent write out articles, one by one, as it retrieves them,
21365 to avoid having to re-fetch them all if Emacs should crash while
21369 Be able to forward groups of messages as MIME digests.
21372 nnweb should include the "get whole article" article when getting articles.
21375 When I type W W c (gnus-article-hide-citation) in the summary
21376 buffer, the citations are revealed, but the [+] buttons don't turn
21377 into [-] buttons. (If I click on one of the [+] buttons, it does
21378 turn into a [-] button.)
21381 Perhaps there should be a command to "attach" a buffer of comments to
21382 a message? That is, `B WHATEVER', you're popped into a buffer, write
21383 something, end with `C-c C-c', and then the thing you've written gets
21384 to be the child of the message you're commenting.
21387 Handle external-body parts.
21390 When renaming a group name, nnmail-split-history does not get the group
21394 Allow mail splitting on bodies when using advanced mail splitting.
21397 (body "whatever.text")
21401 Be able to run `J u' from summary buffers.
21404 Solve the halting problem.
21413 @section The Manual
21417 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
21418 either @code{texi2dvi}
21420 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
21421 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
21423 to get what you hold in your hands now.
21425 The following conventions have been used:
21430 This is a @samp{string}
21433 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
21436 This is a @file{file}
21439 This is a @code{symbol}
21443 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
21447 (setq flargnoze "yes")
21450 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
21453 (setq flumphel 'yes)
21456 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
21457 ever get them confused.
21461 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
21462 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
21463 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
21464 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
21465 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
21466 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
21467 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
21473 @node On Writing Manuals
21474 @section On Writing Manuals
21476 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
21477 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
21478 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
21479 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
21480 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
21481 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
21484 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
21485 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
21486 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
21489 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
21490 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
21495 @section Terminology
21497 @cindex terminology
21502 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
21503 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
21504 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
21505 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
21506 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
21510 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
21511 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
21512 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
21513 not posting, and replying is not following up.
21517 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
21521 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
21526 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
21527 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
21528 is all done by the backends.
21532 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
21533 default, way of getting news.
21537 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
21538 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
21543 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
21544 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
21548 A message that has been posted as news.
21551 @cindex mail message
21552 A message that has been mailed.
21556 A mail message or news article
21560 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
21565 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
21570 A line from the head of an article.
21574 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
21575 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
21579 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
21580 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
21581 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
21582 normal @sc{head} format.
21586 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
21587 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
21588 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
21589 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
21590 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
21591 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
21593 @item killed groups
21594 @cindex killed groups
21595 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
21596 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
21598 @item zombie groups
21599 @cindex zombie groups
21600 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
21603 @cindex active file
21604 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
21605 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
21606 is rather large, as you might surmise.
21609 @cindex bogus groups
21610 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
21611 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
21612 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
21615 @cindex activating groups
21616 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
21617 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
21618 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
21622 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
21624 @item select method
21625 @cindex select method
21626 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
21629 @item virtual server
21630 @cindex virtual server
21631 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
21632 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
21633 whole is a virtual server.
21637 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
21638 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21641 @item ephemeral groups
21642 @cindex ephemeral groups
21643 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21644 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21645 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21648 @cindex solid groups
21649 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21650 group buffer are solid groups.
21652 @item sparse articles
21653 @cindex sparse articles
21654 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21655 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21659 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21660 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21664 @cindex thread root
21665 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21666 articles in the thread.
21670 An article that has responses.
21674 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21678 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21679 specified by RFC 1153.
21685 @node Customization
21686 @section Customization
21687 @cindex general customization
21689 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21690 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21691 for some quite common situations.
21694 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21695 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21696 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21697 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21701 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21702 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21704 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21705 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21706 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21710 @item gnus-read-active-file
21711 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21712 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21713 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21714 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21715 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21717 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21718 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21719 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21720 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21724 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21725 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21727 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21728 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21729 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21733 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21734 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21735 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21736 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21737 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21739 @item gnus-visible-headers
21740 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21741 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21742 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21743 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21745 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21747 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21748 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21749 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21752 @item gnus-use-full-window
21753 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21754 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21755 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21756 want to read them anyway.
21758 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21759 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21762 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21763 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21764 lines, which might save some time.
21768 @node Little Disk Space
21769 @subsection Little Disk Space
21772 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21773 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21777 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21778 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21779 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21780 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21783 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21784 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21785 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21786 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21789 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21790 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21791 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21792 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21793 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21799 @subsection Slow Machine
21800 @cindex slow machine
21802 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21803 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21805 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21806 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21808 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21809 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21810 summary buffer faster.
21814 @node Troubleshooting
21815 @section Troubleshooting
21816 @cindex troubleshooting
21818 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21826 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21829 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21830 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21834 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21835 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21836 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21837 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21840 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21844 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21845 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21846 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21847 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21848 something like that.
21851 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21854 @cindex reporting bugs
21856 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21858 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21859 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21860 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21861 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21863 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21864 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21865 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21866 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21869 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21870 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21871 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21872 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21873 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21874 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21876 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21877 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21878 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21881 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21882 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21884 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21885 @cindex ding mailing list
21886 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21887 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21891 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21892 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21894 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21895 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21896 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21897 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21900 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21901 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21902 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21903 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21904 and general methods of operation.
21907 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21908 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21909 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21910 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21911 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21912 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21913 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21914 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21915 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21919 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21920 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21921 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21922 @cindex utility functions
21924 @cindex internal variables
21926 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21927 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21928 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21932 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21933 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21934 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21936 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21937 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21938 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21940 @item gnus-group-real-name
21941 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21942 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21945 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21946 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21947 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21948 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21950 @item gnus-get-info
21951 @findex gnus-get-info
21952 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21954 @item gnus-group-unread
21955 @findex gnus-group-unread
21956 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21960 @findex gnus-active
21961 The active entry for @var{group}.
21963 @item gnus-set-active
21964 @findex gnus-set-active
21965 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21967 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21968 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21969 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21972 @item gnus-continuum-version
21973 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21974 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21975 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21978 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21979 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21980 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21982 @item gnus-news-group-p
21983 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21984 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21986 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21987 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21988 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21990 @item gnus-server-to-method
21991 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21992 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21994 @item gnus-server-equal
21995 @findex gnus-server-equal
21996 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21998 @item gnus-group-native-p
21999 @findex gnus-group-native-p
22000 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
22002 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
22003 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
22004 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
22006 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
22007 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
22008 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
22010 @item group-group-find-parameter
22011 @findex group-group-find-parameter
22012 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
22013 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
22015 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
22016 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
22017 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
22019 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
22020 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
22021 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
22023 @item gnus-check-backend-function
22024 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
22025 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
22026 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
22029 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
22033 @item gnus-read-method
22034 @findex gnus-read-method
22035 Prompts the user for a select method.
22040 @node Backend Interface
22041 @subsection Backend Interface
22043 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
22044 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
22045 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
22046 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
22047 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
22048 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
22050 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
22051 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
22052 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
22053 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
22054 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
22055 been opened, the function should fail.
22057 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
22058 name. Take this example:
22062 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
22063 (nntp-port-number 4324))
22066 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
22067 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
22069 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
22070 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
22071 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
22073 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
22074 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
22075 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
22077 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
22078 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
22079 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
22080 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
22081 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
22082 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
22085 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
22086 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
22087 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
22088 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
22091 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
22094 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
22097 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
22098 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
22099 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
22100 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
22101 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
22102 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
22106 @node Required Backend Functions
22107 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
22111 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
22113 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
22114 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
22115 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
22116 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
22118 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
22119 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
22120 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
22121 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
22123 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
22124 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
22125 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
22126 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
22127 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
22128 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
22129 number, do maximum fetches.
22131 Here's an example HEAD:
22134 221 1056 Article retrieved.
22135 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
22136 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
22137 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
22138 Subject: Re: Something very droll
22139 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
22140 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
22142 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
22143 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
22144 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
22148 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
22149 these in the data buffer.
22151 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
22155 head = error / valid-head
22156 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
22157 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
22158 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
22159 header = <text> eol
22162 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
22163 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
22167 nov-buffer = *nov-line
22168 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
22169 field = <text except TAB>
22172 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
22176 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
22178 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
22179 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
22181 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
22182 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
22183 server. In fact, it should do so.
22185 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
22186 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
22189 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
22191 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
22192 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
22195 There should be no data returned.
22198 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
22200 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
22201 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
22202 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
22203 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
22205 There should be no data returned.
22208 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
22210 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
22211 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
22212 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
22213 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
22215 There should be no data returned.
22218 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
22220 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
22222 There should be no data returned.
22225 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
22227 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
22228 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
22229 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
22230 it would be nice if that were possible.
22232 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
22233 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
22234 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
22235 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
22236 into its article buffer.
22238 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
22239 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
22240 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
22241 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
22242 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
22243 on successful article retrieval.
22246 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
22248 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
22249 making @var{group} the current group.
22251 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
22254 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
22257 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
22260 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
22261 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
22262 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
22263 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
22264 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
22265 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
22266 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
22267 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
22270 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
22271 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
22272 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
22276 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22278 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
22279 a no-op on most backends.
22281 There should be no data returned.
22284 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
22286 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
22289 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
22292 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
22293 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
22296 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
22297 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
22300 active-file = *active-line
22301 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
22303 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
22306 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
22307 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
22308 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
22311 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
22313 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
22314 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
22315 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
22316 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
22317 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
22318 clear if the posting could not be completed.
22320 There should be no result data from this function.
22325 @node Optional Backend Functions
22326 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
22330 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
22332 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
22333 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
22334 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
22336 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
22337 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
22338 former is in the same format as the data from
22339 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
22340 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
22343 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
22347 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
22349 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
22350 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
22351 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
22352 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
22353 should return the (altered) group info.
22355 There should be no result data from this function.
22358 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
22360 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
22361 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
22362 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
22363 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
22364 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
22365 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
22366 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
22367 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
22369 There should be no result data from this function.
22372 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
22374 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
22375 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
22376 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
22377 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
22378 propagate the mark information to the server.
22380 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
22383 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
22386 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
22387 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
22388 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
22389 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
22390 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
22391 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
22392 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
22393 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
22394 not limit itself to these.
22396 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
22397 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
22398 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
22399 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
22401 An example action list:
22404 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
22405 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
22406 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
22409 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
22410 mark on (currently not used for anything).
22412 There should be no result data from this function.
22414 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
22416 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
22417 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
22418 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
22419 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
22420 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
22422 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
22423 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
22424 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
22427 There should be no result data from this function.
22430 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
22432 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
22433 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
22434 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
22435 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
22436 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
22437 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
22438 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
22440 There should be no result data from this function.
22443 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
22445 The result data from this function should be a description of
22449 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
22451 description = <text>
22454 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
22456 The result data from this function should be the description of all
22457 groups available on the server.
22460 description-buffer = *description-line
22464 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
22466 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
22467 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
22468 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
22471 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
22473 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
22475 There should be no return data.
22478 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
22480 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
22481 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
22482 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
22483 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
22484 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
22487 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
22490 There should be no result data returned.
22493 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
22496 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
22497 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
22499 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
22500 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
22501 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
22502 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
22503 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
22504 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
22506 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
22507 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
22510 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22511 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22513 There should be no data returned.
22516 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
22518 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
22519 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
22520 this function in short order.
22522 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
22523 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
22525 There should be no data returned.
22528 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
22530 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
22531 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
22533 There should be no data returned.
22536 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
22538 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
22539 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
22540 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
22542 There should be no data returned.
22545 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
22547 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
22548 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
22550 There should be no data returned.
22555 @node Error Messaging
22556 @subsubsection Error Messaging
22558 @findex nnheader-report
22559 @findex nnheader-get-report
22560 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
22561 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
22562 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
22563 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
22564 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
22565 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
22568 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
22570 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
22573 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
22574 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
22575 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
22576 takes one argument---the server symbol.
22578 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
22579 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
22580 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
22583 @node Writing New Backends
22584 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
22586 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
22587 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
22588 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
22589 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
22590 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
22593 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
22594 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
22595 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
22597 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
22598 package called @code{nnoo}.
22600 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
22601 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
22607 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
22608 parameters. For instance:
22611 (nnoo-declare nndir
22615 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22616 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22619 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22620 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22621 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22623 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22624 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22625 a function in those backends.
22628 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22629 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22630 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22633 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22634 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22635 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22637 @item nnoo-define-basics
22638 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22642 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22646 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22647 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22648 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22650 @item nnoo-map-functions
22651 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22652 functions from the parent backends.
22655 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22656 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22657 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22660 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22661 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22662 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22663 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22666 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22667 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22668 haven't already been defined.
22674 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22678 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22679 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22680 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22685 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22688 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22689 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22693 (require 'nnheader)
22697 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22699 (nnoo-declare nndir
22702 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22703 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22704 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22706 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22707 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22710 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22711 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22712 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22714 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22715 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22717 ;;; Interface functions.
22719 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22721 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22722 (setq nndir-directory
22723 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22725 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22726 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22727 (push `(nndir-current-group
22728 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22730 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22731 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22733 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22735 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22736 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22737 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22738 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22739 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22743 nnmh-status-message
22745 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22751 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22752 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22754 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22755 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22756 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22757 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22759 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22760 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22765 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22768 The abilities can be:
22772 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22774 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22776 This backend supports both mail and news.
22778 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22781 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22782 articles and groups.
22784 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22785 true for almost all backends.
22786 @item prompt-address
22787 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22788 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22789 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22793 @node Mail-like Backends
22794 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22796 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22797 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22798 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22799 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22802 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22803 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22804 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22807 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22808 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22811 This function takes four parameters.
22815 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22818 @item exit-function
22819 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22821 @item temp-directory
22822 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22825 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22826 performed for one group only.
22829 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22830 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22831 find the article number assigned to this article.
22833 The function also uses the following variables:
22834 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22835 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22836 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22837 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22841 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22842 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22846 @node Score File Syntax
22847 @subsection Score File Syntax
22849 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22850 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22851 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22853 Here's a typical score file:
22857 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22864 BNF definition of a score file:
22867 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22868 element = rule / atom
22869 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22870 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22871 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22872 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22874 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22875 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22876 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22877 date-header = "date"
22878 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22879 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22880 score = "nil" / <integer>
22881 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22882 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22883 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22884 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22885 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22886 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22887 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22888 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22889 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22890 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22891 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22892 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22893 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22894 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22895 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22896 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22897 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22898 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22899 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22900 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22901 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22902 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22903 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22904 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22905 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22906 eval = "eval" space <form>
22907 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22910 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22913 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22914 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22915 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22916 one looong line, then that's ok.
22918 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22919 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22923 @subsection Headers
22925 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22926 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22927 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22928 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22930 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22931 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22932 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22933 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22934 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22935 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22936 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22938 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22939 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22940 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22941 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22942 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22944 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22945 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22951 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22952 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22954 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22955 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22956 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22957 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22959 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22963 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22966 is transformed into
22969 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22972 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22973 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22976 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22979 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22980 is slightly tricky:
22983 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22989 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22992 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22998 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
23005 and is equal to the previous range.
23007 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
23008 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
23009 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
23013 range = simple-range / normal-range
23014 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
23015 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
23016 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
23017 number *[ " " contents ]
23020 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
23021 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
23022 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
23023 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
23024 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
23029 @subsection Group Info
23031 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
23032 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
23033 describes the group.
23035 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
23036 second is a more complex one:
23039 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
23041 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
23042 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
23044 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
23047 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
23048 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
23049 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
23050 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
23051 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
23052 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
23053 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
23054 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
23055 this section is about.
23057 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
23058 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
23059 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
23061 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
23064 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
23065 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
23066 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
23067 group = quote <string> quote
23068 ralevel = rank / level
23069 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23070 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
23071 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
23073 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
23074 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
23075 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
23076 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
23079 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
23080 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
23083 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
23084 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
23087 @item gnus-info-group
23088 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
23089 @findex gnus-info-group
23090 @findex gnus-info-set-group
23091 Get/set the group name.
23093 @item gnus-info-rank
23094 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
23095 @findex gnus-info-rank
23096 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
23097 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
23099 @item gnus-info-level
23100 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
23101 @findex gnus-info-level
23102 @findex gnus-info-set-level
23103 Get/set the group level.
23105 @item gnus-info-score
23106 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
23107 @findex gnus-info-score
23108 @findex gnus-info-set-score
23109 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
23111 @item gnus-info-read
23112 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
23113 @findex gnus-info-read
23114 @findex gnus-info-set-read
23115 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
23117 @item gnus-info-marks
23118 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
23119 @findex gnus-info-marks
23120 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
23121 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
23123 @item gnus-info-method
23124 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
23125 @findex gnus-info-method
23126 @findex gnus-info-set-method
23127 Get/set the group select method.
23129 @item gnus-info-params
23130 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
23131 @findex gnus-info-params
23132 @findex gnus-info-set-params
23133 Get/set the group parameters.
23136 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
23137 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
23139 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
23140 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
23141 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
23142 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
23145 @node Extended Interactive
23146 @subsection Extended Interactive
23147 @cindex interactive
23148 @findex gnus-interactive
23150 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
23151 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
23152 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
23155 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
23156 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
23161 The best thing to do would have been to implement
23162 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
23163 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
23164 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
23165 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
23166 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
23167 @code{interactive}.
23169 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
23174 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
23175 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
23179 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
23180 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
23181 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
23184 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
23188 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
23192 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
23198 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
23199 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
23203 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
23204 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
23205 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
23207 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
23208 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
23209 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
23210 Gnus, that's very useful.
23212 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
23213 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
23214 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
23215 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
23216 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
23217 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
23218 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
23219 following function:
23222 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
23226 (,function ,@@args))
23230 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
23231 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
23232 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
23235 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
23236 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
23237 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
23239 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
23240 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
23241 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
23244 @node Various File Formats
23245 @subsection Various File Formats
23248 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
23249 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
23253 @node Active File Format
23254 @subsubsection Active File Format
23256 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
23257 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
23260 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
23263 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
23264 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
23265 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
23266 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
23267 no.general 1000 900 y
23270 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
23273 active = *group-line
23274 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
23275 group = <non-white-space string>
23277 high-number = <non-negative integer>
23278 low-number = <positive integer>
23279 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
23282 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
23283 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
23286 @node Newsgroups File Format
23287 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
23289 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
23290 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
23291 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
23294 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
23295 Here's the definition:
23299 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
23300 group = <non-white-space string>
23302 description = <string>
23307 @node Emacs for Heathens
23308 @section Emacs for Heathens
23310 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
23311 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
23312 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
23313 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
23314 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
23315 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
23316 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
23320 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
23321 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
23326 @subsection Keystrokes
23330 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
23333 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
23336 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
23337 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
23338 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
23339 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
23340 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
23341 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
23343 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
23344 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
23345 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
23346 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
23347 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
23348 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
23349 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
23351 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
23352 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
23353 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
23354 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
23355 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
23356 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
23357 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
23359 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
23360 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
23361 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
23362 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
23363 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
23369 @subsection Emacs Lisp
23371 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
23372 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
23373 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
23374 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
23376 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
23377 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
23378 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
23379 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
23380 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
23381 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
23382 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
23385 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
23386 write the following:
23389 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
23392 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
23393 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
23394 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
23397 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
23398 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
23399 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
23400 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
23401 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
23403 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
23404 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
23405 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
23409 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
23413 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
23416 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
23417 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
23420 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
23423 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
23424 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
23427 @include gnus-faq.texi