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4 @settitle Quassia Gnus 0.10 Manual
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255 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
262 \thispagestyle{empty}
264 Copyright \copyright{} 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
266 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
267 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
268 are preserved on all copies.
270 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
271 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
272 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
273 permission notice identical to this one.
275 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
276 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
285 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
287 Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
289 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
290 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
291 are preserved on all copies.
294 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
295 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
296 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
297 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
300 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
301 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the
302 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
303 permission notice identical to this one.
305 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
306 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
312 @title Quassia Gnus 0.10 Manual
314 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
317 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
318 Copyright @copyright{} 1995,96,97 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
320 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
321 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
322 are preserved on all copies.
324 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
325 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
326 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
327 permission notice identical to this one.
329 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
330 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
339 @top The Gnus Newsreader
343 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
344 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
345 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
348 This manual corresponds to Quassia Gnus 0.10.
359 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
360 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
362 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
363 being accused of plagiarism:
365 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
366 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
367 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you can
368 even read news with it!
370 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
371 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
372 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
373 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
374 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
381 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
382 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
383 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
384 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
385 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
386 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
387 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
388 * Various:: General purpose settings.
389 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
390 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
391 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
392 * Key Index:: Key Index.
396 @chapter Starting Gnus
401 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
402 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
405 @findex gnus-other-frame
406 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
407 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
408 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
410 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
411 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
412 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
415 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
416 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
417 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
418 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
419 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
420 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
421 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
422 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
423 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
424 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
425 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
429 @node Finding the News
430 @section Finding the News
433 @vindex gnus-select-method
435 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
436 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
437 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
438 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
441 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
442 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
445 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
448 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
451 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
454 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
455 certainly be much faster.
457 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
459 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
460 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
461 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
462 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
463 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
464 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
466 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
467 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
468 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
469 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
471 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
472 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
473 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
474 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
475 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
476 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting.
478 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
480 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
481 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
482 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
483 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
484 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
485 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
487 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
489 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
490 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
491 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
492 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
493 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
494 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
497 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
498 would typically set this variable to
501 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
506 @section The First Time
507 @cindex first time usage
509 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
510 be subscribed by default.
512 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
513 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
514 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
515 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
518 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
519 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
520 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
522 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
523 help you with most common problems.
525 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
526 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
530 @node The Server is Down
531 @section The Server is Down
532 @cindex server errors
534 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
535 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
536 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
538 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
539 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
540 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
541 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
542 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
543 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
544 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
546 @findex gnus-no-server
547 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
549 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
550 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
551 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
552 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
553 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
554 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
559 @section Slave Gnusae
562 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
563 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
564 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
565 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
567 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
570 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
571 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
572 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
573 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
574 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
575 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
576 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
578 Anyways, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
579 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
580 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
581 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
582 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
583 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
584 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
585 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
587 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
588 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
591 @node Fetching a Group
592 @section Fetching a Group
593 @cindex fetching a group
595 @findex gnus-fetch-group
596 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
597 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
598 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
599 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
600 It takes the group name as a parameter.
608 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
609 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
610 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
611 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
612 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
613 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
614 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
615 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
616 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
619 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
620 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
621 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
625 @node Checking New Groups
626 @subsection Checking New Groups
628 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
629 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
630 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
631 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
632 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
633 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
634 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
635 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
636 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
637 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
639 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
640 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
641 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
642 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
643 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
644 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
645 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
646 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
647 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
648 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
649 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
651 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
652 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
653 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
654 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
655 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
656 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
659 @node Subscription Methods
660 @subsection Subscription Methods
662 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
663 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
664 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
666 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
667 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
669 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
673 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
674 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
675 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
676 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
677 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
679 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
680 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
681 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
682 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the grop buffer.
684 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
685 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
686 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
688 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
689 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
690 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
691 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
692 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
693 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into it's
694 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
695 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
696 up. Or something like that.
698 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
699 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
700 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
701 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
702 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
704 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
705 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
710 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
711 A closely related variable is
712 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
713 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
714 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
715 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
718 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
719 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
720 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
721 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
724 @node Filtering New Groups
725 @subsection Filtering New Groups
727 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
728 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
729 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
732 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
735 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
736 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
737 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
738 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
739 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
740 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
741 subscribing these groups.
742 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
743 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
745 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
746 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
747 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
748 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
749 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
750 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
751 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
752 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
754 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
755 Yet another variable that meddles here is
756 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
757 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
758 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
759 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
760 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
761 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
762 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
763 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
765 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
766 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
769 @node Changing Servers
770 @section Changing Servers
771 @cindex changing servers
773 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
774 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
775 very flaky and you want to use another.
777 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
778 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
782 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
783 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
784 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
785 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
788 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
789 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
790 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
791 functions more than absolutely necessary.
793 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
794 @findex gnus-change-server
795 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
796 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
797 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
798 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
799 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
801 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
802 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
803 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
804 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
805 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
807 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
808 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
809 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
810 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
811 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
812 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
816 @section Startup Files
817 @cindex startup files
822 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
823 information is traditionally stored in this file.
825 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
826 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
827 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
828 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
829 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
830 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
831 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
833 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
834 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
835 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
836 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file.
838 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
839 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
840 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
841 the file and save some space, as well as making exit from Gnus faster.
842 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
843 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right?
845 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
846 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
847 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
848 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
849 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
850 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
851 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
852 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
853 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
854 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
855 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
856 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
858 @vindex gnus-startup-file
859 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
860 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
861 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
863 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
864 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
865 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
866 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
867 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
868 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
869 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
870 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
871 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
872 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
875 (defun turn-off-backup ()
876 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
878 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
879 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
882 @vindex gnus-init-file
883 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
884 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
885 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
886 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
887 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
888 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
889 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
890 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
891 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
900 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
901 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
902 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
903 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
904 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
907 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
908 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
911 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
912 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
913 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
915 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
916 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
917 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
918 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
919 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
920 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
923 @node The Active File
924 @section The Active File
926 @cindex ignored groups
928 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
929 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
930 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
932 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
933 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
934 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
935 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
936 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
937 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
938 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
941 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
942 @c if you set it to anything else.
944 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
946 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
947 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
948 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
950 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
951 you actually subscribe to.
953 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
954 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
955 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
956 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
958 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
959 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
960 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
961 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
962 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
963 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
965 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
966 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
967 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
968 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
969 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
970 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
972 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
973 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
975 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
976 secondary select methods.
979 @node Startup Variables
980 @section Startup Variables
985 @vindex gnus-load-hook
986 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
987 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
988 times you start Gnus.
990 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
991 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
992 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
994 @item gnus-startup-hook
995 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
996 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
998 @item gnus-started-hook
999 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1000 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1003 @item gnus-started-hook
1004 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1005 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1006 generating the group buffer.
1008 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1009 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1010 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1011 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1012 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1013 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1014 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1015 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1017 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1018 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1019 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1020 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1021 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1022 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1024 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1025 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1026 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1028 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1029 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1030 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1032 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1033 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1034 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1035 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1040 @node The Group Buffer
1041 @chapter The Group Buffer
1042 @cindex group buffer
1044 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1045 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1046 long as Gnus is active.
1050 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1051 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1052 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1053 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1054 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1055 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1056 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1057 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1063 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1064 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1065 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1066 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1067 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1068 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1069 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1070 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1071 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1072 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1073 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1074 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1075 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1076 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1077 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1078 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1079 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1083 @node Group Buffer Format
1084 @section Group Buffer Format
1087 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1088 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1089 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1093 @node Group Line Specification
1094 @subsection Group Line Specification
1095 @cindex group buffer format
1097 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1098 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1100 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1103 25: news.announce.newusers
1104 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1109 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1110 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1111 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1112 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1114 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1115 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1116 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1117 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1118 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1119 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1121 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1123 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1124 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1125 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1126 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1129 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1130 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1131 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1133 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1138 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1141 Whether the group is subscribed.
1144 Level of subscribedness.
1147 Number of unread articles.
1150 Number of dormant articles.
1153 Number of ticked articles.
1156 Number of read articles.
1159 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1160 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1163 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1166 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1175 Newsgroup description.
1178 @samp{m} if moderated.
1181 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1190 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1194 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1197 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1198 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1199 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1200 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1201 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.emacs.gnus}.
1204 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1206 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1210 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1214 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1215 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1216 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1217 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1218 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1219 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1224 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1225 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1226 group, or a bogus native group.
1229 @node Group Modeline Specification
1230 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1231 @cindex group modeline
1233 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1234 The mode line can be changed by setting
1235 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). It
1236 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1240 The native news server.
1242 The native select method.
1246 @node Group Highlighting
1247 @subsection Group Highlighting
1248 @cindex highlighting
1249 @cindex group highlighting
1251 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1252 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1253 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1254 that look like @var{(form . face)}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1255 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1257 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1261 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1263 ,(custom-face-lookup "Red" nil nil t nil nil))
1264 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) .
1265 ,(custom-face-lookup "SeaGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1267 ,(custom-face-lookup "SpringGreen" nil nil t nil nil))
1269 ,(custom-face-lookup "SteelBlue" nil nil t nil nil))
1271 ,(custom-face-lookup "SkyBlue" nil nil t nil nil))))
1274 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1281 The number of unread articles in the group.
1285 Whether the group is a mail group.
1287 The level of the group.
1289 The score of the group.
1291 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1293 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1294 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1296 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1297 topic being inserted.
1300 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1301 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1302 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1304 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1305 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1306 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1307 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1308 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1311 @node Group Maneuvering
1312 @section Group Maneuvering
1313 @cindex group movement
1315 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1316 expected, hopefully.
1322 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1323 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1324 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1330 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1331 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1332 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1336 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1337 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1341 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1342 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1346 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1347 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1348 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1352 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1353 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1354 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1357 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1363 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1364 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1365 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1370 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1371 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1372 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1376 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1377 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1378 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1381 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1382 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1383 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1384 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1388 @node Selecting a Group
1389 @section Selecting a Group
1390 @cindex group selection
1395 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1396 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1397 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1398 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1399 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1400 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1401 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1402 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1403 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1404 negative, Gnus fetches the @var{abs(N)} oldest articles.
1408 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1409 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1410 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1411 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1412 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1416 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1417 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1418 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1419 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1420 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1421 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1422 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1423 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1424 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1425 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1428 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1429 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1430 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1431 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1432 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1435 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1436 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1437 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1438 doing any processing of its contents
1439 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1440 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1441 manner will have no permanent effects.
1445 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1446 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1447 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1448 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1449 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1450 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1451 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1452 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1455 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1456 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
1457 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
1458 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
1463 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
1464 full summary buffer.
1467 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
1470 Select the most high-scored article in the group when entering the
1474 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
1475 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
1476 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
1480 @node Subscription Commands
1481 @section Subscription Commands
1482 @cindex subscription
1490 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
1491 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
1492 Toggle subscription to the current group
1493 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
1499 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
1500 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
1501 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
1502 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
1508 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
1509 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
1510 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
1516 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
1517 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
1520 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
1521 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
1522 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
1523 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
1524 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
1530 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
1531 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
1535 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
1536 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
1539 @kindex S C-k (Group)
1540 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
1541 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
1542 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
1543 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
1544 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
1545 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
1546 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
1547 @file{.newsrc} file.
1551 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1561 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
1562 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
1563 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
1564 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
1565 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
1566 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
1571 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
1572 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
1573 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
1577 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1578 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
1579 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1581 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1582 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1583 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1584 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
1585 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
1586 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
1593 @section Group Levels
1597 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
1598 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
1599 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
1600 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
1601 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1603 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
1609 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
1610 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
1611 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
1612 prompted for a level.
1615 @vindex gnus-level-killed
1616 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
1617 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
1618 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
1619 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
1620 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
1621 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
1622 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
1623 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
1624 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
1625 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
1626 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
1627 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
1628 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
1629 reasons of efficiency.
1631 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
1632 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
1634 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
1635 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
1636 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
1638 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
1639 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
1640 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
1641 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
1642 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
1643 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
1644 relevant valid ranges.
1646 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
1647 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
1648 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
1649 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
1650 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
1651 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
1654 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
1655 All groups with a level less than or equal to
1656 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
1659 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
1660 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
1661 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
1662 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
1665 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
1666 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
1667 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
1668 use this level as the ``work'' level.
1670 @vindex gnus-activate-level
1671 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
1672 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
1673 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
1674 to 5. The default is 6.
1678 @section Group Score
1681 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
1682 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
1683 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
1686 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can assign a score to each
1687 group. You can then sort the group buffer based on this score.
1688 Alternatively, you can sort on score and then level. (Taken together,
1689 the level and the score is called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group
1690 that is on level 4 and has a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group
1691 on level 5 that has a score of 300. (The level is the most significant
1692 part and the score is the least significant part.))
1694 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
1695 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
1696 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
1697 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
1698 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
1699 action after each summary exit, you can add
1700 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
1701 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
1702 slow things down somewhat.
1705 @node Marking Groups
1706 @section Marking Groups
1707 @cindex marking groups
1709 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
1710 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
1711 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
1712 bidding on those groups.
1714 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
1715 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
1716 with the process mark and then execute the command.
1724 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
1725 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
1731 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
1732 Remove the mark from the current group
1733 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
1737 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
1738 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
1742 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
1743 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
1747 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
1748 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
1752 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
1753 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
1754 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
1757 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
1759 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
1760 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
1761 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
1762 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
1763 the command to be executed.
1766 @node Foreign Groups
1767 @section Foreign Groups
1768 @cindex foreign groups
1770 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
1771 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
1772 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
1773 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
1780 @findex gnus-group-make-group
1781 @cindex making groups
1782 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
1783 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
1784 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
1788 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
1789 @cindex renaming groups
1790 Rename the current group to something else
1791 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
1792 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
1798 @findex gnus-group-customize
1799 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
1803 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
1804 @cindex renaming groups
1805 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
1806 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
1810 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
1811 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
1812 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
1816 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
1817 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
1818 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
1822 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
1824 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
1825 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
1830 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
1831 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
1835 @cindex (ding) archive
1836 @cindex archive group
1837 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
1838 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
1839 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
1840 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
1841 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
1842 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
1843 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
1847 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
1849 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
1850 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
1851 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
1852 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
1856 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
1858 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
1859 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
1860 @xref{Anything Groups}.
1864 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
1865 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
1867 Make a group based on some file or other
1868 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1869 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
1870 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
1871 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
1872 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, and @code{forward}. If you run
1873 this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file type.
1874 @xref{Document Groups}.
1878 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
1883 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
1884 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
1885 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
1886 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
1887 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
1888 @xref{Web Searches}.
1891 @kindex G DEL (Group)
1892 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
1893 This function will delete the current group
1894 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
1895 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
1896 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
1897 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
1898 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
1902 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
1903 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
1904 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
1908 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
1909 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
1910 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
1913 @xref{Select Methods} for more information on the various select
1916 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
1917 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
1918 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
1919 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
1920 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers.
1923 @node Group Parameters
1924 @section Group Parameters
1925 @cindex group parameters
1927 The group parameters store information local to a particular group:
1932 If the group parameter list contains an element that looks like
1933 @code{(to-address . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used by
1934 the backend when doing followups and posts. This is primarily useful in
1935 mail groups that represent closed mailing lists---mailing lists where
1936 it's expected that everybody that writes to the mailing list is
1937 subscribed to it. Since using this parameter ensures that the mail only
1938 goes to the mailing list itself, it means that members won't receive two
1939 copies of your followups.
1941 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
1942 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
1943 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
1944 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
1945 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
1946 list address instead.
1950 If the group parameter list has an element that looks like
1951 @code{(to-list . "some@@where.com")}, that address will be used when
1952 doing a @kbd{a} in that group. It is totally ignored when doing a
1953 followup---except that if it is present in a news group, you'll get mail
1954 group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
1956 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
1957 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
1958 sending the message.
1962 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
1963 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
1964 of whether it has any unread articles.
1966 @item broken-reply-to
1967 @cindex broken-reply-to
1968 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
1969 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
1970 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
1971 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
1972 broken behavior. So there!
1976 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
1977 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
1981 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list, Gnus will treat
1982 all responses as if they were responses to news articles. This can be
1983 useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a news group.
1987 If this symbol is present in the group parameter list and set to
1988 @code{t}, newly composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current
1989 group. If it is present and set to @code{none}, no @code{Gcc:} header
1990 will be generated, if it is present and a string, this string will be
1991 inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header (this symbol takes precedence
1992 over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later). @xref{Archived
1997 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
1998 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
1999 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2002 @cindex total-expire
2003 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2004 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2005 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2006 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2011 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2012 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2013 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2014 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2015 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2016 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2019 @cindex score file group parameter
2020 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2021 @file{file} into the current adaptive score file for the group in
2022 question. All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2025 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2026 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2027 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2028 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2031 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2032 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2033 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2034 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2037 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2038 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2042 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2045 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2050 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2051 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2052 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2055 @item @var{(variable form)}
2056 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2057 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2058 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2059 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2060 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2061 @code{eval}ed there.
2063 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2064 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2065 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2066 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2067 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2071 Use the @kbd{G p} command to edit group parameters of a group.
2073 @pxref{Topic Parameters}.
2075 Here's an example group parameter list:
2078 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2083 @node Listing Groups
2084 @section Listing Groups
2085 @cindex group listing
2087 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2095 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2096 List all groups that have unread articles
2097 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2098 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2099 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2100 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2107 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2108 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2109 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2110 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2111 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2112 unsubscribed groups).
2116 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2117 List all unread groups on a specific level
2118 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2119 with no unread articles.
2123 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2124 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2125 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2126 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2131 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2132 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2136 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2137 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2138 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2142 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2143 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2147 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2148 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2149 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2150 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2151 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2152 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2153 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2154 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2158 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2159 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2160 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2164 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2165 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2166 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2170 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2171 @cindex visible group parameter
2172 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2173 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2174 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2175 get the same effect.
2177 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2178 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2179 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2180 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2181 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2184 @node Sorting Groups
2185 @section Sorting Groups
2186 @cindex sorting groups
2188 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2189 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2190 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2191 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2192 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2193 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2198 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2199 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2200 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2202 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2203 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2204 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2206 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2207 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2208 Sort by group level.
2210 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2211 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2212 Sort by group score.
2214 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2215 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2216 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2217 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}.
2219 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2220 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2221 Sort by number of unread articles.
2223 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2224 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2225 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2230 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2231 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2235 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2236 some sorting criteria:
2240 @kindex G S a (Group)
2241 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2242 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2243 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2246 @kindex G S u (Group)
2247 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2248 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2249 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2252 @kindex G S l (Group)
2253 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2254 Sort the group buffer by group level
2255 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2258 @kindex G S v (Group)
2259 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2260 Sort the group buffer by group score
2261 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}).
2264 @kindex G S r (Group)
2265 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2266 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2267 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2270 @kindex G S m (Group)
2271 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2272 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2273 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2277 When given a prefix, all these commands will sort in reverse order.
2279 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2283 @kindex G P a (Group)
2284 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2285 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2286 group name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2289 @kindex G P u (Group)
2290 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2291 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by the number of
2292 unread articles (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
2295 @kindex G P l (Group)
2296 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
2297 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group level
2298 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
2301 @kindex G P v (Group)
2302 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
2303 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group score
2304 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}).
2307 @kindex G P r (Group)
2308 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
2309 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer by group rank
2310 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}).
2313 @kindex G P m (Group)
2314 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
2315 Sort the process/prefixed groups in the group buffer alphabetically by
2316 backend name (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
2322 @node Group Maintenance
2323 @section Group Maintenance
2324 @cindex bogus groups
2329 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
2330 Find bogus groups and delete them
2331 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
2335 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
2336 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
2337 If given a prefix, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
2341 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
2342 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
2343 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
2344 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
2347 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
2348 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
2349 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
2350 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
2355 @node Browse Foreign Server
2356 @section Browse Foreign Server
2357 @cindex foreign servers
2358 @cindex browsing servers
2363 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
2364 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
2365 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
2366 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
2369 @findex gnus-browse-mode
2370 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
2371 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
2372 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
2374 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
2379 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2380 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2384 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2385 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2388 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
2389 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
2390 Enter the current group and display the first article
2391 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
2394 @kindex RET (Browse)
2395 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
2396 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
2400 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
2401 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
2402 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2408 @findex gnus-browse-exit
2409 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
2413 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
2414 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
2415 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
2420 @section Exiting Gnus
2421 @cindex exiting Gnus
2423 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
2428 @findex gnus-group-suspend
2429 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
2430 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
2431 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
2435 @findex gnus-group-exit
2436 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
2437 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
2441 @findex gnus-group-quit
2442 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
2443 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
2446 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
2447 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
2448 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
2449 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
2450 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
2455 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
2456 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
2457 trying to customize meta-variables.
2462 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
2463 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
2464 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
2470 @section Group Topics
2473 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
2474 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
2475 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
2476 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
2477 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
2478 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
2482 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
2483 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
2494 2: alt.religion.emacs
2497 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2499 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2500 13: comp.sources.unix
2503 @findex gnus-topic-mode
2505 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
2506 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
2507 is a toggling command.)
2509 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
2510 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
2511 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
2512 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
2515 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
2516 the hook for the group mode:
2519 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
2523 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
2524 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
2525 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
2526 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
2527 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
2531 @node Topic Variables
2532 @subsection Topic Variables
2533 @cindex topic variables
2535 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
2536 really neat, I think.
2538 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
2539 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
2540 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
2553 Number of groups in the topic.
2555 Number of unread articles in the topic.
2557 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
2560 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
2561 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
2562 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
2565 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
2566 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
2568 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
2569 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
2570 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
2573 @node Topic Commands
2574 @subsection Topic Commands
2575 @cindex topic commands
2577 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
2578 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
2579 definitions slightly.
2585 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
2586 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
2587 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
2591 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
2592 Move the current group to some other topic
2593 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2594 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2598 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
2599 Copy the current group to some other topic
2600 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
2601 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2605 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
2606 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
2607 This command uses the process/prefix convention
2608 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2612 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
2613 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2614 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
2618 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
2619 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
2620 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
2624 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
2625 Toggle hiding empty topics
2626 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
2630 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
2631 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
2632 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
2635 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
2636 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
2637 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
2638 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
2642 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
2644 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
2645 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
2646 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
2647 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
2648 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
2649 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
2652 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
2653 @findex gnus-topic-indent
2654 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
2655 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
2656 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
2660 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
2661 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
2662 topic will be removed along with the topic.
2666 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
2667 Yank the previously killed group or topic
2668 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
2673 @findex gnus-topic-rename
2674 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
2677 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
2678 @findex gnus-topic-delete
2679 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
2683 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
2684 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
2685 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
2689 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
2690 @cindex group parameters
2691 @cindex topic parameters
2693 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
2694 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
2700 @subsection Topic Sorting
2701 @cindex topic sorting
2703 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
2709 @kindex T S a (Topic)
2710 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2711 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
2712 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2715 @kindex T S u (Topic)
2716 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
2717 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
2718 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2721 @kindex T S l (Topic)
2722 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
2723 Sort the current topic by group level
2724 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
2727 @kindex T S v (Topic)
2728 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
2729 Sort the current topic by group score
2730 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}).
2733 @kindex T S r (Topic)
2734 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
2735 Sort the current topic by group rank
2736 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}).
2739 @kindex T S m (Topic)
2740 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
2741 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
2742 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
2746 @xref{Sorting Groups} for more information about group sorting.
2749 @node Topic Topology
2750 @subsection Topic Topology
2751 @cindex topic topology
2754 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
2760 2: alt.religion.emacs
2763 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2765 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2766 13: comp.sources.unix
2769 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
2770 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
2771 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
2776 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
2777 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
2781 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
2782 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
2783 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
2784 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
2785 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
2786 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
2788 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
2789 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
2790 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
2793 @node Topic Parameters
2794 @subsection Topic Parameters
2795 @cindex topic parameters
2797 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
2798 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
2799 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
2801 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
2802 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
2803 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
2804 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
2810 2: alt.religion.emacs
2814 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
2816 8: comp.binaries.fractals
2817 13: comp.sources.unix
2821 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
2822 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
2823 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
2824 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
2825 @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
2826 . "religion.SCORE")}.
2828 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
2829 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
2830 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
2831 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
2832 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
2834 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
2835 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
2836 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
2837 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
2838 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
2839 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
2840 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
2841 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
2844 @node Misc Group Stuff
2845 @section Misc Group Stuff
2848 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
2849 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
2850 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
2851 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
2858 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
2859 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
2860 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
2864 @findex gnus-group-post-news
2865 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
2866 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
2870 @findex gnus-group-mail
2871 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
2875 Variables for the group buffer:
2879 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
2880 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
2881 is called after the group buffer has been
2884 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
2885 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
2886 is called after the group buffer is
2887 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
2890 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2891 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2892 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
2893 whether they are empty or not.
2898 @node Scanning New Messages
2899 @subsection Scanning New Messages
2900 @cindex new messages
2901 @cindex scanning new news
2907 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
2908 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
2909 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
2910 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
2911 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
2912 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
2917 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
2918 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
2919 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
2920 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
2921 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
2922 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
2923 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
2925 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
2926 @cindex activating groups
2928 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
2929 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
2934 @findex gnus-group-restart
2935 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
2936 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
2937 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
2941 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
2942 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
2944 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
2945 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
2949 @node Group Information
2950 @subsection Group Information
2951 @cindex group information
2952 @cindex information on groups
2959 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
2960 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
2963 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
2964 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
2965 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
2966 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
2967 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
2968 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
2969 for fetching the file.
2971 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
2972 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
2976 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
2978 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
2979 @cindex describing groups
2980 @cindex group description
2981 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
2982 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
2983 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
2987 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
2988 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
2989 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
2996 @findex gnus-version
2997 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3001 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3002 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3005 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3008 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3009 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3013 @node Group Timestamp
3014 @subsection Group Timestamp
3016 @cindex group timestamps
3018 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3019 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3020 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3023 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3026 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3028 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3029 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3032 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3033 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3036 This will result in lines looking like:
3039 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3040 0: custom 19961002T012713
3043 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3044 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3048 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3049 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3054 @subsection File Commands
3055 @cindex file commands
3061 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3062 @vindex gnus-init-file
3063 @cindex reading init file
3064 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3065 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3070 @cindex saving .newsrc
3071 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3072 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3073 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3076 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3077 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3078 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3083 @node The Summary Buffer
3084 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3085 @cindex summary buffer
3087 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3088 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3090 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3091 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3093 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3096 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3097 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3098 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3099 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3100 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3101 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
3102 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3103 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3104 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3105 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3106 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3107 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3108 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3109 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3110 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3111 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3112 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3113 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3114 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3115 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3116 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3117 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3118 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3119 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3120 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
3121 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3122 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3126 @node Summary Buffer Format
3127 @section Summary Buffer Format
3128 @cindex summary buffer format
3132 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3133 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3134 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3140 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3141 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3142 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3145 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3146 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3147 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3148 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3149 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3150 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3151 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3152 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3153 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3154 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3155 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead.
3157 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3158 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3159 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3160 with those specs that require it. The default is @samp{}.
3163 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3164 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3166 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3167 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3168 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3169 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3170 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3172 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3174 The following format specification characters are understood:
3182 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3183 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3184 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @samp{}.)
3186 Full @code{From} header.
3188 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3190 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3191 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3192 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3193 may be more thorough.
3195 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3198 Number of lines in the article.
3200 Number of characters in the article.
3202 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3204 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
3205 pushes everything after it off the screen).
3207 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
3208 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
3210 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
3211 for adopted articles.
3213 One space for each thread level.
3215 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
3221 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
3223 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
3224 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
3225 default level. If the difference between
3226 @code{gnus-summary-default-level} and the score is less than
3227 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
3235 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
3237 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
3243 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
3244 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
3246 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
3247 article has any children.
3253 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
3254 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
3255 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
3256 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
3257 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
3258 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
3261 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
3262 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
3263 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
3264 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
3265 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
3266 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
3268 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
3269 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
3271 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
3274 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
3275 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
3277 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
3278 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar. Set
3279 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you like. The default
3280 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
3282 Here are the elements you can play with:
3288 Unprefixed group name.
3290 Current article number.
3294 Number of unread articles in this group.
3296 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
3299 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
3300 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
3301 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
3302 and no unselected ones.
3304 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
3305 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
3307 Subject of the current article.
3309 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
3311 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
3313 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3315 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
3317 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
3319 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
3323 @node Summary Highlighting
3324 @subsection Summary Highlighting
3328 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3329 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
3330 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
3331 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
3332 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3334 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
3335 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
3336 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
3337 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
3339 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
3340 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
3341 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
3342 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
3344 @item gnus-summary-highlight
3345 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
3346 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
3347 list where the elements are of the format @var{(FORM . FACE)}. If you
3348 would, for instance, like ticked articles to be italic and high-scored
3349 articles to be bold, you could set this variable to something like
3351 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
3352 ((> score default) . bold))
3354 As you may have guessed, if @var{FORM} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
3355 @var{FACE} will be applied to the line.
3359 @node Summary Maneuvering
3360 @section Summary Maneuvering
3361 @cindex summary movement
3363 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
3364 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
3366 None of these commands select articles.
3371 @kindex M-n (Summary)
3372 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
3373 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
3374 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
3375 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
3379 @kindex M-p (Summary)
3380 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
3381 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
3382 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
3383 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
3388 @kindex G j (Summary)
3389 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
3390 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
3391 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
3394 @kindex G g (Summary)
3395 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
3396 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
3397 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
3400 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
3401 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
3402 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
3403 to the group buffer.
3405 Variables related to summary movement:
3409 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
3410 @item gnus-auto-select-next
3411 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
3412 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
3413 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
3414 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
3415 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
3416 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
3417 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
3418 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
3419 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
3420 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
3421 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
3422 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
3424 @item gnus-auto-select-same
3425 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
3426 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
3427 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
3428 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
3429 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) This variable is not
3430 particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
3432 @item gnus-summary-check-current
3433 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
3434 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
3435 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
3436 Instead, they will choose the current article.
3438 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
3439 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
3440 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
3441 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
3442 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
3443 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
3444 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
3445 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
3451 @node Choosing Articles
3452 @section Choosing Articles
3453 @cindex selecting articles
3456 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
3457 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
3461 @node Choosing Commands
3462 @subsection Choosing Commands
3464 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
3465 and they all select and display an article.
3469 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3470 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3471 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
3472 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3477 @kindex G n (Summary)
3478 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
3479 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
3480 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
3485 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
3486 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
3487 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
3492 @kindex G N (Summary)
3493 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
3494 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
3499 @kindex G P (Summary)
3500 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
3501 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
3504 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
3505 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
3506 Go to the next article with the same subject
3507 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
3510 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
3511 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
3512 Go to the previous article with the same subject
3513 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
3517 @kindex G f (Summary)
3519 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
3520 Go to the first unread article
3521 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
3525 @kindex G b (Summary)
3527 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
3528 Go to the article with the highest score
3529 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
3534 @kindex G l (Summary)
3535 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
3536 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
3539 @kindex G o (Summary)
3540 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
3542 @cindex article history
3543 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
3544 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
3545 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
3546 history as you like. For a somewhat related issue (if you use this
3547 command a lot), @pxref{Article Backlog}.
3551 @node Choosing Variables
3552 @subsection Choosing Variables
3554 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
3557 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3558 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
3559 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
3560 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
3561 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
3562 the server and display it in the article buffer.
3564 @item gnus-select-article-hook
3565 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
3566 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
3567 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
3569 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
3570 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
3571 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
3572 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
3573 @findex gnus-unread-mark
3574 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
3575 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
3576 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
3577 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
3578 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
3579 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
3580 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
3581 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
3582 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
3587 @node Paging the Article
3588 @section Scrolling the Article
3589 @cindex article scrolling
3594 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
3595 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
3596 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
3597 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
3598 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
3601 @kindex DEL (Summary)
3602 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
3603 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
3606 @kindex RET (Summary)
3607 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
3608 Scroll the current article one line forward
3609 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
3613 @kindex A g (Summary)
3615 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
3616 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
3617 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
3618 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
3619 the way it came from the server.
3624 @kindex A < (Summary)
3625 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
3626 Scroll to the beginning of the article
3627 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
3632 @kindex A > (Summary)
3633 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
3634 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
3638 @kindex A s (Summary)
3640 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
3641 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
3642 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
3647 @node Reply Followup and Post
3648 @section Reply, Followup and Post
3651 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
3652 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
3656 @node Summary Mail Commands
3657 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
3659 @cindex composing mail
3661 Commands for composing a mail message:
3667 @kindex S r (Summary)
3669 @findex gnus-summary-reply
3670 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
3671 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
3672 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
3673 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
3678 @kindex S R (Summary)
3679 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
3680 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
3681 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
3682 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
3683 command uses the process/prefix convention.
3686 @kindex S w (Summary)
3687 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
3688 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
3689 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
3690 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
3691 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
3694 @kindex S W (Summary)
3695 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
3696 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
3697 message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This command uses
3698 the process/prefix convention.
3701 @kindex S o m (Summary)
3702 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
3703 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
3704 Forward the current article to some other person
3705 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3706 headers of the forwarded article.
3711 @kindex S m (Summary)
3712 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
3713 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
3714 Send a mail to some other person
3715 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
3718 @kindex S D b (Summary)
3719 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
3720 @cindex bouncing mail
3721 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
3722 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
3723 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
3724 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
3725 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
3726 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
3727 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
3728 very well fail, though.
3731 @kindex S D r (Summary)
3732 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
3733 Not to be confused with the previous command,
3734 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
3735 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
3736 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
3737 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
3738 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
3739 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
3740 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
3742 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
3743 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
3744 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
3745 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
3746 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
3748 This command understands the process/prefix convention
3749 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3752 @kindex S O m (Summary)
3753 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
3754 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
3755 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
3756 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3759 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
3760 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
3761 @cindex crossposting
3762 @cindex excessive crossposting
3763 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
3764 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
3766 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
3767 This command is provided as a way to fight back agains the current
3768 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
3769 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
3770 command understands the process/prefix convention
3771 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
3776 @node Summary Post Commands
3777 @subsection Summary Post Commands
3779 @cindex composing news
3781 Commands for posting a news article:
3787 @kindex S p (Summary)
3788 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
3789 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
3790 Post an article to the current group
3791 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
3796 @kindex S f (Summary)
3797 @findex gnus-summary-followup
3798 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
3799 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
3803 @kindex S F (Summary)
3805 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
3806 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
3807 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
3808 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
3809 process/prefix convention.
3812 @kindex S n (Summary)
3813 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3814 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3815 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
3818 @kindex S n (Summary)
3819 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
3820 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
3821 message through mail and include the original message
3822 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
3823 the process/prefix convention.
3826 @kindex S o p (Summary)
3827 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
3828 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
3829 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}). If given a prefix, include the full
3830 headers of the forwarded article.
3833 @kindex S O p (Summary)
3834 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
3836 @cindex making digests
3837 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
3838 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
3839 process/prefix convention.
3842 @kindex S u (Summary)
3843 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
3844 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
3845 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
3846 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
3850 @node Canceling and Superseding
3851 @section Canceling Articles
3852 @cindex canceling articles
3853 @cindex superseding articles
3855 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
3856 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
3858 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
3860 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
3862 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
3863 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
3864 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
3865 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
3866 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
3868 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
3869 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
3872 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
3873 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
3874 your original article.
3876 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
3878 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
3879 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
3880 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
3883 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
3884 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
3885 have posted almost the same article twice.
3887 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
3888 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
3889 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
3890 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
3891 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
3892 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
3893 header by substituting one of those words for the word
3894 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
3895 you would do normally. The previous article will be
3896 canceled/superseded.
3898 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
3901 @node Marking Articles
3902 @section Marking Articles
3903 @cindex article marking
3904 @cindex article ticking
3907 There are several marks you can set on an article.
3909 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
3910 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
3911 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
3913 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
3916 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
3917 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
3918 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
3922 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
3926 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
3927 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
3931 @node Unread Articles
3932 @subsection Unread Articles
3934 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
3939 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
3940 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
3942 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
3943 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
3944 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
3945 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
3946 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
3950 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
3951 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
3953 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
3954 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
3955 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
3958 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
3959 Markes as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
3961 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
3966 @subsection Read Articles
3967 @cindex expirable mark
3969 All the following marks mark articles as read.
3974 @vindex gnus-del-mark
3975 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
3976 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
3979 @vindex gnus-read-mark
3980 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
3983 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
3984 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
3985 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
3988 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
3989 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
3992 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
3993 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
3996 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
3997 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4000 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4001 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4004 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4005 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4008 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4009 @sc{SOUP}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4012 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4013 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4017 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4018 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4019 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4023 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4024 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4026 One more special mark, though:
4030 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4031 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4033 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4034 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
4035 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
4036 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
4042 @subsection Other Marks
4043 @cindex process mark
4046 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
4052 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
4053 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
4054 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
4055 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
4056 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}
4059 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
4060 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
4061 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
4062 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
4065 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
4066 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
4067 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}
4070 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
4071 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
4072 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
4073 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
4076 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
4077 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
4078 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
4079 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
4080 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
4083 @vindex gnus-process-mark
4084 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
4085 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
4086 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
4087 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
4088 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
4092 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
4093 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
4094 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
4096 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
4097 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
4098 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
4102 @subsection Setting Marks
4103 @cindex setting marks
4105 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
4110 @kindex M c (Summary)
4111 @kindex M-u (Summary)
4112 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
4113 @cindex mark as unread
4114 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
4115 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
4121 @kindex M t (Summary)
4122 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
4123 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
4124 @xref{Article Caching}
4129 @kindex M ? (Summary)
4130 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
4131 Mark the current article as dormant
4132 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}
4136 @kindex M d (Summary)
4138 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
4139 Mark the current article as read
4140 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
4144 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
4145 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
4146 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
4151 @kindex M k (Summary)
4152 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
4153 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
4154 and then select the next unread article
4155 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
4159 @kindex M K (Summary)
4160 @kindex C-k (Summary)
4161 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
4162 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
4163 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
4166 @kindex M C (Summary)
4167 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
4168 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
4169 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
4172 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
4173 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
4174 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
4175 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
4178 @kindex M H (Summary)
4179 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
4180 Catchup the current group to point
4181 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
4184 @kindex C-w (Summary)
4185 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
4186 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
4187 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
4190 @kindex M V k (Summary)
4191 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
4192 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
4193 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
4197 @kindex M e (Summary)
4199 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
4200 Mark the current article as expirable
4201 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
4204 @kindex M b (Summary)
4205 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
4206 Set a bookmark in the current article
4207 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
4210 @kindex M B (Summary)
4211 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
4212 Remove the bookmark from the current article
4213 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
4216 @kindex M V c (Summary)
4217 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
4218 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
4219 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4222 @kindex M V u (Summary)
4223 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
4224 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
4225 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
4228 @kindex M V m (Summary)
4229 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
4230 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
4231 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
4232 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
4235 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
4236 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
4237 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
4238 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
4239 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
4240 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
4241 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
4242 The default is @code{t}.
4245 @node Setting Process Marks
4246 @subsection Setting Process Marks
4247 @cindex setting process marks
4254 @kindex M P p (Summary)
4255 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
4256 Mark the current article with the process mark
4257 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
4258 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
4262 @kindex M P u (Summary)
4263 @kindex M-# (Summary)
4264 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
4265 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
4268 @kindex M P U (Summary)
4269 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
4270 Remove the process mark from all articles
4271 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
4274 @kindex M P i (Summary)
4275 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
4276 Invert the list of process marked articles
4277 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
4280 @kindex M P R (Summary)
4281 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
4282 Mark articles by a regular expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
4285 @kindex M P r (Summary)
4286 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
4287 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
4290 @kindex M P t (Summary)
4291 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4292 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4293 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4296 @kindex M P T (Summary)
4297 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4298 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
4299 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4302 @kindex M P v (Summary)
4303 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
4304 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
4305 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
4308 @kindex M P s (Summary)
4309 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
4310 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4313 @kindex M P S (Summary)
4314 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
4315 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
4316 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
4319 @kindex M P a (Summary)
4320 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
4321 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
4324 @kindex M P b (Summary)
4325 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
4326 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
4327 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
4330 @kindex M P k (Summary)
4331 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
4332 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
4333 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
4336 @kindex M P y (Summary)
4337 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
4338 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
4339 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
4342 @kindex M P w (Summary)
4343 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
4344 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
4345 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
4354 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
4355 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
4356 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
4363 @kindex / / (Summary)
4364 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
4365 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
4366 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
4369 @kindex / a (Summary)
4370 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
4371 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
4372 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
4376 @kindex / u (Summary)
4378 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
4379 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
4380 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
4381 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
4382 dormant articles will also be excluded.
4385 @kindex / m (Summary)
4386 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
4387 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have not been marked
4388 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
4391 @kindex / t (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
4393 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
4394 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}). If given a prefix, limit to
4395 articles younger than that number of days.
4398 @kindex / n (Summary)
4399 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
4400 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
4401 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
4402 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4405 @kindex / w (Summary)
4406 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
4407 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
4408 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
4412 @kindex / v (Summary)
4413 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
4414 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
4415 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
4419 @kindex M S (Summary)
4420 @kindex / E (Summary)
4421 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
4422 Display all expunged articles
4423 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
4426 @kindex / D (Summary)
4427 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
4428 Display all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
4431 @kindex / d (Summary)
4432 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
4433 Hide all dormant articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
4436 @kindex / T (Summary)
4437 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
4438 Include all the articles in the current thread.
4441 @kindex / c (Summary)
4442 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
4443 Hide all dormant articles that have no children
4444 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
4447 @kindex / C (Summary)
4448 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
4449 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
4450 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
4451 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
4459 @cindex article threading
4461 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
4462 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
4463 hierarchical fashion.
4465 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
4466 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
4467 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
4468 or simply missing. Weird news propagration excarcerbates the problem,
4469 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
4470 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
4471 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
4473 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
4477 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
4480 A tree-like article structure.
4483 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
4486 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
4487 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
4488 summary buffer. We then typicall have many sub-threads that really
4489 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
4490 called loose threads.
4492 @item thread gathering
4493 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
4495 @item sparse threads
4496 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
4497 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
4503 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
4504 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
4508 @node Customizing Threading
4509 @subsection Customizing Threading
4510 @cindex customizing threading
4513 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
4514 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
4515 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
4516 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
4521 @subsubsection Loose Threads
4524 @cindex loose threads
4527 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
4528 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
4529 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
4530 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
4531 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
4532 read or killed the root in a previous session.
4534 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
4535 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
4536 There are four possible values:
4540 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
4541 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4542 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4543 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4544 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4549 @cindex adopting articles
4554 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
4555 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
4556 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
4557 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
4560 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
4561 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
4562 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
4563 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
4564 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
4565 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
4566 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
4569 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
4570 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
4571 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
4575 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
4576 display them after one another.
4579 Don't gather loose threads.
4582 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4583 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
4584 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
4585 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
4586 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
4587 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
4588 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
4589 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
4590 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
4591 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
4592 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
4594 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
4595 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
4596 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
4599 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4600 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
4601 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
4602 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
4603 simplification is used.
4605 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4606 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4607 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
4608 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
4610 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
4612 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
4618 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
4619 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
4620 "answer" "reference" "announce"
4621 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
4626 (mapconcat 'identity
4627 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
4629 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
4632 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
4635 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4636 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
4637 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
4638 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
4639 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
4640 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
4642 Useful functions to put in this list include:
4645 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
4646 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
4647 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
4649 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4650 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
4653 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
4654 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
4655 Remove excessive whitespace.
4658 You may also write your own functions, of course.
4661 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4662 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
4663 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
4664 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
4665 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
4666 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
4667 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
4668 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
4670 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4671 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4672 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
4673 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
4674 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
4675 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
4676 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
4677 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
4678 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
4682 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4683 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
4684 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
4685 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
4687 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4688 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
4689 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
4692 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
4696 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
4697 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
4703 @node Filling In Threads
4704 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
4707 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
4708 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
4709 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
4710 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
4711 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
4712 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
4713 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
4714 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
4715 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
4716 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
4717 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
4718 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
4720 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
4721 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
4722 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
4724 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
4725 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
4726 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
4727 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
4728 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
4729 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
4730 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
4731 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
4732 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
4733 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
4734 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
4735 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
4736 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
4737 @code{nil} by default.
4742 @node More Threading
4743 @subsubsection More Threading
4746 @item gnus-show-threads
4747 @vindex gnus-show-threads
4748 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
4749 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
4750 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
4751 slower and more awkward.
4753 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4754 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
4755 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
4758 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
4759 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
4760 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
4761 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
4762 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
4763 threads are expunged.
4765 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
4766 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
4767 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
4770 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4771 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
4772 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
4773 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
4774 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
4777 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
4778 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
4779 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
4785 @node Low-Level Threading
4786 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
4790 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
4791 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
4792 Hook run before parsing any headers. The default value is
4793 @code{(gnus-decode-rfc1522)}, which means that QPized headers will be
4794 slightly decoded in a hackish way. This is likely to change in the
4795 future when Gnus becomes @sc{MIME}ified.
4797 @item gnus-alter-header-function
4798 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
4799 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
4800 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
4801 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
4802 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
4803 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
4804 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
4805 meaningful. Here's one example:
4808 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
4810 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
4811 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
4813 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
4815 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
4822 @node Thread Commands
4823 @subsection Thread Commands
4824 @cindex thread commands
4830 @kindex T k (Summary)
4831 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
4832 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
4833 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
4834 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
4835 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
4840 @kindex T l (Summary)
4841 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
4842 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
4843 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
4844 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
4847 @kindex T i (Summary)
4848 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
4849 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
4850 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
4853 @kindex T # (Summary)
4854 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
4855 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
4856 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
4859 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
4860 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
4861 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
4862 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
4865 @kindex T T (Summary)
4866 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
4867 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
4870 @kindex T s (Summary)
4871 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
4872 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
4873 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
4876 @kindex T h (Summary)
4877 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
4878 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
4881 @kindex T S (Summary)
4882 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
4883 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
4886 @kindex T H (Summary)
4887 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
4888 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
4891 @kindex T t (Summary)
4892 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
4893 Re-thread the current article's thread
4894 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
4895 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
4898 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
4899 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
4900 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
4901 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
4905 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
4906 understand the numeric prefix.
4911 @kindex T n (Summary)
4912 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
4913 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
4916 @kindex T p (Summary)
4917 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
4918 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
4921 @kindex T d (Summary)
4922 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
4923 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
4926 @kindex T u (Summary)
4927 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
4928 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
4931 @kindex T o (Summary)
4932 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
4933 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
4936 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
4937 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
4938 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
4939 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
4940 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
4941 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
4942 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
4943 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
4944 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
4945 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
4946 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
4947 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
4954 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
4955 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
4956 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
4957 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4958 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
4959 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4960 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
4961 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
4962 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which is a list of functions.
4963 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
4964 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
4965 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
4966 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
4967 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
4969 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
4970 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
4971 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread. If you use
4972 more than one function, the primary sort key should be the last function
4973 in the list. You should probably always include
4974 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
4975 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
4976 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
4977 ascending article order.
4979 If you would like to sort by score, then by subject, and finally by
4980 number, you could do something like:
4983 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
4984 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
4985 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
4986 gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score))
4989 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
4990 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
4991 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
4992 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
4993 which the articles arrived.
4995 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
4999 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
5001 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t2 t1)))
5002 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
5005 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
5006 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
5007 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
5008 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
5011 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
5012 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
5013 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
5014 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
5015 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
5016 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
5017 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
5018 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
5019 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
5020 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
5021 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
5022 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
5023 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
5025 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
5029 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
5030 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
5031 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
5036 @node Asynchronous Fetching
5037 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
5038 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
5039 @cindex article pre-fetch
5042 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
5043 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
5044 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
5045 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
5046 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
5048 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
5049 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
5051 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
5052 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
5053 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
5054 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
5055 connection is blocked.
5057 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
5058 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
5059 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
5060 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
5062 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
5063 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
5064 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
5065 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
5068 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
5071 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
5072 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
5073 happen automatically.
5075 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
5076 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
5077 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
5078 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
5079 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
5080 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
5081 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
5083 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
5084 @findex gnus-async-read-p
5085 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
5086 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
5087 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
5088 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
5089 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
5090 data structure as the only parameter.
5092 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
5095 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
5096 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
5097 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
5098 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
5101 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
5104 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
5105 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
5106 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
5108 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
5109 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
5110 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
5111 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
5115 Remove articles when they are read.
5118 Remove articles when exiting the group.
5121 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
5123 @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
5124 If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
5125 from the next group.
5128 @node Article Caching
5129 @section Article Caching
5130 @cindex article caching
5133 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
5134 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
5135 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
5136 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
5137 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
5139 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
5141 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5142 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
5143 @vindex gnus-use-cache
5144 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
5145 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
5146 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
5147 cache is flat or hierarchal is controlled by the
5148 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
5150 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
5151 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
5152 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
5153 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
5154 as dormant, and don't worry.
5156 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
5158 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
5159 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
5160 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
5161 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
5162 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
5163 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
5164 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
5165 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
5166 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
5167 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
5169 @findex gnus-jog-cache
5170 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
5171 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
5172 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
5173 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
5174 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
5175 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
5176 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
5177 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
5178 not then be downloaded by this command.
5180 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
5181 It is likely that you do not want caching on some groups. For instance,
5182 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
5183 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
5184 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space. To limit the caching,
5185 you could set the @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to
5186 @samp{^nnml}, for instance. This variable is @code{nil} by
5189 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
5190 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
5191 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
5192 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
5193 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
5194 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
5195 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
5196 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
5197 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
5201 @node Persistent Articles
5202 @section Persistent Articles
5203 @cindex persistent articles
5205 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
5206 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
5207 useful in my opinion.
5209 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
5210 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
5211 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
5212 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
5213 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
5214 the expiry going on at the news server.
5216 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
5217 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
5218 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
5224 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
5225 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
5228 @kindex M-* (Summary)
5229 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
5230 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
5231 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
5235 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
5237 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
5238 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
5239 interested in persistent articles:
5242 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
5246 @node Article Backlog
5247 @section Article Backlog
5249 @cindex article backlog
5251 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
5252 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
5253 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
5254 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
5255 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
5256 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
5257 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
5258 increase memory usage some.
5260 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
5261 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
5262 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
5263 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
5264 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
5265 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
5266 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
5268 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
5271 @node Saving Articles
5272 @section Saving Articles
5273 @cindex saving articles
5275 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
5276 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
5277 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
5278 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
5279 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
5281 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
5282 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
5283 unwanted headers before saving the article.
5285 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
5286 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
5287 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
5288 deleted before saving.
5294 @kindex O o (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
5297 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
5298 Save the current article using the default article saver
5299 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
5302 @kindex O m (Summary)
5303 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
5304 Save the current article in mail format
5305 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
5308 @kindex O r (Summary)
5309 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
5310 Save the current article in rmail format
5311 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
5314 @kindex O f (Summary)
5315 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
5316 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
5317 Save the current article in plain file format
5318 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
5321 @kindex O F (Summary)
5322 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
5323 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
5324 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
5327 @kindex O b (Summary)
5328 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
5329 Save the current article body in plain file format
5330 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
5333 @kindex O h (Summary)
5334 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
5335 Save the current article in mh folder format
5336 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
5339 @kindex O v (Summary)
5340 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
5341 Save the current article in a VM folder
5342 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
5345 @kindex O p (Summary)
5346 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
5347 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
5348 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
5351 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
5352 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
5353 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
5354 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
5355 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
5356 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
5357 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
5358 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
5359 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
5360 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
5361 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
5362 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
5366 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
5367 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
5368 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the four ready-made
5369 functions below, or you can create your own.
5373 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5374 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
5375 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
5376 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5377 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
5378 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5379 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5381 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5382 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
5383 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
5384 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
5385 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5386 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
5388 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
5389 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
5390 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
5391 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5392 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
5393 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5394 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5396 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5397 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
5398 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
5399 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
5400 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
5402 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5403 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
5404 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
5405 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
5406 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
5409 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
5410 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
5411 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
5412 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
5413 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
5415 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5416 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
5417 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
5418 reader to use this setting.
5421 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
5422 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
5423 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
5424 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
5427 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
5428 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
5429 available functions that generate names:
5433 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
5434 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
5435 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5437 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
5438 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
5439 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
5441 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
5442 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
5443 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5445 @item gnus-plain-save-name
5446 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
5447 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
5450 @vindex gnus-split-methods
5451 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
5452 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
5453 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
5454 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
5458 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
5459 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
5460 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
5461 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
5464 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
5465 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
5466 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
5467 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
5468 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
5469 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
5470 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
5471 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
5472 called returns a string or a list of strings.
5474 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
5475 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
5476 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
5477 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
5479 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
5480 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
5481 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
5484 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
5485 lots of mail groups called things like
5486 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
5487 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
5488 following will do just that:
5491 (defun my-save-name (group)
5492 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
5493 (substring group (match-end 0))))
5495 (setq gnus-split-methods
5496 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
5501 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
5502 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
5503 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
5504 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
5505 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
5506 all the files in the toplevel directory
5507 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
5508 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
5509 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
5510 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
5512 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
5513 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
5514 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
5515 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
5516 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
5519 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
5523 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
5524 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
5527 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
5528 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
5529 the toplevel directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
5530 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
5533 @node Decoding Articles
5534 @section Decoding Articles
5535 @cindex decoding articles
5537 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
5538 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
5541 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
5542 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
5543 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
5544 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
5545 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
5546 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
5550 @cindex article series
5551 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
5552 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
5553 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
5554 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
5555 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
5557 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
5558 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
5559 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
5561 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
5562 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
5563 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
5565 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
5566 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
5567 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
5570 @node Uuencoded Articles
5571 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
5573 @cindex uuencoded articles
5578 @kindex X u (Summary)
5579 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
5580 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
5581 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
5584 @kindex X U (Summary)
5585 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
5586 Uudecodes and saves the current series
5587 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5590 @kindex X v u (Summary)
5591 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
5592 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
5595 @kindex X v U (Summary)
5596 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
5597 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
5598 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
5602 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
5603 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
5604 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
5605 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
5606 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
5608 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
5609 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
5610 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
5611 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
5614 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
5615 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
5616 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
5617 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
5618 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
5619 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
5623 @node Shell Archives
5624 @subsection Shell Archives
5626 @cindex shell archives
5627 @cindex shared articles
5629 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
5630 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
5631 some commands to deal with these:
5636 @kindex X s (Summary)
5637 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
5638 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
5641 @kindex X S (Summary)
5642 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
5643 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
5646 @kindex X v s (Summary)
5647 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
5648 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
5651 @kindex X v S (Summary)
5652 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
5653 Unshars, views and saves the current series
5654 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
5658 @node PostScript Files
5659 @subsection PostScript Files
5665 @kindex X p (Summary)
5666 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
5667 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
5670 @kindex X P (Summary)
5671 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
5672 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
5673 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
5676 @kindex X v p (Summary)
5677 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
5678 View the current PostScript series
5679 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
5682 @kindex X v P (Summary)
5683 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
5684 View and save the current PostScript series
5685 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
5690 @subsection Other Files
5694 @kindex X o (Summary)
5695 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
5696 Save the current series
5697 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
5700 @kindex X b (Summary)
5701 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
5702 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
5703 doesn't really work yet.
5707 @node Decoding Variables
5708 @subsection Decoding Variables
5710 Adjective, not verb.
5713 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
5714 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
5715 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
5719 @node Rule Variables
5720 @subsubsection Rule Variables
5721 @cindex rule variables
5723 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
5724 variables are of the form
5727 (list '(regexp1 command2)
5734 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5735 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5737 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
5738 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
5741 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
5742 (list '(\"\\\\.au$\" \"sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio\")))
5745 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5746 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
5747 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
5748 user and default view rules.
5750 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5751 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
5752 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
5757 @node Other Decode Variables
5758 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
5761 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5763 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
5764 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
5765 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
5766 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
5767 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
5771 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
5772 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
5775 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
5776 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
5777 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
5780 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5781 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
5782 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
5783 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
5784 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
5787 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5788 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
5789 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
5791 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5792 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
5793 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
5794 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
5795 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
5798 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5799 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
5800 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
5802 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5803 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
5804 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
5805 looking for files to display.
5807 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
5808 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
5809 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
5812 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5813 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
5814 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
5817 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5818 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
5819 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
5822 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5823 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
5824 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
5827 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5828 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
5829 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
5830 decoded articles as unread.
5832 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5833 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
5834 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
5835 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
5837 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5838 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
5840 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
5841 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
5842 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
5843 @code{metamail} for viewing.
5845 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5846 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
5847 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
5848 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
5849 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
5850 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC1153---no easy way
5851 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
5852 simply dropped them.
5857 @node Uuencoding and Posting
5858 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
5862 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5863 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
5864 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
5865 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
5866 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
5867 for you when you post the article.
5869 @item gnus-uu-post-length
5870 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
5871 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
5872 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
5874 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
5875 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
5876 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
5877 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
5878 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
5879 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
5880 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
5882 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5883 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
5884 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
5885 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
5886 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
5887 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
5888 Default is @code{t}.
5894 @subsection Viewing Files
5895 @cindex viewing files
5896 @cindex pseudo-articles
5898 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
5899 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
5900 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
5901 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
5902 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
5903 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
5904 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
5906 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
5907 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
5908 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
5909 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
5911 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
5912 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
5913 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
5915 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
5916 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
5917 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
5918 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
5919 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
5921 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
5922 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
5923 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
5924 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
5925 a list of parameters to that command.
5927 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
5928 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
5929 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
5931 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
5932 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
5933 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
5936 @node Article Treatment
5937 @section Article Treatment
5939 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
5940 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
5941 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
5942 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
5943 these articles easier.
5946 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
5947 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look niced.
5948 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
5949 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
5950 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
5951 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
5952 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
5956 @node Article Highlighting
5957 @subsection Article Highlighting
5960 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
5961 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
5966 @kindex W H a (Summary)
5967 @findex gnus-article-highlight
5968 Highlight the current article (@code{gnus-article-highlight}).
5971 @kindex W H h (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
5973 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
5974 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
5975 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
5976 variable, which is a list where each element has the form @var{(regexp
5977 name content)}. @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
5978 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name and
5979 @var{content} is the face for highlighting the header value. The first
5980 match made will be used. Note that @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^}
5981 prepended---Gnus will add one.
5984 @kindex W H c (Summary)
5985 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
5986 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
5988 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
5991 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5993 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
5994 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
5995 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
5997 @item gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5998 @vindex gnus-cite-prefix-regexp
5999 Regexp matching the longest possible citation prefix on a line.
6001 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
6002 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
6003 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
6005 @item gnus-cite-face-list
6006 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
6007 List of faces used for highlighting citations. When there are citations
6008 from multiple articles in the same message, Gnus will try to give each
6009 citation from each article its own face. This should make it easier to
6012 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
6013 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
6014 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
6016 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6017 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
6018 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
6020 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6021 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
6022 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
6023 that it's a citation.
6025 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6026 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
6027 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
6029 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6030 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
6031 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
6033 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
6034 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
6035 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
6036 cited text belonging to the attribution.
6042 @kindex W H s (Summary)
6043 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6044 @vindex gnus-signature-face
6045 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
6046 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
6047 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
6048 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
6049 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
6055 @node Article Fontisizing
6056 @subsection Article Fontisizing
6058 @cindex article emphasis
6060 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
6061 @kindex W e (Summary)
6062 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
6063 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*}. Gnus can make this look nicer by
6064 running the article through the @kbd{W e}
6065 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
6067 @vindex gnus-article-emphasis
6068 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
6069 @code{gnus-article-emphasis} variable. This is an alist where the first
6070 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
6071 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
6072 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
6073 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
6074 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
6078 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
6079 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
6080 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
6083 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
6084 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
6085 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
6086 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
6087 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
6088 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
6089 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
6090 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
6091 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
6092 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
6093 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
6094 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
6095 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
6097 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
6098 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
6099 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
6103 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
6107 @node Article Hiding
6108 @subsection Article Hiding
6109 @cindex article hiding
6111 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
6112 too much cruft in most articles.
6117 @kindex W W a (Summary)
6118 @findex gnus-article-hide
6119 Do maximum hiding on the summary buffer (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}).
6122 @kindex W W h (Summary)
6123 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
6124 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
6128 @kindex W W b (Summary)
6129 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
6130 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
6131 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
6134 @kindex W W s (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
6136 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
6140 @kindex W W p (Summary)
6141 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
6142 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
6143 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
6144 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
6145 signature has been hidden.
6148 @kindex W W P (Summary)
6149 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
6150 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
6151 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
6154 @kindex W W c (Summary)
6155 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
6156 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
6157 customizing the hiding:
6161 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6162 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
6163 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
6164 50), hide the cited text.
6166 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6167 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
6168 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
6171 @item gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6172 @vindex gnus-cited-text-button-line-format
6173 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
6174 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
6175 by this format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
6180 Start point of the hidden text.
6182 End point of the hidden text.
6184 Length of the hidden text.
6187 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
6188 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
6189 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave shown.
6194 @kindex W W C (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
6196 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
6197 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
6198 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
6199 in @code{gnus-article-display-hook} (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
6203 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
6204 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
6205 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
6207 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
6208 citation customization.
6211 @node Article Washing
6212 @subsection Article Washing
6214 @cindex article washing
6216 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
6217 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
6219 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
6220 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
6226 @kindex W l (Summary)
6227 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
6228 Remove page breaks from the current article
6229 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}).
6232 @kindex W r (Summary)
6233 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
6234 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
6235 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
6236 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
6237 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
6238 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
6240 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
6241 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
6242 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
6243 is rumoured to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
6246 @kindex W t (Summary)
6247 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
6248 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
6249 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
6252 @kindex W v (Summary)
6253 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
6254 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
6255 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
6258 @kindex W m (Summary)
6259 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-mime
6260 Toggle whether to run the article through @sc{mime} before displaying
6261 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-mime}).
6264 @kindex W o (Summary)
6265 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
6266 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
6269 @kindex W w (Summary)
6270 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
6271 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}). If you use this
6272 function in @code{gnus-article-display-hook}, it should be run fairly
6273 late and certainly after any highlighting.
6275 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
6279 @kindex W c (Summary)
6280 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
6281 Remove CR (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines)
6282 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
6285 @kindex W q (Summary)
6286 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
6287 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
6288 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
6289 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
6290 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
6294 @kindex W f (Summary)
6296 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
6297 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
6298 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
6299 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
6302 \gnusxface{tmp/xface-karlheg.ps}
6303 \gnusxface{tmp/xface-kyle.ps}
6304 \gnusxface{tmp/xface-smb.ps}
6307 Look for and display any X-Face headers
6308 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
6309 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
6310 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
6311 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
6312 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
6313 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
6314 The default action under Emacs is to fork off an @code{xv} to view the
6315 face; under XEmacs the default action is to display the face before the
6316 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
6317 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
6318 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
6319 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends.) If you
6320 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
6324 @kindex W b (Summary)
6325 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
6326 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
6327 @xref{Article Buttons}
6330 @kindex W B (Summary)
6331 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
6332 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
6333 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
6336 @kindex W E l (Summary)
6337 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
6338 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
6339 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
6342 @kindex W E m (Summary)
6343 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
6344 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
6345 lines with a single empty line.
6346 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
6349 @kindex W E t (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
6351 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
6352 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
6355 @kindex W E a (Summary)
6356 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
6357 Do all the three commands above
6358 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
6361 @kindex W E s (Summary)
6362 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
6363 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
6364 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
6369 @node Article Buttons
6370 @subsection Article Buttons
6373 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
6374 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
6375 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
6376 button on these references.
6378 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
6379 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
6380 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
6385 @item gnus-button-alist
6386 @vindex gnus-button-alist
6387 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
6390 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6396 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
6397 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
6398 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
6401 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
6402 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
6403 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
6406 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
6407 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
6408 avoid false matches.
6411 This function will be called when you click on this button.
6414 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
6415 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
6419 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
6422 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
6425 @item gnus-header-button-alist
6426 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
6427 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
6428 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
6429 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
6432 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
6435 @var{HEADER} is a regular expression.
6437 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
6438 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
6439 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
6440 default values of the variables above.
6442 @item gnus-article-button-face
6443 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
6444 Face used on buttons.
6446 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
6447 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
6448 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
6454 @subsection Article Date
6456 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
6457 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
6458 when the article was sent.
6463 @kindex W T u (Summary)
6464 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
6465 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
6466 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
6469 @kindex W T l (Summary)
6470 @findex gnus-article-date-local
6471 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
6474 @kindex W T s (Summary)
6475 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
6476 @findex gnus-article-date-user
6477 @findex format-time-string
6478 Display the date using a user-defined format
6479 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
6480 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
6481 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
6482 for a list of possible format specs.
6485 @kindex W T e (Summary)
6486 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
6487 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
6488 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}).
6491 @kindex W T o (Summary)
6492 @findex gnus-article-date-original
6493 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
6494 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
6495 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
6496 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
6497 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
6502 @node Article Signature
6503 @subsection Article Signature
6505 @cindex article signature
6507 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
6508 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
6509 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
6510 that says what is to be considered a signature is
6511 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
6512 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
6513 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
6514 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
6515 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
6518 (setq gnus-signature-separator
6519 '("^-- $" ; The standard
6520 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
6521 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
6522 ; line of dashes. Shame!
6523 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
6524 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
6525 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
6528 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
6531 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
6532 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
6537 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
6540 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
6543 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
6544 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
6546 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
6547 in question is not a signature.
6550 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
6551 listed above. Here's an example:
6554 (setq gnus-signature-limit
6555 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
6558 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
6559 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
6560 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
6561 signature after all.
6564 @node Article Commands
6565 @section Article Commands
6572 @kindex A P (Summary)
6573 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
6574 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
6575 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
6576 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
6577 run just before printing the buffer.
6582 @node Summary Sorting
6583 @section Summary Sorting
6584 @cindex summary sorting
6586 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
6587 can't really see why you'd want that.
6592 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
6593 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
6594 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
6597 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
6598 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
6599 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
6602 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
6603 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
6604 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
6607 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
6608 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
6609 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
6612 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
6613 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
6614 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
6617 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
6618 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
6619 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
6622 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
6623 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
6624 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
6625 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
6626 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
6630 @node Finding the Parent
6631 @section Finding the Parent
6632 @cindex parent articles
6633 @cindex referring articles
6638 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
6639 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
6640 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
6641 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
6642 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
6643 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
6644 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
6645 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
6646 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
6648 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
6649 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
6650 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
6651 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
6652 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
6656 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
6657 @kindex A R (Summary)
6658 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
6659 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
6662 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
6663 @kindex A T (Summary)
6664 Display the full thread where the current article appears
6665 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
6666 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
6667 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
6668 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
6669 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
6670 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
6672 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
6673 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
6674 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
6675 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
6676 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
6677 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
6680 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
6681 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
6683 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
6684 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
6685 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
6686 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
6687 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
6688 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
6689 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
6692 The current select method will be used when fetching by
6693 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
6694 by giving this command a prefix.
6696 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
6697 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
6698 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
6699 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
6700 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
6701 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
6704 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
6705 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
6706 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
6707 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
6708 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
6709 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
6712 @node Alternative Approaches
6713 @section Alternative Approaches
6715 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
6716 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
6719 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
6720 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
6725 @subsection Pick and Read
6726 @cindex pick and read
6728 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
6729 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
6730 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
6731 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
6733 @findex gnus-pick-mode
6734 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
6735 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
6736 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
6737 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
6738 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
6740 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
6745 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6746 Pick the article on the current line
6747 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}). If given a numerical prefix,
6748 go to that article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
6749 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
6752 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
6753 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
6754 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
6755 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
6759 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6760 Unpick the article (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6764 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6765 Unpick all articles (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6769 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6770 Pick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6774 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6775 Unpick the thread (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6779 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6780 Pick the region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6784 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6785 Unpick the region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6789 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6790 Pick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6794 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6795 Unpick articles that match a regexp (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6799 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6800 Pick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6804 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-buffer
6805 Unpick the buffer (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-buffer}).
6809 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
6810 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
6811 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
6812 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
6813 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
6814 will still be visible when you are reading.
6818 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
6821 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
6824 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
6825 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
6827 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
6828 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
6829 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
6831 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
6832 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
6833 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
6834 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
6835 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
6836 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
6837 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
6841 @subsection Binary Groups
6842 @cindex binary groups
6844 @findex gnus-binary-mode
6845 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
6846 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
6847 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
6848 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
6849 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
6850 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
6853 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
6854 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
6855 command, when you have turned on this mode
6856 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
6858 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
6859 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
6863 @section Tree Display
6866 @vindex gnus-use-trees
6867 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
6868 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
6869 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
6872 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
6875 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
6876 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
6877 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
6879 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6880 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
6881 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers. The default
6882 is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}. For a list of valid specs, @pxref{Summary
6885 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
6886 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
6887 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
6888 default is @code{modeline}.
6890 @item gnus-tree-line-format
6891 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
6892 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
6893 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
6894 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
6895 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
6896 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
6902 The name of the poster.
6904 The @code{From} header.
6906 The number of the article.
6908 The opening bracket.
6910 The closing bracket.
6915 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6917 Variables related to the display are:
6920 @item gnus-tree-brackets
6921 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
6922 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
6923 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @var{((real-open . real-close)
6924 (sparse-open . sparse-close) (dummy-open . dummy-close))}, and the
6925 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}))}.
6927 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6928 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
6929 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
6930 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
6934 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
6935 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
6936 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
6937 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
6938 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
6939 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
6940 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
6941 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
6942 other windows displayed next to it.
6944 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
6945 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
6946 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6947 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
6948 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
6949 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
6950 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
6954 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
6957 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
6967 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
6971 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
6972 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
6974 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
6976 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
6981 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
6982 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
6983 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
6986 (setq gnus-use-trees t
6987 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
6988 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
6989 (gnus-add-configuration
6993 (summary 0.75 point)
6998 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
7001 @node Mail Group Commands
7002 @section Mail Group Commands
7003 @cindex mail group commands
7005 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
7006 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
7008 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
7009 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7014 @kindex B e (Summary)
7015 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
7016 Expire all expirable articles in the group
7017 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
7020 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
7021 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
7022 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
7023 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
7024 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
7025 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
7028 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
7029 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
7030 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
7031 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
7032 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
7033 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
7036 @kindex B m (Summary)
7038 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
7039 Move the article from one mail group to another
7040 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7043 @kindex B c (Summary)
7045 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
7046 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
7047 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
7048 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}).
7051 @kindex B C (Summary)
7052 @cindex crosspost mail
7053 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
7054 Crosspost the current article to some other group
7055 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
7056 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
7057 be properly updated.
7060 @kindex B i (Summary)
7061 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
7062 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
7063 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
7064 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
7067 @kindex B r (Summary)
7068 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
7069 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}).
7070 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
7071 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
7072 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
7076 @kindex B w (Summary)
7078 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
7079 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
7080 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
7081 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
7082 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
7083 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
7086 @kindex B q (Summary)
7087 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
7088 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
7089 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
7090 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
7093 @kindex B p (Summary)
7094 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
7095 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
7096 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
7097 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
7098 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
7099 article from your news server (or rather, from
7100 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
7101 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
7102 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
7103 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
7104 just not have arrived yet.
7108 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
7109 @cindex moving articles
7110 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
7111 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
7112 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
7113 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
7114 suggestions you find reasonable.
7117 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
7118 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
7119 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
7120 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
7124 @node Various Summary Stuff
7125 @section Various Summary Stuff
7128 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
7129 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
7130 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
7131 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
7135 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
7136 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
7137 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
7139 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
7140 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
7141 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
7142 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
7143 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
7144 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
7147 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7148 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
7149 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
7150 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
7151 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
7153 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7154 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
7155 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
7156 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
7157 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
7158 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
7159 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
7160 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
7161 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
7162 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
7167 @node Summary Group Information
7168 @subsection Summary Group Information
7173 @kindex H f (Summary)
7174 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
7175 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
7176 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
7177 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
7178 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
7179 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
7180 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
7181 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
7182 be used for fetching the file.
7185 @kindex H d (Summary)
7186 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
7187 Give a brief description of the current group
7188 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
7189 rereading the description from the server.
7192 @kindex H h (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
7194 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
7195 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
7198 @kindex H i (Summary)
7199 @findex gnus-info-find-node
7200 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
7204 @node Searching for Articles
7205 @subsection Searching for Articles
7210 @kindex M-s (Summary)
7211 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
7212 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
7213 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
7216 @kindex M-r (Summary)
7217 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
7218 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
7219 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
7223 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
7224 This command will prompt you for a header field, a regular expression to
7225 match on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
7226 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If given a prefix, search
7230 @kindex M-& (Summary)
7231 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
7232 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
7233 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
7236 @node Summary Generation Commands
7237 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
7242 @kindex Y g (Summary)
7243 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
7244 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
7247 @kindex Y c (Summary)
7248 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
7249 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
7250 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
7255 @node Really Various Summary Commands
7256 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
7261 @kindex C-d (Summary)
7262 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
7263 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
7264 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
7265 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
7266 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
7267 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
7268 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
7269 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
7273 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
7274 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
7275 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
7276 several documents into one biiig group
7277 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
7278 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
7279 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
7280 command understands the process/prefix convention
7281 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7284 @kindex C-t (Summary)
7285 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
7286 Toggle truncation of summary lines
7287 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
7288 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
7289 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
7293 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
7294 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
7295 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
7300 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
7301 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
7302 @cindex summary exit
7303 @cindex exiting groups
7305 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
7306 group and return you to the group buffer.
7312 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
7314 @findex gnus-summary-exit
7315 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
7316 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
7317 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
7318 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
7319 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
7320 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
7321 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
7322 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
7323 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
7324 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
7328 @kindex Z E (Summary)
7330 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
7331 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
7332 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
7336 @kindex Z c (Summary)
7338 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
7339 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
7340 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
7341 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
7344 @kindex Z C (Summary)
7345 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
7346 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
7347 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
7350 @kindex Z n (Summary)
7351 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
7352 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
7353 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
7356 @kindex Z R (Summary)
7357 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
7358 Exit this group, and then enter it again
7359 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
7360 all articles, both read and unread.
7364 @kindex Z G (Summary)
7365 @kindex M-g (Summary)
7366 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
7367 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
7368 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
7369 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
7370 articles, both read and unread.
7373 @kindex Z N (Summary)
7374 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
7375 Exit the group and go to the next group
7376 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
7379 @kindex Z P (Summary)
7380 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
7381 Exit the group and go to the previous group
7382 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
7385 @kindex Z s (Summary)
7386 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
7387 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
7388 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
7389 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
7390 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
7393 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
7394 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current
7397 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
7398 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
7399 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
7400 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
7401 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
7402 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
7403 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
7404 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
7405 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
7406 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
7407 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
7408 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
7410 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
7412 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
7413 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
7414 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
7415 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
7416 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
7417 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
7418 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
7419 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
7420 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
7423 @node Crosspost Handling
7424 @section Crosspost Handling
7428 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
7429 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
7430 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
7431 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
7432 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
7433 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
7436 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
7437 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
7438 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
7439 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
7440 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
7442 @cindex cross-posting
7445 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
7446 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
7447 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
7448 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
7449 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
7450 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
7451 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
7452 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
7453 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
7454 the cross reference mechanism.
7456 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
7457 @cindex overview.fmt
7458 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
7459 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
7460 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
7461 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
7462 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
7463 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
7466 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
7467 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
7468 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
7473 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
7476 @node Duplicate Suppression
7477 @section Duplicate Suppression
7479 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
7480 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
7481 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
7482 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
7487 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
7488 is evil and not very common.
7491 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
7492 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
7495 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
7496 different @sc{nntp} servers.
7499 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
7502 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
7503 well, but these four are the most common situations.
7505 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
7506 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
7507 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
7508 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
7509 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
7510 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
7511 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
7514 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
7515 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
7516 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
7517 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
7518 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
7522 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
7523 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
7524 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
7526 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
7527 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
7528 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
7529 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
7530 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
7531 session are suppressed.
7533 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
7534 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
7535 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
7536 suppression list. The default is 10000.
7538 @item gnus-duplicate-file
7539 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
7540 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
7541 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
7544 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
7545 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
7546 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
7547 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
7548 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
7549 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
7550 to you to figure out, I think.
7553 @node The Article Buffer
7554 @chapter The Article Buffer
7555 @cindex article buffer
7557 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
7558 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
7559 tell Gnus otherwise.
7562 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
7563 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
7564 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
7565 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
7566 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
7570 @node Hiding Headers
7571 @section Hiding Headers
7572 @cindex hiding headers
7573 @cindex deleting headers
7575 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
7576 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
7578 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
7579 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
7580 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
7581 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
7582 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
7583 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
7584 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
7585 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
7586 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
7588 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
7592 @item gnus-visible-headers
7593 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
7594 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
7595 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
7596 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
7598 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
7599 the article and the subject, you'd say:
7602 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
7605 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7608 @item gnus-ignored-headers
7609 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
7610 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
7611 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
7612 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
7613 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
7615 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
7616 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
7619 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
7622 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
7625 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
7626 variable will have no effect.
7630 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
7631 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
7632 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
7633 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
7634 the headers are to be displayed.
7636 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
7637 and then the subject, you might say something like:
7640 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
7643 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
7644 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
7646 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7647 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7648 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
7649 You can hide further boring headers by entering
7650 @code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers} into
7651 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}. What this function does depends on
7652 the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a list, but this
7653 list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is lists various
7654 @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove from sight.
7656 These conditions are:
7659 Remove all empty headers.
7661 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
7664 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
7665 @code{Newsgroups} header.
7667 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
7670 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
7673 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
7676 To include the four first elements, you could say something like;
7679 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
7680 '(empty newsgroups followup-to reply-to))
7683 This is also the default value for this variable.
7687 @section Using @sc{mime}
7690 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
7691 while people stand around yawning.
7693 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
7694 while all newsreaders die of fear.
7696 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
7697 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
7698 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
7700 @vindex gnus-show-mime
7701 @vindex gnus-show-mime-method
7702 @vindex gnus-strict-mime
7703 @findex metamail-buffer
7704 Gnus handles @sc{mime} by pushing the articles through
7705 @code{gnus-show-mime-method}, which is @code{metamail-buffer} by
7706 default. Set @code{gnus-show-mime} to @code{t} if you want to use
7707 @sc{mime} all the time. However, if @code{gnus-strict-mime} is
7708 non-@code{nil}, the @sc{mime} method will only be used if there are
7709 @sc{mime} headers in the article. If you have @code{gnus-show-mime}
7710 set, then you'll see some unfortunate display glitches in the article
7711 buffer. These can't be avoided.
7713 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the summary
7714 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
7715 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
7716 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
7717 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume
7718 button, because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you,
7719 and you try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the
7720 program to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly
7721 decides to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
7723 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
7726 @node Customizing Articles
7727 @section Customizing Articles
7728 @cindex article customization
7730 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7731 The @code{gnus-article-display-hook} is called after the article has
7732 been inserted into the article buffer. It is meant to handle all
7733 treatment of the article before it is displayed.
7735 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7736 By default this hook just contains @code{gnus-article-hide-headers},
7737 @code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}, and
7738 @code{gnus-article-maybe-highlight}, but there are thousands, nay
7739 millions, of functions you can put in this hook. For an overview of
7740 functions @pxref{Article Highlighting}, @pxref{Article Hiding},
7741 @pxref{Article Washing}, @pxref{Article Buttons} and @pxref{Article
7742 Date}. Note that the order of functions in this hook might affect
7743 things, so you may have to fiddle a bit to get the desired results.
7745 You can, of course, write your own functions. The functions are called
7746 from the article buffer, and you can do anything you like, pretty much.
7747 There is no information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can
7748 change everything. However, you shouldn't delete any headers. Instead
7749 make them invisible if you want to make them go away.
7752 @node Article Keymap
7753 @section Article Keymap
7755 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
7756 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
7757 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
7758 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
7761 A few additional keystrokes are available:
7766 @kindex SPACE (Article)
7767 @findex gnus-article-next-page
7768 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
7771 @kindex DEL (Article)
7772 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
7773 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
7776 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
7777 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
7778 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
7779 @kbd{r}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
7780 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
7783 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
7784 @findex gnus-article-mail
7785 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
7786 given a prefix, include the mail.
7790 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
7791 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
7792 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
7796 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
7797 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
7798 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
7801 @kindex TAB (Article)
7802 @findex gnus-article-next-button
7803 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
7804 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
7807 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
7808 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
7809 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
7815 @section Misc Article
7819 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
7820 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
7821 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
7822 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
7825 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
7826 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
7827 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
7828 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
7829 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
7830 the contents of the article buffer.
7832 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
7833 @item gnus-article-display-hook
7834 This hook is called as the last thing when displaying an article, and is
7835 intended for modifying the contents of the buffer, doing highlights,
7836 hiding headers, and the like.
7838 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
7839 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
7840 Hook called in article mode buffers.
7842 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7843 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
7844 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
7845 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
7847 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
7848 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
7849 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
7850 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. It accepts the same
7851 format specifications as that variable, with one extension:
7855 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
7856 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
7860 @vindex gnus-break-pages
7862 @item gnus-break-pages
7863 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
7864 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
7865 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
7866 paging will not be done.
7868 @item gnus-page-delimiter
7869 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
7870 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
7875 @node Composing Messages
7876 @chapter Composing Messages
7881 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
7882 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
7883 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the article
7884 by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The Message
7885 Manual}. If you are in a foreign news group, and you wish to post the
7886 article using the foreign server, you can give a prefix to @kbd{C-c C-c}
7887 to make Gnus try to post using the foreign server.
7890 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
7891 * Post:: Posting and following up.
7892 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
7893 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
7894 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
7895 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
7896 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
7899 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
7900 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
7906 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
7909 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
7910 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
7911 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
7912 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
7914 @item gnus-add-to-list
7915 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
7916 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
7917 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
7925 Variables for composing news articles:
7928 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7929 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-file
7930 Gnus will keep a @code{Message-ID} history file of all the mails it has
7931 sent. If it discovers that it has already sent a mail, it will ask the
7932 user whether to re-send the mail. (This is primarily useful when
7933 dealing with @sc{soup} packets and the like where one is apt to send the
7934 same packet multiple times.) This variable says what the name of this
7935 history file is. It is @file{~/News/Sent-Message-IDs} by default. Set
7936 this variable to @code{nil} if you don't want Gnus to keep a history
7939 @item gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7940 @vindex gnus-sent-message-ids-length
7941 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the history
7942 file. It is 1000 by default.
7947 @node Posting Server
7948 @section Posting Server
7950 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
7951 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
7953 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
7955 @vindex gnus-post-method
7957 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
7958 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
7959 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
7960 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
7961 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
7964 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
7967 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
7968 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
7969 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
7970 the ``current'' server for posting.
7972 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
7973 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
7975 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
7976 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
7981 @section Mail and Post
7983 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
7987 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
7988 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
7989 @cindex mailing lists
7991 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
7992 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
7993 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
7994 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
7995 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
7996 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
7997 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
7998 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
7999 still a pain, though.
8003 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
8004 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
8005 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
8008 @findex ispell-message
8010 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
8014 @node Archived Messages
8015 @section Archived Messages
8016 @cindex archived messages
8017 @cindex sent messages
8019 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
8020 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
8021 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
8022 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
8025 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
8026 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
8027 use to store sent messages. The default is:
8031 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive/"))
8034 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
8035 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likeable select method
8036 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
8037 directory chosen, you could say something like:
8040 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
8041 '(nnfolder "archive"
8042 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
8043 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
8044 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
8047 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
8049 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
8050 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
8051 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
8053 This variable can be used to do the following:
8057 Messages will be saved in that group.
8058 @item a list of strings
8059 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
8060 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
8061 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
8063 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
8068 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
8070 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
8073 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
8075 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
8078 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
8080 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8081 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
8082 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
8083 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
8088 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8089 '((if (message-news-p)
8094 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
8095 messages in one file per month:
8098 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
8099 '((if (message-news-p)
8101 (concat "mail." (format-time-string
8102 "%Y-%m" (current-time))))))
8105 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
8106 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
8108 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
8109 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
8110 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
8111 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
8112 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
8113 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
8114 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
8115 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
8116 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
8117 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
8119 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
8120 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
8121 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
8122 this will disable archiving.
8125 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
8126 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
8127 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
8128 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
8129 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
8132 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
8133 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
8134 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
8137 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
8138 but the latter is the preferred method.
8142 @c @node Posting Styles
8143 @c @section Posting Styles
8144 @c @cindex posting styles
8147 @c All them variables, they make my head swim.
8149 @c So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
8150 @c on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
8151 @c and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
8154 @c @vindex gnus-posting-styles
8155 @c One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
8156 @c variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
8157 @c came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
8158 @c a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
8163 @c (signature . "Peace and happiness")
8164 @c (organization . "What me?"))
8166 @c (signature . "Death to everybody"))
8167 @c ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
8168 @c (organization . "Emacs is it")))
8171 @c As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
8172 @c @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
8173 @c ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
8174 @c over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
8175 @c applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
8176 @c the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
8177 @c @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
8178 @c signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
8180 @c The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
8181 @c string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
8182 @c If it's a function symbol, that function will be called with no
8183 @c arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
8184 @c referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
8185 @c any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
8188 @c Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
8189 @c attribute consists of a @var{(name . value)} pair. The attribute name
8190 @c can be one of @code{signature}, @code{organization} or @code{from}. The
8191 @c attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
8192 @c a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
8195 @c The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function (the
8196 @c return value will be used), a variable (its value will be used) or a
8197 @c list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value will be used).
8199 @c So here's a new example:
8202 @c (setq gnus-posting-styles
8204 @c (signature . "~/.signature")
8205 @c (from . "user@@foo (user)")
8206 @c ("X-Home-Page" . (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
8207 @c (organization . "People's Front Against MWM"))
8209 @c (signature . my-funny-signature-randomizer))
8210 @c ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
8211 @c (signature . my-quote-randomizer))
8212 @c (posting-from-work-p
8213 @c (signature . "~/.work-signature")
8214 @c (from . "user@@bar.foo (user)")
8215 @c (organization . "Important Work, Inc"))
8217 @c (signature . "~/.mail-signature"))))
8224 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
8225 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
8226 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
8227 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
8228 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
8230 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
8231 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
8232 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
8233 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
8234 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
8238 @vindex nndraft-directory
8239 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
8240 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
8241 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
8242 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
8243 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
8244 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
8246 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
8247 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
8250 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
8251 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
8252 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
8253 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
8254 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
8255 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
8256 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
8257 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
8258 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
8259 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
8260 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
8261 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
8262 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
8263 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
8265 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
8266 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
8267 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
8269 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
8271 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
8272 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
8273 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
8275 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
8278 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
8279 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
8280 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
8281 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
8282 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
8283 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
8284 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
8287 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
8288 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
8289 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
8292 @node Rejected Articles
8293 @section Rejected Articles
8294 @cindex rejected articles
8296 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
8297 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
8298 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
8299 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
8301 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
8302 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
8303 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
8304 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
8305 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
8307 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
8308 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
8309 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
8312 @node Select Methods
8313 @chapter Select Methods
8314 @cindex foreign groups
8315 @cindex select methods
8317 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
8318 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
8319 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
8320 personal mail group.
8322 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
8323 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
8324 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
8325 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
8326 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
8327 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
8329 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
8330 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
8332 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
8335 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
8336 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
8337 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
8338 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
8339 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
8341 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
8344 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
8345 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
8346 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
8347 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
8348 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
8349 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
8353 @node The Server Buffer
8354 @section The Server Buffer
8356 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
8357 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
8358 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
8359 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
8360 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
8361 backend represents a virtual server.
8363 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
8364 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
8365 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
8366 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
8368 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
8369 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
8370 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
8371 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
8372 Anyways, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
8373 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
8374 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
8376 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
8377 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
8380 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
8381 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
8382 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
8383 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
8384 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
8385 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
8386 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
8389 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
8390 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
8393 @node Server Buffer Format
8394 @subsection Server Buffer Format
8395 @cindex server buffer format
8397 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
8398 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
8399 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
8400 variable, with some simple extensions:
8405 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
8408 The name of this server.
8411 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
8414 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
8417 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
8418 The mode line can also be customized by using the
8419 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable. The following specs are
8430 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
8433 @node Server Commands
8434 @subsection Server Commands
8435 @cindex server commands
8441 @findex gnus-server-add-server
8442 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
8446 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
8447 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
8450 @kindex SPACE (Server)
8451 @findex gnus-server-read-server
8452 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
8456 @findex gnus-server-exit
8457 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
8461 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
8462 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
8466 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
8467 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
8471 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
8472 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
8476 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
8477 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
8481 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
8482 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
8483 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
8488 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
8489 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
8490 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
8491 a mail backend that has gotten out of synch.
8496 @node Example Methods
8497 @subsection Example Methods
8499 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
8502 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
8505 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
8511 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
8512 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
8515 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
8516 @var{(variable form)} pairs.
8518 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
8519 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
8523 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
8526 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
8527 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
8529 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
8530 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
8531 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
8535 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
8538 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
8541 Here's the method for a public spool:
8545 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
8546 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
8549 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
8550 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
8551 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
8552 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
8553 should probably look something like this:
8557 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
8558 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
8559 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
8560 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
8561 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
8566 @node Creating a Virtual Server
8567 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
8569 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
8570 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
8572 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
8573 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
8574 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
8576 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
8578 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
8579 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
8580 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
8581 will contain the following:
8591 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
8592 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
8593 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
8596 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
8597 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
8598 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
8601 @node Server Variables
8602 @subsection Server Variables
8604 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
8605 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
8606 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
8607 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
8608 won't change the "derived" variables.
8610 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
8611 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
8612 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
8613 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
8614 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
8615 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
8616 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
8617 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
8618 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
8622 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
8623 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
8624 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
8628 @node Servers and Methods
8629 @subsection Servers and Methods
8631 Wherever you would normally use a select method
8632 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
8633 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
8634 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
8638 @node Unavailable Servers
8639 @subsection Unavailable Servers
8641 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
8642 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
8643 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
8644 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
8645 actually the case or not.
8647 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
8648 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
8649 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
8650 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
8651 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
8652 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
8653 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
8654 it will regard that server as ``down''.
8656 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
8657 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
8659 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
8660 with the following commands:
8666 @findex gnus-server-open-server
8667 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
8668 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
8672 @findex gnus-server-close-server
8673 Close the connection (if any) to the server
8674 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
8678 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
8679 Mark the current server as unreachable
8680 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
8683 @kindex M-o (Server)
8684 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
8685 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
8686 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
8689 @kindex M-c (Server)
8690 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
8691 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
8692 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
8696 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
8697 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
8698 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
8704 @section Getting News
8705 @cindex reading news
8706 @cindex news backends
8708 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
8709 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
8710 or it can read from a local spool.
8713 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
8714 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
8719 @subsection @sc{nntp}
8722 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
8723 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
8724 server as the, uhm, address.
8726 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
8727 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
8728 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
8729 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
8731 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
8732 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
8733 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
8735 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
8740 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
8741 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
8742 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
8744 @cindex authentification
8745 @cindex nntp authentification
8746 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8747 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
8748 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
8749 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
8750 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
8751 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
8752 present in this hook.
8754 @item nntp-authinfo-function
8755 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
8756 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
8757 server. Available functions include:
8760 @item nntp-send-authinfo
8761 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
8762 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8763 prompt you for the password. This is the default.
8765 @item nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8766 @findex nntp-send-nosy-authinfo
8767 This function will prompt you for both user name and password.
8769 @item nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8770 @findex nntp-send-authinfo-from-file
8771 This function will use your current login name as the user name and will
8772 read the @sc{nntp} password from @file{~/.nntp-authinfo}.
8775 @item nntp-server-action-alist
8776 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
8777 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
8778 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
8779 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
8782 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
8786 You probably don't want to do that, though.
8788 The default value is
8791 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
8792 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
8795 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
8796 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
8798 @item nntp-maximum-request
8799 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
8800 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
8801 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
8802 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
8803 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
8804 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
8805 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
8807 @item nntp-connection-timeout
8808 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
8809 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
8810 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
8811 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
8812 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
8813 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
8814 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
8815 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
8816 no timeouts are done.
8818 @item nntp-command-timeout
8819 @vindex nntp-command-timeout
8820 @cindex PPP connections
8821 @cindex dynamic IP addresses
8822 If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
8823 address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
8824 changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
8825 waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
8826 unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
8827 then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
8828 number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
8829 the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
8830 likely number is 30 seconds.
8832 @item nntp-retry-on-break
8833 @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
8834 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
8835 hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
8838 @item nntp-server-hook
8839 @vindex nntp-server-hook
8840 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
8843 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
8844 @findex nntp-open-telnet
8845 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
8846 @item nntp-open-connection-function
8847 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
8848 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Three pre-made
8849 functions are @code{nntp-open-network-stream}, which is the default, and
8850 simply connects to some port or other on the remote system. The other
8851 two are @code{nntp-open-rlogin}, which does an @samp{rlogin} on the
8852 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
8853 available there, and @code{nntp-open-telnet}, which does a @samp{telnet}
8854 to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet} to get to the
8857 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
8861 @item nntp-rlogin-program
8862 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
8863 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
8864 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
8866 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
8867 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
8868 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
8870 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8871 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8872 User name on the remote system.
8876 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
8879 @item nntp-telnet-command
8880 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
8881 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
8883 @item nntp-telnet-switches
8884 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
8885 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
8887 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
8888 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
8889 User name for log in on the remote system.
8891 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
8892 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
8893 Password to use when logging in.
8895 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
8896 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
8897 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
8902 @item nntp-end-of-line
8903 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
8904 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
8905 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
8906 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
8908 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
8909 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
8910 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
8914 @vindex nntp-address
8915 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
8917 @item nntp-port-number
8918 @vindex nntp-port-number
8919 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
8922 @item nntp-buggy-select
8923 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
8924 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
8926 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
8927 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
8928 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
8929 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
8932 @item nntp-xover-commands
8933 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
8936 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
8937 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
8941 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
8942 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
8943 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
8944 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
8945 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
8946 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
8947 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
8948 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
8949 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
8950 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
8951 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
8953 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
8954 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
8955 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
8957 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8958 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
8959 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
8960 server closes connection.
8966 @subsection News Spool
8970 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
8971 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
8972 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
8975 Anyways, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @samp{} (or
8976 anything else) as the address.
8978 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
8979 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
8980 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
8981 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
8985 @item nnspool-inews-program
8986 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
8987 Program used to post an article.
8989 @item nnspool-inews-switches
8990 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
8991 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
8993 @item nnspool-spool-directory
8994 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
8995 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
8996 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
8998 @item nnspool-nov-directory
8999 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
9000 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
9001 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
9003 @item nnspool-lib-dir
9004 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
9005 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
9007 @item nnspool-active-file
9008 @vindex nnspool-active-file
9009 The path to the active file.
9011 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
9012 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
9013 The path to the group descriptions file.
9015 @item nnspool-history-file
9016 @vindex nnspool-history-file
9017 The path to the news history file.
9019 @item nnspool-active-times-file
9020 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
9021 The path to the active date file.
9023 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
9024 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
9025 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
9028 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9029 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
9031 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
9032 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
9033 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
9039 @section Getting Mail
9040 @cindex reading mail
9043 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
9047 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
9048 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
9049 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
9050 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
9051 * Mail and Procmail:: Reading mail groups that procmail create.
9052 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
9053 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
9054 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
9055 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
9056 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
9057 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
9061 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
9062 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
9064 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
9065 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
9066 and things will happen automatically.
9068 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
9069 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
9072 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
9073 '((nnml "private")))
9076 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
9077 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
9078 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
9079 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
9080 like any other group.
9082 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
9085 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9086 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9087 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9091 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
9092 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
9093 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
9096 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
9097 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
9098 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
9101 @node Splitting Mail
9102 @subsection Splitting Mail
9103 @cindex splitting mail
9104 @cindex mail splitting
9106 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
9107 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
9108 to be split into groups.
9111 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9112 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
9113 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
9117 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
9118 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
9119 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
9120 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
9121 determine if it belongs in this mail group.
9123 If the first element is the special symbol @code{junk}, then messages
9124 that match the regexp will disappear into the aether. Use with
9127 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
9128 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
9129 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
9130 mail belongs in that group.
9132 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
9133 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
9134 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
9135 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
9136 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
9137 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
9139 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
9140 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
9141 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
9142 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
9143 thinks should carry this mail message.
9145 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
9146 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
9147 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
9148 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
9150 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
9151 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
9152 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
9153 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
9154 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
9156 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
9159 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
9160 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
9161 links. If that's the case for you, set
9162 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
9163 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
9165 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
9166 @kindex nnmail-split-history
9167 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
9168 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command.
9170 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
9171 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
9172 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
9173 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
9174 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
9175 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
9176 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
9177 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
9181 @node Mail Backend Variables
9182 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
9184 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
9188 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9189 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
9190 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
9191 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
9193 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
9194 @item nnmail-spool-file
9198 @vindex nnmail-pop-password
9199 @vindex nnmail-pop-password-required
9200 The backends will look for new mail in this file. If this variable is
9201 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
9202 themselves. If you are using a POP mail server and your name is
9203 @samp{larsi}, you should set this variable to @samp{po:larsi}. If
9204 your name is not @samp{larsi}, you should probably modify that
9205 slightly, but you may have guessed that already, you smart & handsome
9206 devil! You can also set this variable to @code{pop}, and Gnus will try
9207 to figure out the POP mail string by itself. In any case, Gnus will
9208 call @code{movemail} which will contact the POP server named in the
9209 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable. If the POP server needs a
9210 password, you can either set @code{nnmail-pop-password-required} to
9211 @code{t} and be prompted for the password, or set
9212 @code{nnmail-pop-password} to the password itself.
9214 @code{nnmail-spool-file} can also be a list of mailboxes.
9216 Your Emacs has to have been configured with @samp{--with-pop} before
9217 compilation. This is the default, but some installations have it
9220 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
9221 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
9222 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
9223 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
9224 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
9225 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
9227 @vindex nnmail-use-procmail
9228 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9229 @item nnmail-use-procmail
9230 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will look in
9231 @code{nnmail-procmail-directory} for incoming mail. All the files in
9232 that directory that have names ending in @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix}
9233 will be considered incoming mailboxes, and will be searched for new
9236 @vindex nnmail-crash-box
9237 @item nnmail-crash-box
9238 When a mail backend reads a spool file, mail is first moved to this
9239 file, which is @file{~/.gnus-crash-box} by default. If this file
9240 already exists, it will always be read (and incorporated) before any
9243 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9244 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9245 This is run in a buffer that holds all the new incoming mail, and can be
9246 used for, well, anything, really.
9248 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
9249 @item nnmail-split-hook
9250 @findex article-decode-rfc1522
9251 @findex RFC1522 decoding
9252 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
9253 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
9254 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
9255 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
9256 in the buffer will show up in any files. @code{gnus-article-decode-rfc1522}
9257 is one likely function to add to this hook.
9259 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9260 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9261 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9262 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
9263 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
9264 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
9265 starting to handle the new mail) and
9266 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
9267 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
9268 default file modes the new mail files get:
9271 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
9272 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
9274 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
9275 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
9278 @item nnmail-tmp-directory
9279 @vindex nnmail-tmp-directory
9280 This variable says where to move incoming mail to -- while processing
9281 it. This is usually done in the same directory that the mail backend
9282 inhabits (e.g., @file{~/Mail/}), but if this variable is non-@code{nil},
9283 it will be used instead.
9285 @item nnmail-movemail-program
9286 @vindex nnmail-movemail-program
9287 This program is executed to move mail from the user's inbox to her home
9288 directory. The default is @samp{movemail}.
9290 This can also be a function. In that case, the function will be called
9291 with two parameters -- the name of the inbox, and the file to be moved
9294 @item nnmail-delete-incoming
9295 @vindex nnmail-delete-incoming
9296 @cindex incoming mail files
9297 @cindex deleting incoming files
9298 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will delete the temporary incoming
9299 file after splitting mail into the proper groups. This is @code{t} by
9302 @c This is @code{nil} by
9303 @c default for reasons of security.
9305 @c Since Red Gnus is an alpha release, it is to be expected to lose mail.
9306 (No Gnus release since (ding) Gnus 0.10 (or something like that) have
9307 lost mail, I think, but that's not the point. (Except certain versions
9308 of Red Gnus.)) By not deleting the Incoming* files, one can be sure not
9309 to lose mail -- if Gnus totally whacks out, one can always recover what
9312 You may delete the @file{Incoming*} files at will.
9314 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
9315 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
9316 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
9317 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
9318 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
9319 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
9320 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
9322 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
9323 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
9325 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
9327 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9328 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
9329 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
9330 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
9331 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
9336 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
9337 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
9338 @cindex mail splitting
9339 @cindex fancy mail splitting
9341 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
9342 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
9343 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
9344 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
9345 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
9346 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
9348 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
9351 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
9352 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
9353 ;; from real errors.
9354 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
9356 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
9357 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
9358 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
9359 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
9360 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
9361 ;; Other mailing lists...
9362 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
9363 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
9365 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
9366 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
9370 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
9371 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
9372 the five possible split syntaxes:
9377 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name.
9380 @var{(FIELD VALUE SPLIT)}: If the split is a list, the first element of
9381 which is a string, then store the message as specified by SPLIT, if
9382 header FIELD (a regexp) contains VALUE (also a regexp).
9385 @var{(| SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9386 @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each SPLIT until one of them
9387 matches. A SPLIT is said to match if it will cause the mail message to
9388 be stored in one or more groups.
9391 @var{(& SPLIT...)}: If the split is a list, and the first element is
9392 @code{&}, then process all SPLITs in the list.
9395 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
9396 this message anywhere.
9399 @var{(: function arg1 arg2 ...)}: If the split is a list, and the first
9400 element is @code{:}, then the second element will be called as a
9401 function with @var{args} given as arguments. The function should return
9406 In these splits, @var{FIELD} must match a complete field name.
9407 @var{VALUE} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
9408 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
9409 field names or words. In other words, all @var{VALUE}'s are wrapped in
9410 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
9412 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
9413 @var{FIELD} and @var{VALUE} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
9414 are expanded as specified by the variable
9415 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
9416 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
9419 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
9420 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
9421 when all this splitting is performed.
9423 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
9424 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
9425 substitions in the group names), you can say things like:
9428 (any "debian-\(\\w*\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
9431 @node Mail and Procmail
9432 @subsection Mail and Procmail
9437 Many people use @code{procmail} (or some other mail filter program or
9438 external delivery agent---@code{slocal}, @code{elm}, etc) to split
9439 incoming mail into groups. If you do that, you should set
9440 @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{procmail} to ensure that the mail
9441 backends never ever try to fetch mail by themselves.
9443 This also means that you probably don't want to set
9444 @code{nnmail-split-methods} either, which has some, perhaps, unexpected
9447 When a mail backend is queried for what groups it carries, it replies
9448 with the contents of that variable, along with any groups it has figured
9449 out that it carries by other means. None of the backends, except
9450 @code{nnmh}, actually go out to the disk and check what groups actually
9451 exist. (It's not trivial to distinguish between what the user thinks is
9452 a basis for a newsgroup and what is just a plain old file or directory.)
9454 This means that you have to tell Gnus (and the backends) by hand what
9457 Let's take the @code{nnmh} backend as an example:
9459 The folders are located in @code{nnmh-directory}, say, @file{~/Mail/}.
9460 There are three folders, @file{foo}, @file{bar} and @file{mail.baz}.
9462 Go to the group buffer and type @kbd{G m}. When prompted, answer
9463 @samp{foo} for the name and @samp{nnmh} for the method. Repeat
9464 twice for the two other groups, @samp{bar} and @samp{mail.baz}. Be sure
9465 to include all your mail groups.
9467 That's it. You are now set to read your mail. An active file for this
9468 method will be created automatically.
9470 @vindex nnmail-procmail-suffix
9471 @vindex nnmail-procmail-directory
9472 If you use @code{nnfolder} or any other backend that store more than a
9473 single article in each file, you should never have procmail add mails to
9474 the file that Gnus sees. Instead, procmail should put all incoming mail
9475 in @code{nnmail-procmail-directory}. To arrive at the file name to put
9476 the incoming mail in, append @code{nnmail-procmail-suffix} to the group
9477 name. The mail backends will read the mail from these files.
9479 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
9480 When Gnus reads a file called @file{mail.misc.spool}, this mail will be
9481 put in the @code{mail.misc}, as one would expect. However, if you want
9482 Gnus to split the mail the normal way, you could set
9483 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to @code{t}.
9485 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9486 If you use @code{procmail} to split things directly into an @code{nnmh}
9487 directory (which you shouldn't do), you should set
9488 @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} to non-@code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
9489 ever expiring the final article (i.e., the article with the highest
9490 article number) in a mail newsgroup. This is quite, quite important.
9492 Here's an example setup: The incoming spools are located in
9493 @file{~/incoming/} and have @samp{""} as suffixes (i.e., the incoming
9494 spool files have the same names as the equivalent groups). The
9495 @code{nnfolder} backend is to be used as the mail interface, and the
9496 @code{nnfolder} directory is @file{~/fMail/}.
9499 (setq nnfolder-directory "~/fMail/")
9500 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
9501 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/incoming/")
9502 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnfolder "")))
9503 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "")
9507 @node Incorporating Old Mail
9508 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
9510 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
9511 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
9512 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
9515 Doing so can be quite easy.
9517 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
9518 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
9519 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
9520 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
9521 your @code{nnml} groups.
9527 Go to the group buffer.
9530 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
9531 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
9534 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
9537 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
9538 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
9541 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
9542 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
9545 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
9546 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
9547 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
9548 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
9549 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
9551 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
9552 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
9553 using the new mail backend.
9557 @subsection Expiring Mail
9558 @cindex article expiry
9560 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
9561 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
9562 different approach to mail reading.
9564 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
9565 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
9566 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
9567 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
9568 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
9569 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
9572 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
9573 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
9574 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
9575 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
9576 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
9577 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
9578 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
9579 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
9581 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9582 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
9583 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
9584 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
9585 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
9586 column in the summary buffer.
9588 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
9589 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
9590 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
9591 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
9594 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
9596 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
9597 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
9598 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
9601 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
9602 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
9603 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
9604 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
9605 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
9607 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
9608 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
9611 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
9612 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
9615 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
9616 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
9618 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
9619 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
9620 don't really mix very well.
9622 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
9623 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
9624 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
9625 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
9628 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
9629 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
9630 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
9631 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
9634 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9636 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
9638 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
9640 ((string= group "mail.junk")
9642 ((string= group "important")
9648 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
9649 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
9651 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
9652 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
9653 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
9656 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
9657 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9659 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
9660 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
9661 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
9662 easier for procmail users.
9664 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
9665 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
9666 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
9667 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
9668 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
9669 caution. Even more dangerous is the
9670 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
9671 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
9672 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
9673 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
9674 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
9675 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
9676 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
9679 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
9683 @subsection Washing Mail
9684 @cindex mail washing
9685 @cindex list server brain damage
9686 @cindex incoming mail treatment
9688 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
9689 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC822 doesn't explicitly
9690 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
9691 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
9692 Yes, but RFC822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
9693 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
9695 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
9696 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
9697 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
9700 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
9701 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
9702 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
9703 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
9706 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9707 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
9708 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
9709 grand, sweeping gestures. Functions to be used include:
9712 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9713 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
9714 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
9715 Emacs running on MS machines.
9719 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9720 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
9721 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
9722 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
9725 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9726 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
9727 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
9728 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
9730 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9731 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
9732 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
9733 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
9734 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
9735 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
9736 also be a list of regexp.
9738 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
9739 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
9742 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
9743 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
9746 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
9747 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
9748 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
9752 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9753 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
9754 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
9758 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
9759 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
9760 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
9767 @subsection Duplicates
9769 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
9770 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
9771 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
9772 @cindex duplicate mails
9773 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
9774 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
9775 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
9776 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
9777 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
9778 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
9779 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
9780 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
9781 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
9782 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
9783 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
9784 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
9785 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
9787 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
9788 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
9789 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
9790 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
9792 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
9795 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
9796 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
9800 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
9801 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
9802 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
9803 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
9804 (any mail "mail.misc")
9811 (setq nnmail-split-methods
9812 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
9817 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
9818 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
9819 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
9820 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
9821 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
9824 @node Not Reading Mail
9825 @subsection Not Reading Mail
9827 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
9828 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
9829 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
9831 If you set @code{nnmail-spool-file} to @code{nil}, none of the backends
9832 will ever attempt to read incoming mail, which should help.
9834 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9835 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9836 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9837 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
9838 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
9839 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
9840 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
9841 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
9842 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
9843 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
9844 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
9846 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
9847 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
9851 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
9852 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
9854 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
9855 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
9856 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
9859 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
9860 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
9861 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
9862 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
9863 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
9868 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
9870 @cindex unix mail box
9872 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9873 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9874 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
9875 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
9876 which group it belongs in.
9878 Virtual server settings:
9881 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
9882 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
9883 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
9885 @item nnmbox-active-file
9886 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
9887 The name of the active file for the mail box.
9889 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
9890 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
9891 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
9897 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
9901 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9902 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9903 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
9904 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each mail
9905 article to say which group it belongs in.
9907 Virtual server settings:
9910 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
9911 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
9912 The name of the rmail mbox file.
9914 @item nnbabyl-active-file
9915 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
9916 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
9918 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9919 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
9920 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
9925 @subsubsection Mail Spool
9927 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
9929 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
9930 format. It should be used with some caution.
9932 @vindex nnml-directory
9933 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
9934 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
9935 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
9936 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
9938 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
9941 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
9942 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
9943 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
9944 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
9945 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
9946 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
9947 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
9948 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
9950 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
9951 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
9952 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
9953 backend when it comes to reading mail.
9955 Virtual server settings:
9958 @item nnml-directory
9959 @vindex nnml-directory
9960 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
9962 @item nnml-active-file
9963 @vindex nnml-active-file
9964 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
9966 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
9967 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
9968 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
9971 @item nnml-get-new-mail
9972 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
9973 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
9975 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
9976 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
9977 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
9979 @item nnml-nov-file-name
9980 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
9981 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
9983 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9984 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
9985 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
9989 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
9990 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
9991 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
9992 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
9993 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
9994 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
9995 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
10000 @subsubsection MH Spool
10002 @cindex mh-e mail spool
10004 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
10005 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
10006 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
10007 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
10009 Virtual server settings:
10012 @item nnmh-directory
10013 @vindex nnmh-directory
10014 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
10016 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
10017 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
10018 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
10021 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
10022 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
10023 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
10024 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
10025 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
10026 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
10027 to set this variable to @code{t}.
10032 @subsubsection Mail Folders
10034 @cindex mbox folders
10035 @cindex mail folders
10037 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
10038 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
10039 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
10042 Virtual server settings:
10045 @item nnfolder-directory
10046 @vindex nnfolder-directory
10047 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
10049 @item nnfolder-active-file
10050 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
10051 The name of the active file.
10053 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10054 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
10055 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
10057 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
10058 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
10059 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
10062 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
10063 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
10064 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
10065 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
10066 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
10067 @code{nnfolder-directory}.
10070 @node Other Sources
10071 @section Other Sources
10073 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
10074 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
10078 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
10079 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
10080 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
10081 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{SOUP} packets ``offline''.
10082 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
10083 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
10087 @node Directory Groups
10088 @subsection Directory Groups
10090 @cindex directory groups
10092 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
10093 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
10096 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
10097 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
10098 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
10099 backend to read directories. Big deal.
10101 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
10102 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
10103 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
10104 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
10105 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
10107 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
10109 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
10110 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
10111 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
10112 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
10115 @node Anything Groups
10116 @subsection Anything Groups
10119 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
10120 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
10121 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
10124 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
10125 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
10126 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
10127 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're
10128 forgetting. @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it
10129 snoops each file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e.,
10130 the first few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head.
10131 If this is just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source
10132 file), @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It
10133 will use file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
10136 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
10137 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
10138 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
10139 in the article buffer, just as usual.
10141 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
10142 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
10143 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
10144 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
10146 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
10147 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
10148 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
10149 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
10150 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
10151 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
10152 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
10153 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
10158 @item nneething-map-file-directory
10159 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
10160 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
10161 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
10163 @item nneething-exclude-files
10164 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
10165 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
10166 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
10168 @item nneething-map-file
10169 @vindex nneething-map-file
10170 Name of the map files.
10174 @node Document Groups
10175 @subsection Document Groups
10177 @cindex documentation group
10180 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
10181 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
10188 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
10193 The standard Unix mbox file.
10195 @cindex MMDF mail box
10197 The MMDF mail box format.
10200 Several news articles appended into a file.
10203 @cindex rnews batch files
10204 The rnews batch transport format.
10205 @cindex forwarded messages
10208 Forwarded articles.
10212 @cindex MIME digest
10213 @cindex 1153 digest
10214 @cindex RFC 1153 digest
10215 @cindex RFC 341 digest
10216 MIME (RFC 1341) digest format.
10218 @item standard-digest
10219 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
10222 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
10225 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
10226 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
10227 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
10230 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
10231 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
10232 group. And that's it.
10234 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
10235 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
10236 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
10237 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
10238 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
10239 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
10240 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
10241 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
10242 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
10243 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
10245 Virtual server variables:
10248 @item nndoc-article-type
10249 @vindex nndoc-article-type
10250 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
10251 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
10252 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-digest}, @code{standard-digest},
10253 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs} or @code{guess}.
10255 @item nndoc-post-type
10256 @vindex nndoc-post-type
10257 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
10258 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
10263 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
10267 @node Document Server Internals
10268 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
10270 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
10271 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
10272 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
10273 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
10275 First, here's an example document type definition:
10279 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
10280 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
10283 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
10284 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
10285 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
10286 types can be defined with very few settings:
10289 @item first-article
10290 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
10291 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
10294 @item article-begin
10295 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
10296 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
10298 @item head-begin-function
10299 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
10302 @item nndoc-head-begin
10303 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
10306 @item nndoc-head-end
10307 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
10308 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
10310 @item body-begin-function
10311 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
10315 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
10318 @item body-end-function
10319 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
10323 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
10326 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
10327 regexp will be totally ignored.
10331 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
10332 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
10333 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
10334 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
10335 something that's palatable for Gnus:
10338 @item prepare-body-function
10339 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
10340 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
10341 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
10343 @item article-transform-function
10344 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
10345 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
10346 body of the article.
10348 @item generate-head-function
10349 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
10350 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
10351 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
10352 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
10356 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
10361 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10362 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
10363 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
10364 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
10365 (head-end . "^ ?$")
10366 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
10367 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
10368 (subtype digest guess))
10371 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
10372 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
10373 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
10374 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
10375 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
10377 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
10378 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
10379 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
10380 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
10381 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
10382 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
10383 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
10384 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
10385 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
10386 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
10394 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
10395 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
10396 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
10398 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
10399 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
10400 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
10403 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something a that's a bit
10404 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
10405 that interested in doing things properly.
10407 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
10408 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
10411 First some terminology:
10416 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
10417 get news and/or mail from.
10420 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
10421 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
10424 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
10428 @item message packets
10429 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
10430 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
10431 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10433 @item response packets
10434 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
10435 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
10436 default, where @var{X} is a number.
10446 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
10447 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
10448 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
10449 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
10452 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
10455 You put the packet in your home directory.
10458 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
10459 the native or secondary server.
10462 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
10463 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
10466 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
10470 You transfer this packet to the server.
10473 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
10476 You then repeat until you die.
10480 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
10481 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
10484 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
10485 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
10486 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
10490 @node SOUP Commands
10491 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
10493 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
10497 @kindex G s b (Group)
10498 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
10499 Pack all unread articles in the current group
10500 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
10501 process/prefix convention.
10504 @kindex G s w (Group)
10505 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
10506 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
10509 @kindex G s s (Group)
10510 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
10511 Send all replies from the replies packet
10512 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
10515 @kindex G s p (Group)
10516 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
10517 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
10520 @kindex G s r (Group)
10521 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
10522 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
10525 @kindex O s (Summary)
10526 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
10527 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
10528 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
10529 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10534 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
10539 @item gnus-soup-directory
10540 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
10541 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
10542 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
10544 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
10545 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
10546 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
10547 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
10549 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
10550 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
10551 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
10552 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
10554 @item gnus-soup-packer
10555 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
10556 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10557 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
10559 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
10560 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
10561 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
10562 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10564 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
10565 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
10566 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
10568 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10569 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
10570 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
10571 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
10577 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
10580 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
10581 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
10582 you can read them at leisure.
10584 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
10588 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
10589 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
10590 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
10591 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
10593 @item nnsoup-directory
10594 @vindex nnsoup-directory
10595 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
10596 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
10598 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
10599 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
10600 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
10601 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
10603 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
10604 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
10605 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
10606 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
10607 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
10609 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
10610 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
10611 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
10612 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
10614 @item nnsoup-active-file
10615 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
10616 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
10617 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
10618 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
10619 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
10621 @item nnsoup-packer
10622 @vindex nnsoup-packer
10623 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
10624 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
10626 @item nnsoup-unpacker
10627 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
10628 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
10629 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
10631 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
10632 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
10633 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
10636 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
10637 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
10638 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
10645 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
10647 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
10648 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
10649 more for that to happen.
10651 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
10652 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
10653 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
10656 In specific, this is what it does:
10659 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
10660 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
10663 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
10664 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
10665 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
10669 @subsection Web Searches
10673 @cindex InReference
10674 @cindex Usenet searches
10675 @cindex searching the Usenet
10677 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
10678 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
10679 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
10680 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
10681 searches without having to use a browser.
10683 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
10684 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
10685 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
10686 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
10687 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
10689 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
10690 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
10691 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
10692 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
10693 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
10694 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
10695 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
10696 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
10697 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
10698 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
10701 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
10702 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
10703 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
10704 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
10705 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
10706 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
10708 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
10709 to use @code{nnweb}.
10711 Virtual server variables:
10716 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
10717 are @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
10720 @vindex nnweb-search
10721 The search string to feed to the search engine.
10723 @item nnweb-max-hits
10724 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
10725 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
10728 @item nnweb-type-definition
10729 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
10730 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
10731 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
10736 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
10740 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
10743 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
10746 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
10750 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
10757 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
10758 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
10759 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
10762 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
10763 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
10764 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
10766 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
10772 @item nngateway-address
10773 @vindex nngateway-address
10774 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
10776 @item nngateway-header-transformation
10777 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
10778 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
10779 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
10780 transformation should be called, and defaults to
10781 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
10782 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
10785 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
10786 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
10787 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
10790 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
10793 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
10796 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
10801 So, to use this, simply say something like:
10804 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
10808 @node Combined Groups
10809 @section Combined Groups
10811 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
10815 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
10816 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
10820 @node Virtual Groups
10821 @subsection Virtual Groups
10823 @cindex virtual groups
10825 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
10828 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
10829 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
10830 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
10832 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
10833 regexp to match component groups.
10835 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
10836 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
10837 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
10838 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
10839 the virtual group.)
10841 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
10842 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
10845 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
10848 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
10849 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
10851 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
10852 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
10853 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
10854 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
10857 "^nntp+some.server.jp:soc.motss$\\|^nntp+some.server.no:soc.motss$"
10860 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
10861 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
10862 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
10863 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
10864 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
10866 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
10867 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
10868 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
10870 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
10871 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
10872 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
10873 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
10874 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
10875 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
10876 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
10877 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
10878 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
10879 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
10880 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
10883 @node Kibozed Groups
10884 @subsection Kibozed Groups
10888 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
10889 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
10890 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
10891 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
10893 @kindex G k (Group)
10894 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
10897 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
10898 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
10899 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
10900 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
10902 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
10903 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
10904 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
10906 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
10907 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
10908 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
10909 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
10910 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
10911 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
10912 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
10913 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
10915 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
10916 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
10917 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
10918 Stranger things have happened.
10920 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
10921 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
10923 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
10924 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
10925 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
10926 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
10927 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
10928 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
10930 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
10931 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
10934 @node Gnus Unplugged
10935 @section Gnus Unplugged
10940 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
10942 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
10943 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
10944 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
10945 read news. Believe it or not.
10947 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
10948 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
10949 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
10950 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
10951 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
10953 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
10954 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
10955 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
10956 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
10957 reading news on a machine.
10959 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
10963 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
10964 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
10968 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
10969 @file{.gnus.el} file:
10976 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
10978 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
10981 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
10982 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
10983 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
10984 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
10985 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
10986 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
10991 @subsection Agent Basics
10993 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
10995 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
10996 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
10997 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
10998 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
11000 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
11001 connected to the net continously.
11003 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
11004 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
11006 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
11011 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
11012 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
11013 already fetched while in this mode.
11016 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
11017 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
11018 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged}.
11021 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
11022 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{J
11023 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
11024 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
11027 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
11028 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
11029 then you read the news offline.
11032 And then you go to step 2.
11035 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
11041 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
11042 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
11043 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
11044 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
11045 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
11046 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
11049 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}
11056 @node Agent Categories
11057 @subsection Agent Categories
11059 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
11060 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
11061 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
11062 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
11063 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
11064 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
11065 you're interested in the articles anyway.
11067 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
11068 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
11069 Gnus has its own buffer for creating and managing categories.
11072 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
11073 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
11074 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
11078 @node Category Syntax
11079 @subsubsection Category Syntax
11081 A category consists of two things.
11085 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
11086 are eligible for downloading; and
11089 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
11090 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
11091 score} is wholly unrelated to normal scores.)
11094 A predicate consists of predicates with logical operators sprinkled in
11097 Perhaps some examples are in order.
11099 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
11100 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
11106 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
11107 short (for some value of ``short'').
11109 Here's a more complex predicate:
11118 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
11119 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
11122 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
11123 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
11124 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
11126 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
11127 you want to do, you can write your own.
11131 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
11132 lines; default 100.
11135 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
11136 lines; default 200.
11139 True iff the article has a download score less than
11140 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
11143 True iff the article has a download score greater than
11144 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
11147 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
11148 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
11149 checksum and sees whether articles match.
11158 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
11159 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
11160 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
11163 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
11164 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
11165 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
11166 following headers can be scored on: @code{From}, @code{Subject},
11167 @code{Date}, @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars}, @code{Message-ID},
11168 and @code{References}.
11171 @node The Category Buffer
11172 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
11174 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
11175 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
11176 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
11178 The following commands are available in this buffer:
11182 @kindex q (Category)
11183 @findex gnus-category-exit
11184 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
11187 @kindex k (Category)
11188 @findex gnus-category-kill
11189 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
11192 @kindex c (Category)
11193 @findex gnus-category-copy
11194 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
11197 @kindex a (Category)
11198 @findex gnus-category-add
11199 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
11202 @kindex p (Category)
11203 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
11204 Edit the predicate of the current category
11205 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
11208 @kindex g (Category)
11209 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
11210 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
11211 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
11214 @kindex s (Category)
11215 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
11216 Edit the download score rule of the current category
11217 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
11220 @kindex l (Category)
11221 @findex gnus-category-list
11222 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
11226 @node Category Variables
11227 @subsubsection Category Variables
11230 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
11231 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
11232 Hook run in category buffers.
11234 @item gnus-category-line-format
11235 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
11236 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
11237 Variables}). Legal elements are:
11241 The name of the category.
11244 The number of groups in the category.
11247 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
11248 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
11249 Format of the category mode line.
11251 @item gnus-agent-short-article
11252 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
11253 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
11255 @item gnus-agent-long-article
11256 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
11257 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
11259 @item gnus-agent-low-score
11260 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
11261 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
11264 @item gnus-agent-high-score
11265 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
11266 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
11272 @node Agent Commands
11273 @subsection Agent Commands
11275 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
11276 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
11277 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
11281 * Group Agent Commands::
11282 * Summary Agent Commands::
11283 * Server Agent Commands::
11287 @node Group Agent Commands
11288 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
11292 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
11293 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
11294 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
11295 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
11298 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
11299 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
11300 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
11303 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
11304 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
11305 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
11306 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
11309 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
11310 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
11311 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
11312 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}). @xref{Drafts}
11315 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
11316 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
11317 Add the current group to an Agent category
11318 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}).
11323 @node Summary Agent Commands
11324 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
11328 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
11329 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
11330 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
11333 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
11334 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
11335 Remove the downloading mark from the article
11336 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
11339 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
11340 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
11341 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
11344 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
11345 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
11346 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
11351 @node Server Agent Commands
11352 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
11356 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
11357 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
11358 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
11359 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
11362 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
11363 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
11364 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
11365 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
11370 @node Outgoing Messages
11371 @subsection Outgoing Messages
11373 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
11374 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
11375 after posting, and edit them at will.
11377 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
11378 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
11379 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
11380 messages in the draft group.
11384 @node Agent Variables
11385 @subsection Agent Variables
11388 @item gnus-agent-directory
11389 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
11390 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
11391 @file{~/News/agent/}.
11393 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11394 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
11395 Hook run when connecting to the network.
11397 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11398 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
11399 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
11404 @node Example Setup
11405 @subsection Example Setup
11407 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
11408 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
11409 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
11412 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over NNTP
11413 ;;; from your ISP's server.
11414 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "nntp.your-isp.com"))
11416 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
11417 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
11418 (setenv "MAILSERVER" "pop.your-isp.com")
11419 (setq nnmail-spool-file "po:username")
11421 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
11422 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
11424 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
11428 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
11429 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
11432 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
11433 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
11434 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
11435 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
11436 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
11439 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
11440 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
11441 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
11442 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
11443 back all the killed groups.)
11445 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
11446 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
11447 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
11454 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
11455 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
11456 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
11459 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
11460 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
11461 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
11462 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
11463 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
11465 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
11466 before generating the summary buffer.
11468 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
11469 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
11470 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
11472 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
11473 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
11474 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
11475 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
11478 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
11479 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
11480 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
11481 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
11482 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
11483 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
11484 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
11485 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
11486 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
11487 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
11488 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
11489 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
11490 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
11491 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
11492 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
11493 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
11497 @node Summary Score Commands
11498 @section Summary Score Commands
11499 @cindex score commands
11501 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
11502 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
11503 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
11504 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
11505 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
11507 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
11508 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
11509 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
11510 score file the current one.
11512 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
11517 @kindex V s (Summary)
11518 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
11519 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
11522 @kindex V S (Summary)
11523 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
11524 Display the score of the current article
11525 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
11528 @kindex V t (Summary)
11529 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
11530 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
11531 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
11534 @kindex V R (Summary)
11535 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
11536 Run the current summary through the scoring process
11537 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
11538 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
11539 effect you're having.
11542 @kindex V a (Summary)
11543 @findex gnus-summary-score-entry
11544 Add a new score entry, and allow specifying all elements
11545 (@code{gnus-summary-score-entry}).
11548 @kindex V c (Summary)
11549 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
11550 Make a different score file the current
11551 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
11554 @kindex V e (Summary)
11555 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
11556 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
11557 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
11561 @kindex V f (Summary)
11562 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
11563 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
11564 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
11567 @kindex V F (Summary)
11568 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11569 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
11570 after editing score files.
11573 @kindex V C (Summary)
11574 @findex gnus-score-customize
11575 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
11576 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
11580 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
11585 @kindex V m (Summary)
11586 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
11587 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
11588 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
11591 @kindex V x (Summary)
11592 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
11593 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
11594 expunge all articles below this score
11595 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
11598 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
11599 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
11602 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
11603 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
11607 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
11608 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
11610 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
11611 keys are available:
11615 Score on the author name.
11618 Score on the subject line.
11621 Score on the Xref line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
11624 Score on thread---the References line.
11630 Score on the number of lines.
11633 Score on the Message-ID.
11636 Score on followups.
11646 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
11647 what headers you are scoring on.
11659 Substring matching.
11662 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
11691 Greater than number.
11696 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
11697 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
11698 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
11702 Temporary score entry.
11705 Permanent score entry.
11708 Immediately scoring.
11713 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
11714 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
11715 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
11716 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
11718 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
11719 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
11720 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
11721 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
11722 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
11724 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
11725 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
11726 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
11727 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
11728 current score file.
11730 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
11731 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
11732 pretend they are keymaps or not.
11735 @node Group Score Commands
11736 @section Group Score Commands
11737 @cindex group score commands
11739 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
11744 @kindex W f (Group)
11745 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
11746 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
11747 all the time. This command will flush the cache
11748 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
11753 @node Score Variables
11754 @section Score Variables
11755 @cindex score variables
11759 @item gnus-use-scoring
11760 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
11761 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
11762 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
11764 @item gnus-kill-killed
11765 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
11766 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
11767 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
11768 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
11769 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
11770 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
11771 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
11773 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
11774 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
11775 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
11776 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
11777 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
11779 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
11780 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
11781 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
11782 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
11784 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
11785 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
11786 @cindex score cache
11787 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
11788 score files. However, if this might make you Emacs grow big and
11789 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
11790 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
11791 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
11792 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
11795 @item gnus-save-score
11796 @vindex gnus-save-score
11797 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
11798 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
11799 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
11801 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
11802 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
11803 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
11804 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
11805 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
11806 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
11807 manually entered data.
11809 @item gnus-summary-default-score
11810 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
11811 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
11813 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
11814 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
11815 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
11816 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
11817 articles will be hidden.
11819 @item gnus-score-over-mark
11820 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
11821 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
11822 default. Default is @samp{+}.
11824 @item gnus-score-below-mark
11825 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
11826 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
11827 default. Default is @samp{-}.
11829 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
11830 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
11831 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
11832 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
11834 Predefined functions available are:
11837 @item gnus-score-find-single
11838 @findex gnus-score-find-single
11839 Only apply the group's own score file.
11841 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
11842 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
11843 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
11844 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
11845 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
11846 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
11847 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
11848 then a regexp match is done.
11850 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
11851 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
11853 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
11854 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
11855 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
11856 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
11858 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
11859 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
11860 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
11861 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
11862 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE}.
11865 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
11866 functions will be called, and all the returned lists of score files will
11867 be applied. These functions can also return lists of score alists
11868 directly. In that case, the functions that return these non-file score
11869 alists should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file
11870 functions, to ensure that the last score file returned is the local
11873 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
11874 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
11875 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
11876 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
11877 are expired. It's 7 by default.
11879 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
11880 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
11881 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
11882 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
11883 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
11884 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
11885 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
11888 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
11889 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
11890 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
11895 @node Score File Format
11896 @section Score File Format
11897 @cindex score file format
11899 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
11900 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
11901 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
11903 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
11907 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
11909 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
11911 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
11913 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
11918 (mark-and-expunge -10)
11922 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
11923 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
11924 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
11925 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
11929 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
11930 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
11932 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
11933 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
11934 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
11936 Six keys are supported by this alist:
11941 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
11942 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
11943 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
11944 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
11945 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
11946 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
11947 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
11948 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
11949 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
11950 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
11951 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
11952 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
11953 to articles that matches these score entries.
11955 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
11956 score entry has one to four elements.
11960 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
11961 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
11965 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
11966 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
11967 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
11968 is successful. If this element is not present, the
11969 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
11970 instead. This is 1000 by default.
11973 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
11974 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
11975 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
11976 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
11977 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
11980 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
11981 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
11982 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
11983 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
11986 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
11987 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
11988 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
11989 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
11990 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
11991 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
11992 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
11993 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
11994 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
11995 instead, if you feel like.
11998 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
11999 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}. When matching on @code{Lines}, be
12000 careful because some backends (like @code{nndir}) do not generate
12001 @code{Lines} header, so every article ends up being marked as having 0
12002 lines. This can lead to strange results if you happen to lower score of
12003 the articles with few lines.
12006 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
12007 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
12008 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
12009 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
12010 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
12011 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
12012 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
12016 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
12017 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
12018 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
12019 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
12020 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
12021 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
12022 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
12023 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
12026 @item Head, Body, All
12027 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
12031 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
12032 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
12033 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
12034 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
12035 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
12036 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
12037 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
12041 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
12042 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{X}, then you add a
12043 @samp{thread} match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each
12044 article that has @var{X} in its @code{References} header. (These new
12045 @samp{thread} matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching
12046 articles.) This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an
12047 entire thread, even though some articles in the thread may not have
12048 complete @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
12049 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
12050 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
12054 @cindex Score File Atoms
12056 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12057 lower than this number will be marked as read.
12060 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12061 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
12063 @item mark-and-expunge
12064 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
12065 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
12068 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
12069 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
12070 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
12071 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
12072 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
12075 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
12076 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
12079 @item exclude-files
12080 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
12081 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
12085 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
12086 ignored when handling global score files.
12089 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
12090 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}).
12093 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
12094 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
12095 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
12096 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
12098 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
12102 (mark-and-expunge -100)
12105 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
12106 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
12107 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
12108 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
12109 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
12111 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
12112 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
12113 ordinary scoring rules.
12116 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
12117 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
12118 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
12119 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
12120 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
12121 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
12122 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12123 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
12124 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
12125 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
12126 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
12130 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
12131 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
12132 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
12133 file for a number of groups.
12136 @cindex local variables
12137 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
12138 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
12139 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
12140 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
12141 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
12145 @node Score File Editing
12146 @section Score File Editing
12148 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
12149 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
12150 with a mode for that.
12152 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
12153 additional commands:
12158 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
12159 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
12160 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
12161 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
12164 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
12165 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
12166 Insert the current date in numerical format
12167 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
12168 you were wondering.
12171 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
12172 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
12173 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
12174 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
12175 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
12180 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
12182 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
12183 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
12185 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
12186 e} to begin editing score files.
12189 @node Adaptive Scoring
12190 @section Adaptive Scoring
12191 @cindex adaptive scoring
12193 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
12194 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
12195 stupidity, to be precise.
12197 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
12198 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
12199 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
12200 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
12201 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
12202 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
12203 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
12204 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
12205 variable to @code{(word line)}.
12207 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12208 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
12209 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
12210 might look something like this:
12213 (defvar gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
12214 '((gnus-unread-mark)
12215 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
12216 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
12217 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
12218 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
12219 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
12220 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
12221 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
12222 (gnus-ancient-mark)
12223 (gnus-low-score-mark)
12224 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
12227 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
12228 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
12229 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
12230 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
12231 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
12232 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
12235 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
12236 will be applied to each article.
12238 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
12239 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
12240 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
12241 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
12243 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
12244 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
12245 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
12246 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
12248 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
12249 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
12250 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
12251 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
12253 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
12254 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
12255 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
12256 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
12257 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
12258 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
12260 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
12261 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
12262 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
12263 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
12264 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
12265 aspirins afterwards.)
12267 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
12268 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
12269 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
12271 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
12272 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
12273 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
12275 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
12276 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
12277 let you use different rules in different groups.
12279 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
12280 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
12281 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
12284 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
12285 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
12286 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
12287 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
12288 the length of the match is less than
12289 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
12290 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
12293 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12294 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
12295 headers. If you adapt on words, the
12296 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
12297 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
12300 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
12301 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
12302 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
12303 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
12304 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
12307 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
12308 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
12309 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
12310 score with 30 points.
12312 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
12313 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
12314 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
12315 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
12316 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
12318 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
12319 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
12320 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
12321 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
12323 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
12324 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
12325 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
12327 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
12328 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
12329 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
12330 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
12333 @node Home Score File
12334 @section Home Score File
12336 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
12337 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
12338 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
12339 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
12341 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
12342 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
12343 could perhaps use the same home score file.
12345 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
12346 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
12351 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
12355 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
12356 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
12360 A list. The elements in this list can be:
12364 @var{(regexp file-name)}. If the @var{regexp} matches the group name,
12365 the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
12368 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
12369 the home score file.
12372 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
12375 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
12380 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
12383 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12384 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
12387 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
12388 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
12391 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12392 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
12395 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
12397 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
12398 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
12399 their own home score files:
12402 (setq gnus-home-score-file
12403 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
12404 '("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
12405 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
12406 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE"))
12409 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
12410 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
12411 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
12412 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
12413 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
12415 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
12416 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
12417 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
12418 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
12419 precedence over this variable.
12422 @node Followups To Yourself
12423 @section Followups To Yourself
12425 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
12426 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
12427 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
12428 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
12429 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
12430 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
12434 @item gnus-score-followup-article
12435 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
12436 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
12439 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
12440 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
12441 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
12445 @vindex message-sent-hook
12446 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
12447 @code{message-sent-hook}.
12449 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
12450 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
12454 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12455 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
12458 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
12459 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
12464 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore.no>"
12468 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
12469 is system-dependent.
12473 @section Scoring Tips
12474 @cindex scoring tips
12480 @cindex scoring crossposts
12481 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
12482 the @code{Xref} header.
12484 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
12487 @item Multiple crossposts
12488 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
12489 more than, say, 3 groups:
12491 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
12494 @item Matching on the body
12495 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
12496 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
12497 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
12498 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
12499 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
12500 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
12501 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
12504 @item Marking as read
12505 You will probably want to mark articles that has a score below a certain
12506 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
12507 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
12511 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
12513 @item Negated character classes
12514 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
12515 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
12516 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
12520 @node Reverse Scoring
12521 @section Reverse Scoring
12522 @cindex reverse scoring
12524 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
12525 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
12526 like this in your score file:
12530 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
12535 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
12536 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
12539 @node Global Score Files
12540 @section Global Score Files
12541 @cindex global score files
12543 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
12544 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
12545 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
12547 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
12548 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
12549 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
12551 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
12552 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
12553 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
12554 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
12555 files are applicable to which group.
12557 Say you want to use the score file
12558 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
12559 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
12562 (setq gnus-global-score-files
12563 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
12564 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
12567 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
12568 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
12569 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
12570 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
12571 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
12573 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
12574 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
12576 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
12577 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
12578 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
12579 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
12580 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
12581 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
12583 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
12589 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
12591 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
12593 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
12595 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
12596 lowered out of existence.
12598 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
12599 articles completely.
12602 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
12603 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
12604 old articles for a long time.
12607 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
12608 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
12609 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
12610 holding our breath yet?
12614 @section Kill Files
12617 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
12618 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
12619 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
12621 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
12622 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
12623 files into score files.
12625 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
12626 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
12627 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
12628 that isn't a very good idea.
12630 Normal kill files look like this:
12633 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12634 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
12638 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
12639 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
12641 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
12642 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
12645 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
12650 @kindex M-k (Summary)
12651 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
12652 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
12655 @kindex M-K (Summary)
12656 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
12657 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
12660 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
12665 @kindex M-k (Group)
12666 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
12667 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
12670 @kindex M-K (Group)
12671 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
12672 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
12675 Kill file variables:
12678 @item gnus-kill-file-name
12679 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
12680 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
12681 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
12682 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
12683 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
12684 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
12686 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
12687 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
12688 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
12689 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
12692 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
12693 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
12694 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
12695 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
12696 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
12697 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
12698 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
12699 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
12700 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
12702 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
12703 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
12704 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
12709 @node Converting Kill Files
12710 @section Converting Kill Files
12712 @cindex converting kill files
12714 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
12715 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
12716 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
12719 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
12720 You can fetch it from
12721 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-other/gnus-kill-to-score}.
12723 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
12724 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
12725 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
12733 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
12734 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
12735 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
12737 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
12738 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
12739 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
12740 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
12741 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
12742 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
12743 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
12744 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
12748 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
12749 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
12750 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
12751 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
12755 @node Using GroupLens
12756 @subsection Using GroupLens
12758 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
12760 @samp{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
12761 better bit in town at the moment.
12763 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
12767 @item gnus-use-grouplens
12768 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
12769 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
12770 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
12772 @item grouplens-pseudonym
12773 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
12774 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
12775 with the Better Bit Bureau.
12777 @item grouplens-newsgroups
12778 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
12779 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
12783 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
12784 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
12785 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
12786 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
12787 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
12788 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
12791 @node Rating Articles
12792 @subsection Rating Articles
12794 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
12795 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
12796 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
12797 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
12800 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
12805 @kindex r (GroupLens)
12806 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
12807 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
12810 @kindex k (GroupLens)
12811 @findex grouplens-score-thread
12812 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
12813 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
12814 threads in rec.humor.
12818 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
12819 the score of the article you're reading.
12824 @kindex n (GroupLens)
12825 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
12826 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
12829 @kindex , (GroupLens)
12830 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
12831 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
12835 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
12836 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
12839 @node Displaying Predictions
12840 @subsection Displaying Predictions
12842 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
12843 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
12844 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
12845 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
12846 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
12848 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
12849 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
12850 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
12851 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
12852 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
12853 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
12854 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
12855 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
12856 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
12857 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
12858 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
12859 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
12860 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
12862 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
12863 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
12864 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
12865 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
12867 The following are valid values for that variable.
12870 @item prediction-spot
12871 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
12874 @item confidence-interval
12875 A numeric confidence interval.
12877 @item prediction-bar
12878 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
12880 @item confidence-bar
12881 Numerical confidence.
12883 @item confidence-spot
12884 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
12886 @item prediction-num
12887 Plain-old numeric value.
12889 @item confidence-plus-minus
12890 Prediction +/- confidence.
12895 @node GroupLens Variables
12896 @subsection GroupLens Variables
12900 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
12901 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
12902 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
12903 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
12906 @item grouplens-bbb-host
12907 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
12910 @item grouplens-bbb-port
12911 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
12913 @item grouplens-score-offset
12914 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
12915 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
12918 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
12919 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
12920 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
12925 @node Advanced Scoring
12926 @section Advanced Scoring
12928 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
12929 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
12930 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
12931 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
12932 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
12934 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
12938 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
12939 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
12940 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
12944 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
12945 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
12947 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
12948 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
12949 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
12950 non-@code{nil} value.
12952 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
12953 operator, and various match operators.
12960 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
12961 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
12962 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
12967 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
12968 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
12969 then this operator will return @code{false}.
12974 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
12975 logical negation of the value of its argument.
12979 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
12980 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
12981 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
12982 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
12983 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
12984 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
12985 the ancestry you want to go.
12987 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
12988 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
12989 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
12990 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
12991 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
12994 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
12995 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
12997 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
12998 when he's talking about Gnus:
13002 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13003 ("subject" "Gnus"))
13009 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
13013 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13020 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
13021 really don't want to read what he's written:
13025 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13026 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
13030 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
13031 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
13032 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
13039 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
13040 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
13041 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
13042 ("body" "white.*socks"))
13046 The possibilities are endless.
13049 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
13050 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
13052 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
13053 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
13054 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
13055 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
13056 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
13057 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
13058 @samp{subject}) first.
13060 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
13061 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
13072 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
13073 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
13079 ("subject" "Gnus")))
13086 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
13087 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
13092 @section Score Decays
13093 @cindex score decays
13096 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
13097 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
13098 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
13099 use them in any sensible way.
13101 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
13102 @findex gnus-decay-score
13103 @vindex gnus-score-decay-function
13104 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
13105 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
13106 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
13107 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
13108 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-score-decay-function}
13109 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
13110 definition of that function:
13113 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
13114 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant' and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
13117 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
13119 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
13121 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
13124 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
13125 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
13126 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
13127 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
13131 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
13134 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
13137 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
13141 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
13142 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
13143 the new score, which should be an integer.
13145 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
13146 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
13153 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
13154 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
13155 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
13156 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
13157 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
13158 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
13159 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
13160 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
13161 * Buttons:: Get tendonitis in ten easy steps!
13162 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
13163 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
13164 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
13165 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
13166 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
13167 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
13168 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolited commercial email.
13169 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
13173 @node Process/Prefix
13174 @section Process/Prefix
13175 @cindex process/prefix convention
13177 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
13178 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
13180 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
13181 command to be performed on.
13185 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
13186 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
13187 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
13188 with the current one.
13190 @vindex transient-mark-mode
13191 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
13192 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
13194 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
13195 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
13198 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
13199 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
13201 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
13204 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
13205 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
13206 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
13207 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13209 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
13210 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
13211 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
13212 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
13213 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
13214 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
13215 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
13216 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
13220 @section Interactive
13221 @cindex interaction
13225 @item gnus-novice-user
13226 @vindex gnus-novice-user
13227 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
13228 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
13229 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
13230 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
13233 @item gnus-expert-user
13234 @vindex gnus-expert-user
13235 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will never ever be asked any
13236 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
13237 matter how strange.
13239 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
13240 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
13241 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
13242 is @code{t} by default.
13244 @item gnus-interactive-exit
13245 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
13246 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
13251 @node Symbolic Prefixes
13252 @section Symbolic Prefixes
13253 @cindex symbolic prefixes
13255 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
13256 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four charaters forward, and
13257 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
13258 rule of 900 to the current article.
13260 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
13261 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
13262 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
13263 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
13264 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
13265 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
13266 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
13268 @kindex M-i (Summary)
13269 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
13270 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
13271 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
13272 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
13273 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
13274 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
13275 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
13276 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
13278 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
13279 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
13280 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
13282 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
13286 @node Formatting Variables
13287 @section Formatting Variables
13288 @cindex formatting variables
13290 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
13291 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
13292 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
13293 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
13296 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
13297 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
13298 lots of percentages everywhere.
13301 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
13302 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
13303 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
13304 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
13307 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
13308 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
13309 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
13310 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
13311 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
13312 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
13313 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
13314 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
13316 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
13317 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
13319 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
13320 @findex gnus-update-format
13321 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
13322 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
13323 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
13324 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
13328 @node Formatting Basics
13329 @subsection Formatting Basics
13331 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
13332 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
13333 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
13335 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
13336 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
13337 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
13338 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
13339 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
13342 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
13343 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
13344 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
13345 less than 4 characters wide.
13348 @node Advanced Formatting
13349 @subsection Advanced Formatting
13351 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
13352 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
13353 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
13354 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
13356 These are the valid modifiers:
13361 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
13365 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
13370 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
13373 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
13378 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
13381 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
13384 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
13387 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
13391 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
13392 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
13393 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
13394 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
13395 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
13396 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
13397 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
13399 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
13400 last operation, padding.
13402 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
13403 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
13404 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
13405 @xref{Compilation}.
13408 @node User-Defined Specs
13409 @subsection User-Defined Specs
13411 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
13412 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
13413 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
13414 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
13415 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
13416 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
13417 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
13418 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
13419 should protect against that.
13421 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
13422 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
13423 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
13424 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
13428 @node Formatting Fonts
13429 @subsection Formatting Fonts
13431 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
13432 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
13433 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
13434 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
13437 Text inside the @samp{%[} and @samp{%]} specifiers will have their
13438 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
13439 default. If you say @samp{%1[}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
13440 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
13441 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
13442 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
13444 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
13447 ;; Create three face types.
13448 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
13449 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
13451 ;; We want the article count to be in
13452 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
13453 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
13454 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
13456 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
13457 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
13459 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
13460 (setq gnus-group-line-format
13461 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
13464 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
13465 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
13467 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
13468 mode-line variables.
13471 @node Windows Configuration
13472 @section Windows Configuration
13473 @cindex windows configuration
13475 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
13477 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
13478 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
13479 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
13480 @code{t} by default.
13482 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
13483 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
13484 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
13487 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
13488 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
13489 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13493 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
13494 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
13495 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
13496 possible names is listed below.
13498 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
13499 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
13502 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
13506 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
13507 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
13508 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
13509 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
13510 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
13511 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
13512 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
13513 size spec per split.
13515 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
13518 Here's a more complicated example:
13521 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
13522 (summary 0.25 point)
13523 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
13527 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
13528 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
13529 occupy, not a percentage.
13531 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
13532 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
13533 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
13534 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
13535 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
13538 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
13541 (article (horizontal 1.0
13546 (summary 0.25 point)
13551 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
13552 @code{horizontal} thingie?
13554 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
13555 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
13556 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
13557 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
13558 the screen is to be given to this strip.
13560 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
13561 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
13562 lines from the splits.
13564 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
13568 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
13569 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
13570 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
13571 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
13572 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] ")"
13573 size = number | frame-params
13574 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
13577 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
13578 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
13579 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
13580 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
13582 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
13583 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
13584 @cindex window height
13585 @cindex window width
13586 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
13587 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
13588 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
13589 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
13590 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
13591 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
13593 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
13594 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
13595 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
13596 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
13598 @findex gnus-configure-frame
13599 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
13600 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
13601 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
13602 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
13603 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
13604 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
13605 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
13606 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
13607 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
13608 configuration list.
13611 (gnus-configure-frame
13615 (article 0.3 point))
13623 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
13624 @code{frame} split:
13627 (gnus-configure-frame
13630 (summary 0.25 point)
13632 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
13633 (user-position . t)
13634 (left . -1) (top . 1))
13639 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
13640 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
13641 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
13642 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
13643 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
13644 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
13645 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
13646 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
13649 Here's a list of all possible keys for
13650 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration}:
13652 @code{group}, @code{summary}, @code{article}, @code{server},
13653 @code{browse}, @code{message}, @code{pick}, @code{info},
13654 @code{summary-faq}, @code{edit-group}, @code{edit-server},
13655 @code{edit-score}, @code{post}, @code{reply}, @code{forward},
13656 @code{reply-yank}, @code{mail-bounce}, @code{draft}, @code{pipe},
13657 @code{bug}, @code{compose-bounce}, and @code{score-trace}.
13659 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
13660 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
13661 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
13665 (message (horizontal 1.0
13666 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
13668 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
13673 @findex gnus-add-configuration
13674 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
13675 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
13676 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
13677 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
13680 (gnus-add-configuration
13681 '(article (vertical 1.0
13683 (summary .25 point)
13687 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
13688 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
13689 Gnus has been loaded.
13691 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
13692 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
13693 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
13694 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
13695 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
13699 @section Compilation
13700 @cindex compilation
13701 @cindex byte-compilation
13703 @findex gnus-compile
13705 Remember all those line format specification variables?
13706 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
13707 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
13708 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
13709 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
13710 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
13713 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
13714 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
13715 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
13716 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
13717 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
13718 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
13719 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
13723 @section Mode Lines
13726 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
13727 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
13728 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
13729 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
13730 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
13731 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
13732 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
13735 @cindex display-time
13737 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
13738 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
13739 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
13740 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
13741 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
13742 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
13743 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
13744 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
13747 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
13749 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
13750 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
13752 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
13753 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
13754 (length display-time-string)))))
13757 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
13758 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
13759 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
13760 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
13761 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
13764 @node Highlighting and Menus
13765 @section Highlighting and Menus
13767 @cindex highlighting
13770 @vindex gnus-visual
13771 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
13772 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
13773 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
13776 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
13777 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
13780 @item group-highlight
13781 Do highlights in the group buffer.
13782 @item summary-highlight
13783 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
13784 @item article-highlight
13785 Do highlights in the article buffer.
13787 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
13789 Create menus in the group buffer.
13791 Create menus in the summary buffers.
13793 Create menus in the article buffer.
13795 Create menus in the browse buffer.
13797 Create menus in the server buffer.
13799 Create menus in the score buffers.
13801 Create menus in all buffers.
13804 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
13805 buffers, you could say something like:
13808 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
13811 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
13814 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
13817 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
13818 in all Gnus buffers.
13820 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
13823 @item gnus-mouse-face
13824 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
13825 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
13826 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
13830 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
13834 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
13835 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
13836 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
13838 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
13839 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
13840 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
13842 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
13843 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
13844 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
13846 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
13847 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
13848 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
13850 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
13851 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
13852 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
13854 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
13855 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
13856 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
13867 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
13868 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
13869 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
13870 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
13871 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
13875 @vindex gnus-carpal
13876 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
13877 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
13878 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
13883 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
13884 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
13885 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
13887 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
13888 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
13889 Face used on buttons.
13891 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
13892 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
13893 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
13895 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
13896 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
13897 Buttons in the group buffer.
13899 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
13900 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
13901 Buttons in the summary buffer.
13903 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
13904 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
13905 Buttons in the server buffer.
13907 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
13908 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
13909 Buttons in the browse buffer.
13912 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
13913 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
13914 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
13922 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
13923 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
13924 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
13925 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
13926 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
13928 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
13929 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
13930 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
13932 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
13933 been idle for thirty minutes:
13936 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
13939 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
13943 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
13946 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
13947 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
13948 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
13950 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
13951 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
13952 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
13953 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
13955 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
13956 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
13957 @var{idle} minutes.
13959 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
13960 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
13963 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
13964 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
13965 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
13967 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
13968 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
13969 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
13970 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
13972 @vindex gnus-use-demon
13973 To set the whole thing in motion, though, you have to set
13974 @code{gnus-use-demon} to @code{t}.
13976 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
13977 your @file{.gnus} file:
13979 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
13981 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
13984 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
13985 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
13986 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
13987 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
13988 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
13989 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
13990 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
13991 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
13992 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
13993 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
13995 @findex gnus-demon-init
13996 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
13997 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
13998 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
13999 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
14000 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
14002 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you overdo it. Adding
14003 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
14004 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
14013 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
14014 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
14016 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
14017 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
14018 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
14019 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
14022 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
14023 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
14024 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
14025 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
14027 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
14028 this will make spam disappear.
14030 There are some variables to customize, of course:
14033 @item gnus-use-nocem
14034 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
14035 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
14038 @item gnus-nocem-groups
14039 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
14040 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
14041 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
14042 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
14044 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
14045 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
14046 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
14047 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
14048 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;" "jem@@xpat.com;" "red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us
14049 (Richard E. Depew)")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
14051 Known despammers that you can put in this list include:
14054 @item clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca;
14055 @cindex Chris Lewis
14056 Chris Lewis---Major Canadian despammer who has probably canceled more
14057 usenet abuse than anybody else.
14060 @cindex CancelMoose[tm]
14061 The CancelMoose[tm] on autopilot. The CancelMoose[tm] is reputed to be
14062 Norwegian, and was the person(s) who invented NoCeM.
14064 @item jem@@xpat.com;
14066 John Milburn---despammer located in Korea who is getting very busy these
14069 @item red@@redpoll.mrfs.oh.us (Richard E. Depew)
14070 Richard E. Depew---lone American despammer. He mostly cancels binary
14071 postings to non-binary groups and removes spews (regurgitated articles).
14074 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
14075 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
14076 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
14077 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
14078 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
14079 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
14080 @var{(issuer conditions ...)} elements in the list. Each condition is
14081 either a string (which is a regexp that matches types you want to use)
14082 or a list on the form @code{(not STRING)}, where @var{string} is a
14083 regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
14085 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
14086 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
14089 ("clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
14092 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
14093 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
14096 ("clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
14099 The specs are applied left-to-right.
14102 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
14103 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
14105 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
14106 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
14107 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
14108 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
14110 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
14111 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
14114 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
14116 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
14124 This might be dangerous, though.
14126 @item gnus-nocem-directory
14127 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
14128 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
14129 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
14131 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14132 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
14133 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
14134 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
14135 might then see old spam.
14139 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
14140 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
14141 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
14142 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
14149 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
14150 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
14151 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
14153 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
14154 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
14155 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
14156 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
14157 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
14158 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
14159 @code{undo} function.
14161 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
14162 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
14163 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
14164 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
14165 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
14166 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
14167 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
14168 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
14169 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
14170 never be totally undoable.
14172 @findex gnus-undo-mode
14173 @vindex gnus-use-undo
14175 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
14176 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
14177 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
14178 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
14183 @section Moderation
14186 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
14187 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
14188 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
14191 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
14195 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
14198 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
14200 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
14205 You split your incoming mail by matching on
14206 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
14207 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
14210 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
14211 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
14214 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
14215 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
14219 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
14222 (setq gnus-moderated-list
14223 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
14227 @node XEmacs Enhancements
14228 @section XEmacs Enhancements
14231 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
14235 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
14236 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
14237 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
14238 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
14247 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-att.ps}
14248 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-berkeley.ps}
14249 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-caltech.ps}
14250 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-canada.ps}
14251 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-cr.ps}
14252 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-cygnus.ps}
14253 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-gov.ps}
14254 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-mit.ps}
14255 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-nasa.ps}
14256 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-qmw.ps}
14257 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-rms.ps}
14258 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-ruu.ps}
14262 So... You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
14263 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
14264 over your shoulder as you read news.
14267 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
14268 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
14269 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
14270 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
14271 * Picon Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
14276 @subsubsection Picon Basics
14278 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
14281 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
14282 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
14283 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
14284 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
14285 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
14286 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
14287 @code{GIF} formats.
14290 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases, point
14291 your Web browser at
14292 @file{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
14294 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14295 Gnus expects picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
14296 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
14299 @node Picon Requirements
14300 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
14302 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
14303 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
14306 Additionally, you must have @code{xpm} support compiled into XEmacs.
14308 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14309 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you must have
14310 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
14311 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
14315 @subsubsection Easy Picons
14317 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
14318 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
14321 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
14322 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14323 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-prepare-hook 'gnus-group-display-picons t)
14324 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-picons-article-display-x-face)
14329 @subsubsection Hard Picons
14331 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
14332 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
14333 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
14334 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
14335 feature, you need to first decide where to display them.
14339 @item gnus-picons-display-where
14340 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14341 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
14342 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
14343 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
14344 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
14345 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
14346 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
14352 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-seuu.ps}
14353 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-stanford.ps}
14354 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-sun.ps}
14355 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-ubc.ps}
14356 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-ufl.ps}
14357 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-uio.ps}
14358 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-unit.ps}
14359 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-upenn.ps}
14360 \gnuspicon{tmp/picons-wesleyan.ps}
14364 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
14365 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
14367 Now that you've made that decision, you need to add the following
14368 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get
14369 displayed at the right time.
14371 @vindex gnus-article-display-hook
14372 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
14374 @item gnus-article-display-picons
14375 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14376 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
14377 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer. Should be added to the
14378 @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14380 @item gnus-group-display-picons
14381 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14382 Displays picons representing the current group. This function should
14383 be added to the @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook} or to the
14384 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} if @code{gnus-picons-display-where}
14385 is set to @code{article}.
14387 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
14388 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
14389 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present. This function
14390 should be added to @code{gnus-article-display-hook}.
14394 Note: You must append them to the hook, so make sure to specify 't'
14395 for the append flag of @code{add-hook}:
14398 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-display-picons t)
14402 @node Picon Configuration
14403 @subsubsection Picon Configuration
14405 The following variables offer further control over how things are
14406 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
14407 don't need to worry about.
14410 @item gnus-picons-database
14411 @vindex gnus-picons-database
14412 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
14413 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
14414 subdirectories. Defaults to @file{/usr/local/faces}.
14416 @item gnus-picons-news-directory
14417 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directory
14418 Sub-directory of the faces database containing the icons for
14421 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
14422 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
14423 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
14424 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
14426 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
14427 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
14428 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
14429 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
14430 want to add @samp{unknown} to this list.
14432 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14433 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
14434 The command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
14435 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
14436 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
14437 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
14439 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14440 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
14441 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
14442 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
14444 @item gnus-picons-buffer
14445 @vindex gnus-picons-buffer
14446 The name of the buffer that @code{picons} points to. Defaults to
14447 @samp{*Icon Buffer*}.
14452 @subsection Smileys
14455 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
14456 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
14458 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
14459 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14462 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-smiley-display t)
14465 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
14466 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
14467 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
14468 text and maps that to file names.
14470 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
14471 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
14472 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
14473 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
14474 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
14475 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
14477 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
14478 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
14480 Here's the default value of @code{smiley-smiley-regexp-alist}:
14483 (setq smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
14484 '(("\\(:-+[<«]+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceAngry.xpm")
14485 ("\\(:-+\\]+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceGoofy.xpm")
14486 ("\\(:-+D\\)\\W" 1 "FaceGrinning.xpm")
14487 ("\\(:-+[@}»]+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceHappy.xpm")
14488 ("\\(:-*)+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceHappy.xpm")
14489 ("\\(:-+[/\\\"]+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceIronic.xpm")
14490 ("\\([8|]-+[|Oo%]\\)\\W" 1 "FaceKOed.xpm")
14491 ("\\([:|]-+#+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceNyah.xpm")
14492 ("\\(:-+[(@{]+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceSad.xpm")
14493 ("\\(:-+[Oo\*]\\)\\W" 1 "FaceStartled.xpm")
14494 ("\\(:-+|\\)\\W" 1 "FaceStraight.xpm")
14495 ("\\(:-+p\\)\\W" 1 "FaceTalking.xpm")
14496 ("\\(:-+d\\)\\W" 1 "FaceTasty.xpm")
14497 ("\\(;-+[>)@}»]+\\)\\W" 1 "FaceWinking.xpm")
14498 ("\\(:-+[Vvµ]\\)\\W" 1 "FaceWry.xpm")
14499 ("\\(][:8B]-[)>]\\)\\W" 1 "FaceDevilish.xpm")
14500 ("\\([:|]-+P\\)\\W" 1 "FaceYukky.xpm")))
14503 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
14504 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
14505 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
14507 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
14508 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
14512 @item smiley-data-directory
14513 @vindex smiley-data-directory
14514 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
14516 @item smiley-flesh-color
14517 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
14518 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
14520 @item smiley-features-color
14521 @vindex smiley-features-color
14522 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
14524 @item smiley-tongue-color
14525 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
14526 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
14528 @item smiley-circle-color
14529 @vindex smiley-circle-color
14530 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
14532 @item smiley-mouse-face
14533 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
14534 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
14540 @subsection Toolbar
14544 @item gnus-use-toolbar
14545 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
14546 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
14547 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
14548 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
14550 @item gnus-group-toolbar
14551 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
14552 The toolbar in the group buffer.
14554 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
14555 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
14556 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
14558 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
14559 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
14560 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
14566 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
14569 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
14570 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
14571 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
14572 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
14573 unusual directory structure.
14575 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
14576 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
14577 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
14578 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
14580 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
14581 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
14582 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
14583 Legal values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
14584 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
14585 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
14587 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
14588 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
14589 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
14597 @node Fuzzy Matching
14598 @section Fuzzy Matching
14599 @cindex fuzzy matching
14601 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
14602 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
14604 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
14605 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
14606 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
14608 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
14609 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
14610 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
14611 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
14612 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
14615 @node Thwarting Email Spam
14616 @section Thwarting Email Spam
14620 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
14622 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
14623 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
14624 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
14625 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
14626 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
14627 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
14628 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
14629 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
14632 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
14633 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
14634 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
14635 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
14636 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrouos hair on your toes!'')
14637 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
14641 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
14642 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
14644 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
14645 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
14646 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
14647 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
14648 sysadm whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
14649 part of the mail address.)
14652 (setq message-default-news-headers
14653 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
14656 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14657 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
14662 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
14663 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
14664 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
14670 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
14671 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
14672 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
14673 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
14675 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
14676 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
14677 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
14678 twarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
14679 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
14680 your fancy split rule in this way:
14685 (to "larsi" "misc")
14689 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
14690 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
14691 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
14692 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
14693 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
14695 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
14696 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, availiable FOR FREE
14697 at @file{<URL:http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html>}.
14698 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
14699 cosmic balance somewhat.
14701 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
14702 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
14703 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
14704 to non-existant domains is yucky, in my opinion.
14707 @node Various Various
14708 @section Various Various
14714 @item gnus-home-directory
14715 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
14716 defaults to @file{~/}.
14718 @item gnus-directory
14719 @vindex gnus-directory
14720 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
14721 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
14722 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
14724 @item gnus-default-directory
14725 @vindex gnus-default-directory
14726 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
14727 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
14728 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
14729 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14730 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
14731 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
14734 @vindex gnus-verbose
14735 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
14736 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
14737 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
14738 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
14739 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
14741 @item gnus-verbose-backends
14742 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
14743 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
14744 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
14746 @item nnheader-max-head-length
14747 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
14748 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
14749 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
14750 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
14751 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
14752 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
14753 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
14754 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
14755 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
14757 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
14758 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
14759 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
14760 read when doing the operation described above.
14762 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
14763 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
14765 @cindex invalid characters in file names
14766 @cindex characters in file names
14767 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
14768 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
14769 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
14772 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
14776 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
14777 Windows (phooey) systems.
14779 @item gnus-hidden-properties
14780 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
14781 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
14782 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
14783 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
14785 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
14786 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
14787 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
14788 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
14789 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
14791 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
14792 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
14793 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
14802 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
14803 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
14805 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
14807 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
14813 Not because of victories @*
14816 but for the common sunshine,@*
14818 the largess of the spring.
14822 but for the day's work done@*
14823 as well as I was able;@*
14824 not for a seat upon the dais@*
14825 but at the common table.@*
14830 @chapter Appendices
14833 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
14834 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
14835 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
14836 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
14837 * A Programmers Guide to Gnus:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
14838 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
14839 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
14847 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
14848 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
14850 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage, you
14851 can point your (feh!) web browser to
14852 @file{http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/}. This is also the primary
14853 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is known
14854 as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
14856 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
14857 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
14858 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
14859 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
14860 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
14861 appropriate name, don't you think?)
14863 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
14864 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
14865 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
14866 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
14868 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
14869 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
14870 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
14872 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
14873 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
14875 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
14876 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4''.
14878 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
14879 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'' --
14880 don't panic. Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away.
14881 Slowly. Whatever you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're
14882 out of its reach. Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up
14886 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
14887 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
14888 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
14889 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
14890 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
14891 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
14892 * Newest Features:: Features so new that they haven't been written yet.
14899 What's the point of Gnus?
14901 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
14902 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
14903 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
14904 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
14905 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
14906 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
14907 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
14908 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
14909 keep track of millions of people who post?
14911 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
14912 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
14913 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
14914 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
14915 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
14916 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
14917 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
14918 every one of you to explore and invent.
14920 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
14921 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
14924 @node Compatibility
14925 @subsection Compatibility
14927 @cindex compatibility
14928 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
14929 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
14930 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
14935 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
14939 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
14942 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
14945 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
14946 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
14947 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
14948 important variables have their values copied into their global
14949 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
14950 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
14952 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
14953 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
14954 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
14955 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
14956 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
14960 @cindex highlighting
14961 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
14962 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
14963 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
14964 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
14965 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
14966 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
14969 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
14970 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
14971 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
14972 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
14974 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
14975 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
14976 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
14977 to stop doing it the old way.
14979 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
14981 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
14983 @cindex reporting bugs
14985 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
14986 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
14987 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
14991 @subsection Conformity
14993 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
14994 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
15001 There are no known breaches of this standard.
15005 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
15007 @item Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
15008 @cindex Good Net-Keeping Seal of Approval
15009 Gnus has been through the Seal process and failed. I think it'll pass
15010 the next inspection.
15012 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
15013 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
15014 We do have some breaches to this one.
15019 Gnus does no MIME handling, and this standard-to-be seems to think that
15020 MIME is the bees' knees, so we have major breakage here.
15023 This is considered to be a ``vanity header'', while I consider it to be
15024 consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted articles
15025 coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use either of
15026 those for posting articles. I would not have known that if it wasn't
15027 for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
15032 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
15033 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
15038 @subsection Emacsen
15044 Gnus should work on :
15049 Emacs 19.32 and up.
15052 XEmacs 19.14 and up.
15055 Mule versions based on Emacs 19.32 and up.
15059 Gnus will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than that. Not
15060 reliably, at least.
15062 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
15063 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
15064 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
15069 @subsection Contributors
15070 @cindex contributors
15072 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
15073 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
15074 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
15075 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
15076 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
15077 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
15078 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
15079 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
15080 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
15081 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
15083 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
15089 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
15092 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
15093 well as numerous other things).
15096 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
15099 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
15102 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
15103 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
15106 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
15109 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
15110 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15113 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
15116 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
15119 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
15122 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
15125 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinsky---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
15126 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
15129 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
15132 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
15135 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
15138 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
15142 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
15145 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
15148 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
15151 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports.
15155 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
15156 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
15158 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
15167 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
15171 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
15186 Massimo Campostrini,
15191 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
15196 Michael Welsh Duggan,
15203 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
15208 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
15212 François Felix Ingrand,
15213 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
15220 Peter Skov Knudsen,
15221 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
15222 Thor Kristoffersen,
15237 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
15238 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
15244 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
15249 John McClary Prevost,
15257 Philippe Schnoebelen,
15258 Randal L. Schwartz,
15279 Katsumi Yamaoka. @c Yamaoka
15281 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
15282 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
15283 (550kB and counting).
15285 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
15288 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
15289 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
15293 @subsection New Features
15294 @cindex new features
15297 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
15298 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.3/5.3.
15299 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
15302 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
15303 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
15304 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
15308 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
15310 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
15315 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
15316 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
15319 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
15320 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
15323 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
15326 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
15327 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
15328 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15331 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
15332 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
15333 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
15334 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15337 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
15338 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15341 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
15342 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
15343 (@pxref{The Active File}).
15346 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
15347 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
15350 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
15351 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
15352 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
15355 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
15356 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
15357 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
15360 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
15361 the @file{.emacs} file.
15364 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
15365 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15368 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
15369 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
15372 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
15373 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15376 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
15377 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
15380 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
15381 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
15384 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
15387 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
15388 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
15391 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
15392 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
15395 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
15396 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
15399 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
15402 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
15403 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15406 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
15410 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
15414 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
15415 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
15418 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
15424 @node September Gnus
15425 @subsubsection September Gnus
15427 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
15432 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
15433 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
15437 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
15438 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
15442 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
15446 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
15447 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
15450 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
15454 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
15457 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
15460 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
15463 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
15467 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
15468 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
15471 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
15475 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
15479 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
15483 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
15487 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
15490 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
15491 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
15494 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
15498 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
15499 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
15502 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
15505 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
15506 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
15507 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
15510 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
15514 The Gnus cache is much faster.
15517 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
15521 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
15522 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15525 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
15526 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
15529 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
15530 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15533 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
15534 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
15535 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
15538 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
15539 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
15542 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
15545 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
15548 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15549 'gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head)
15553 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
15556 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
15559 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
15560 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
15563 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
15567 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
15570 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
15573 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
15577 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
15580 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
15584 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
15587 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
15590 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
15591 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
15594 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
15595 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
15599 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
15600 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
15603 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
15607 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
15608 buffer to allow easier treatment.
15611 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
15614 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
15618 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
15622 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
15623 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
15626 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
15630 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
15631 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
15634 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
15635 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
15638 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
15642 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
15645 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook
15646 'gnus-article-hide-boring-headers t)
15650 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
15653 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
15659 @subsubsection Red Gnus
15661 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
15666 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
15669 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
15670 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
15673 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
15674 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
15678 Article washing status can be displayed in the
15679 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
15682 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
15685 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
15686 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
15689 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
15693 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
15694 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
15698 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
15699 Server Internals}).
15702 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
15706 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
15709 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
15710 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
15713 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
15714 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
15715 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
15718 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
15719 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
15722 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
15723 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
15726 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
15730 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
15731 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
15734 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
15735 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
15738 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
15742 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
15745 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
15749 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
15750 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
15753 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
15754 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
15757 A new command for reading collections of documents
15758 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
15759 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
15762 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
15766 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the NNTP
15767 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
15770 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
15771 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
15772 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
15775 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
15776 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
15780 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
15784 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
15788 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
15792 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
15796 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
15797 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
15800 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
15803 (add-hook 'gnus-article-display-hook 'gnus-article-emphasize)
15809 @node Newest Features
15810 @subsection Newest Features
15813 Also known as the @dfn{todo list}. Sure to be implemented before the
15816 Be afraid. Be very afraid.
15820 Native @sc{mime} support is something that should be done.
15822 Really do unbinhexing.
15825 And much, much, much more. There is more to come than has already been
15826 implemented. (But that's always true, isn't it?)
15828 @file{<URL:http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/rgnus/todo>} is where the actual
15829 up-to-the-second todo list is located, so if you're really curious, you
15830 could point your Web browser over that-a-way.
15835 @section The Manual
15839 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
15840 either @code{texi2dvi}
15842 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
15843 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
15845 to get what you hold in your hands now.
15847 The following conventions have been used:
15852 This is a @samp{string}
15855 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
15858 This is a @file{file}
15861 This is a @code{symbol}
15865 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
15869 (setq flargnoze "yes")
15872 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
15875 (setq flumphel 'yes)
15878 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
15879 ever get them confused.
15883 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
15884 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
15885 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
15886 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
15887 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
15888 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
15889 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
15896 @section Terminology
15898 @cindex terminology
15903 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
15904 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
15905 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
15906 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
15907 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
15911 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
15912 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
15913 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
15914 not posting, and replying is not following up.
15918 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
15922 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
15927 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
15928 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
15929 is all done by the backends.
15933 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
15934 default, way of getting news.
15938 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
15939 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
15944 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
15945 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
15949 A message that has been posted as news.
15952 @cindex mail message
15953 A message that has been mailed.
15957 A mail message or news article
15961 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
15966 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
15971 A line from the head of an article.
15975 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
15976 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
15980 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
15981 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
15982 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
15983 normal @sc{head} format.
15987 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
15988 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
15989 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
15990 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
15991 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
15992 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
15994 @item killed groups
15995 @cindex killed groups
15996 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
15997 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
15999 @item zombie groups
16000 @cindex zombie groups
16001 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
16004 @cindex active file
16005 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
16006 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
16007 is rather large, as you might surmise.
16010 @cindex bogus groups
16011 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
16012 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
16013 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
16017 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
16019 @item select method
16020 @cindex select method
16021 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
16024 @item virtual server
16025 @cindex virtual server
16026 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
16027 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
16028 whole is a virtual server.
16032 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
16033 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
16036 @item ephemeral groups
16037 @cindex ephemeral groups
16038 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
16039 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
16040 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
16043 @cindex solid groups
16044 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
16045 group buffer are solid groups.
16047 @item sparse articles
16048 @cindex sparse articles
16049 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
16050 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
16054 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
16055 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
16059 @cindex thread root
16060 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
16061 articles in the thread.
16065 An article that has responses.
16069 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
16073 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
16074 specified by RFC1153.
16079 @node Customization
16080 @section Customization
16081 @cindex general customization
16083 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
16084 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
16085 for some quite common situations.
16088 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
16089 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
16090 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
16091 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
16095 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
16096 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
16098 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
16099 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
16100 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
16104 @item gnus-read-active-file
16105 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
16106 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
16107 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
16108 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
16109 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
16111 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
16112 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
16113 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
16114 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
16118 @node Slow Terminal Connection
16119 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
16121 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
16122 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
16123 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
16127 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
16128 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
16129 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
16130 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
16131 horizontal and vertical recentering.
16133 @item gnus-visible-headers
16134 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
16135 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
16136 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
16137 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
16139 @item gnus-article-display-hook
16140 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
16142 (setq gnus-article-display-hook
16143 '(gnus-article-hide-headers gnus-article-hide-signature
16144 gnus-article-hide-citation))
16147 @item gnus-use-full-window
16148 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
16149 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
16150 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
16151 want to read them anyway.
16153 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
16154 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
16157 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
16158 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
16159 lines, which might save some time.
16163 @node Little Disk Space
16164 @subsection Little Disk Space
16167 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
16168 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
16172 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
16173 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
16174 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
16175 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
16178 @item gnus-save-killed-list
16179 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
16180 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
16181 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
16182 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
16188 @subsection Slow Machine
16189 @cindex slow machine
16191 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
16192 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
16194 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
16195 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
16197 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
16198 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
16199 summary buffer faster.
16201 Set @code{gnus-article-display-hook} to @code{nil} to make article
16202 processing a bit faster.
16205 @node Troubleshooting
16206 @section Troubleshooting
16207 @cindex troubleshooting
16209 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
16217 Make sure your computer is switched on.
16220 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
16221 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
16225 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
16226 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
16227 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
16228 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
16231 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
16235 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
16236 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
16237 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
16238 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
16239 something like that.
16242 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
16245 @cindex reporting bugs
16247 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
16249 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
16250 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
16251 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
16252 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
16254 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
16255 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
16256 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
16257 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
16260 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
16261 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
16262 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
16263 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
16264 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
16265 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
16267 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
16268 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
16269 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
16272 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
16273 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
16275 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
16276 @cindex ding mailing list
16277 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
16278 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
16281 @node A Programmers Guide to Gnus
16282 @section A Programmer@'s Guide to Gnus
16284 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
16285 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
16286 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
16287 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
16290 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
16291 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
16292 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
16293 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
16294 and general methods of operation.
16297 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
16298 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
16299 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
16300 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
16301 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
16302 * Group Info:: The group info format.
16303 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
16304 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
16305 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
16309 @node Gnus Utility Functions
16310 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
16311 @cindex Gnus utility functions
16312 @cindex utility functions
16314 @cindex internal variables
16316 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
16317 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
16318 Below is a list of the most common ones.
16322 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
16323 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
16324 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
16326 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
16327 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
16328 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
16330 @item gnus-group-real-name
16331 @findex gnus-group-real-name
16332 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
16335 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
16336 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
16337 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
16338 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
16340 @item gnus-get-info
16341 @findex gnus-get-info
16342 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
16344 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
16345 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
16346 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
16349 @item gnus-continuum-version
16350 @findex gnus-continuum-version
16351 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
16352 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
16355 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
16356 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
16357 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
16359 @item gnus-news-group-p
16360 @findex gnus-news-group-p
16361 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
16363 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
16364 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
16365 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
16367 @item gnus-server-to-method
16368 @findex gnus-server-to-method
16369 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
16371 @item gnus-server-equal
16372 @findex gnus-server-equal
16373 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
16375 @item gnus-group-native-p
16376 @findex gnus-group-native-p
16377 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
16379 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
16380 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
16381 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
16383 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
16384 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
16385 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
16387 @item group-group-find-parameter
16388 @findex group-group-find-parameter
16389 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
16390 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
16392 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
16393 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
16394 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
16396 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
16397 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
16398 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
16400 @item gnus-check-backend-function
16401 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
16402 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
16403 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
16406 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
16410 @item gnus-read-method
16411 @findex gnus-read-method
16412 Prompts the user for a select method.
16417 @node Backend Interface
16418 @subsection Backend Interface
16420 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
16421 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
16422 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
16423 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
16424 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
16425 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
16427 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
16428 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
16429 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
16430 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
16431 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
16432 been opened, the function should fail.
16434 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
16435 name. Take this example:
16439 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
16440 (nntp-port-number 4324))
16443 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
16444 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
16446 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
16447 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
16448 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
16450 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
16451 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
16452 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
16454 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
16455 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
16456 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
16457 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
16458 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
16459 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
16462 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
16463 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
16464 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
16465 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
16468 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
16471 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
16474 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
16475 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
16476 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
16477 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
16478 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
16479 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
16483 @node Required Backend Functions
16484 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
16488 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
16490 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
16491 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
16492 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
16493 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
16495 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
16496 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
16497 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
16498 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
16500 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
16501 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
16502 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
16503 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
16504 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
16505 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
16506 number, do maximum fetches.
16508 Here's an example HEAD:
16511 221 1056 Article retrieved.
16512 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
16513 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
16514 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
16515 Subject: Re: Something very droll
16516 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
16517 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
16519 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
16520 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
16521 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
16525 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
16526 these in the data buffer.
16528 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
16532 head = error / valid-head
16533 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
16534 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
16535 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
16536 header = <text> eol
16539 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
16540 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
16544 nov-buffer = *nov-line
16545 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
16546 field = <text except TAB>
16549 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
16553 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
16555 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
16556 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
16558 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
16559 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
16560 server. In fact, it should do so.
16562 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
16563 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
16566 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
16568 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
16569 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
16572 There should be no data returned.
16575 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
16577 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
16578 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
16579 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
16580 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
16582 There should be no data returned.
16585 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
16587 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
16588 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
16589 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
16590 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
16592 There should be no data returned.
16595 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
16597 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
16599 There should be no data returned.
16602 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
16604 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
16605 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
16606 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
16607 it would be nice if that were possible.
16609 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
16610 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
16611 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
16612 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
16613 into its article buffer.
16615 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
16616 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
16617 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
16618 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
16619 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
16620 on successful article retrieval.
16623 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
16625 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
16626 making @var{group} the current group.
16628 If @var{FAST}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
16631 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
16634 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
16637 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
16638 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
16639 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
16640 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
16641 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
16642 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
16643 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
16644 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
16647 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
16648 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
16649 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
16653 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
16655 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
16656 a no-op on most backends.
16658 There should be no data returned.
16661 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
16663 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
16666 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
16669 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
16670 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
16673 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
16674 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
16677 active-file = *active-line
16678 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
16680 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
16683 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
16684 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
16685 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
16688 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
16690 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
16691 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
16692 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
16693 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
16694 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
16695 clear if the posting could not be completed.
16697 There should be no result data from this function.
16702 @node Optional Backend Functions
16703 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
16707 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
16709 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
16710 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
16711 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
16713 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
16714 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
16715 former is in the same format as the data from
16716 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
16717 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
16720 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
16724 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
16726 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
16727 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
16728 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
16729 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
16730 should return the (altered) group info.
16732 There should be no result data from this function.
16735 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
16737 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
16738 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
16739 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
16740 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
16741 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
16742 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
16743 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
16744 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
16746 There should be no result data from this function.
16749 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
16751 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
16752 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
16753 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
16754 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
16755 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
16757 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
16758 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
16759 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
16762 There should be no result data from this function.
16765 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
16767 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
16768 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
16769 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
16770 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
16771 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
16772 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
16773 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
16775 There should be no result data from this function.
16778 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
16780 The result data from this function should be a description of
16784 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
16786 description = <text>
16789 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
16791 The result data from this function should be the description of all
16792 groups available on the server.
16795 description-buffer = *description-line
16799 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
16801 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
16802 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
16803 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
16806 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
16808 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
16810 There should be no return data.
16813 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
16815 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
16816 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
16817 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
16818 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
16819 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
16822 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
16825 There should be no result data returned.
16828 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
16831 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
16832 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
16834 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
16835 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
16836 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
16837 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
16838 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
16839 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
16841 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
16842 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
16845 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
16846 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
16848 There should be no data returned.
16851 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
16853 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
16854 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
16855 this function in short order.
16857 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
16858 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
16860 There should be no data returned.
16863 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
16865 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
16866 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
16868 There should be no data returned.
16871 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
16873 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
16874 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
16875 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
16877 There should be no data returned.
16880 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
16882 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
16883 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
16885 There should be no data returned.
16890 @node Error Messaging
16891 @subsubsection Error Messaging
16893 @findex nnheader-report
16894 @findex nnheader-get-report
16895 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
16896 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
16897 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
16898 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
16899 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
16900 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
16903 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
16905 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
16908 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
16909 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
16910 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
16911 takes one argument---the server symbol.
16913 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
16914 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
16915 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
16918 @node Writing New Backends
16919 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
16921 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
16922 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
16923 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
16924 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
16925 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
16928 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
16929 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
16930 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
16932 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
16933 package called @code{nnoo}.
16935 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
16936 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
16942 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
16943 parameters. For instance:
16946 (nnoo-declare nndir
16950 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
16951 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
16954 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
16955 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
16956 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
16958 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
16959 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
16960 a function in those backends.
16963 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
16964 "Where nndir will look for groups."
16965 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
16968 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
16969 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
16970 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
16972 @item nnoo-define-basics
16973 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
16977 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
16981 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
16982 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
16983 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
16985 @item nnoo-map-functions
16986 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
16987 functions from the parent backends.
16990 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
16991 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
16992 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
16995 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
16996 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
16997 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
16998 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
17001 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
17002 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
17003 haven't already been defined.
17009 nnmh-request-newgroups)
17013 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
17014 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
17015 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
17020 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
17023 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
17024 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
17028 (require 'nnheader)
17032 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
17034 (nnoo-declare nndir
17037 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
17038 "Where nndir will look for groups."
17039 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
17041 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
17042 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
17045 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
17046 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
17047 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
17049 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
17050 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
17052 ;;; Interface functions.
17054 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
17056 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
17057 (setq nndir-directory
17058 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
17060 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
17061 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
17062 (push `(nndir-current-group
17063 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
17065 (push `(nndir-top-directory
17066 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
17068 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
17070 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
17071 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
17072 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
17073 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
17074 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
17078 nnmh-status-message
17080 nnmh-request-newgroups))
17086 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
17087 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
17089 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
17090 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
17091 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
17092 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
17094 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
17095 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
17100 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
17103 The abilities can be:
17107 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
17109 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
17111 This backend supports both mail and news.
17113 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
17116 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
17117 articles and groups.
17119 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
17120 true for almost all backends.
17121 @item prompt-address
17122 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
17123 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
17124 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
17128 @node Mail-like Backends
17129 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
17131 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
17132 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
17133 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
17134 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
17137 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
17138 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
17139 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
17142 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
17143 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
17146 This function takes four parameters.
17150 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
17153 @item exit-function
17154 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
17156 @item temp-directory
17157 Where the temporary files should be stored.
17160 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
17161 performed for one group only.
17164 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
17165 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
17166 find the article number assigned to this article.
17168 The function also uses the following variables:
17169 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
17170 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
17171 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
17172 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
17176 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
17177 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
17181 @node Score File Syntax
17182 @subsection Score File Syntax
17184 Score files are meant to be easily parsable, but yet extremely
17185 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
17186 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
17188 Here's a typical score file:
17192 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
17199 BNF definition of a score file:
17202 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
17203 element = rule / atom
17204 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
17205 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
17206 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
17207 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
17209 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
17210 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
17211 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
17212 date-header = "date"
17213 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
17214 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
17215 score = "nil" / <integer>
17216 date = "nil" / <natural number>
17217 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
17218 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
17219 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
17220 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
17221 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
17222 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
17223 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
17224 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
17225 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
17226 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
17227 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
17228 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
17229 exclude-files / read-only / touched
17230 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
17231 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
17232 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
17233 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
17234 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
17235 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
17236 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
17237 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
17238 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
17239 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
17240 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
17241 eval = "eval" space <form>
17242 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
17245 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
17248 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
17249 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
17250 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
17251 one looong line, then that's ok.
17253 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
17254 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
17258 @subsection Headers
17260 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
17261 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
17262 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
17263 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
17265 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
17266 RFC1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
17267 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
17268 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
17269 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
17270 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
17271 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
17273 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
17274 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
17275 @code{xref}. There are macros for accessing and setting these
17276 slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
17277 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
17279 The @code{xref} slot is really a @code{misc} slot. Any extra info will
17286 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
17287 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
17289 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
17290 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
17291 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
17292 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
17294 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
17298 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
17301 is transformed into
17304 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
17307 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
17308 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
17311 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
17314 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
17315 is slightly tricky:
17318 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
17324 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
17327 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
17333 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
17340 and is equal to the previous range.
17342 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
17343 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
17344 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
17348 range = simple-range / normal-range
17349 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
17350 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
17351 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
17352 number *[ " " contents ]
17355 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
17356 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
17357 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
17358 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
17359 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
17364 @subsection Group Info
17366 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
17367 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
17368 describes the group.
17370 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
17371 second is a more complex one:
17374 ("no.group" 5 (1 . 54324))
17376 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
17377 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
17379 (auto-expire (to-address "ding@@gnus.org")))
17382 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
17383 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
17384 normally is a small integer. The third element is a list of ranges of
17385 read articles. The fourth element is a list of lists of article marks
17386 of various kinds. The fifth element is the select method (or virtual
17387 server, if you like). The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group
17388 parameters}, which is what this section is about.
17390 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
17391 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
17392 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
17394 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
17397 info = "(" group space level space read
17398 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
17399 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
17400 group = quote <string> quote
17401 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
17403 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
17404 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
17405 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
17406 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
17409 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
17410 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
17413 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
17414 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
17417 @item gnus-info-group
17418 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
17419 @findex gnus-info-group
17420 @findex gnus-info-set-group
17421 Get/set the group name.
17423 @item gnus-info-rank
17424 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
17425 @findex gnus-info-rank
17426 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
17427 Get/set the group rank.
17429 @item gnus-info-level
17430 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
17431 @findex gnus-info-level
17432 @findex gnus-info-set-level
17433 Get/set the group level.
17435 @item gnus-info-score
17436 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
17437 @findex gnus-info-score
17438 @findex gnus-info-set-score
17439 Get/set the group score.
17441 @item gnus-info-read
17442 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
17443 @findex gnus-info-read
17444 @findex gnus-info-set-read
17445 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
17447 @item gnus-info-marks
17448 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
17449 @findex gnus-info-marks
17450 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
17451 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
17453 @item gnus-info-method
17454 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
17455 @findex gnus-info-method
17456 @findex gnus-info-set-method
17457 Get/set the group select method.
17459 @item gnus-info-params
17460 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
17461 @findex gnus-info-params
17462 @findex gnus-info-set-params
17463 Get/set the group parameters.
17466 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
17467 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
17469 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
17470 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
17471 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
17472 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
17475 @node Extended Interactive
17476 @subsection Extended Interactive
17477 @cindex interactive
17478 @findex gnus-interactive
17480 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
17481 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
17482 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
17485 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
17486 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
17491 The best thing to do would have been to implement
17492 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
17493 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
17494 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
17495 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
17496 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
17497 @code{interactive}.
17499 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
17504 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
17505 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
17509 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
17510 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
17511 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
17514 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
17518 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
17522 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
17528 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
17529 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
17533 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
17534 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
17535 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
17537 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
17538 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
17539 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
17540 Gnus, that's very useful.
17542 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
17543 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
17544 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
17545 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
17546 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
17547 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
17548 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
17549 following function:
17552 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
17556 (,function ,@@args))
17560 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
17561 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
17562 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
17565 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
17566 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
17567 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
17569 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
17570 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
17571 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
17574 @node Various File Formats
17575 @subsection Various File Formats
17578 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
17579 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
17583 @node Active File Format
17584 @subsubsection Active File Format
17586 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
17587 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
17590 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
17593 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
17594 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
17595 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
17596 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
17597 no.general 1000 900 y
17600 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
17603 active = *group-line
17604 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
17605 group = <non-white-space string>
17607 high-number = <non-negative integer>
17608 low-number = <positive integer>
17609 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
17613 @node Newsgroups File Format
17614 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
17616 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
17617 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
17618 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
17621 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
17622 Here's the definition:
17626 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
17627 group = <non-white-space string>
17629 description = <string>
17633 @node Emacs for Heathens
17634 @section Emacs for Heathens
17636 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
17637 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
17638 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
17639 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
17640 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
17641 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
17642 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
17646 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
17647 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
17652 @subsection Keystrokes
17656 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
17659 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
17662 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
17663 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
17664 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
17665 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
17666 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
17667 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
17669 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
17670 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
17671 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
17672 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
17673 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
17674 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
17675 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
17677 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
17678 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
17679 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
17680 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
17681 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
17682 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
17683 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
17685 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
17686 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
17687 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
17688 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
17689 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
17695 @subsection Emacs Lisp
17697 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
17698 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
17699 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
17700 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
17702 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
17703 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
17704 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
17705 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
17706 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
17707 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
17708 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
17711 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
17712 write the following:
17715 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
17718 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
17719 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
17720 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
17723 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
17724 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
17725 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
17726 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
17727 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
17729 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
17730 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
17731 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
17735 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
17739 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
17742 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
17743 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
17746 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
17749 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
17750 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
17753 @include gnus-faq.texi