10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
292 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
295 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
296 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
297 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
298 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
299 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
300 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
301 License'' in the Emacs manual.
303 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
304 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
305 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
307 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
308 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
309 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
310 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
318 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
320 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
321 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
323 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
324 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
325 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
326 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
327 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
328 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
329 License'' in the Emacs manual.
331 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
332 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
333 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
335 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
336 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
337 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
338 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
350 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
351 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
353 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
354 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
355 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
356 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
357 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
358 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
359 License'' in the Emacs manual.
361 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
362 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
363 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
365 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
366 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
367 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
368 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
377 @top The Gnus Newsreader
381 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
382 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
383 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
386 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.10.
397 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
398 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
400 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
401 being accused of plagiarism:
403 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
404 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
405 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
406 can even read news with it!
408 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
409 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
410 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
411 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
412 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
418 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
419 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
420 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
421 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
422 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
423 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
424 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
425 * Various:: General purpose settings.
426 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
427 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
428 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
429 * Key Index:: Key Index.
431 Other related manuals
433 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
434 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; MIME-specific parts.
435 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
436 * PGG:(pgg). PGP/MIME with Gnus.
439 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
443 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
444 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
445 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
446 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
447 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
448 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
449 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
450 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
451 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
452 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
453 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
457 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
458 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
459 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
463 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
464 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
465 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
466 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
467 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
468 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
469 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
470 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
471 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
472 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
473 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
474 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
475 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
476 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
477 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
478 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
479 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
483 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
484 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
485 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
489 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
490 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
491 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
492 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
493 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
497 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
498 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
499 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
500 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
501 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
505 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
506 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
507 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
508 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
509 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
510 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
511 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
512 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
513 * Threading:: How threads are made.
514 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
515 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
516 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
517 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
518 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
519 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
520 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
521 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
522 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
523 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
524 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
525 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
526 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
527 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
528 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
529 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
530 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
531 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
532 or reselecting the current group.
533 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
534 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
535 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
536 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
538 Summary Buffer Format
540 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
541 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
542 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
543 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
547 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
548 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
550 Reply, Followup and Post
552 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
553 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
554 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
555 * Canceling and Superseding::
559 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
560 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
561 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
563 * Generic Marking Commands::
564 * Setting Process Marks::
568 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
569 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
570 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
574 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
575 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
577 Customizing Threading
579 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
580 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
581 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
582 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
586 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
587 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
588 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
589 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
590 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
591 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
595 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
596 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
597 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
601 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
602 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
603 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
604 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
605 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
606 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
607 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
608 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
609 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
610 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
612 Alternative Approaches
614 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
615 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
617 Various Summary Stuff
619 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
620 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
621 * Summary Generation Commands::
622 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
626 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
627 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
628 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
629 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
630 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
634 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
635 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
636 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
637 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
638 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
639 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
640 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
641 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
645 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
646 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
647 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
648 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
649 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
650 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
651 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
652 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
656 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
657 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
658 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
659 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
660 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
661 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
662 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
666 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
667 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
671 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
672 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
673 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
677 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
678 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
679 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
680 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
681 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
682 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
683 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
684 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
685 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
686 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
687 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
688 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
689 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
693 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
694 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
695 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
697 Choosing a Mail Back End
699 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
700 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
701 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
702 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
703 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
704 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
709 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
710 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
711 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
712 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
713 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
714 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
718 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
719 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
720 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
721 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
722 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
726 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
727 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
728 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
729 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
730 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
734 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
738 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
739 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
740 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
744 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
745 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
749 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
750 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
751 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
752 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
753 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
754 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
755 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
756 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
757 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
758 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
759 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
763 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
764 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
765 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
769 * Group Agent Commands::
770 * Summary Agent Commands::
771 * Server Agent Commands::
775 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
776 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
777 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
778 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
779 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
780 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
781 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
782 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
783 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
784 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
785 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
786 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
787 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
788 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
789 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
790 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
791 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
795 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
796 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
797 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
798 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
802 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
803 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
804 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
808 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
809 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
810 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
811 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
812 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
813 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
814 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
815 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
816 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
817 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
818 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
819 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
820 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
821 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
822 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
823 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
824 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
825 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
826 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
830 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
831 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
832 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
833 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
834 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
835 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
836 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
837 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
841 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
842 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
843 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
844 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
845 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
849 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
850 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
851 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
852 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
853 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
857 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
858 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
859 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
860 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
861 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
862 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
866 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
867 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
868 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
869 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
870 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
871 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
872 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
873 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
874 * Frequently Asked Questions::
878 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
879 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
880 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
881 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
882 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
883 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
884 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
885 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
886 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
890 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
891 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
892 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
893 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
894 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
898 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
899 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
900 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
901 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
905 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
906 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
907 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
908 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
909 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
910 * Group Info:: The group info format.
911 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
912 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
913 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
917 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
918 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
919 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
920 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
921 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
922 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
926 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
927 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
931 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
932 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
938 @chapter Starting Gnus
943 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
944 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
947 @findex gnus-other-frame
948 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
949 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
950 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
952 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
953 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
954 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
956 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
957 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
960 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
961 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
962 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
963 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
964 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
965 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
966 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
967 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
968 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
969 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
970 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
974 @node Finding the News
975 @section Finding the News
978 @vindex gnus-select-method
980 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
981 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
982 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
983 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
986 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
987 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
990 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
993 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
996 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
999 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1000 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1001 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1003 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1005 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
1006 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1007 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1008 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1009 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1010 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1012 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1013 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1014 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1015 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1017 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1018 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1019 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1020 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1021 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1022 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1023 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1024 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1025 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1028 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1030 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1031 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1032 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1033 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1034 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1035 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1037 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1039 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1040 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1041 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1042 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1043 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1044 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1047 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1048 you would typically set this variable to
1051 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1055 @node The First Time
1056 @section The First Time
1057 @cindex first time usage
1059 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1060 be subscribed by default.
1062 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1063 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1064 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1065 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1068 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1069 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1070 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1072 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1073 help you with most common problems.
1075 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1076 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1080 @node The Server is Down
1081 @section The Server is Down
1082 @cindex server errors
1084 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1085 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1086 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1088 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1089 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1090 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1091 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1092 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1093 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1094 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1096 @findex gnus-no-server
1097 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1099 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1100 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1101 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1102 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1103 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1104 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1105 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1109 @section Slave Gnusae
1112 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1113 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1114 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1115 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1117 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1118 @code{.newsrc} file.
1120 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1121 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1122 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1123 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1124 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1125 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1126 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1128 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1129 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1130 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1131 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1132 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1133 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1134 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1135 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1137 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1138 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1140 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1141 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1142 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1143 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1144 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1146 @node Fetching a Group
1147 @section Fetching a Group
1148 @cindex fetching a group
1150 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1151 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1152 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1153 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1154 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1155 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1161 @cindex subscription
1163 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1164 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1165 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1166 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1167 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1168 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1169 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1170 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1171 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1174 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1175 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1176 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1180 @node Checking New Groups
1181 @subsection Checking New Groups
1183 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1184 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1185 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1186 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1187 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1188 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1189 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1190 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1191 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1192 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1194 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1195 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1196 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1197 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1198 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1199 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1200 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1201 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1202 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1203 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1204 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1206 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1207 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1208 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1209 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1210 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1211 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1214 @node Subscription Methods
1215 @subsection Subscription Methods
1217 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1218 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1219 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1221 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1222 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1224 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1228 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1229 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1230 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1231 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1232 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1234 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1236 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1237 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1241 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1243 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1244 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1245 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1246 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1247 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1248 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1249 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1250 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1251 up. Or something like that.
1253 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1254 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1255 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1256 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1257 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1259 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1260 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1261 Kill all new groups.
1263 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1264 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1265 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1266 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1267 topic parameter that looks like
1273 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1276 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1281 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1282 A closely related variable is
1283 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1284 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1285 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1286 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1289 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1290 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1291 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1292 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1295 @node Filtering New Groups
1296 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1298 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1299 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1300 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1303 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1306 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1307 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1308 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1309 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1310 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1311 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1312 subscribing these groups.
1313 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1314 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1316 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1317 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1318 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1319 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1320 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1321 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1322 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1323 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1325 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1326 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1327 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1328 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1329 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1330 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1331 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1332 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1333 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1334 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1337 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1338 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1341 @node Changing Servers
1342 @section Changing Servers
1343 @cindex changing servers
1345 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1346 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1347 very flaky and you want to use another.
1349 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1350 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1354 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1355 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1356 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1357 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1360 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1361 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1362 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1363 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1365 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1366 @findex gnus-change-server
1367 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1368 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1369 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1370 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1371 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1373 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1374 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1375 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1376 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1377 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1379 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1380 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1381 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1382 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1383 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1384 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1386 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1387 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1388 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1389 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1391 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1392 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1393 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1394 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1395 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1396 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1397 cache for all groups).
1401 @section Startup Files
1402 @cindex startup files
1407 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1408 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1410 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1411 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1412 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1413 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1414 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1415 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1416 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1418 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1419 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1420 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1421 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1422 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1423 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1425 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1426 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1427 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1428 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1429 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1430 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1431 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1432 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1433 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1434 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1436 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1437 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1438 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1439 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1440 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1441 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1442 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1443 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1444 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1445 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1446 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1447 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1449 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1450 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1451 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1452 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1454 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1455 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1456 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1457 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1458 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1459 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1460 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1461 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1462 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1463 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1466 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1467 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1469 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1470 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1473 @vindex gnus-init-file
1474 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1475 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1476 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1477 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1478 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1479 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1480 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1481 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1482 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1488 @cindex dribble file
1491 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1492 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1493 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1494 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1495 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1498 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1499 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1502 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1503 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1504 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1506 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1507 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1508 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1509 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1510 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1511 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1513 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1514 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1515 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1518 @node The Active File
1519 @section The Active File
1521 @cindex ignored groups
1523 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1524 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1525 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1527 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1528 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1529 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1530 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1531 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1532 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1533 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1536 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1537 @c if you set it to anything else.
1539 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1541 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1542 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1543 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1545 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1546 you actually subscribe to.
1548 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1549 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1550 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1551 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1553 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1554 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1555 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1556 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1557 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1558 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1560 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1561 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1562 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1565 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1566 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1567 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1568 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1569 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1570 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1572 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1573 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1575 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1576 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1578 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1579 secondary select methods.
1582 @node Startup Variables
1583 @section Startup Variables
1587 @item gnus-load-hook
1588 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1589 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1590 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1591 times you start Gnus.
1593 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1594 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1595 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1597 @item gnus-startup-hook
1598 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1599 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1601 @item gnus-started-hook
1602 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1603 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1606 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1607 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1608 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1609 generating the group buffer.
1611 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1612 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1613 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1614 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1615 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1616 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1617 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1618 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1620 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1621 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1622 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1623 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1624 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1625 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1627 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1628 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1629 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1631 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1632 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1633 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1635 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1636 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1637 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1638 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1644 @chapter Group Buffer
1645 @cindex group buffer
1647 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1649 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1650 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1651 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1652 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1653 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1654 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1655 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1656 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1657 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1658 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1659 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1660 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1661 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1662 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1663 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1664 @c human rights at 9...
1667 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1668 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1669 long as Gnus is active.
1673 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1674 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1675 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1676 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1677 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1678 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1679 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1680 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1686 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1687 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1688 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1689 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1690 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1691 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1692 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1693 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1694 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1695 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1696 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1697 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1698 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1699 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1700 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1701 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1702 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1706 @node Group Buffer Format
1707 @section Group Buffer Format
1710 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1711 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1712 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1716 @node Group Line Specification
1717 @subsection Group Line Specification
1718 @cindex group buffer format
1720 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1721 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1723 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1726 25: news.announce.newusers
1727 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1732 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1733 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1734 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1735 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1737 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1738 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1739 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1740 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1741 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1742 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1744 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1746 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1747 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1748 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1749 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1750 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1752 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1753 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1754 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1756 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1761 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1764 Whether the group is subscribed.
1767 Level of subscribedness.
1770 Number of unread articles.
1773 Number of dormant articles.
1776 Number of ticked articles.
1779 Number of read articles.
1782 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1783 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1785 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1786 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1787 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1788 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1789 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1790 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1791 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1792 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1795 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1798 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1807 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1808 comment element in the group parameters.
1811 Newsgroup description.
1814 @samp{m} if moderated.
1817 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1823 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1829 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1833 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1836 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1837 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1838 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1839 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1840 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1843 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1845 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1849 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1852 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1856 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1857 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1858 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1859 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1860 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1861 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1866 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1867 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1868 group, or a bogus native group.
1871 @node Group Modeline Specification
1872 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1873 @cindex group modeline
1875 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1876 The mode line can be changed by setting
1877 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1878 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1882 The native news server.
1884 The native select method.
1888 @node Group Highlighting
1889 @subsection Group Highlighting
1890 @cindex highlighting
1891 @cindex group highlighting
1893 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1894 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1895 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1896 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1897 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1899 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1903 (cond (window-system
1904 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1905 (defface my-group-face-1
1906 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1907 (defface my-group-face-2
1908 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1909 (defface my-group-face-3
1910 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1911 (defface my-group-face-4
1912 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1913 (defface my-group-face-5
1914 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1916 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1917 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1918 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1919 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1920 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1921 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1924 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1926 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1933 The number of unread articles in the group.
1937 Whether the group is a mail group.
1939 The level of the group.
1941 The score of the group.
1943 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1945 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1946 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1948 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1949 topic being inserted.
1952 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1953 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1954 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1956 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1957 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1958 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1959 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1960 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1963 @node Group Maneuvering
1964 @section Group Maneuvering
1965 @cindex group movement
1967 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1968 expected, hopefully.
1974 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1975 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1976 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1982 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1983 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1984 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1988 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1989 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1993 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1994 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1998 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1999 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2000 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2004 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2005 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2006 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2009 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2015 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2016 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2017 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2022 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2023 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2024 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2028 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2029 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2030 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2033 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2034 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2035 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2036 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2040 @node Selecting a Group
2041 @section Selecting a Group
2042 @cindex group selection
2047 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2048 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2049 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2050 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2051 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2052 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2053 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2054 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2055 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2056 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2058 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2059 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2060 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2062 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2063 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2068 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2069 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2070 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2071 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2072 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2076 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2077 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2078 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2079 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2080 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2081 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2082 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2083 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2084 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2085 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2088 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2089 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2090 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2091 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2092 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2095 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2096 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2097 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2098 doing any processing of its contents
2099 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2100 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2101 manner will have no permanent effects.
2105 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2106 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2107 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2108 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2109 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2110 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2111 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2112 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2115 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2116 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2117 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2118 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2119 Which article this is is controlled by the
2120 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2126 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2129 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2132 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2134 @item unseen-or-unread
2135 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2136 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2140 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2144 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2145 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2147 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2148 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2149 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2150 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2154 @node Subscription Commands
2155 @section Subscription Commands
2156 @cindex subscription
2164 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2165 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2166 Toggle subscription to the current group
2167 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2173 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2174 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2175 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2176 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2182 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2183 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2184 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2190 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2191 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2194 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2195 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2196 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2197 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2198 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2204 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2205 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2209 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2210 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2213 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2214 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2215 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2216 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2217 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2218 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2219 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2220 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2221 @file{.newsrc} file.
2225 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2235 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2236 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2237 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2238 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2239 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2240 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2245 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2246 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2247 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2251 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2252 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2253 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2255 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2256 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2257 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2258 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2259 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2260 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2267 @section Group Levels
2271 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2272 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2273 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2274 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2275 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2277 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2283 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2284 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2285 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2286 prompted for a level.
2289 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2290 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2291 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2292 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2293 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2294 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2295 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2296 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2297 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2298 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2299 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2300 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2301 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2302 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2303 reasons of efficiency.
2305 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2306 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2308 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2309 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2310 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2311 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2312 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2313 groups are hidden, in a way.
2315 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2316 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2317 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2318 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2319 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2320 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2322 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2323 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2324 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2325 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2326 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2327 list of killed groups.)
2329 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2330 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2331 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2333 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2334 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2335 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2336 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2337 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2338 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2339 relevant valid ranges.
2341 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2342 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2343 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2344 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2345 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2346 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2349 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2350 one with the best level.
2352 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2353 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2354 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2357 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2358 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2359 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2360 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2363 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2364 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2365 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2366 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2368 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2369 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2370 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2371 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2372 to 5. The default is 6.
2376 @section Group Score
2381 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2382 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2383 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2386 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2387 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2388 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2389 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2390 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2391 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2392 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2393 least significant part.))
2395 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2396 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2397 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2398 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2399 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2400 action after each summary exit, you can add
2401 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2402 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2403 slow things down somewhat.
2406 @node Marking Groups
2407 @section Marking Groups
2408 @cindex marking groups
2410 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2411 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2412 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2413 bidding on those groups.
2415 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2416 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2417 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2425 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2426 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2432 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2433 Remove the mark from the current group
2434 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2438 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2439 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2443 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2444 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2448 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2449 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2453 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2454 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2455 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2458 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2460 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2461 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2462 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2463 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2464 the command to be executed.
2467 @node Foreign Groups
2468 @section Foreign Groups
2469 @cindex foreign groups
2471 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2472 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2473 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2474 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2481 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2482 @cindex making groups
2483 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2484 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2485 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2489 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2490 @cindex renaming groups
2491 Rename the current group to something else
2492 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2493 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2499 @findex gnus-group-customize
2500 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2504 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2505 @cindex renaming groups
2506 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2507 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2511 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2512 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2513 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2517 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2518 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2519 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2523 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2525 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2526 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2531 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2532 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2536 @cindex (ding) archive
2537 @cindex archive group
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2539 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2540 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2541 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2542 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2543 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2544 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2548 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2550 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2551 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2552 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2553 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2557 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2559 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2560 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2561 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2565 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2566 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2568 Make a group based on some file or other
2569 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2570 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2571 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2572 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2573 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2574 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2575 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2576 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2577 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2581 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2582 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2583 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2584 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2588 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2592 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2593 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2594 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2595 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2596 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2597 @xref{Web Searches}.
2599 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2600 to a particular group by using a match string like
2601 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2604 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2605 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2606 This function will delete the current group
2607 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2608 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2609 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2610 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2611 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2615 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2616 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2617 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2621 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2622 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2623 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2626 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2629 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2630 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2631 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2632 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2633 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2634 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2638 @node Group Parameters
2639 @section Group Parameters
2640 @cindex group parameters
2642 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2643 Here's an example group parameter list:
2646 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2650 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2651 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2652 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2653 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2655 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2656 is an alist of regexps and values.
2658 The following group parameters can be used:
2663 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2666 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2669 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2670 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2671 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2672 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2673 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2675 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2676 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2677 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2678 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2679 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2680 list address instead.
2682 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2686 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2689 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2692 It is totally ignored
2693 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2694 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2696 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2697 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2698 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2699 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2700 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2702 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2703 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2704 sending the message.
2706 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2707 @cindex Mail List Groups
2708 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2709 entering summary buffer.
2711 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2716 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2717 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2718 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2719 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2720 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2721 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2723 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2724 directly uses this group parameter.
2728 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2729 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2730 of whether it has any unread articles.
2732 @item broken-reply-to
2733 @cindex broken-reply-to
2734 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2735 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2736 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2737 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2738 broken behavior. So there!
2742 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2743 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2747 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2748 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2749 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2754 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2755 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2756 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2757 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2758 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2759 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2760 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2761 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2762 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept articles.
2766 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2767 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2768 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2770 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2773 @cindex total-expire
2774 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2775 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2776 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2777 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2780 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2784 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2785 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2786 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2787 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2788 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2789 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2790 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2793 @cindex score file group parameter
2794 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2795 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2796 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2799 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2800 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2801 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2802 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2805 @cindex admin-address
2806 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2807 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2808 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2809 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2813 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2814 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2818 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2821 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2822 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2825 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2829 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2831 Here are some examples:
2835 Display only unread articles.
2838 Display everything except expirable articles.
2840 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2841 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2845 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2846 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2847 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2848 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2849 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2853 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2854 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2855 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2859 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2860 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2861 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2865 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2866 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2867 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2869 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2871 @item ignored-charsets
2872 @cindex ignored-charset
2873 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2874 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2875 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2877 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2880 @cindex posting-style
2881 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2882 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2883 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2884 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2885 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2887 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2888 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2889 like this in the group parameters:
2894 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2899 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2900 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2904 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2905 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2906 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2907 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2908 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2912 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2913 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2914 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2915 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2917 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2918 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2919 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2920 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2923 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2924 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2928 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2931 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2932 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2933 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2934 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2935 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2936 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2937 @code{eval}ed there.
2939 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2940 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2941 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2942 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2943 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2944 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2945 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2946 parameters for the group.
2949 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2950 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2951 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2952 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2953 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2957 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2958 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2959 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2960 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2961 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2963 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2964 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2968 (setq gnus-parameters
2970 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2971 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2972 (gnus-summary-line-format
2973 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2977 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2981 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2985 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2988 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2989 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2992 @node Listing Groups
2993 @section Listing Groups
2994 @cindex group listing
2996 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3004 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3005 List all groups that have unread articles
3006 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3007 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3008 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
3009 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3016 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3017 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3018 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3019 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3020 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3021 unsubscribed groups).
3025 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3026 List all unread groups on a specific level
3027 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3028 with no unread articles.
3032 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3033 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3034 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3035 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3040 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3041 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3045 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3046 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3047 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3051 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3052 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3056 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3057 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3058 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3059 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3060 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3061 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3062 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3063 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3067 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3068 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3069 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3073 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3074 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3075 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3079 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3080 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3084 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3085 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3089 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3090 List groups limited within the current selection
3091 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3095 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3096 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3100 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3101 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3105 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3106 @cindex visible group parameter
3107 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3108 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3109 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3110 get the same effect.
3112 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3113 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3114 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3115 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3116 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3119 @node Sorting Groups
3120 @section Sorting Groups
3121 @cindex sorting groups
3123 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3124 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3125 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3126 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3127 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3128 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3133 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3134 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3135 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3137 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3138 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3139 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3141 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3142 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3143 Sort by group level.
3145 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3146 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3147 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3149 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3150 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3151 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3152 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3154 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3155 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3156 Sort by number of unread articles.
3158 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3159 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3160 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3162 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3163 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3164 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3169 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3170 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3174 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3175 some sorting criteria:
3179 @kindex G S a (Group)
3180 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3181 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3182 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3185 @kindex G S u (Group)
3186 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3187 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3188 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3191 @kindex G S l (Group)
3192 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3193 Sort the group buffer by group level
3194 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3197 @kindex G S v (Group)
3198 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3199 Sort the group buffer by group score
3200 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3203 @kindex G S r (Group)
3204 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3205 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3206 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3209 @kindex G S m (Group)
3210 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3211 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3212 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3215 @kindex G S n (Group)
3216 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3217 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3218 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3222 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3223 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3225 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3226 commands will sort in reverse order.
3228 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3232 @kindex G P a (Group)
3233 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3234 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3235 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3238 @kindex G P u (Group)
3239 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3240 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3241 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3244 @kindex G P l (Group)
3245 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3246 Sort the groups by group level
3247 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3250 @kindex G P v (Group)
3251 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3252 Sort the groups by group score
3253 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3256 @kindex G P r (Group)
3257 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3258 Sort the groups by group rank
3259 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3262 @kindex G P m (Group)
3263 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3264 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3265 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3268 @kindex G P n (Group)
3269 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3270 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3271 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3274 @kindex G P s (Group)
3275 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3276 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3280 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3284 @node Group Maintenance
3285 @section Group Maintenance
3286 @cindex bogus groups
3291 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3292 Find bogus groups and delete them
3293 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3297 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3298 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3299 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3300 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3301 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3305 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3306 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3307 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3308 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3309 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3310 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3313 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3314 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3315 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3316 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3321 @node Browse Foreign Server
3322 @section Browse Foreign Server
3323 @cindex foreign servers
3324 @cindex browsing servers
3329 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3330 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3331 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3332 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3335 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3336 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3337 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3338 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3340 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3345 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3346 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3350 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3351 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3354 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3355 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3356 Enter the current group and display the first article
3357 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3360 @kindex RET (Browse)
3361 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3362 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3366 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3367 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3368 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3374 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3375 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3379 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3380 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3384 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3385 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3386 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3391 @section Exiting Gnus
3392 @cindex exiting Gnus
3394 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3399 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3400 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3401 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3402 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3406 @findex gnus-group-exit
3407 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3408 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3412 @findex gnus-group-quit
3413 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3414 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3417 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3418 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3419 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3420 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3421 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3426 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3427 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3428 trying to customize meta-variables.
3433 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3434 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3435 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3441 @section Group Topics
3444 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3445 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3446 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3447 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3448 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3449 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3453 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3454 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3465 2: alt.religion.emacs
3468 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3470 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3471 13: comp.sources.unix
3474 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3476 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3477 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3478 is a toggling command.)
3480 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3481 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3482 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3483 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3486 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3487 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3488 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3491 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3495 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3496 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3497 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3498 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3499 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3503 @node Topic Commands
3504 @subsection Topic Commands
3505 @cindex topic commands
3507 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3508 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3509 definitions slightly.
3511 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3512 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3513 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3514 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3515 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3516 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3518 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3525 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3526 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3527 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3531 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3533 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3534 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3535 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3536 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3539 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3540 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3541 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3542 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3546 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3547 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3548 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3549 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3555 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3556 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3557 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3561 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3562 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3563 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3566 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3567 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3568 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3569 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3570 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3572 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3573 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3577 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3578 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3585 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3587 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3588 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3589 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3590 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3591 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3592 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3596 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3602 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3603 Move the current group to some other topic
3604 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3605 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3609 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3610 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3614 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3615 Copy the current group to some other topic
3616 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3617 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3621 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3622 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3623 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3627 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3628 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3629 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3633 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3634 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3635 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3636 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3637 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3638 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3639 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3642 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3643 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3647 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3648 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3649 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3653 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3654 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3655 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3659 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3660 Toggle hiding empty topics
3661 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3665 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3666 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3667 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3670 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3671 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3672 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3673 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3676 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3677 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3678 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3679 expiry process (if any)
3680 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3684 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3685 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3688 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3689 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3690 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3694 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3695 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3696 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3699 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3700 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3701 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3704 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3705 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3706 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3710 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3711 @cindex group parameters
3712 @cindex topic parameters
3714 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3715 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3720 @node Topic Variables
3721 @subsection Topic Variables
3722 @cindex topic variables
3724 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3725 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3727 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3728 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3729 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3742 Number of groups in the topic.
3744 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3746 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3749 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3750 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3751 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3754 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3755 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3757 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3758 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3759 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3763 @subsection Topic Sorting
3764 @cindex topic sorting
3766 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3772 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3773 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3774 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3775 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3778 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3779 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3780 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3781 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3784 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3785 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3786 Sort the current topic by group level
3787 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3790 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3791 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3792 Sort the current topic by group score
3793 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3796 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3797 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3798 Sort the current topic by group rank
3799 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3802 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3803 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3804 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3805 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3808 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3809 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3810 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3815 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3816 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3817 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3818 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3822 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3823 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3827 @node Topic Topology
3828 @subsection Topic Topology
3829 @cindex topic topology
3832 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3838 2: alt.religion.emacs
3841 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3843 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3844 13: comp.sources.unix
3847 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3848 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3849 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3854 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3855 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3859 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3860 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3861 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3862 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3863 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3864 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3866 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3867 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3868 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3871 @node Topic Parameters
3872 @subsection Topic Parameters
3873 @cindex topic parameters
3875 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3876 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3877 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3879 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3884 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3885 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3886 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3889 @item subscribe-level
3890 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3891 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3892 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3896 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3897 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3898 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3899 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3905 2: alt.religion.emacs
3909 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3911 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3912 13: comp.sources.unix
3916 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3917 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3918 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3919 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3920 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3921 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3923 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3924 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3925 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3926 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3927 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3929 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3930 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3931 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3932 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3933 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3934 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3935 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3936 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3939 @node Misc Group Stuff
3940 @section Misc Group Stuff
3943 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3944 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3945 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3946 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3947 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3954 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3955 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3956 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3960 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3961 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3962 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3963 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3964 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3965 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3966 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3970 @findex gnus-group-mail
3971 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3972 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3973 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3974 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3978 @findex gnus-group-news
3979 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3980 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3981 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3983 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3984 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3985 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3986 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3987 for this to work though.
3991 Variables for the group buffer:
3995 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3996 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3997 is called after the group buffer has been
4000 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4001 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4002 is called after the group buffer is
4003 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4006 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4007 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4008 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4009 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4011 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4012 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4013 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4014 whether they are empty or not.
4016 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4017 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4018 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4019 non-ASCII group names.
4023 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4024 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4027 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4028 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4029 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4030 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4031 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4032 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4036 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4037 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4042 @node Scanning New Messages
4043 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4044 @cindex new messages
4045 @cindex scanning new news
4051 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4052 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4053 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4054 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4055 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4056 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4061 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4062 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4063 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4064 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4065 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4066 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4067 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4069 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4070 @cindex activating groups
4072 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4073 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4078 @findex gnus-group-restart
4079 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4080 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4081 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4085 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4086 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4088 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4089 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4093 @node Group Information
4094 @subsection Group Information
4095 @cindex group information
4096 @cindex information on groups
4103 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4104 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4107 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4108 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4109 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4110 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4111 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4112 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4113 for fetching the file.
4115 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4116 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4120 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4121 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4123 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4124 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4127 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4128 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4129 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4133 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4134 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4135 @cindex control message
4136 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4137 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4138 group if given a prefix argument.
4140 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4141 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4142 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4145 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4146 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4147 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4151 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4153 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4154 @cindex describing groups
4155 @cindex group description
4156 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4157 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4158 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4162 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4163 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4164 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4171 @findex gnus-version
4172 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4176 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4177 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4180 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4183 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4184 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4188 @node Group Timestamp
4189 @subsection Group Timestamp
4191 @cindex group timestamps
4193 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4194 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4195 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4198 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4201 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4203 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4204 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4207 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4208 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4211 This will result in lines looking like:
4214 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4215 0: custom 19961002T012713
4218 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4219 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4223 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4224 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4227 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4228 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4232 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4233 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4234 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4235 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4237 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4243 @subsection File Commands
4244 @cindex file commands
4250 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4251 @vindex gnus-init-file
4252 @cindex reading init file
4253 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4254 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4258 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4259 @cindex saving .newsrc
4260 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4261 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4262 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4265 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4266 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4267 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4272 @node Sieve Commands
4273 @subsection Sieve Commands
4274 @cindex group sieve commands
4276 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4277 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4278 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4279 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4280 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4282 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4283 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4284 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4285 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4286 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4287 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4288 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4289 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4290 regenerate the Sieve script.
4292 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4293 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4294 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4295 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4296 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4297 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4298 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4299 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4300 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4301 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4304 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4305 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4310 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4316 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4317 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4318 @cindex generating sieve script
4319 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4320 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4324 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4325 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4326 @cindex updating sieve script
4327 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4328 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4329 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4334 @node Summary Buffer
4335 @chapter Summary Buffer
4336 @cindex summary buffer
4338 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4339 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4341 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4342 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4344 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4347 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4348 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4349 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4350 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4351 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4352 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4353 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4354 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4355 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4356 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4357 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4358 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4359 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4360 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4361 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4362 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4363 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4364 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4365 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4366 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4367 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4368 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4369 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4370 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4371 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4372 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4373 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4374 or reselecting the current group.
4375 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4376 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4377 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4378 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4382 @node Summary Buffer Format
4383 @section Summary Buffer Format
4384 @cindex summary buffer format
4388 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4389 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4390 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4396 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4397 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4398 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4399 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4402 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4403 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4404 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4405 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4406 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4407 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4408 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4409 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4410 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4411 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4412 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4415 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4416 'mail-extract-address-components)
4419 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4420 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4421 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4422 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4425 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4426 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4428 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4429 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4430 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4431 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4432 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4434 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4435 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4436 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4437 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4438 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4439 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4441 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4443 The following format specification characters and extended format
4444 specification(s) are understood:
4450 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4451 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4453 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4454 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4455 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4457 Full @code{From} header.
4459 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4461 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4464 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4465 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4466 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4467 may be more thorough.
4469 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4472 Number of lines in the article.
4474 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4475 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4477 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4478 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4480 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4482 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4485 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4486 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4488 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4489 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4491 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4492 for adopted articles.
4494 One space for each thread level.
4496 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4498 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4501 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4502 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4503 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4506 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4508 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4509 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4510 default level. If the difference between
4511 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4512 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4520 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4522 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4528 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4529 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4531 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4532 article has any children.
4538 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4539 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4541 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4542 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4543 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4544 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4545 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4546 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4549 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4550 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4551 There can only be one such area.
4553 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4554 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4555 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4556 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4557 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4558 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4560 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4561 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4563 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4566 @node To From Newsgroups
4567 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4571 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4572 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4573 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4574 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4575 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4579 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4580 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4581 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4585 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4586 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4589 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4590 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4593 @findex gnus-extra-header
4594 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4595 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4596 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4599 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4603 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4604 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4605 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4606 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4607 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4608 headers are used instead.
4612 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4613 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4614 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4615 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4616 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4617 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4619 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4620 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4621 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4622 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4624 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4628 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4630 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4631 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4632 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4633 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4637 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4640 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4641 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4644 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4645 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4646 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4652 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4653 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4656 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4657 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4659 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4660 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4661 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4662 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4664 Here are the elements you can play with:
4670 Unprefixed group name.
4672 Current article number.
4674 Current article score.
4678 Number of unread articles in this group.
4680 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4683 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4684 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4685 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4686 and no unselected ones.
4688 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4689 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4691 Subject of the current article.
4693 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4695 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4697 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4699 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4701 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4703 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4707 @node Summary Highlighting
4708 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4712 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4713 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4714 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4715 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4716 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4718 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4719 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4720 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4721 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4723 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4724 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4725 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4726 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4728 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4729 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4730 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4731 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4732 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4733 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4736 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4737 ((> score default) . bold))
4739 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4740 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4744 @node Summary Maneuvering
4745 @section Summary Maneuvering
4746 @cindex summary movement
4748 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4749 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4751 None of these commands select articles.
4756 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4757 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4758 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4759 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4760 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4764 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4765 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4766 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4767 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4768 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4771 @kindex G g (Summary)
4772 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4773 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4774 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4777 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4778 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4779 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4780 to the group buffer.
4782 Variables related to summary movement:
4786 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4787 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4788 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4789 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4790 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4791 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4792 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4793 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4794 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4795 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4796 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4797 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4798 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4799 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4801 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4802 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4803 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4804 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4805 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4806 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4807 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4809 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4811 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4812 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4813 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4814 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4815 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4817 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4818 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4819 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4820 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4821 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4822 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4823 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4824 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4827 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4828 the given number of lines from the top.
4833 @node Choosing Articles
4834 @section Choosing Articles
4835 @cindex selecting articles
4838 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4839 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4843 @node Choosing Commands
4844 @subsection Choosing Commands
4846 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4847 and they all select and display an article.
4849 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4850 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4854 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4855 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4856 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4857 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4862 @kindex G n (Summary)
4863 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4864 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4865 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4870 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4871 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4872 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4877 @kindex G N (Summary)
4878 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4879 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4884 @kindex G P (Summary)
4885 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4886 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4889 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4890 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4891 Go to the next article with the same subject
4892 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4895 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4896 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4897 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4898 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4902 @kindex G f (Summary)
4904 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4905 Go to the first unread article
4906 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4910 @kindex G b (Summary)
4912 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4913 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4914 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4915 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4920 @kindex G l (Summary)
4921 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4922 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4925 @kindex G o (Summary)
4926 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4928 @cindex article history
4929 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4930 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4931 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4932 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4933 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4934 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4939 @kindex G j (Summary)
4940 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4941 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4942 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4947 @node Choosing Variables
4948 @subsection Choosing Variables
4950 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4953 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4954 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4955 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4956 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4957 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4958 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4960 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4961 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4962 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4963 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4965 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4966 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4967 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4968 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4969 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4970 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4971 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4972 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4973 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4974 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4975 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4976 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4977 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4978 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4983 @node Paging the Article
4984 @section Scrolling the Article
4985 @cindex article scrolling
4990 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4991 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4992 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4993 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4994 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4997 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4998 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4999 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5002 @kindex RET (Summary)
5003 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5004 Scroll the current article one line forward
5005 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5008 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5009 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5010 Scroll the current article one line backward
5011 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5015 @kindex A g (Summary)
5017 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5018 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5019 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5020 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5021 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5022 the way it came from the server.
5024 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5025 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5026 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5029 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5034 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5039 @kindex A < (Summary)
5040 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5041 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5042 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5047 @kindex A > (Summary)
5048 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5049 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5053 @kindex A s (Summary)
5055 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5056 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5057 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5061 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5062 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5067 @node Reply Followup and Post
5068 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5071 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5072 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5073 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5074 * Canceling and Superseding::
5078 @node Summary Mail Commands
5079 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5081 @cindex composing mail
5083 Commands for composing a mail message:
5089 @kindex S r (Summary)
5091 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5092 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5093 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5094 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5095 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5100 @kindex S R (Summary)
5101 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5102 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5103 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5104 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5105 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5108 @kindex S w (Summary)
5109 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5110 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5111 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5112 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5113 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5116 @kindex S W (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5118 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5119 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5120 the process/prefix convention.
5123 @kindex S v (Summary)
5124 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5125 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5126 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5127 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5128 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5129 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5132 @kindex S V (Summary)
5133 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5134 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5135 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5136 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5139 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5140 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5141 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5142 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5145 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5146 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5147 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5148 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5149 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5153 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5154 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5155 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5156 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5157 Forward the current article to some other person
5158 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5159 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5160 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5161 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5162 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5163 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5164 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5165 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5166 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5172 @kindex S m (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5174 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5175 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5176 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5177 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5182 @kindex S i (Summary)
5183 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5184 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5185 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5186 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5188 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5189 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5190 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5191 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5192 for this to work though.
5195 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5196 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5197 @cindex bouncing mail
5198 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5199 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5200 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5201 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5202 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5203 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5204 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5205 very well fail, though.
5208 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5209 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5210 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5211 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5212 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5213 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5214 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5215 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5216 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5217 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5219 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5220 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5221 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5222 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5223 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5225 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5226 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5229 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5230 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5231 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5232 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5233 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5236 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5237 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5238 @cindex crossposting
5239 @cindex excessive crossposting
5240 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5241 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5243 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5244 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5245 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5246 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5247 command understands the process/prefix convention
5248 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5252 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5253 Manual}, for more information.
5256 @node Summary Post Commands
5257 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5259 @cindex composing news
5261 Commands for posting a news article:
5267 @kindex S p (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5269 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5270 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5271 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5272 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5277 @kindex S f (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5279 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5280 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5284 @kindex S F (Summary)
5286 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5287 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5288 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5289 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5290 process/prefix convention.
5293 @kindex S n (Summary)
5294 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5295 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5296 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5299 @kindex S N (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5301 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5302 message through mail and include the original message
5303 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5304 the process/prefix convention.
5307 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5308 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5309 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5310 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5311 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5312 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5313 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5314 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5315 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5316 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5317 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5318 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5319 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5322 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5323 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5325 @cindex making digests
5326 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5327 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5328 process/prefix convention.
5331 @kindex S u (Summary)
5332 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5333 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5334 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5335 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5338 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5339 Manual}, for more information.
5342 @node Summary Message Commands
5343 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5347 @kindex S y (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5349 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5350 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5351 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5352 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5357 @node Canceling and Superseding
5358 @subsection Canceling Articles
5359 @cindex canceling articles
5360 @cindex superseding articles
5362 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5363 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5365 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5367 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5369 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5370 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5371 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5372 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5373 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5374 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5376 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5377 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5380 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5381 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5382 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5384 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5385 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5386 your original article.
5388 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5390 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5391 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5392 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5395 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5396 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5397 have posted almost the same article twice.
5399 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5400 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5401 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5402 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5403 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5404 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5405 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5406 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5407 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5408 canceled/superseded.
5410 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5412 @node Delayed Articles
5413 @section Delayed Articles
5414 @cindex delayed sending
5415 @cindex send delayed
5417 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5418 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5419 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5420 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5423 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5426 @findex gnus-delay-article
5427 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5428 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5429 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5430 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5434 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5435 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5436 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5437 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5440 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5441 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5442 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5445 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5446 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5447 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5448 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5449 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5450 that means a time tomorrow.
5453 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5454 couple of variables:
5457 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5458 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5459 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5460 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5462 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5463 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5464 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5465 formats described above.
5467 @item gnus-delay-group
5468 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5469 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5470 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5471 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5473 @item gnus-delay-header
5474 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5475 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5476 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5477 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5480 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5481 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5482 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5483 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5484 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5486 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5487 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5488 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5489 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5490 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5491 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5494 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5495 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5496 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5497 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5498 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5499 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5500 argument is ignored.
5502 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5503 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5504 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5508 @node Marking Articles
5509 @section Marking Articles
5510 @cindex article marking
5511 @cindex article ticking
5514 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5516 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5517 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5518 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5520 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5523 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5524 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5525 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5529 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5533 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5534 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5535 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5539 @node Unread Articles
5540 @subsection Unread Articles
5542 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5547 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5548 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5550 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5551 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5552 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5553 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5554 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5555 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5556 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5559 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5560 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5562 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5563 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5564 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5565 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5569 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5570 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5572 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5577 @subsection Read Articles
5578 @cindex expirable mark
5580 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5585 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5586 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5587 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5590 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5591 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5594 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5595 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5596 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5599 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5600 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5603 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5604 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5607 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5608 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5611 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5612 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5615 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5616 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5619 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5620 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5623 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5624 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5628 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5629 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5630 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5634 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5635 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5637 One more special mark, though:
5641 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5642 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5644 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5645 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5646 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5647 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5653 @subsection Other Marks
5654 @cindex process mark
5657 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5663 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5664 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5665 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5666 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5667 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5670 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5671 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5672 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5673 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5676 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5677 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5678 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5681 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5682 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5683 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5686 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5687 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5688 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5689 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5692 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5693 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5694 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5695 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5696 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5697 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5700 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5701 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5702 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5703 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5706 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5707 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5708 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5709 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5710 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5711 which character to use.)
5714 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5715 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5716 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5717 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5718 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5719 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5723 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5724 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5725 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5726 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5727 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5730 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5731 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5732 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5733 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5734 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5735 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5739 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5740 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5741 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5743 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5744 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5745 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5749 @subsection Setting Marks
5750 @cindex setting marks
5752 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5757 @kindex M c (Summary)
5758 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5759 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5760 @cindex mark as unread
5761 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5762 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5768 @kindex M t (Summary)
5769 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5770 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5771 @xref{Article Caching}.
5776 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5777 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5778 Mark the current article as dormant
5779 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5783 @kindex M d (Summary)
5785 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5786 Mark the current article as read
5787 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5791 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5792 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5793 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5798 @kindex M k (Summary)
5799 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5800 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5801 and then select the next unread article
5802 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5806 @kindex M K (Summary)
5807 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5808 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5809 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5810 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5813 @kindex M C (Summary)
5814 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5815 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5816 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5819 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5820 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5821 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5822 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5825 @kindex M H (Summary)
5826 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5827 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5828 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5831 @kindex M h (Summary)
5832 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5833 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5834 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5837 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5838 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5839 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5840 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5843 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5844 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5845 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5846 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5850 @kindex M e (Summary)
5852 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5853 Mark the current article as expirable
5854 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5857 @kindex M b (Summary)
5858 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5859 Set a bookmark in the current article
5860 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5863 @kindex M B (Summary)
5864 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5865 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5866 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5869 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5870 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5871 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5872 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5875 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5876 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5877 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5878 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5881 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5882 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5883 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5884 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5885 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5888 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5889 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5890 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5891 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5892 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5893 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5894 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5895 The default is @code{t}.
5898 @node Generic Marking Commands
5899 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5901 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5902 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5903 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5904 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5905 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5908 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5909 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5912 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5913 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5914 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5915 to list in this manual.
5917 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5918 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5919 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5920 article, you could say something like:
5923 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5924 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5925 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5931 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5932 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5936 @node Setting Process Marks
5937 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5938 @cindex setting process marks
5945 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5946 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5947 Mark the current article with the process mark
5948 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5949 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5953 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5954 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5955 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5956 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5959 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5960 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5961 Remove the process mark from all articles
5962 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5965 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5966 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5967 Invert the list of process marked articles
5968 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5971 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5972 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5973 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5974 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5977 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5978 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5979 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5980 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5983 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5985 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5989 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5990 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5993 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5994 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5995 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5996 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5999 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6000 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6001 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6002 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6005 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6006 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6007 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6008 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6011 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6012 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6013 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6016 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6017 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6018 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6019 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6022 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6023 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6024 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6027 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6029 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6030 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6033 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6034 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6035 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6036 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6039 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6040 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6041 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6042 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6045 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6046 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6047 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6048 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6052 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6053 set process marks based on article body contents.
6060 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6061 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6062 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6065 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6066 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6067 additional articles.
6073 @kindex / / (Summary)
6074 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6075 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6076 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6080 @kindex / a (Summary)
6081 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6082 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6083 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6087 @kindex / x (Summary)
6088 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6089 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6090 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6091 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6096 @kindex / u (Summary)
6098 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6099 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6100 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6101 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6102 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6105 @kindex / m (Summary)
6106 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6107 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6108 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6111 @kindex / t (Summary)
6112 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6113 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6114 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6115 articles younger than that number of days.
6118 @kindex / n (Summary)
6119 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6120 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6121 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6122 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6125 @kindex / w (Summary)
6126 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6127 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6128 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6132 @kindex / . (Summary)
6133 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6134 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6135 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6138 @kindex / v (Summary)
6139 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6140 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6141 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6144 @kindex / p (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6146 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6147 group parameter predicate
6148 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6149 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6153 @kindex M S (Summary)
6154 @kindex / E (Summary)
6155 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6156 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6157 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6160 @kindex / D (Summary)
6161 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6162 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6163 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6166 @kindex / * (Summary)
6167 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6168 Include all cached articles in the limit
6169 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6172 @kindex / d (Summary)
6173 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6174 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6175 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6178 @kindex / M (Summary)
6179 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6180 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6183 @kindex / T (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6185 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6188 @kindex / c (Summary)
6189 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6190 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6191 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6194 @kindex / C (Summary)
6195 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6196 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6197 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6198 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6201 @kindex / N (Summary)
6202 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6203 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6204 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6207 @kindex / o (Summary)
6208 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6209 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6210 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6218 @cindex article threading
6220 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6221 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6222 hierarchical fashion.
6224 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6225 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6226 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6227 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6228 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6229 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6230 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6232 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6236 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6239 A tree-like article structure.
6242 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6245 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6246 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6247 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6248 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6249 called loose threads.
6251 @item thread gathering
6252 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6254 @item sparse threads
6255 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6256 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6262 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6263 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6267 @node Customizing Threading
6268 @subsection Customizing Threading
6269 @cindex customizing threading
6272 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6273 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6274 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6275 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6280 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6283 @cindex loose threads
6286 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6287 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6288 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6289 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6290 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6291 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6293 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6294 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6295 There are four possible values:
6299 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6300 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6301 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6302 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6303 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6308 @cindex adopting articles
6313 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6314 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6315 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6316 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6319 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6320 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6321 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6322 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6323 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6324 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6325 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6326 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6327 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6328 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to t.
6331 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6332 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6333 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6337 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6338 display them after one another.
6341 Don't gather loose threads.
6344 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6345 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6346 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6347 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6348 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6349 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6350 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6351 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6352 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6353 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6354 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6356 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6357 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6358 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6361 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6362 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6363 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6364 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6365 simplification is used.
6367 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6368 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6369 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6370 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6372 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6374 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6380 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6381 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6382 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6383 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6388 (mapconcat 'identity
6389 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6391 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6394 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6397 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6398 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6399 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6400 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6401 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6402 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6404 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6407 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6408 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6409 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6411 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6412 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6415 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6416 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6417 Remove excessive whitespace.
6419 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6420 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6421 Remove all whitespace.
6424 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6427 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6428 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6429 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6430 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6431 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6432 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6433 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6434 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6436 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6437 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6438 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6439 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6440 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6441 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6442 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6443 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6444 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6448 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6449 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6450 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6451 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6453 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6454 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6455 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6458 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6462 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6463 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6469 @node Filling In Threads
6470 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6473 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6474 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6475 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6476 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6477 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6478 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6479 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6480 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6481 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6482 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6483 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6484 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6487 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6488 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6489 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6491 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6492 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6493 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6494 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6495 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6496 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6497 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6498 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6499 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6500 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6501 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6502 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6503 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6504 @code{nil} by default.
6506 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6507 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6508 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6509 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6510 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6511 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6512 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6514 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6515 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6516 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6521 @node More Threading
6522 @subsubsection More Threading
6525 @item gnus-show-threads
6526 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6527 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6528 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6529 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6530 slower and more awkward.
6532 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6533 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6534 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6537 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6538 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6539 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6544 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6545 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6546 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6549 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6550 unread, but you get my drift.)
6553 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6554 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6555 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6556 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6557 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6558 threads are expunged.
6560 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6561 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6562 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6565 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6566 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6567 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6568 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6569 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6570 result in a new thread.
6572 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6573 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6574 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6577 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6578 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6579 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6580 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6581 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6582 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6583 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6584 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6585 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6586 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6587 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6592 @node Low-Level Threading
6593 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6597 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6598 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6599 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6601 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6602 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6603 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6604 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6605 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6606 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6607 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6608 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6609 meaningful. Here's one example:
6612 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6614 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6615 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6617 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6619 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6626 @node Thread Commands
6627 @subsection Thread Commands
6628 @cindex thread commands
6634 @kindex T k (Summary)
6635 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6636 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6637 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6638 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6639 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6644 @kindex T l (Summary)
6645 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6646 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6647 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6648 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6651 @kindex T i (Summary)
6652 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6653 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6654 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6657 @kindex T # (Summary)
6658 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6659 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6660 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6663 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6664 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6665 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6666 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6669 @kindex T T (Summary)
6670 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6671 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6674 @kindex T s (Summary)
6675 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6676 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6677 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6680 @kindex T h (Summary)
6681 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6682 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6685 @kindex T S (Summary)
6686 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6687 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6690 @kindex T H (Summary)
6691 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6692 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6695 @kindex T t (Summary)
6696 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6697 Re-thread the current article's thread
6698 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6699 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6702 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6703 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6704 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6705 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6709 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6710 understand the numeric prefix.
6715 @kindex T n (Summary)
6717 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6719 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6720 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6721 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6724 @kindex T p (Summary)
6726 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6728 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6729 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6730 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6733 @kindex T d (Summary)
6734 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6735 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6738 @kindex T u (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6740 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6743 @kindex T o (Summary)
6744 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6745 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6748 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6749 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6750 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6751 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6752 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6753 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6754 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6755 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6756 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6757 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6758 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6759 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6763 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6764 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6766 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6767 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6768 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6769 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6770 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6771 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6772 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6773 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6774 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6775 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6776 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6777 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6778 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6780 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6781 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6782 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6783 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6784 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6785 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6786 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6787 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6789 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6790 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6791 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6793 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6794 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6795 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6796 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6797 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6798 ascending article order.
6800 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6801 by number, you could do something like:
6804 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6805 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6806 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6807 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6810 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6811 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6812 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6813 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6814 which the articles arrived.
6816 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6820 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6822 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6823 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6826 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6827 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6828 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6829 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6832 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6833 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6834 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6835 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6836 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6837 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6838 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6839 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6840 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6841 variable. It is very similar to the
6842 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6843 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6844 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6845 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6846 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6847 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6848 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6850 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6854 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6855 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6856 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6861 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6862 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6863 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6864 @cindex article pre-fetch
6867 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6868 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6869 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6870 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6871 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6873 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6874 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6876 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6877 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6878 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6879 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6880 connection is blocked.
6882 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6883 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6884 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6885 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6887 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6888 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6889 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6890 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6893 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6896 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6897 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6898 happen automatically.
6900 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6901 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6902 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6903 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6904 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6905 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6906 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6908 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6909 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6910 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6911 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6912 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6913 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6914 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6915 data structure as the only parameter.
6917 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6920 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6921 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6922 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6923 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6926 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6929 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6930 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6931 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6933 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6934 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6935 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6936 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6940 Remove articles when they are read.
6943 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6946 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6948 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6949 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6950 @c from the next group.
6953 @node Article Caching
6954 @section Article Caching
6955 @cindex article caching
6958 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6959 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6960 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6961 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6962 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6964 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6966 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6967 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6968 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6969 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6970 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6971 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6972 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6973 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6975 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6976 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6977 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6978 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6979 as dormant, and don't worry.
6981 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6983 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6984 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6985 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6986 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6987 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6988 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6989 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6990 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6991 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6992 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6994 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6995 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6996 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6997 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6998 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6999 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
7000 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7001 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7002 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7003 not then be downloaded by this command.
7005 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7006 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7007 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7008 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7009 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7010 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7012 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7013 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7014 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7015 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7016 variables, the group is not cached.
7018 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7019 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7020 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7021 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7022 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7023 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7024 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7025 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7026 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7029 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7030 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7031 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7032 where, isn't that cool?
7034 @node Persistent Articles
7035 @section Persistent Articles
7036 @cindex persistent articles
7038 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7039 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7040 useful in my opinion.
7042 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7043 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7044 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7045 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7046 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7047 the expiry going on at the news server.
7049 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7050 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7051 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7057 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7058 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7061 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7062 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7063 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7064 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7068 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7070 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7071 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7072 interested in persistent articles:
7075 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7079 @node Article Backlog
7080 @section Article Backlog
7082 @cindex article backlog
7084 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7085 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7086 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7087 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7088 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7089 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7090 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7091 increase memory usage some.
7093 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7094 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7095 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7096 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7097 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7098 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7099 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7101 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7104 @node Saving Articles
7105 @section Saving Articles
7106 @cindex saving articles
7108 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7109 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7110 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7111 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7112 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7114 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7115 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7116 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7118 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7119 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7120 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7122 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7123 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7124 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7125 deleted before saving.
7131 @kindex O o (Summary)
7133 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7134 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7135 Save the current article using the default article saver
7136 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7139 @kindex O m (Summary)
7140 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7141 Save the current article in mail format
7142 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7145 @kindex O r (Summary)
7146 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7147 Save the current article in rmail format
7148 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7151 @kindex O f (Summary)
7152 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7153 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7154 Save the current article in plain file format
7155 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7158 @kindex O F (Summary)
7159 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7160 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7161 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7164 @kindex O b (Summary)
7165 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7166 Save the current article body in plain file format
7167 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7170 @kindex O h (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7172 Save the current article in mh folder format
7173 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7176 @kindex O v (Summary)
7177 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7178 Save the current article in a VM folder
7179 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7183 @kindex O p (Summary)
7185 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7186 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7187 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7188 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7189 complete headers in the piped output.
7192 @kindex O P (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7194 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7195 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7196 external program Muttprint (see
7197 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7198 options to use is controlled by the variable
7199 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7203 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7204 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7205 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7206 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7207 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7208 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7209 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7210 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7211 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7212 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7213 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7214 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7218 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7219 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7220 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7221 functions below, or you can create your own.
7225 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7226 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7227 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7228 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7229 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7230 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7231 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7233 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7234 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7235 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7236 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7237 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7238 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7240 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7241 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7242 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7243 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7244 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7245 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7246 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7248 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7249 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7250 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7251 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7252 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7253 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7255 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7256 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7257 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7258 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7259 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7261 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7262 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7263 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7264 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7265 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7268 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7269 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7270 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7271 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7272 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7274 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7275 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7276 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7277 reader to use this setting.
7280 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7281 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7282 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7283 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7286 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7287 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7288 available functions that generate names:
7292 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7293 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7294 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7296 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7297 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7298 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7300 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7301 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7302 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7304 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7305 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7306 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7308 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7309 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7310 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7313 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7314 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7315 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7316 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7317 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7321 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7322 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7323 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7324 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7327 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7328 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7329 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7330 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7331 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7332 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7333 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7334 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7335 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7337 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7338 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7339 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7340 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7342 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7343 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7344 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7347 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7348 lots of mail groups called things like
7349 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7350 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7351 following will do just that:
7354 (defun my-save-name (group)
7355 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7356 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7358 (setq gnus-split-methods
7359 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7364 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7365 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7366 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7367 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7368 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7369 all the files in the top level directory
7370 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7371 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7372 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7373 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7375 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7376 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7377 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7378 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7379 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7382 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7386 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7387 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7388 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7391 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7392 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7393 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7394 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7397 @node Decoding Articles
7398 @section Decoding Articles
7399 @cindex decoding articles
7401 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7402 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7405 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7406 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7407 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7408 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7409 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7410 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7414 @cindex article series
7415 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7416 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7417 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7418 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7419 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7421 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7422 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7423 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7425 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7426 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7427 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7429 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7430 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7431 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7434 @node Uuencoded Articles
7435 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7437 @cindex uuencoded articles
7442 @kindex X u (Summary)
7443 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7444 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7445 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7448 @kindex X U (Summary)
7449 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7450 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7451 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7454 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7455 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7456 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7459 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7460 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7461 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7462 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7466 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7467 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7468 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7469 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7470 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7472 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7473 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7474 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7475 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7478 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7479 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7480 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7481 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7482 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7483 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7487 @node Shell Archives
7488 @subsection Shell Archives
7490 @cindex shell archives
7491 @cindex shared articles
7493 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7494 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7495 some commands to deal with these:
7500 @kindex X s (Summary)
7501 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7502 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7505 @kindex X S (Summary)
7506 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7507 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7510 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7511 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7512 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7515 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7516 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7517 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7518 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7522 @node PostScript Files
7523 @subsection PostScript Files
7529 @kindex X p (Summary)
7530 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7531 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7534 @kindex X P (Summary)
7535 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7536 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7537 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7540 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7541 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7542 View the current PostScript series
7543 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7546 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7547 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7548 View and save the current PostScript series
7549 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7554 @subsection Other Files
7558 @kindex X o (Summary)
7559 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7560 Save the current series
7561 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7564 @kindex X b (Summary)
7565 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7566 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7567 doesn't really work yet.
7571 @node Decoding Variables
7572 @subsection Decoding Variables
7574 Adjective, not verb.
7577 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7578 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7579 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7583 @node Rule Variables
7584 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7585 @cindex rule variables
7587 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7588 variables are of the form
7591 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7598 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7599 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7601 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7602 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7605 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7606 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7609 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7610 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7611 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7612 user and default view rules.
7614 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7615 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7616 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7621 @node Other Decode Variables
7622 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7625 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7627 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7628 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7629 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7630 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7631 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7635 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7636 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7639 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7640 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7641 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7644 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7645 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7646 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7647 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7648 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7651 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7652 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7653 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7655 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7656 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7657 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7658 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7659 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7662 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7663 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7664 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7666 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7667 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7668 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7669 looking for files to display.
7671 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7672 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7673 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7676 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7677 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7678 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7681 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7682 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7683 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7686 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7687 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7688 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7691 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7692 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7693 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7694 decoded articles as unread.
7696 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7697 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7698 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7699 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7701 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7702 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7703 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7705 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7706 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7708 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7709 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7710 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7711 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7713 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7714 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7715 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7716 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7717 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7718 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7719 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7720 simply dropped them.
7725 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7726 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7730 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7731 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7732 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7733 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7734 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7735 for you when you post the article.
7737 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7738 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7739 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7740 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7742 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7743 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7744 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7745 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7746 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7747 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7748 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7750 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7751 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7752 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7753 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7754 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7755 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7756 Default is @code{t}.
7762 @subsection Viewing Files
7763 @cindex viewing files
7764 @cindex pseudo-articles
7766 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7767 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7768 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7769 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7770 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7771 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7772 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7774 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7775 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7776 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7777 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7779 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7780 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7781 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7783 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7784 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7785 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7786 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7787 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7789 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7790 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7791 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7792 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7793 a list of parameters to that command.
7795 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7796 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7797 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7799 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7800 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7801 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7804 @node Article Treatment
7805 @section Article Treatment
7807 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7808 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7809 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7810 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7811 these articles easier.
7814 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7815 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7816 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7817 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7818 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7819 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7820 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7821 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7822 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7823 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7827 @node Article Highlighting
7828 @subsection Article Highlighting
7829 @cindex highlighting
7831 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7832 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7837 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7838 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7839 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7840 Do much highlighting of the current article
7841 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7842 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7845 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7846 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7847 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7848 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7849 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7850 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7851 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7852 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7853 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7854 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7855 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7856 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7859 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7860 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7861 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7863 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7866 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7868 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7869 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7870 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7872 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7873 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7874 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7876 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7877 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7878 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7879 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7880 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7881 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7883 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7884 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7885 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7887 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7888 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7889 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7891 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7892 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7893 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7894 that it's a citation.
7896 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7897 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7898 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7900 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7901 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7902 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7904 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7905 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7906 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7907 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7913 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7914 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7915 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7916 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7917 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7918 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7919 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7920 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7925 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7928 @node Article Fontisizing
7929 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7931 @cindex article emphasis
7933 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7934 @kindex W e (Summary)
7935 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7936 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7937 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7938 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7940 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7941 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7942 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7943 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7944 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7945 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7946 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7947 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7951 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7952 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7953 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7962 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7963 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7964 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7965 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7966 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7967 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7968 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7969 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7970 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7971 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7972 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7973 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7974 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7976 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7977 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7978 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7982 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7985 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7987 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7988 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7989 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7990 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7992 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7995 @node Article Hiding
7996 @subsection Article Hiding
7997 @cindex article hiding
7999 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8000 too much cruft in most articles.
8005 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8006 @findex gnus-article-hide
8007 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8008 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8009 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8012 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8013 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8014 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8018 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8019 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8020 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8021 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8024 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8025 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8026 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8030 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8032 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8033 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8034 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8035 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8036 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8037 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8041 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8042 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8043 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8044 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8049 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8050 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8051 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8052 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8053 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8054 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8055 articles that have signatures in them do:
8057 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8059 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8061 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8062 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8064 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8067 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8072 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8073 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8074 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8075 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8078 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8079 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8080 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8081 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8084 @cindex stripping advertisements
8085 @cindex advertisements
8086 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8087 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8088 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8089 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8090 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8091 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8092 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8093 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8094 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8095 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8098 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8099 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8100 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8104 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8105 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8106 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8107 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8108 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8109 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8110 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8111 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8112 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8113 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8114 following element to remove them:
8117 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8123 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8124 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8125 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8126 customizing the hiding:
8130 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8131 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8132 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8133 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8134 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8135 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8136 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8141 Starting point of the hidden text.
8143 Ending point of the hidden text.
8145 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8147 Number of lines of hidden text.
8150 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8151 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8152 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8153 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8154 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8159 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8160 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8162 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8163 following two variables:
8166 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8167 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8168 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8169 50), hide the cited text.
8171 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8172 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8173 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8178 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8179 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8180 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8181 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8182 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8183 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8187 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8188 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8189 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8191 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8192 citation customization.
8194 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8198 @node Article Washing
8199 @subsection Article Washing
8201 @cindex article washing
8203 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8204 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8206 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8207 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8210 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8211 articles by default.
8216 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8217 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8221 @kindex W l (Summary)
8222 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8223 Remove page breaks from the current article
8224 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8228 @kindex W r (Summary)
8229 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8230 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8231 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8232 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8233 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8234 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8236 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8237 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8238 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8239 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8242 @kindex W m (Summary)
8243 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8244 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8245 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8249 @kindex W t (Summary)
8251 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8252 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8253 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8256 @kindex W v (Summary)
8257 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8258 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8259 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8262 @kindex W o (Summary)
8263 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8264 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8267 @kindex W d (Summary)
8268 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8269 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8271 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8273 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8274 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8275 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8276 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8279 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8280 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8281 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8282 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8285 @kindex W k (Summary)
8286 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8287 @cindex Outlook Express
8288 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8289 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8292 @kindex W w (Summary)
8293 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8294 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8296 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8300 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8301 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8302 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8305 @kindex W C (Summary)
8306 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8307 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8308 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8311 @kindex W c (Summary)
8312 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8313 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8314 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8315 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8316 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8319 @kindex W q (Summary)
8320 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8321 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8322 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8323 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8324 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8325 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8326 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8327 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8328 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8331 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8332 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8333 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8334 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8335 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8336 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8337 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8339 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8342 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8343 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8344 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8345 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8346 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8349 @kindex W u (Summary)
8350 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8351 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8352 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8353 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8354 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8357 @kindex W h (Summary)
8358 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8359 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8360 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8361 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8363 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8365 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8366 The default is to use the function specified by
8367 @code{mm-inline-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Customization, , , emacs-mime})
8368 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8369 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8377 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8381 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8384 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8387 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8392 @kindex W b (Summary)
8393 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8394 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8395 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8398 @kindex W B (Summary)
8399 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8400 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8401 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8404 @kindex W p (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8406 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8407 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8408 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8409 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8410 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8411 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8414 @kindex W s (Summary)
8415 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8416 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8417 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8420 @kindex W a (Summary)
8421 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8422 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8423 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8426 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8427 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8428 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8429 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8432 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8433 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8434 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8435 lines with a single empty line.
8436 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8439 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8440 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8441 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8442 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8445 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8446 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8447 Do all the three commands above
8448 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8451 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8452 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8453 Remove all blank lines
8454 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8457 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8458 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8459 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8460 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8463 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8464 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8465 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8466 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8470 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8473 @node Article Header
8474 @subsection Article Header
8476 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8481 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8482 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8483 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8486 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8487 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8488 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8489 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8492 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8493 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8494 Fold all the message headers
8495 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8499 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8500 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8501 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8506 @node Article Buttons
8507 @subsection Article Buttons
8510 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8511 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8512 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8513 button on these references.
8515 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8516 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8517 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8518 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8519 one that handles article heads:
8523 @item gnus-button-alist
8524 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8525 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8528 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8534 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
8535 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
8536 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
8537 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
8538 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8541 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8542 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8543 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8546 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8547 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8548 avoid false matches.
8551 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8554 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8555 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8559 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8562 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8565 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8566 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8567 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8568 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8569 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8572 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8575 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8577 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8578 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8579 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8580 default values of the variables above.
8582 @item gnus-article-button-face
8583 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8584 Face used on buttons.
8586 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8587 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8588 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8592 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8596 @subsection Article Date
8598 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8599 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8600 when the article was sent.
8605 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8606 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8607 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8608 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8611 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8612 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8614 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8615 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8618 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8619 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8620 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8623 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8624 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8625 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8626 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8629 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8630 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8631 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8632 @findex format-time-string
8633 Display the date using a user-defined format
8634 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8635 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8636 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8637 for a list of possible format specs.
8640 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8641 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8642 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8643 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8644 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8645 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8648 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8651 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8652 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8655 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8656 into wonderful absurdities.
8658 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8661 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8664 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8665 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8669 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8670 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8671 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8672 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8673 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8674 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8675 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8679 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8680 preferred format automatically.
8683 @node Article Display
8684 @subsection Article Display
8689 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
8690 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8692 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8693 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8695 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8696 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8698 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8699 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8701 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8706 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8707 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8708 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8709 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8712 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8713 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8714 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8717 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8718 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8719 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8722 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8723 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8724 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8725 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8728 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8729 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8730 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8731 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8734 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8735 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8736 Remove all images from the article buffer
8737 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8743 @node Article Signature
8744 @subsection Article Signature
8746 @cindex article signature
8748 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8749 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8750 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8751 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8752 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8753 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8754 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8755 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8756 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8759 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8760 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8761 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8762 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8763 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8764 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8765 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8766 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8769 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8772 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8773 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8774 signature when displaying articles.
8778 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8781 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8784 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8785 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8787 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8788 in question is not a signature.
8791 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8792 listed above. Here's an example:
8795 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8796 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8799 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8800 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8801 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8802 signature after all.
8805 @node Article Miscellania
8806 @subsection Article Miscellania
8810 @kindex A t (Summary)
8811 @findex gnus-article-babel
8812 Translate the article from one language to another
8813 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8819 @section MIME Commands
8820 @cindex MIME decoding
8822 @cindex viewing attachments
8824 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8825 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8831 @kindex K v (Summary)
8832 View the @sc{mime} part.
8835 @kindex K o (Summary)
8836 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8839 @kindex K c (Summary)
8840 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8843 @kindex K e (Summary)
8844 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8847 @kindex K i (Summary)
8848 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8851 @kindex K | (Summary)
8852 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8855 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8860 @kindex K b (Summary)
8861 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8862 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8866 @kindex K m (Summary)
8867 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8868 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8869 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8870 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8871 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8874 @kindex X m (Summary)
8875 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8876 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8877 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8878 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8881 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8882 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8883 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8884 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8887 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8888 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8889 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8890 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8893 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8894 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8895 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8896 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8898 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8899 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8900 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8901 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8902 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8903 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8906 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8907 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8908 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8909 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8916 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8917 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8918 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8919 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8922 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8925 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8929 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8930 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8931 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8932 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8933 displayed or this variable is overridden by
8934 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8937 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8938 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8939 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8940 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8941 displayed. This variable overrides
8942 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8944 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8945 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8946 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
8948 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8949 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8950 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
8951 value is @code{nil}.
8953 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8954 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8955 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8956 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8957 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8958 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8959 save all jpegs into some directory).
8961 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8964 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8965 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8967 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8968 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8969 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8970 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8971 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8974 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8975 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8976 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8978 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8979 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8980 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8981 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8983 Ready-made functions include@*
8984 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8985 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8986 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8987 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8988 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8989 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8990 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8991 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8992 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8993 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8994 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8995 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8997 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8998 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9000 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9001 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9002 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9005 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9006 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9007 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9008 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9012 to your @file{.gnus} file.
9021 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9022 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9023 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9024 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9025 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9026 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9027 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9029 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9030 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9031 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9032 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9034 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9035 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9036 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9037 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9038 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9039 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9040 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9041 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9043 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9044 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9045 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9046 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9047 quoted-printable header encoding.
9049 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9050 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9051 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9055 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9058 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9059 means encode all charsets),
9061 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9062 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9063 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9070 @cindex coding system aliases
9071 @cindex preferred charset
9073 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9075 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9076 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9079 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9080 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9083 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9084 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9086 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9089 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9092 This will almost do the right thing.
9094 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9098 (codepage-setup 1251)
9099 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9103 @node Article Commands
9104 @section Article Commands
9111 @kindex A P (Summary)
9112 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9113 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9114 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9115 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9116 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9117 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9122 @node Summary Sorting
9123 @section Summary Sorting
9124 @cindex summary sorting
9126 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9127 can't really see why you'd want that.
9132 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9133 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9134 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9137 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9138 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9139 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9142 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9143 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9144 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9147 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9148 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9149 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9152 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9153 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9154 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9157 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9158 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9159 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9162 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9163 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9164 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9167 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9168 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9169 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9172 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9173 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9174 Sort using the default sorting method
9175 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9178 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9179 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9180 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9181 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9182 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9186 @node Finding the Parent
9187 @section Finding the Parent
9188 @cindex parent articles
9189 @cindex referring articles
9194 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9195 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9196 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9197 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9198 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9199 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9200 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9201 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9202 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9204 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9205 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9206 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9207 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9208 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9212 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9213 @kindex A R (Summary)
9214 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9215 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9218 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9219 @kindex A T (Summary)
9220 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9221 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9222 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9223 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9224 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9225 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9226 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9228 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9229 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9230 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9231 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9232 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9233 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9236 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9237 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9239 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9240 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9241 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9242 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9243 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9244 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9245 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9248 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9249 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9250 by giving this command a prefix.
9252 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9253 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9254 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9255 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9256 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9257 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9260 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9261 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9262 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9265 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9266 then ask Google if that fails:
9269 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9271 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9274 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9275 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9276 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9277 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9278 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9279 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9280 support this at all.
9283 @node Alternative Approaches
9284 @section Alternative Approaches
9286 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9287 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9290 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9291 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9296 @subsection Pick and Read
9297 @cindex pick and read
9299 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9300 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9301 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9302 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9304 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9305 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9306 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9307 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9308 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9309 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9311 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9316 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9317 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9318 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9319 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9320 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9321 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9322 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9323 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9326 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9327 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9328 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9329 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9333 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9334 Unpick the thread or article
9335 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9336 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9337 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9338 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9339 the thread or article at that line.
9343 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9344 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9345 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9346 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9347 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9348 will still be visible when you are reading.
9352 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9353 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9354 which is mapped to the same function
9355 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9357 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9360 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9363 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9364 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9366 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9367 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9368 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9370 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9371 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9372 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9373 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9374 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9375 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9376 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9380 @subsection Binary Groups
9381 @cindex binary groups
9383 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9384 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9385 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9386 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9387 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9388 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9389 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9392 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9393 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9394 command, when you have turned on this mode
9395 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9397 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9398 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9402 @section Tree Display
9405 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9406 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9407 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9408 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9411 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9414 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9415 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9416 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9418 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9419 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9420 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9421 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9422 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9424 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9425 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9426 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9427 default is @code{modeline}.
9429 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9430 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9431 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9432 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9433 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9434 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9435 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9441 The name of the poster.
9443 The @code{From} header.
9445 The number of the article.
9447 The opening bracket.
9449 The closing bracket.
9454 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9456 Variables related to the display are:
9459 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9460 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9461 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9462 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9463 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9464 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9466 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9467 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9468 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9469 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9473 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9474 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9475 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9476 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9477 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9478 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9479 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9480 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9481 other windows displayed next to it.
9483 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9487 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9488 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9491 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9492 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9493 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9494 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9495 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9496 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9497 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9501 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9504 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9514 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9518 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9519 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9521 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9523 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9528 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9529 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9530 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9533 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9534 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9535 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9536 (gnus-add-configuration
9540 (summary 0.75 point)
9545 @xref{Window Layout}.
9548 @node Mail Group Commands
9549 @section Mail Group Commands
9550 @cindex mail group commands
9552 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9553 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9555 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9556 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9561 @kindex B e (Summary)
9562 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9563 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9564 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9565 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9566 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9569 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9570 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9571 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9572 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9573 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9574 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9577 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9578 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9579 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9580 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9581 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9582 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9585 @kindex B m (Summary)
9587 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9588 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9589 Move the article from one mail group to another
9590 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9591 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9594 @kindex B c (Summary)
9596 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9597 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9598 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9599 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9600 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9603 @kindex B B (Summary)
9604 @cindex crosspost mail
9605 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9606 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9607 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9608 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9609 be properly updated.
9612 @kindex B i (Summary)
9613 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9614 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9615 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9616 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9619 @kindex B I (Summary)
9620 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9621 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9622 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9623 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9626 @kindex B r (Summary)
9627 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9628 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9629 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9630 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9631 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9632 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9633 (which is the default).
9637 @kindex B w (Summary)
9639 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9640 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9641 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9642 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9643 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9644 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9645 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9648 @kindex B q (Summary)
9649 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9650 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9651 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9652 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9655 @kindex B t (Summary)
9656 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9657 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9658 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9661 @kindex B p (Summary)
9662 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9663 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9664 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9665 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9666 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9667 article from your news server (or rather, from
9668 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9669 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9670 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9671 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9672 just not have arrived yet.
9675 @kindex K E (Summary)
9676 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9677 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9678 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9679 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9680 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9684 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9685 @cindex moving articles
9686 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9687 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9688 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9689 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9690 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9691 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9692 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9695 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9696 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9697 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9698 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9702 @node Various Summary Stuff
9703 @section Various Summary Stuff
9706 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9707 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9708 * Summary Generation Commands::
9709 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9713 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9714 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9715 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9717 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9718 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9719 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9720 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9721 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9722 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9725 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9726 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9727 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9728 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9729 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9731 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9732 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9733 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9736 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9737 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9738 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9739 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9740 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9741 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9742 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9743 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9744 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9745 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9747 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9748 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9749 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9750 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9751 list of articles to be selected.
9753 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9754 the list in one particular group:
9757 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9758 (if (string= group "some.group")
9759 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9763 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9764 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9765 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9766 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9767 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9768 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9769 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9770 buffers. For example:
9773 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9774 '(message-use-followup-to
9775 (gnus-visible-headers .
9776 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9782 @node Summary Group Information
9783 @subsection Summary Group Information
9788 @kindex H f (Summary)
9789 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9790 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9791 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9792 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9793 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9794 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9795 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9796 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9797 be used for fetching the file.
9800 @kindex H d (Summary)
9801 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9802 Give a brief description of the current group
9803 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9804 rereading the description from the server.
9807 @kindex H h (Summary)
9808 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9809 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9810 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9813 @kindex H i (Summary)
9814 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9815 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9819 @node Searching for Articles
9820 @subsection Searching for Articles
9825 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9826 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9827 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9828 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9831 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9832 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9833 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9834 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9838 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9839 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9840 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9841 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9842 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9843 search backward instead.
9845 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9846 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9849 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9850 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9851 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9852 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9855 @node Summary Generation Commands
9856 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9861 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9862 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9863 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9866 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9867 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9868 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9869 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9872 @kindex Y d (Summary)
9873 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
9874 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9875 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
9880 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9881 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9887 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9888 @kindex A D (Summary)
9889 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9890 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9891 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9892 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9893 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9894 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9895 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9896 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9900 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9901 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9902 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9903 several documents into one biiig group
9904 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9905 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9906 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9907 command understands the process/prefix convention
9908 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9911 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9912 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9913 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9914 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9915 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9916 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9920 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9921 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9922 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9925 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9926 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9927 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9928 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9931 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9932 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9933 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9934 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9939 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9940 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9941 @cindex summary exit
9942 @cindex exiting groups
9944 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9945 group and return you to the group buffer.
9951 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9953 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9954 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9955 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9956 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9957 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9958 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9959 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9960 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9961 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9962 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9963 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9967 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9969 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9970 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9971 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9975 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9977 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9978 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9979 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9980 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9983 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9984 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9985 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9986 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9989 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9990 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9991 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9992 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9995 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9996 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9997 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9998 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9999 all articles, both read and unread.
10003 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10004 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10005 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10006 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10007 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10008 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10009 articles, both read and unread.
10012 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10013 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10014 Exit the group and go to the next group
10015 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10018 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10019 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10020 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10021 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10024 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10025 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10026 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10027 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10028 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10029 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10032 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10033 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10034 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10035 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10037 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10038 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10039 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10040 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10041 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10042 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10043 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10044 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10045 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10046 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10047 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10048 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10050 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10052 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10053 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10054 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10055 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10056 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10057 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10058 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10059 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10060 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10063 @node Crosspost Handling
10064 @section Crosspost Handling
10068 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10069 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10070 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10071 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10072 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10073 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10076 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10077 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10078 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10079 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10080 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10082 @cindex cross-posting
10085 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10086 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10087 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10088 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10089 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10090 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10091 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10092 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10093 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10094 the cross reference mechanism.
10096 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10097 @cindex overview.fmt
10098 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10099 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10100 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10101 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10102 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10103 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10106 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10107 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10108 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10113 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10116 @node Duplicate Suppression
10117 @section Duplicate Suppression
10119 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10120 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10121 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10122 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10127 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10128 is evil and not very common.
10131 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10132 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10135 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10136 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10139 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10142 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10143 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10145 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10146 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10147 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10148 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10149 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10150 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10151 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10154 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10155 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10156 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10157 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10158 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10159 saw the article in.
10162 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10163 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10164 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10166 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10167 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10168 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10169 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10170 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10171 session are suppressed.
10173 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10174 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10175 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10176 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10178 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10179 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10180 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10181 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10184 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10185 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10186 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10187 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10188 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10189 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10190 to you to figure out, I think.
10195 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10196 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10197 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10201 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10202 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10205 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10206 or newer is recommended.
10210 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10211 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10214 @item mm-verify-option
10215 @vindex mm-verify-option
10216 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10217 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10218 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10220 @item mm-decrypt-option
10221 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10222 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10223 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10224 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10229 @section Mailing List
10231 @kindex A M (summary)
10232 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10233 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10234 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10235 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10236 summary buffer, or say:
10239 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10242 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10247 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10248 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10249 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10252 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10253 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10254 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10257 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10258 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10259 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10263 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10264 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10265 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10268 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10269 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10270 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10273 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10274 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10275 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10279 @node Article Buffer
10280 @chapter Article Buffer
10281 @cindex article buffer
10283 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10284 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10285 tell Gnus otherwise.
10288 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10289 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10290 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10291 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10292 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10296 @node Hiding Headers
10297 @section Hiding Headers
10298 @cindex hiding headers
10299 @cindex deleting headers
10301 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10302 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10304 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10305 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10306 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10307 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10308 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10309 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10310 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10311 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10312 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10314 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10318 @item gnus-visible-headers
10319 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10320 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10321 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10322 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10324 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10325 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10328 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10331 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10334 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10335 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10336 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10337 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10338 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10339 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10341 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10342 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10345 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10348 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10351 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10352 variable will have no effect.
10356 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10357 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10358 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10359 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10360 the headers are to be displayed.
10362 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10363 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10366 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10369 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10370 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10372 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10373 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10374 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10375 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10376 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10377 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10378 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10381 These conditions are:
10384 Remove all empty headers.
10386 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10387 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10389 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10390 @code{From} header.
10392 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10395 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10396 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10398 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10401 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10403 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10406 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10409 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10410 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10413 This is also the default value for this variable.
10417 @section Using MIME
10420 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10421 while people stand around yawning.
10423 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10424 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10426 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10427 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10428 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10430 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10431 @findex gnus-display-mime
10432 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10433 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10434 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10435 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10437 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10441 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10442 @item RET (Article)
10443 @kindex RET (Article)
10444 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10445 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10446 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10447 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10448 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10449 object is displayed inline.
10451 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10452 @item M-RET (Article)
10453 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10455 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10456 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10458 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10460 @kindex t (Article)
10461 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10462 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10464 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10466 @kindex C (Article)
10467 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10468 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10470 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10472 @kindex o (Article)
10473 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10474 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10476 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10477 @item C-o (Article)
10478 @kindex C-o (Article)
10479 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10480 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10481 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10482 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10483 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10484 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10486 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10488 @kindex c (Article)
10489 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10490 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10492 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10494 @kindex p (Article)
10495 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10496 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10497 @file{.mailcap} file.
10499 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10501 @kindex i (Article)
10502 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10503 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10504 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10505 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10506 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10509 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10511 @kindex E (Article)
10512 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10513 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10514 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10516 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10518 @kindex e (Article)
10519 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10520 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10522 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10524 @kindex | (Article)
10525 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10527 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10529 @kindex . (Article)
10530 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10531 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10535 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10536 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10539 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10540 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10541 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10542 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10543 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10544 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10545 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10546 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10547 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10549 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10551 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10554 @node Customizing Articles
10555 @section Customizing Articles
10556 @cindex article customization
10558 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10559 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10560 called automatically when you select the articles.
10562 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10563 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10564 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10565 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10567 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10568 for sensible values.
10572 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10575 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10578 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10581 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10584 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10588 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10589 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10590 regexps in the list.
10593 A list where the first element is not a string:
10595 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10596 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10597 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10601 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10606 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10607 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10608 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10609 considered to contain just a single part.
10611 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10612 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10613 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10614 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10615 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10616 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10617 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10619 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10620 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10621 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10622 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10625 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10626 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10628 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10630 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10631 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10632 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10633 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10634 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10635 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10636 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10637 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10638 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10639 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10640 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
10642 @xref{Article Washing}.
10644 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10645 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10646 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10647 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10648 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10649 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10650 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10652 @xref{Article Date}.
10654 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10655 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10656 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10660 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10662 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10664 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10665 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10666 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10670 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10674 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10675 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10676 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10677 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10678 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10679 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10680 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10681 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10683 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10685 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10686 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10687 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10689 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10691 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10692 @item gnus-treat-translate
10693 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10695 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10696 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10697 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10698 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10700 @xref{Article Header}.
10705 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10706 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10707 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10708 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10709 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10713 @node Article Keymap
10714 @section Article Keymap
10716 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10717 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10718 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10719 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10722 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10727 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10728 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10729 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10732 @kindex DEL (Article)
10733 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10734 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10737 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10738 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10739 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10740 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10741 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10744 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10745 @findex gnus-article-mail
10746 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10747 given a prefix, include the mail.
10750 @kindex s (Article)
10751 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10752 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10753 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10756 @kindex ? (Article)
10757 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10758 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10759 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10762 @kindex TAB (Article)
10763 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10764 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10765 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10768 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10769 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10770 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10773 @kindex R (Article)
10774 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10775 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10776 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10777 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10781 @kindex F (Article)
10782 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10783 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10784 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10785 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10793 @section Misc Article
10797 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10798 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10799 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10800 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10803 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10804 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10806 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10807 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10809 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10810 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10811 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10812 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10813 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10814 the contents of the article buffer.
10816 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10817 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10818 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10820 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10821 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10822 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10823 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10825 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10826 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10827 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10828 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10829 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10835 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10836 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10837 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10842 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10845 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10848 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10849 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10850 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10853 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10856 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10859 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10864 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10868 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10870 @item gnus-break-pages
10871 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10872 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10873 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10874 paging will not be done.
10876 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10877 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10878 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10883 @node Composing Messages
10884 @chapter Composing Messages
10885 @cindex composing messages
10888 @cindex sending mail
10893 @cindex using s/mime
10894 @cindex using smime
10896 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10897 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10898 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10899 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10900 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10901 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10904 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10905 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10906 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10907 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10908 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10909 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10910 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10911 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10914 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10915 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10921 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10924 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10925 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10926 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10927 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10928 @code{nil} include all headers.
10930 @item gnus-add-to-list
10931 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10932 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10933 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10935 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10936 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10937 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10938 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10939 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10944 @node Posting Server
10945 @section Posting Server
10947 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10948 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10950 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10952 It can be quite complicated.
10954 @vindex gnus-post-method
10955 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10956 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10957 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10958 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10959 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10960 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10961 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10962 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10963 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10966 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10969 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10970 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10971 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10972 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10974 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10975 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10977 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10978 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10981 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10982 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10984 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10985 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10986 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10987 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10988 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10989 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10990 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10991 package correctly. An example:
10994 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10995 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10998 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
10999 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
11000 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
11002 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
11003 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
11004 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
11006 @node Mail and Post
11007 @section Mail and Post
11009 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
11013 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
11014 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
11015 @cindex mailing lists
11017 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11018 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11019 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11020 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11021 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11022 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11023 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11024 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11025 still a pain, though.
11029 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11030 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11031 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11034 @findex ispell-message
11036 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11039 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11040 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11043 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11047 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11048 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11050 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11053 Modify to suit your needs.
11056 @node Archived Messages
11057 @section Archived Messages
11058 @cindex archived messages
11059 @cindex sent messages
11061 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11062 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11063 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11064 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11067 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11068 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11071 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11072 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11073 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11076 (nnfolder "archive"
11077 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11078 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11079 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11080 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11083 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11084 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11085 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11086 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11089 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11090 '(nnfolder "archive"
11091 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11092 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11093 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11096 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11098 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11099 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11100 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11102 This variable can be used to do the following:
11107 Messages will be saved in that group.
11109 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11110 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11111 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11112 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11113 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11114 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11115 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11116 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11120 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11122 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11123 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11126 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11131 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11133 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11136 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11138 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11141 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11143 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11144 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11145 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11146 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11149 More complex stuff:
11151 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11152 '((if (message-news-p)
11157 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11158 messages in one file per month:
11161 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11162 '((if (message-news-p)
11164 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11167 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11168 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11170 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11171 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11172 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11173 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11174 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11175 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11176 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11177 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11178 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11179 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11181 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11182 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11183 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11184 this will disable archiving.
11187 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11188 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11189 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11190 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11191 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11194 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11195 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11196 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11199 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11200 but the latter is the preferred method.
11202 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11203 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11204 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11206 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11207 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11208 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11209 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11210 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11211 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11212 changed in the future.
11217 @node Posting Styles
11218 @section Posting Styles
11219 @cindex posting styles
11222 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11224 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11225 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11226 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11229 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11230 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11231 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11232 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11233 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11238 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11239 (organization "What me?"))
11241 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11242 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11243 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11246 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11247 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11248 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11249 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11250 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11251 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11252 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11253 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11255 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11256 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11257 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11258 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11259 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11260 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11261 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11262 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11263 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11264 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11265 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11268 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11269 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11270 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11271 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11272 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11273 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11274 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11275 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11276 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11277 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11280 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11281 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11282 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11283 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11284 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11285 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11286 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11287 references chars lines xref extra.
11289 @vindex message-reply-headers
11291 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11292 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11293 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11295 @findex message-mail-p
11296 @findex message-news-p
11298 So here's a new example:
11301 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11303 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11305 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11306 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11308 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11309 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11310 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11311 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11312 (signature my-news-signature))
11313 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11314 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11315 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11316 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11317 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11318 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11319 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11320 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11321 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11322 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11324 (From (save-excursion
11325 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11326 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11328 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11331 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11332 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11333 if you fill many roles.
11340 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11341 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11342 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11343 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11344 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11346 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11347 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11348 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11349 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11350 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11354 @vindex nndraft-directory
11355 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11356 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11357 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11358 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11359 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11360 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11362 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11363 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11366 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11367 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11368 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11369 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11370 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11371 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11372 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11373 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11374 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11375 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11376 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11377 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11378 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11379 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11381 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11382 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11383 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11385 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11386 @kindex D e (Draft)
11387 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11388 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11389 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11391 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11394 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11395 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11396 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11397 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11398 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11399 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11400 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11403 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11404 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11405 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11408 @node Rejected Articles
11409 @section Rejected Articles
11410 @cindex rejected articles
11412 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11413 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11414 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11415 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11417 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11418 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11419 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11420 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11421 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11423 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11424 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11425 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11427 @node Signing and encrypting
11428 @section Signing and encrypting
11430 @cindex using s/mime
11431 @cindex using smime
11433 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11434 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11435 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11436 (@pxref{Security}).
11438 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11439 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11440 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11442 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11443 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11444 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11445 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11446 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11447 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11448 automatically encrypted messages.
11450 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11451 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11452 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11457 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11458 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11460 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11463 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11464 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11466 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11469 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11470 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11472 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11475 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11476 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11478 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11481 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11482 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11484 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11487 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11488 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11490 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11493 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11494 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11495 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11499 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11501 @node Select Methods
11502 @chapter Select Methods
11503 @cindex foreign groups
11504 @cindex select methods
11506 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11507 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11508 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11509 personal mail group.
11511 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11512 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11513 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11514 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11515 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11516 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11518 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11519 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11521 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11524 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11525 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11526 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11527 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11528 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11530 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11533 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11534 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11535 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11536 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11537 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11538 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11539 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11540 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11544 @node Server Buffer
11545 @section Server Buffer
11547 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11548 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11549 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11550 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11551 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11552 back end represents a virtual server.
11554 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11555 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11556 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11557 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11559 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11560 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11561 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11562 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11563 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11564 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11565 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11567 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11568 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11571 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11572 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11573 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11574 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11575 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11576 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11577 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11580 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11581 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11584 @node Server Buffer Format
11585 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11586 @cindex server buffer format
11588 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11589 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11590 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11591 variable, with some simple extensions:
11596 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11599 The name of this server.
11602 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11605 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11608 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11609 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11610 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11611 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11621 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11624 @node Server Commands
11625 @subsection Server Commands
11626 @cindex server commands
11632 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11633 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11637 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11638 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11641 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11642 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11643 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11647 @findex gnus-server-exit
11648 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11652 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11653 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11657 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11658 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11662 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11663 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11667 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11668 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11672 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11673 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11674 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11679 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11680 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11681 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11682 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11687 @node Example Methods
11688 @subsection Example Methods
11690 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11693 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11696 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11702 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11703 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11706 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11707 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11709 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11710 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11714 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11717 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11718 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11720 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11721 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11722 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11726 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11729 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11732 Here's the method for a public spool:
11736 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11737 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11743 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11744 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11745 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11746 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11747 should probably look something like this:
11751 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11752 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11753 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11754 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11757 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11758 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11759 configuration to the example above:
11762 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11765 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11767 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11768 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11769 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11773 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11774 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11775 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11776 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11779 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11780 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11781 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11782 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11785 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11786 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11788 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11789 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11791 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11792 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11793 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11795 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11797 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11798 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11799 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11800 will contain the following:
11810 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11811 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11812 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11815 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11816 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11817 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11820 @node Server Variables
11821 @subsection Server Variables
11823 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11824 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11825 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11826 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11827 won't change the "derived" variables.
11829 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11830 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11831 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11832 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11833 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11834 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11835 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11836 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11837 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11841 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11842 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11843 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11847 @node Servers and Methods
11848 @subsection Servers and Methods
11850 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11851 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11852 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11853 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11857 @node Unavailable Servers
11858 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11860 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11861 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11862 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11863 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11864 actually the case or not.
11866 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11867 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11868 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11869 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11870 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11871 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11872 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11873 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11875 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11876 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11878 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11879 with the following commands:
11885 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11886 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11887 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11891 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11892 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11893 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11897 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11898 Mark the current server as unreachable
11899 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11902 @kindex M-o (Server)
11903 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11904 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11905 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11908 @kindex M-c (Server)
11909 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11910 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11911 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11915 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11916 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11917 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11921 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11922 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11928 @section Getting News
11929 @cindex reading news
11930 @cindex news back ends
11932 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11933 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11934 or it can read from a local spool.
11937 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11938 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11946 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11947 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11948 server as the, uhm, address.
11950 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11951 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11952 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11953 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11955 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11956 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11957 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11959 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11964 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11965 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11966 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11968 @cindex authentification
11969 @cindex nntp authentification
11970 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11971 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11972 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11973 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11974 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11975 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11976 present in this hook.
11978 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11979 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11980 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11981 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11982 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11983 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11984 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11985 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11986 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11987 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11988 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11989 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11993 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11996 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11998 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11999 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
12000 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
12001 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
12002 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
12003 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
12004 @samp{force} is explained below.
12008 Here's an example file:
12011 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
12012 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
12015 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
12016 have to be first, for instance.
12018 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12019 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12020 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12021 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12022 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12023 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12024 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12026 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12027 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12033 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12034 previously mentioned.
12036 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12038 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12039 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12040 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12041 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12042 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12045 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12046 '(("innd" (ding))))
12049 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12051 The default value is
12054 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12055 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12056 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12059 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12060 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12062 @item nntp-maximum-request
12063 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12064 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12065 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12066 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12067 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12068 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12069 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12071 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12072 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12073 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12074 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12075 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12076 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12077 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12078 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12079 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12080 no timeouts are done.
12082 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12083 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12084 @c @cindex PPP connections
12085 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12086 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12087 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12088 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12089 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12090 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12091 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12092 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12093 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12094 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12096 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12097 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12098 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12099 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12100 @c described above.
12102 @item nntp-server-hook
12103 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12104 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12107 @item nntp-buggy-select
12108 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12109 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12111 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12112 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12113 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12114 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12117 @item nntp-xover-commands
12118 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12121 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12122 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12126 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12127 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12128 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12129 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12130 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12131 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12132 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12133 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12134 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12135 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12136 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12138 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12139 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12140 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12142 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12143 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12144 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12145 server closes connection.
12147 @item nntp-record-commands
12148 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12149 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12150 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12151 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12152 that doesn't seem to work.
12154 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12155 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12156 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12157 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12158 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12159 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12160 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12161 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12163 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12164 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12165 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12166 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12167 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12168 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12169 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12172 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12175 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12176 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12180 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12181 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12182 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12186 @node Direct Functions
12187 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12188 @cindex direct connection functions
12190 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12191 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12192 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12193 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12196 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12197 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12198 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12201 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12202 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12203 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12204 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12205 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12206 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12207 define a server as follows:
12210 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12212 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12213 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12215 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12216 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12217 (nntp-port-number 563)
12218 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12221 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12222 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12223 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12224 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12225 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12226 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12227 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12228 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12232 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12233 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12234 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12237 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12238 session, which is not a good idea.
12242 @node Indirect Functions
12243 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12244 @cindex indirect connection functions
12246 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12247 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12248 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12249 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12250 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12251 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12254 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12255 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12256 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12257 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12258 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12260 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12263 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12264 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12265 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12266 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12268 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12269 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12270 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12271 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12272 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12273 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12274 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12275 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12278 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12279 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12280 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12281 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12283 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12286 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12287 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12288 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12291 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12292 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12293 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12294 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12296 @item nntp-via-user-password
12297 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12298 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12300 @item nntp-via-envuser
12301 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12302 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12303 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12304 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12306 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12307 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12308 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12309 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12316 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12321 @item nntp-via-user-name
12322 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12323 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12325 @item nntp-via-address
12326 @vindex nntp-via-address
12327 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12332 @node Common Variables
12333 @subsubsection Common Variables
12335 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12336 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12341 @item nntp-pre-command
12342 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12343 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12344 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12345 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12346 wrapper for instance.
12349 @vindex nntp-address
12350 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12352 @item nntp-port-number
12353 @vindex nntp-port-number
12354 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12355 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12356 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12357 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12359 @item nntp-end-of-line
12360 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12361 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12362 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12363 using a non native connection function.
12365 @item nntp-telnet-command
12366 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12367 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12368 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12369 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12371 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12372 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12373 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12380 @subsection News Spool
12384 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12385 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12386 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12389 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12390 anything else) as the address.
12392 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12393 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12394 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12395 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12399 @item nnspool-inews-program
12400 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12401 Program used to post an article.
12403 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12404 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12405 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12407 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12408 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12409 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12410 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12412 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12413 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12414 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12415 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12417 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12418 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12419 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12421 @item nnspool-active-file
12422 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12423 The path to the active file.
12425 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12426 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12427 The path to the group descriptions file.
12429 @item nnspool-history-file
12430 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12431 The path to the news history file.
12433 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12434 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12435 The path to the active date file.
12437 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12438 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12439 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12442 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12443 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12445 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12446 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12447 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12453 @section Getting Mail
12454 @cindex reading mail
12457 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12461 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12462 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12463 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12464 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12465 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12466 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12467 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12468 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12469 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12470 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12471 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12472 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12473 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12477 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12478 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12480 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12481 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12482 of a culture shock.
12484 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12485 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12487 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12488 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12489 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12490 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12492 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12494 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12495 deleted? How awful!
12497 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12498 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12499 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12500 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12503 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12504 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12505 they want to treat a message.
12507 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12508 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12509 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12510 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12511 archived somewhere else.
12513 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12514 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12515 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12516 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12517 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12519 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12520 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12521 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12523 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12524 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12527 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12528 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12529 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12530 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12531 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12533 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12534 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12535 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12536 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12537 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12538 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12542 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12543 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12545 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12546 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12547 and things will happen automatically.
12549 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12550 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12553 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12556 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12557 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12558 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12559 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12560 like any other group.
12562 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12565 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12566 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12567 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12571 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12572 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12573 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12576 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12577 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12578 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12581 @node Splitting Mail
12582 @subsection Splitting Mail
12583 @cindex splitting mail
12584 @cindex mail splitting
12586 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12587 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12588 to be split into groups.
12591 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12592 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12593 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12594 ("mail.other" "")))
12597 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12598 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12599 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12600 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12601 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12602 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12603 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12606 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12609 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12610 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12611 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12612 mail belongs in that group.
12614 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12615 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12616 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12617 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12618 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12619 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12621 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12622 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12623 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12624 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12625 thinks should carry this mail message.
12627 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12628 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12629 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12630 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12632 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12633 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12634 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12635 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12636 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12638 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12641 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12642 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12643 links. If that's the case for you, set
12644 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12645 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12647 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12648 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12649 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12650 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12651 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12652 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12655 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12656 Header lines longer than the value of
12657 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12660 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12661 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12662 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12663 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12664 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12665 can be turned off completely by binding
12666 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12667 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12669 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12670 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12671 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12672 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12673 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12674 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12675 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12678 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12679 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12680 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12681 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12682 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12683 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12684 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12685 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12686 month's rent money.
12690 @subsection Mail Sources
12692 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12693 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12697 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12698 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12699 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12703 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12704 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12706 @cindex mail server
12709 @cindex mail source
12711 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12712 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12717 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12720 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12721 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12722 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12725 The following mail source types are available:
12729 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12735 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12736 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12737 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12740 An example file mail source:
12743 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12746 Or using the default path:
12752 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12753 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12754 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12757 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12761 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12764 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12768 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12771 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12773 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12776 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12780 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12781 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12782 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12783 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12784 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12785 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12786 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12787 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12788 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12789 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12791 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12792 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12793 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12794 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12800 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12804 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12808 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12809 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12810 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12811 predicate are considered.
12815 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12819 An example directory mail source:
12822 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12827 Get mail from a POP server.
12833 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12834 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12837 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12838 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12839 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12840 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12841 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12844 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12848 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12852 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12853 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12856 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12859 The valid format specifier characters are:
12863 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12864 included in this string.
12867 The name of the server.
12870 The port number of the server.
12873 The user name to use.
12876 The password to use.
12879 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12880 corresponding keywords.
12883 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12884 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12887 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12888 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12891 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12892 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12895 @item :authentication
12896 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12897 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12902 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12903 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12905 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12906 default user name, and default fetcher:
12912 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12915 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12916 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12919 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12922 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12926 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12927 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12928 contains exactly one mail.
12934 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12935 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12938 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12939 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12941 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12942 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12943 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12946 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12947 from locking problems).
12951 Two example maildir mail sources:
12954 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12955 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12959 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12964 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12965 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12966 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12967 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12970 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12971 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12977 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12978 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12981 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12982 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12985 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12989 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12993 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12994 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12995 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12996 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12998 @item :authentication
12999 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
13000 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
13001 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
13002 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
13005 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
13006 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
13007 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
13013 The valid format specifier characters are:
13017 The name of the server.
13020 User name from `imap-default-user'.
13023 The port number of the server.
13026 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13027 corresponding keywords.
13030 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13031 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13034 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13035 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13036 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13037 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13038 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13039 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13042 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13043 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13044 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13045 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13048 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13049 after finishing the fetch.
13053 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13056 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13058 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13062 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13063 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13064 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13066 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13067 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13069 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13075 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13076 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13079 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13083 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13087 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13088 folder after finishing the fetch.
13092 An example webmail source:
13095 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13097 :password "secret")
13102 @item Common Keywords
13103 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13109 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13110 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13114 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13119 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13120 useful when you use local mail and news.
13125 @subsubsection Function Interface
13127 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13128 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13129 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13130 consider the following mail-source setting:
13133 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13134 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13137 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13138 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13139 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13140 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13141 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13143 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13146 @node Mail Source Customization
13147 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13149 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13150 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13154 @item mail-source-crash-box
13155 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13156 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13157 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13159 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13160 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13161 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13163 @item mail-source-directory
13164 @vindex mail-source-directory
13165 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13166 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13167 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13170 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13171 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13172 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13173 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13174 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13175 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13177 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13178 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13179 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13181 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13182 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13183 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13184 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13189 @node Fetching Mail
13190 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13192 @vindex mail-sources
13193 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13194 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13195 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13196 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13198 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13199 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13202 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13203 mail server, you'd say something like:
13208 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13209 :password "secret")))
13212 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13216 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13217 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13220 :password "secret")))
13224 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13225 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13226 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13227 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13228 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13229 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13233 @node Mail Back End Variables
13234 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13236 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13240 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13241 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13242 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13243 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13245 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13246 @item nnmail-split-hook
13247 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13248 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13249 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13250 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13251 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13252 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13253 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13254 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13255 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13258 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13259 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13260 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13261 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13262 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13263 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13264 starting to handle the new mail) and
13265 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13266 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13267 default file modes the new mail files get:
13270 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13271 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13273 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13274 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13277 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13278 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13279 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13280 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13281 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13282 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13283 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13285 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13286 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13287 @findex delete-file
13288 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13290 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13291 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13292 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13293 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13294 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13296 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13297 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13298 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13299 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13300 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13302 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13303 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13304 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13309 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13310 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13311 @cindex mail splitting
13312 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13314 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13315 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13316 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13317 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13318 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13319 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13321 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13324 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13325 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13326 ;; from real errors.
13327 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13329 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13330 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13331 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13332 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13333 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13334 ;; Other mailing lists...
13335 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13336 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13337 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13338 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13339 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13340 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13341 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13342 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13344 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13345 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13349 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13350 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13351 the five possible split syntaxes:
13356 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13357 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13361 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13362 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13363 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13364 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13365 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13366 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13367 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13368 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13371 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13372 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13373 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13374 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13377 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13378 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13381 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13382 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13385 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13386 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13387 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13388 function should return a @var{split}.
13391 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13392 body of the messages:
13395 (defun split-on-body ()
13397 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13398 (goto-char (point-min))
13399 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13403 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13404 when the @code{:} function is run.
13407 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13408 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13409 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13413 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13417 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13418 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13419 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13420 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13421 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13423 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13424 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13425 are expanded as specified by the variable
13426 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13427 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13430 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13431 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13432 when all this splitting is performed.
13434 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13435 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13436 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13439 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13442 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13443 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13445 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13446 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13447 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13448 groupings 1 through 9.
13450 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13451 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13452 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13453 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13454 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13455 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13456 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13457 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13458 it once per thread.
13460 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13461 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13462 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13465 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13466 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13468 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13469 ;; other splits go here
13473 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13474 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13475 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13476 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13477 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13478 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13479 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13480 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13481 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13482 unless the group name matches the regexp
13483 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13484 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13485 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13486 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13487 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13488 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13489 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13490 messages goes into the new group.
13492 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13493 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13494 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13495 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13496 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13500 @node Group Mail Splitting
13501 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13502 @cindex mail splitting
13503 @cindex group mail splitting
13505 @findex gnus-group-split
13506 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13507 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13508 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13509 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13510 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13511 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13512 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13513 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13515 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13516 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13517 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13518 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13520 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13521 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13522 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13523 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13524 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13525 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13526 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13528 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13529 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13530 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13531 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13532 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13533 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13534 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13536 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13537 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13538 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13539 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13540 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13541 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13542 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13543 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13544 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13545 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13546 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13547 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13548 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13550 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13555 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13556 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13558 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13559 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13560 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13561 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13563 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13566 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13567 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13568 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13571 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13572 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13573 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13577 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13578 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13579 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13583 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13586 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13587 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13588 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13589 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13590 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13591 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13592 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13593 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13594 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13596 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13597 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13598 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13599 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13600 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13601 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13602 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13603 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13604 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13606 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13607 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13608 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13609 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13610 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13611 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13614 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13617 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13618 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13619 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13620 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13621 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13624 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13625 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13626 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13627 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13629 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13630 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13631 @cindex incorporating old mail
13632 @cindex import old mail
13634 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13635 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13636 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13639 Doing so can be quite easy.
13641 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13642 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13643 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13644 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13645 your @code{nnml} groups.
13651 Go to the group buffer.
13654 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13655 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13658 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13661 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13662 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13665 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13666 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13669 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13670 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13671 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13672 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13673 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13675 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13676 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13677 using the new mail back end.
13680 @node Expiring Mail
13681 @subsection Expiring Mail
13682 @cindex article expiry
13684 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13685 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13686 different approach to mail reading.
13688 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13689 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13690 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13691 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13692 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13693 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13696 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13697 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13698 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13699 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13700 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13701 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13702 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13703 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13704 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13706 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13707 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13708 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13709 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13710 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13711 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13712 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13715 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13716 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13717 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13718 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13719 into its own group.)
13721 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13722 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13723 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13724 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13725 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13726 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13727 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13728 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13731 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13732 Groups that match the regular expression
13733 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13734 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13735 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13737 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13738 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13739 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13740 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13743 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13745 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13746 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13747 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13750 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13751 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13752 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13753 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13754 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13756 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13757 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13760 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13761 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13764 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13765 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13767 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13768 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13769 don't really mix very well.
13771 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13772 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13773 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13774 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13777 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13778 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13779 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13780 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13783 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13785 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13787 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13789 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13791 ((string= group "important")
13797 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13798 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13800 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13801 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13802 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13805 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13806 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13808 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13809 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13810 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13811 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13812 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13813 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13814 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13815 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13816 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13817 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13818 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13819 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13820 name or @code{delete}.
13822 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13824 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13827 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13828 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13829 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13830 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13831 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13834 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13835 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13836 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13837 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13838 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13841 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13842 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13843 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13844 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13845 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13846 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13848 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13849 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13850 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13851 easier for procmail users.
13853 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13854 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13855 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13856 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13857 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13858 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13859 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13860 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13861 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13862 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13863 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13864 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13865 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13868 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13870 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13871 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13872 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13873 auto-expire turned on.
13877 @subsection Washing Mail
13878 @cindex mail washing
13879 @cindex list server brain damage
13880 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13882 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13883 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13884 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13885 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13886 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13887 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13889 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13890 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13891 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13894 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13895 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13896 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13897 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13900 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13901 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13902 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13903 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13904 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13907 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13908 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13909 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13910 Emacs running on MS machines.
13914 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13915 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13916 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13917 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13920 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13921 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13922 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13923 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13925 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13926 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13927 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13928 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13929 into a feature by documenting it.)
13931 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13932 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13933 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13934 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13935 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13936 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13937 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13940 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13941 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13944 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13945 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13948 This can also be done non-destructively with
13949 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13951 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13952 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13953 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13955 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13956 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13958 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13959 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13960 @code{References} headers.
13964 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13965 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13966 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13970 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13971 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13972 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13979 @subsection Duplicates
13981 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13982 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13983 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13984 @cindex duplicate mails
13985 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13986 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13987 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13988 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13989 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13990 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13991 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13992 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13993 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13994 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13995 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13996 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13997 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13999 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
14000 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
14001 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
14002 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
14004 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
14007 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
14008 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
14012 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
14013 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
14014 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
14015 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
14016 (any mail "mail.misc")
14023 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14024 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14029 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14030 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14031 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14032 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14033 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14036 @node Not Reading Mail
14037 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14039 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14040 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14041 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14043 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14044 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14045 mail, which should help.
14047 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14048 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14049 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14050 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14051 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14052 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14053 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14054 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14055 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14056 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14057 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14059 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14060 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14064 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14065 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14067 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14068 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14069 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14071 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14072 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14073 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14074 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14075 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14076 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14077 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14080 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14081 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14082 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14083 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14084 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14085 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14089 @node Unix Mail Box
14090 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14092 @cindex unix mail box
14094 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14095 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14096 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14097 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14098 which group it belongs in.
14100 Virtual server settings:
14103 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14104 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14105 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14108 @item nnmbox-active-file
14109 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14110 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14111 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14113 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14114 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14115 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14116 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14121 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14125 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14126 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14127 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14128 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14129 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14131 Virtual server settings:
14134 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14135 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14136 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14138 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14139 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14140 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14141 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14143 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14144 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14145 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14151 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14153 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14155 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14156 format. It should be used with some caution.
14158 @vindex nnml-directory
14159 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14160 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14161 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14162 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14164 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14167 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14168 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14169 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14170 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14171 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14172 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14173 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14174 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14176 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14177 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14178 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14179 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14181 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14183 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14184 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14185 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14186 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14187 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14188 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14189 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14190 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14193 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14194 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14195 them next time it starts.
14197 Virtual server settings:
14200 @item nnml-directory
14201 @vindex nnml-directory
14202 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14203 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14206 @item nnml-active-file
14207 @vindex nnml-active-file
14208 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14209 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14211 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14212 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14213 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14214 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14216 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14217 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14218 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14221 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14222 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14223 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14224 default is @code{nil}.
14226 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14227 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14228 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14230 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14231 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14232 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14234 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14235 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14236 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14237 default is @code{nil}.
14239 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14240 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14241 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14243 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14244 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14245 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14250 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14251 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14252 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14253 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14254 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14255 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14256 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14261 @subsubsection MH Spool
14263 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14265 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14266 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14267 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14268 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14270 Virtual server settings:
14273 @item nnmh-directory
14274 @vindex nnmh-directory
14275 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14276 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14279 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14280 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14281 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14285 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14286 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14287 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14288 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14289 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14290 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14291 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14296 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14298 @cindex mbox folders
14299 @cindex mail folders
14301 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14302 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14303 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14306 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14308 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14309 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14310 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14311 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14312 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14313 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14314 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14315 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14316 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14317 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14319 Virtual server settings:
14322 @item nnfolder-directory
14323 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14324 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14325 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14328 @item nnfolder-active-file
14329 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14330 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14332 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14333 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14334 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14335 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14337 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14338 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14339 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14342 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14343 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14344 @cindex backup files
14345 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14346 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14347 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14348 your @file{.emacs} file:
14351 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14352 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14354 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14357 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14358 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14359 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14360 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14361 extract some information from it before removing it.
14363 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14364 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14365 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14366 default is @code{nil}.
14368 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14369 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14370 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14372 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14373 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14374 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14375 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14377 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14378 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14379 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14380 default is @code{nil}.
14382 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14383 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14384 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14386 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14387 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14388 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14389 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14394 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14395 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14396 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14397 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14398 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14399 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14402 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14403 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14405 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14406 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14407 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14408 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14409 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14411 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14412 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14413 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14414 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14415 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14416 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14417 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14418 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14421 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14422 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14423 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14424 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14429 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14430 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14431 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14432 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14433 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14434 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14435 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14436 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14437 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14438 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14439 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14440 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14441 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14446 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14447 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14448 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14449 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14450 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14451 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14452 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14453 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14454 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14455 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14456 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14457 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14458 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14459 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14461 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14462 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14467 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14468 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14469 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14470 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14471 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14472 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14473 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14474 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14475 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14476 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14477 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14478 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14479 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14480 provided by the active file and overviews.
14482 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14483 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
14484 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14485 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14486 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14489 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14490 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14495 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14496 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14497 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14498 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14499 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14500 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14501 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14505 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14506 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14507 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14508 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14509 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14510 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14511 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14512 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14513 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14515 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14516 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14517 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14518 friendly mail back end all over.
14522 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14523 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14524 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14525 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14526 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14527 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14528 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14529 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14532 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14533 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14534 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14535 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14536 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14537 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14538 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14539 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14540 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14541 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14542 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14544 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14545 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14546 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14547 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14548 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14549 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14550 This will probably be changed in the future.
14552 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14553 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14554 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14555 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14556 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14559 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14560 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14562 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14563 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14564 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14565 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14566 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14567 would) to make it use less memory.
14569 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14570 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14571 depending in part on your file system.
14573 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14574 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14579 @node Browsing the Web
14580 @section Browsing the Web
14582 @cindex browsing the web
14586 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14587 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14588 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14589 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14590 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14591 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14592 even know what a news group is.
14594 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14595 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14596 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14597 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14598 you mad in the end.
14600 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14603 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14604 interfaces to these sources.
14608 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14609 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14610 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14611 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14612 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14613 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14616 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14618 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14619 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14620 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14621 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14622 though, you should be ok.
14624 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14625 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14626 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14627 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14628 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14630 @node Archiving Mail
14631 @subsection Archiving Mail
14632 @cindex archiving mail
14633 @cindex backup of mail
14635 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14636 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14637 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14638 marks is fairly simple.
14640 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14641 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14644 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14645 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14646 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14647 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14648 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14649 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14650 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14651 before you restore the data.
14653 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14654 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14655 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14656 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14657 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14658 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14659 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14660 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14661 is unnecessary in that case.
14664 @subsection Web Searches
14669 @cindex Usenet searches
14670 @cindex searching the Usenet
14672 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14673 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14674 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14675 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14676 searches without having to use a browser.
14678 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14679 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14680 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14681 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14682 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14684 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14685 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14686 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14687 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14688 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14689 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14690 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14691 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14692 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14693 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14696 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14697 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14698 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14699 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14700 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14701 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14703 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14704 to use @code{nnweb}.
14706 Virtual server variables:
14711 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14712 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14713 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14716 @vindex nnweb-search
14717 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14719 @item nnweb-max-hits
14720 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14721 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14724 @item nnweb-type-definition
14725 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14726 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14727 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14732 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14736 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14739 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14742 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14746 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14753 @subsection Slashdot
14757 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14758 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14759 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14761 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14762 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14765 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14766 '((nnslashdot "")))
14769 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14770 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14771 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14772 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14773 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14776 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14777 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14779 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14780 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14781 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14782 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14783 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14784 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14787 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14790 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14791 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14792 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14793 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14794 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14795 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14796 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
14798 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14799 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14800 The login name to use when posting.
14802 @item nnslashdot-password
14803 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14804 The password to use when posting.
14806 @item nnslashdot-directory
14807 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14808 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14809 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14811 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14812 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14813 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14814 news articles and comments. The default is
14815 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14817 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14818 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14819 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14821 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14823 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14824 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14825 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14827 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14829 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14830 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14831 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14833 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14834 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14835 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14836 updated. The default is 0.
14843 @subsection Ultimate
14845 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14847 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14848 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14849 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14850 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14852 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14853 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14854 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14855 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14856 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14857 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14858 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14860 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14863 @item nnultimate-directory
14864 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14865 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14866 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14871 @subsection Web Archive
14873 @cindex Web Archive
14875 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14876 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14877 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14878 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14881 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14882 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14883 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14884 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14885 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14886 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14887 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14889 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14892 @item nnwarchive-directory
14893 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14894 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14895 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14897 @item nnwarchive-login
14898 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14899 The account name on the web server.
14901 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14902 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14903 The password for your account on the web server.
14911 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14912 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14913 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14916 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14917 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14920 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14923 @item nnrss-directory
14924 @vindex nnrss-directory
14925 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14926 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14930 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14931 the summary buffer.
14934 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14935 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14937 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14939 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14940 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14943 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14946 (require 'browse-url)
14948 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14950 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14953 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14954 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14957 (browse-url (cdr url))
14958 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
14959 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14961 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14962 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14963 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14964 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14967 @node Customizing w3
14968 @subsection Customizing w3
14974 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14975 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14976 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14978 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14979 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14980 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14983 (eval-after-load "w3"
14985 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14986 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14987 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14988 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14990 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14993 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14994 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
15003 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
15004 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
15005 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
15006 specify the network address of the server.
15008 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
15009 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
15010 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
15011 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
15012 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
15014 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
15015 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
15016 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
15017 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15019 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15020 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15021 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15022 usage explained in this section.
15024 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15025 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15026 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15029 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15030 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15031 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15033 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15034 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15035 ; a UW server running on localhost
15037 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15038 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15039 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15040 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15041 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15042 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15043 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15044 (nnimap-stream network))
15045 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15047 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15048 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15049 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15052 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15057 @item nnimap-address
15058 @vindex nnimap-address
15060 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15061 server name if not specified.
15063 @item nnimap-server-port
15064 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15065 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15067 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15070 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15071 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15074 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15075 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15076 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15077 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15078 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15079 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15080 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15082 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15083 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15084 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15087 Example server specification:
15090 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15091 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15092 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15095 @item nnimap-stream
15096 @vindex nnimap-stream
15097 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15098 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15099 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15100 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15102 Example server specification:
15105 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15106 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15109 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15113 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15114 @samp{imtest} program.
15116 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15118 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15119 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15122 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15123 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15124 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15126 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15128 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15131 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15132 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15133 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15134 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15135 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15136 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15137 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15138 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15139 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15142 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15143 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15144 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15145 and nnimap support it too - although the most recent versions of
15146 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15147 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15148 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15149 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15150 distribution, for instance).
15152 @vindex imap-shell-program
15153 @vindex imap-shell-host
15154 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15155 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15157 @item nnimap-authenticator
15158 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15160 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15161 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15163 Example server specification:
15166 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15167 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15170 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15174 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15175 external program @code{imtest}.
15177 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15180 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15181 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15183 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15185 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15187 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your email address as password.
15190 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15192 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15193 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15194 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15195 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15196 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15197 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15200 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15201 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15202 running in circles yet?
15204 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15205 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15208 The possible options are:
15213 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15216 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15217 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15218 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15219 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15221 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15226 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15227 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15229 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15230 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15231 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15232 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15233 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15236 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15237 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15240 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15241 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15242 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15243 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15246 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15247 as ticked for other users.
15249 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15251 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15253 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15254 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15255 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15256 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15258 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15259 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15260 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15261 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15263 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15264 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15266 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15267 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15268 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15274 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15275 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15276 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15277 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15278 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15283 @node Splitting in IMAP
15284 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15285 @cindex splitting imap mail
15287 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15288 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15289 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15290 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15291 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15295 Here are the variables of interest:
15299 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15300 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15302 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15304 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15305 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15307 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15309 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15310 @cindex splitting, inbox
15312 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15314 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15315 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15319 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15320 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15323 No nnmail equivalent.
15325 @item nnimap-split-rule
15326 @cindex Splitting, rules
15327 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15329 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15332 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15333 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15334 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15335 Neither did I, we need examples.
15338 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15340 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15341 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15342 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15345 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15346 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15347 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15349 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15350 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15354 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15357 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15358 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15360 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15361 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15362 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15363 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15365 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15366 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15367 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15368 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15369 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15370 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15372 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15373 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15374 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15376 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15377 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15378 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15380 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15382 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15383 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15384 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15387 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15388 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15389 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15390 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15391 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15392 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15395 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15396 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15397 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15398 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15399 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15400 group/function elements.
15402 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15404 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15406 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15408 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15409 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15411 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15412 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15413 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15416 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15417 @cindex splitting, fancy
15418 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15419 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15421 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15422 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15423 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15425 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15426 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15427 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15428 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15433 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15434 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15437 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15441 @node Expiring in IMAP
15442 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15443 @cindex expiring imap mail
15445 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15446 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15447 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15448 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15449 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15450 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15452 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15453 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15454 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15455 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15456 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15457 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15458 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15459 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15463 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15464 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15466 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15467 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15469 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15471 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15472 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15473 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15474 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15478 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15479 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15480 @cindex editing imap acls
15481 @cindex Access Control Lists
15482 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15484 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15486 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15487 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15488 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15491 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15492 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15493 editing window with detailed instructions.
15495 Some possible uses:
15499 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15500 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15501 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15503 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15504 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15505 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15509 @node Expunging mailboxes
15510 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15514 @cindex Manual expunging
15516 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15518 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15519 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15520 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15522 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15525 @node A note on namespaces
15526 @subsection A note on namespaces
15527 @cindex IMAP namespace
15530 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15531 following text in the RFC:
15534 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15536 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15537 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15538 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15539 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15541 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15542 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15543 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15544 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15545 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15546 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15549 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15550 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15551 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15553 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15554 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15555 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15556 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15557 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15558 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15559 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15560 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15562 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15563 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15564 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15566 @node Other Sources
15567 @section Other Sources
15569 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15570 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15574 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15575 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15576 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15577 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15578 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15582 @node Directory Groups
15583 @subsection Directory Groups
15585 @cindex directory groups
15587 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15588 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15591 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15592 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15593 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15594 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15596 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15597 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15598 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15599 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15600 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15602 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15604 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15605 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15606 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15607 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15610 @node Anything Groups
15611 @subsection Anything Groups
15614 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15615 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15616 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15619 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15620 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15621 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15622 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15623 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15624 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15625 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15626 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15627 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15628 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15631 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15632 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15633 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15634 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15636 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15637 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15638 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15639 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15641 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15642 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15643 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15644 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15645 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15646 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15647 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15648 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15653 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15654 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15655 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15656 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15658 @item nneething-exclude-files
15659 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15660 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15661 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15663 @item nneething-include-files
15664 @vindex nneething-include-files
15665 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15666 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15668 @item nneething-map-file
15669 @vindex nneething-map-file
15670 Name of the map files.
15674 @node Document Groups
15675 @subsection Document Groups
15677 @cindex documentation group
15680 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15681 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15688 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15693 The standard Unix mbox file.
15695 @cindex MMDF mail box
15697 The MMDF mail box format.
15700 Several news articles appended into a file.
15703 @cindex rnews batch files
15704 The rnews batch transport format.
15705 @cindex forwarded messages
15708 Forwarded articles.
15711 Netscape mail boxes.
15714 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15716 @item standard-digest
15717 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15720 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15722 @item lanl-gov-announce
15723 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15725 @item rfc822-forward
15726 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15729 The Outlook mail box.
15732 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15735 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15738 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15741 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15747 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15750 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15756 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15757 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15758 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15761 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15762 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15763 group. And that's it.
15765 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15766 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15767 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15768 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15769 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15770 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15771 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15772 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15773 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15774 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15776 Virtual server variables:
15779 @item nndoc-article-type
15780 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15781 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15782 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15783 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15784 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15785 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15787 @item nndoc-post-type
15788 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15789 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15790 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15795 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15799 @node Document Server Internals
15800 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15802 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15803 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15804 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15805 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15807 First, here's an example document type definition:
15811 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15812 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15815 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15816 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15817 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15818 types can be defined with very few settings:
15821 @item first-article
15822 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15823 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15826 @item article-begin
15827 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15828 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15830 @item head-begin-function
15831 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15834 @item nndoc-head-begin
15835 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15838 @item nndoc-head-end
15839 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15840 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15842 @item body-begin-function
15843 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15847 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15850 @item body-end-function
15851 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15855 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15858 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15859 regexp will be totally ignored.
15863 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15864 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15865 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15866 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15867 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15870 @item prepare-body-function
15871 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15872 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15873 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15875 @item article-transform-function
15876 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15877 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15878 body of the article.
15880 @item generate-head-function
15881 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15882 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15883 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15884 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15888 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15893 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15894 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15895 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15896 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15897 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15898 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15899 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15900 (subtype digest guess))
15903 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15904 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15905 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15906 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15907 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15909 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15910 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15911 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15912 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15913 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
15914 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15915 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15916 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15917 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15918 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15926 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15927 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15928 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15930 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15931 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15932 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15935 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15936 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15937 that interested in doing things properly.
15939 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15940 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15943 First some terminology:
15948 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15949 get news and/or mail from.
15952 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15953 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15956 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15960 @item message packets
15961 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15962 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15963 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15965 @item response packets
15966 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15967 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15968 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15978 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15979 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15980 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15981 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15984 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15987 You put the packet in your home directory.
15990 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15991 the native or secondary server.
15994 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15995 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15998 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
16002 You transfer this packet to the server.
16005 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
16008 You then repeat until you die.
16012 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
16013 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
16016 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
16017 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16018 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16022 @node SOUP Commands
16023 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16025 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16029 @kindex G s b (Group)
16030 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16031 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16032 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16033 process/prefix convention.
16036 @kindex G s w (Group)
16037 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16038 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16041 @kindex G s s (Group)
16042 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16043 Send all replies from the replies packet
16044 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16047 @kindex G s p (Group)
16048 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16049 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16052 @kindex G s r (Group)
16053 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16054 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16057 @kindex O s (Summary)
16058 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16059 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16060 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16061 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16066 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16071 @item gnus-soup-directory
16072 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16073 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16074 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16076 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16077 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16078 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16079 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16081 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16082 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16083 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16084 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16086 @item gnus-soup-packer
16087 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16088 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16089 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16091 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16092 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16093 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16094 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16096 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16097 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16098 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16100 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16101 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16102 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16103 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16109 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16112 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16113 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16114 you can read them at leisure.
16116 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16120 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16121 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16122 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16123 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16125 @item nnsoup-directory
16126 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16127 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16128 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16130 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16131 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16132 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16133 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16135 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16136 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16137 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16138 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16139 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16141 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16142 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16143 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16144 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16146 @item nnsoup-active-file
16147 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16148 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16149 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16150 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16151 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16153 @item nnsoup-packer
16154 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16155 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16156 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16158 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16159 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16160 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16161 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16163 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16164 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16165 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16168 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16169 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16170 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16173 @item nnsoup-always-save
16174 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16175 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16181 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16183 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16184 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16185 more for that to happen.
16187 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16188 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16189 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16192 In specific, this is what it does:
16195 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16196 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16199 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16200 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16201 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16204 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16205 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16206 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16209 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16210 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16211 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16213 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16219 @item nngateway-address
16220 @vindex nngateway-address
16221 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16223 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16224 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16225 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16226 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16227 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16228 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16229 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16232 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16233 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16234 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16237 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16240 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16243 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16246 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16248 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16251 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16252 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16253 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16255 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16257 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16258 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16259 @code{nngateway-address}.
16264 (setq gnus-post-method
16266 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16267 (nngateway-header-transformation
16268 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16276 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16279 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16284 @node Combined Groups
16285 @section Combined Groups
16287 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16291 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16292 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16296 @node Virtual Groups
16297 @subsection Virtual Groups
16299 @cindex virtual groups
16300 @cindex merging groups
16302 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16305 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16306 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16307 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16309 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16310 regexp to match component groups.
16312 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16313 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16314 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16315 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16316 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16317 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16318 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16319 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16321 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16322 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16325 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16328 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16329 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16331 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16332 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16333 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16334 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16337 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16340 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16341 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16342 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16344 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16345 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16346 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16347 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16348 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16350 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16351 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16352 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16354 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16355 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16356 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16357 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16358 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16359 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16360 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16361 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16362 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16363 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16364 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16366 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16367 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16368 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16369 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16370 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16371 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16372 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16374 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16375 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16377 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16378 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16382 @node Kibozed Groups
16383 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16387 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16388 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16389 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16390 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16392 @kindex G k (Group)
16393 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16396 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16397 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16398 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16399 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16401 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16402 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16403 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16405 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16406 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16407 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16408 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16409 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16410 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16411 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16412 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16414 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16415 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16416 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16417 Stranger things have happened.
16419 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16420 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16422 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16423 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16424 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16425 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16426 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16427 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16429 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16430 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16433 @node Gnus Unplugged
16434 @section Gnus Unplugged
16439 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16441 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16442 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16443 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16444 read news. Believe it or not.
16446 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16447 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16448 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16449 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16450 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16452 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16453 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16454 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16455 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16456 reading news on a machine.
16458 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16459 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16461 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16464 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16465 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16466 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16467 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16468 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16469 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16470 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16471 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16472 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16473 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16474 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16479 @subsection Agent Basics
16481 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16483 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16484 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16485 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16486 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16488 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16489 connected to the net continuously.
16491 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16492 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16494 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16499 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16500 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16501 already fetched while in this mode.
16504 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16505 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16506 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16507 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16508 Source Specifiers}).
16511 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16512 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16513 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16514 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16515 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16518 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16519 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16520 then you read the news offline.
16523 And then you go to step 2.
16526 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16532 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16533 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16534 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16535 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16536 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16537 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16538 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16539 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16542 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16549 @node Agent Categories
16550 @subsection Agent Categories
16552 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16553 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16554 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16555 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16556 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16557 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16558 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16560 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16561 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16562 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16563 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16564 managing categories.
16567 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16568 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16569 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16573 @node Category Syntax
16574 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16576 A category consists of two things.
16580 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16581 are eligible for downloading; and
16584 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16585 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16586 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16589 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16590 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16591 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16592 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16594 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16595 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16596 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16598 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16599 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16600 operators sprinkled in between.
16602 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16604 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16605 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16611 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16612 short (for some value of ``short'').
16614 Here's a more complex predicate:
16623 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16624 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16627 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16628 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16629 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16631 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16632 you want to do, you can write your own.
16636 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16637 lines; default 100.
16640 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16641 lines; default 200.
16644 True iff the article has a download score less than
16645 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16648 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16649 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16652 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16653 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16654 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16663 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16664 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16665 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16668 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16669 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16670 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16671 something along the lines of the following:
16674 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16675 "Say whether an article is old."
16676 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16677 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16680 with the predicate then defined as:
16683 (not my-article-old-p)
16686 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16687 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16691 (require 'gnus-agent)
16692 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16693 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16694 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16697 and simply specify your predicate as:
16703 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16704 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16705 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16706 just don't give a damn.
16708 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16709 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16710 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16711 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16712 parameters like so:
16715 (agent-predicate . short)
16718 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16719 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16720 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16722 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16725 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16728 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16729 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16730 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16733 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16734 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16735 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16736 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16737 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16738 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16740 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16741 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16742 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16743 if it's to be specific to that group.
16745 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16752 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16753 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16759 Category specification
16763 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16769 Group Parameter specification
16772 (agent-score ("from"
16773 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16778 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16784 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16791 Category specification
16794 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16800 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16804 Group Parameter specification
16807 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16810 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16815 Use @code{normal} score files
16817 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16818 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16819 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16820 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16822 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16823 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16824 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16825 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16829 Category Specification
16836 Group Parameter specification
16839 (agent-score . file)
16844 @node Category Buffer
16845 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16847 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16848 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16849 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16851 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16855 @kindex q (Category)
16856 @findex gnus-category-exit
16857 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16860 @kindex k (Category)
16861 @findex gnus-category-kill
16862 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16865 @kindex c (Category)
16866 @findex gnus-category-copy
16867 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16870 @kindex a (Category)
16871 @findex gnus-category-add
16872 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16875 @kindex p (Category)
16876 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16877 Edit the predicate of the current category
16878 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16881 @kindex g (Category)
16882 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16883 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16884 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16887 @kindex s (Category)
16888 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16889 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16890 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16893 @kindex l (Category)
16894 @findex gnus-category-list
16895 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16899 @node Category Variables
16900 @subsubsection Category Variables
16903 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16904 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16905 Hook run in category buffers.
16907 @item gnus-category-line-format
16908 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16909 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16910 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16914 The name of the category.
16917 The number of groups in the category.
16920 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16921 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16922 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16924 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16925 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16926 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16928 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16929 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16930 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16932 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16933 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16934 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16937 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16938 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16939 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16945 @node Agent Commands
16946 @subsection Agent Commands
16948 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16949 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16950 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16954 * Group Agent Commands::
16955 * Summary Agent Commands::
16956 * Server Agent Commands::
16959 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16960 following incantation:
16962 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16964 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16969 @node Group Agent Commands
16970 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16974 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16975 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16976 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16977 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16980 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16981 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16982 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16985 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16986 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16987 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16988 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16991 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16992 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16993 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16994 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16997 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16998 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16999 Add the current group to an Agent category
17000 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
17001 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17004 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
17005 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
17006 Remove the current group from its category, if any
17007 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
17008 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
17011 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
17012 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17013 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17019 @node Summary Agent Commands
17020 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17024 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17025 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17026 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17029 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17030 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17031 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17032 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17035 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17036 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17037 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
17040 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17041 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17042 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17045 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17046 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17047 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17048 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17053 @node Server Agent Commands
17054 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17058 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17059 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17060 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17061 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17064 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17065 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17066 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17067 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17072 @node Agent as Cache
17073 @subsection Agent as Cache
17075 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17076 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17077 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17078 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17079 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17080 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17081 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17082 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17083 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17085 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17086 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17089 @subsection Agent Expiry
17091 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17092 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17093 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17094 @cindex Agent expiry
17095 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17098 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17099 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17100 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17101 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17102 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17103 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17105 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17106 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17107 expiry in different groups.
17110 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17116 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17117 method---it must always match all groups.
17119 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17120 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17121 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17122 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17123 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17125 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17126 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17127 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17128 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17130 @node Agent and IMAP
17131 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17133 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17134 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17135 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17136 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17138 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17139 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17140 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17141 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17143 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17144 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17145 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17146 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17148 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17149 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17150 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17151 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17152 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17153 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17155 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17156 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17157 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17158 in the group buffer.
17160 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17161 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17166 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17169 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17173 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17174 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17175 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17176 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17177 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17178 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17179 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17180 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17183 @node Outgoing Messages
17184 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17186 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17187 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17188 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17190 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17191 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17192 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17193 messages in the draft group.
17197 @node Agent Variables
17198 @subsection Agent Variables
17201 @item gnus-agent-directory
17202 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17203 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17204 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17206 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17207 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17208 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17209 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17210 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17213 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17214 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17215 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17217 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17218 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17219 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17221 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17222 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17223 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17225 @item gnus-agent-cache
17226 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17227 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17228 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17229 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17231 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17232 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17233 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17234 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17235 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17236 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17237 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17240 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17241 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17242 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17243 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17244 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17245 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17246 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17247 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17248 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17253 @node Example Setup
17254 @subsection Example Setup
17256 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17257 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17258 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17261 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17262 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17263 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17265 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17266 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17267 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17269 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17270 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17272 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17273 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17274 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17277 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17278 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17281 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17282 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17283 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17284 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17285 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17288 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17289 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17290 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17291 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17292 back all the killed groups.)
17294 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17295 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17296 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17299 @node Batching Agents
17300 @subsection Batching Agents
17302 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17303 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17304 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17308 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
17312 @node Agent Caveats
17313 @subsection Agent Caveats
17315 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17316 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17320 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17324 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17326 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17330 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17331 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17332 locally stored articles.
17339 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17340 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17341 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17344 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17345 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17346 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17347 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17348 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17350 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17351 before generating the summary buffer.
17353 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17354 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17355 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17357 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17358 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17359 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17360 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17363 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17364 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17365 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17366 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17367 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17368 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17369 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17370 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17371 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17372 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17373 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17374 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17375 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17376 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17377 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17378 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17379 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17383 @node Summary Score Commands
17384 @section Summary Score Commands
17385 @cindex score commands
17387 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17388 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17389 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17390 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17391 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17393 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17394 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17395 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17396 score file the current one.
17398 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17403 @kindex V s (Summary)
17404 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17405 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17408 @kindex V S (Summary)
17409 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17410 Display the score of the current article
17411 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17414 @kindex V t (Summary)
17415 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17416 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17417 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17420 @kindex V w (Summary)
17421 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17422 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17425 @kindex V R (Summary)
17426 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17427 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17428 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17429 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17430 effect you're having.
17433 @kindex V c (Summary)
17434 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17435 Make a different score file the current
17436 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17439 @kindex V e (Summary)
17440 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17441 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17442 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17446 @kindex V f (Summary)
17447 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17448 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17449 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17452 @kindex V F (Summary)
17453 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17454 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17455 after editing score files.
17458 @kindex V C (Summary)
17459 @findex gnus-score-customize
17460 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17461 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17465 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17470 @kindex V m (Summary)
17471 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17472 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17473 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17476 @kindex V x (Summary)
17477 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17478 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17479 expunge all articles below this score
17480 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17483 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17484 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17487 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17488 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17492 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17493 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17495 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17496 keys are available:
17500 Score on the author name.
17503 Score on the subject line.
17506 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17509 Score on the @code{References} line.
17515 Score on the number of lines.
17518 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17521 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17522 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17525 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17526 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17527 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17536 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17542 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17543 what headers you are scoring on.
17555 Substring matching.
17558 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17587 Greater than number.
17592 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17593 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17594 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17599 Temporary score entry.
17602 Permanent score entry.
17605 Immediately scoring.
17609 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17610 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17611 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17615 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17616 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17617 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17618 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17620 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17621 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17622 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17623 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17624 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17626 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17627 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17628 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17629 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17630 current score file.
17632 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17633 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17634 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17637 @node Group Score Commands
17638 @section Group Score Commands
17639 @cindex group score commands
17641 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17646 @kindex W f (Group)
17647 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17648 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17649 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17650 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17654 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17656 @findex gnus-batch-score
17657 @cindex batch scoring
17659 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17663 @node Score Variables
17664 @section Score Variables
17665 @cindex score variables
17669 @item gnus-use-scoring
17670 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17671 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17672 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17674 @item gnus-kill-killed
17675 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17676 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17677 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17678 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17679 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17680 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17681 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17683 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17684 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17685 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17686 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17687 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17689 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17690 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17691 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17692 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17694 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17695 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17696 @cindex score cache
17697 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17698 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17699 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
17700 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17701 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17702 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17705 @item gnus-save-score
17706 @vindex gnus-save-score
17707 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17708 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17709 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17711 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17712 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17713 across group visits.
17715 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17716 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17717 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17718 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17719 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17720 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17721 manually entered data.
17723 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17724 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17725 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17727 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17728 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17729 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17730 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17731 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17732 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17734 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17735 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17736 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17737 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17739 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17740 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17741 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17742 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17744 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17745 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17746 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17747 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17749 Predefined functions available are:
17752 @item gnus-score-find-single
17753 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17754 Only apply the group's own score file.
17756 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17757 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17758 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17759 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17760 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17761 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17762 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17763 then a regexp match is done.
17765 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17766 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17768 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17769 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17770 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17771 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17773 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17774 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17775 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17776 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17777 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17781 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17782 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17783 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17784 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17785 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17786 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17787 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17790 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17791 overall score file, you could use the value
17793 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17794 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17797 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17798 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17799 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17800 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17801 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17803 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17804 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17805 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17806 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17807 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17808 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17809 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17810 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17812 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17813 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17814 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17816 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17817 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17818 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17819 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17820 threading---according to the current value of
17821 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17822 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17823 simplified in this manner.
17828 @node Score File Format
17829 @section Score File Format
17830 @cindex score file format
17832 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17833 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17834 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17836 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17840 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17842 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17844 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17846 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17851 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17855 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17856 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17857 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17858 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17862 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17863 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17865 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17866 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17867 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17869 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17874 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17875 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17876 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17877 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17878 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17879 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17880 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17881 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17882 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17883 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17884 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17885 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17886 to articles that matches these score entries.
17888 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17889 score entry has one to four elements.
17893 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17894 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17898 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17899 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17900 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17901 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17902 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17903 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17906 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17907 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17908 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17909 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17910 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17913 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17914 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17915 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17916 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17919 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17920 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17921 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17922 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17923 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17924 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17925 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17926 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17927 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17928 instead, if you feel like.
17931 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17932 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17933 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17934 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17935 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17936 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17939 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17943 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17944 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17946 These predicates are true if
17949 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17952 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17953 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17960 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17961 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17962 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17963 it's not. I think.)
17965 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17966 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17967 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17968 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17971 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17972 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17973 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17974 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17975 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17976 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17977 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17981 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17982 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17983 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17984 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17985 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17986 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17987 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17988 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17991 @item Head, Body, All
17992 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17996 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17997 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17998 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17999 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
18000 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
18001 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
18002 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
18006 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
18007 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
18008 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
18009 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
18010 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
18011 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
18012 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
18013 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
18014 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
18015 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
18016 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18020 @cindex Score File Atoms
18022 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18023 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18026 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18027 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18029 @item mark-and-expunge
18030 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18031 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18034 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18035 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18036 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18037 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18038 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18041 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18042 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18045 @item exclude-files
18046 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18047 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18051 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18052 ignored when handling global score files.
18055 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18056 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18057 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18058 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18061 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18062 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18063 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18064 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18066 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18070 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18073 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18074 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18075 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18076 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18077 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18079 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18080 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18081 scoring rules exist.
18084 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18085 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18086 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18087 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18088 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18089 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18090 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18091 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18092 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18093 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18094 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18098 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18099 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18100 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18101 file for a number of groups.
18104 @cindex local variables
18105 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18106 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18107 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18108 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18109 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18113 @node Score File Editing
18114 @section Score File Editing
18116 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18117 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18118 with a mode for that.
18120 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18121 additional commands:
18126 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18127 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18128 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18129 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18132 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18133 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18134 Insert the current date in numerical format
18135 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18136 you were wondering.
18139 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18140 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18141 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18142 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18143 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18148 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18150 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18151 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18153 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18154 e} to begin editing score files.
18157 @node Adaptive Scoring
18158 @section Adaptive Scoring
18159 @cindex adaptive scoring
18161 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18162 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18163 stupidity, to be precise.
18165 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18166 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18167 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18168 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18169 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18170 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18171 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18172 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18173 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18175 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18176 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18177 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18178 might look something like this:
18181 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18182 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18183 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18184 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18185 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18186 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18187 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18188 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18189 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18190 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18191 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18192 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18195 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18196 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18197 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18198 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18199 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18200 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18203 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18204 will be applied to each article.
18206 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18207 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18208 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18209 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18211 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18212 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18213 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18214 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18216 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18217 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18218 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18219 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18221 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18222 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18223 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18224 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18225 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18226 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18228 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18229 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18230 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18231 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18232 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18233 aspirins afterwards.)
18235 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18236 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18237 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18239 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18240 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18241 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18243 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18244 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18245 let you use different rules in different groups.
18247 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18248 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18249 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18252 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18253 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18254 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18255 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18256 the length of the match is less than
18257 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18258 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18261 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18262 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18263 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18264 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18265 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18268 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18269 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18270 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18271 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18272 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18275 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18276 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18277 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18278 score with 30 points.
18280 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18281 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18282 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18283 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18284 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18286 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18287 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18288 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18289 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18290 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
18292 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18293 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18294 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18295 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18297 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18298 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18299 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18300 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18302 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18303 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18304 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18305 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18306 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18308 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18309 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18310 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18312 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18313 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18314 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18315 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18318 @node Home Score File
18319 @section Home Score File
18321 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18322 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18323 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18324 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18326 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18327 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18328 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18330 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18331 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18336 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18340 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18341 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18345 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18349 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18350 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18353 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18354 the home score file.
18357 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18360 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18365 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18368 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18369 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18372 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18373 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18375 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18377 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18378 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18381 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18382 Other functions include
18385 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18386 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18387 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18388 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18392 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18393 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18394 their own home score files:
18397 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18398 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18399 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18400 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18401 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18404 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18405 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18406 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18407 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18408 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18410 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18411 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18412 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18413 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18414 precedence over this variable.
18417 @node Followups To Yourself
18418 @section Followups To Yourself
18420 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18421 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18422 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18423 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18424 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18425 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18429 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18430 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18431 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18434 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18435 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18436 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18440 @vindex message-sent-hook
18441 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18442 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18444 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18448 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18449 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18453 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18454 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18457 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18458 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18463 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18467 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18468 is system-dependent.
18471 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18472 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18473 @cindex scoring on other headers
18475 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18476 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18477 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18478 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18479 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18481 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18482 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18483 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18484 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18485 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18487 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18490 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18491 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18494 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18495 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18496 time if you have much mail.
18498 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18499 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18505 @section Scoring Tips
18506 @cindex scoring tips
18512 @cindex scoring crossposts
18513 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18514 the @code{Xref} header.
18516 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18519 @item Multiple crossposts
18520 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18521 more than, say, 3 groups:
18524 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18528 @item Matching on the body
18529 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18530 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18531 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18532 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18533 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18534 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18535 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18538 @item Marking as read
18539 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18540 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18541 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18545 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18547 @item Negated character classes
18548 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18549 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18550 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18554 @node Reverse Scoring
18555 @section Reverse Scoring
18556 @cindex reverse scoring
18558 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18559 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18560 like this in your score file:
18564 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18569 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18570 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18573 @node Global Score Files
18574 @section Global Score Files
18575 @cindex global score files
18577 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18578 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18579 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18581 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18582 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18583 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18585 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18586 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18587 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18588 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18589 files are applicable to which group.
18591 To use the score file
18592 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18593 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18597 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18598 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18599 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18602 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18604 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18605 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18606 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18607 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18609 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18610 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18612 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18613 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18614 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18615 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18616 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18617 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18619 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18625 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18627 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18629 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18631 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18632 lowered out of existence.
18634 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18635 articles completely.
18638 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18639 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18640 old articles for a long time.
18643 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18644 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18645 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18646 holding our breath yet?
18650 @section Kill Files
18653 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18654 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18655 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18657 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18658 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18659 files into score files.
18661 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18662 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18663 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18664 that isn't a very good idea.
18666 Normal kill files look like this:
18669 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18670 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18674 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18675 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18677 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18678 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18681 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18686 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18687 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18688 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18691 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18692 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18693 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18696 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18701 @kindex M-k (Group)
18702 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18703 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18706 @kindex M-K (Group)
18707 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18708 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18711 Kill file variables:
18714 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18715 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18716 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18717 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18718 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18719 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18720 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18722 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18723 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18724 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18725 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18728 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18729 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18730 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18731 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18732 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18733 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18734 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18735 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18736 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18738 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18739 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18740 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18745 @node Converting Kill Files
18746 @section Converting Kill Files
18748 @cindex converting kill files
18750 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18751 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18752 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18755 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18756 You can fetch it from
18757 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18759 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18760 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18761 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18769 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18770 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18771 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18772 news articles generated every day.
18774 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18775 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18776 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18777 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18778 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18779 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18780 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18781 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18784 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18785 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18788 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18789 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18790 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18791 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18795 @node Using GroupLens
18796 @subsection Using GroupLens
18798 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18800 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18801 better bit in town at the moment.
18803 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18807 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18808 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18809 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18810 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18812 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18813 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18814 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18815 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18817 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18818 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18819 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18823 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18824 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18825 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18826 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18827 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18828 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18831 @node Rating Articles
18832 @subsection Rating Articles
18834 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18835 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18836 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18837 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18840 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18845 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18846 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18847 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18850 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18851 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18852 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18853 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18854 threads in rec.humor.
18858 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18859 the score of the article you're reading.
18864 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18865 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18866 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18869 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18870 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18871 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18875 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18876 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18879 @node Displaying Predictions
18880 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18882 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18883 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18884 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18885 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18886 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18888 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18889 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18890 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18891 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18892 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18893 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18894 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18895 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18896 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18897 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18898 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18899 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18900 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18902 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18903 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18904 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18905 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18907 The following are valid values for that variable.
18910 @item prediction-spot
18911 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18914 @item confidence-interval
18915 A numeric confidence interval.
18917 @item prediction-bar
18918 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18920 @item confidence-bar
18921 Numerical confidence.
18923 @item confidence-spot
18924 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18926 @item prediction-num
18927 Plain-old numeric value.
18929 @item confidence-plus-minus
18930 Prediction +/- confidence.
18935 @node GroupLens Variables
18936 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18940 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18941 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18942 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18943 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18946 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18947 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18950 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18951 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18953 @item grouplens-score-offset
18954 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18955 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18958 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18959 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18960 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18965 @node Advanced Scoring
18966 @section Advanced Scoring
18968 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18969 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18970 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18971 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18972 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18974 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18978 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18979 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18980 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18984 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18985 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18987 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18988 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18989 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18990 non-@code{nil} value.
18992 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18993 operator, and various match operators.
19000 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19001 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
19002 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
19007 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
19008 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
19009 then this operator will return @code{false}.
19014 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
19015 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19019 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19020 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19021 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19022 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19023 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19024 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19025 the ancestry you want to go.
19027 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19028 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19029 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19030 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19031 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19034 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19035 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19037 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19038 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19041 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19042 when he's talking about Gnus:
19046 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19047 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19053 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19057 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19064 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19065 really don't want to read what he's written:
19069 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19070 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19074 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19075 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19076 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19083 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19084 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19085 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19086 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19090 The possibilities are endless.
19093 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19094 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19096 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19097 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19098 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19099 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19100 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19101 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19102 @samp{subject}) first.
19104 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19105 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19116 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19117 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19123 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19130 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19131 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19136 @section Score Decays
19137 @cindex score decays
19140 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19141 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19142 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19143 use them in any sensible way.
19145 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19146 @findex gnus-decay-score
19147 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19148 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19149 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19150 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19151 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19152 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19153 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19154 definition of that function:
19157 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19159 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19160 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19163 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19165 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19167 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19170 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19171 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19172 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19173 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19177 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19180 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19183 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19187 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19188 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19189 the new score, which should be an integer.
19191 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19192 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19197 @include message.texi
19198 @chapter Emacs MIME
19199 @include emacs-mime.texi
19201 @include sieve.texi
19211 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19212 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19213 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19214 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19215 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19216 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19217 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19218 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19219 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19220 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19221 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19222 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19223 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19224 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19225 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19226 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19227 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19228 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19229 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19233 @node Process/Prefix
19234 @section Process/Prefix
19235 @cindex process/prefix convention
19237 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19238 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19240 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19241 command to be performed on.
19245 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19246 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19247 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19248 with the current one.
19250 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19251 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19252 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19254 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19255 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19258 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19259 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19261 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19264 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19265 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19266 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19267 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19269 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19270 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19271 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19272 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19273 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19274 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19275 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19276 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19278 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19279 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19280 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19281 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19282 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19286 @section Interactive
19287 @cindex interaction
19291 @item gnus-novice-user
19292 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19293 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19294 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19295 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19296 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19299 @item gnus-expert-user
19300 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19301 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19302 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19303 matter how strange.
19305 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19306 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19307 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19308 is @code{t} by default.
19310 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19311 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19312 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19317 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19318 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19319 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19321 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19322 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19323 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19324 rule of 900 to the current article.
19326 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19327 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19328 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19329 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19330 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19331 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19332 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19334 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19335 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19336 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19337 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19338 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19339 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19340 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19341 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19342 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19344 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19345 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19346 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19348 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19352 @node Formatting Variables
19353 @section Formatting Variables
19354 @cindex formatting variables
19356 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19357 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19358 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19359 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19360 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19363 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19364 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19365 lots of percentages everywhere.
19368 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19369 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19370 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19371 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19372 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19373 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19374 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19375 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19378 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19379 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19380 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19381 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19382 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19383 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19384 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19385 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19387 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19388 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19390 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19391 @findex gnus-update-format
19392 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19393 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19394 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19395 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19399 @node Formatting Basics
19400 @subsection Formatting Basics
19402 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19403 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19404 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19406 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19407 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19408 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19409 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19410 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19413 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19414 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19415 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19416 less than 4 characters wide.
19418 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19419 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19422 @node Mode Line Formatting
19423 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19425 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19426 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19427 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19428 with the following two differences:
19433 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19436 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19437 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19438 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19439 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19440 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19441 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19442 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19447 @node Advanced Formatting
19448 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19450 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19451 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19452 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19453 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19455 These are the valid modifiers:
19460 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19464 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19469 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19472 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19477 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19480 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19483 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19486 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19492 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19497 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19498 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19499 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19500 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19501 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19502 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19503 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19505 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19506 last operation, padding.
19508 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19509 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19510 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19511 @xref{Compilation}.
19514 @node User-Defined Specs
19515 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19517 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19518 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19519 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19520 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19521 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19522 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19523 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19524 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19525 should protect against that.
19527 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19528 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19530 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19531 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19532 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19533 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19537 @node Formatting Fonts
19538 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19540 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19541 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19542 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19543 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19546 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19547 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19548 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19549 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19550 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19551 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19553 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19554 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19555 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19556 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19557 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19558 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19559 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19560 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19561 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19562 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19564 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19567 ;; Create three face types.
19568 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19569 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19571 ;; We want the article count to be in
19572 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19573 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19574 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19576 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19577 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19579 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19580 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19581 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19584 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19585 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19587 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19588 mode-line variables.
19590 @node Positioning Point
19591 @subsection Positioning Point
19593 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19594 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19595 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19597 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19599 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19600 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19601 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19603 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19604 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19605 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19610 @subsection Tabulation
19612 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19613 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19614 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19615 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19617 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19618 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19620 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19621 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19622 This is the soft tabulator.
19624 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19625 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19626 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19629 @node Wide Characters
19630 @subsection Wide Characters
19632 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19633 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19634 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19636 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19637 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19638 these countries, that's not true.
19640 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19641 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19642 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19643 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19647 @node Window Layout
19648 @section Window Layout
19649 @cindex window layout
19651 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19653 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19654 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19655 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19656 @code{t} by default.
19658 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19659 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19661 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19662 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19663 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19666 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19667 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19668 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19672 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19673 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19674 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19675 possible names is listed below.
19677 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19678 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19681 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19685 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19686 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19687 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19688 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19689 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19690 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19691 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19692 size spec per split.
19694 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19695 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19696 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19697 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19698 present) gets focus.
19700 Here's a more complicated example:
19703 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19704 (summary 0.25 point)
19705 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19709 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19710 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19711 occupy, not a percentage.
19713 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19714 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19715 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19716 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19717 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19720 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19723 (article (horizontal 1.0
19728 (summary 0.25 point)
19733 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19734 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19736 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19737 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19738 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19739 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19740 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19742 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19743 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19744 lines from the splits.
19746 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19750 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19751 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19752 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19753 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19754 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19755 size = number | frame-params
19756 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19759 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19760 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19761 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19762 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19764 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19765 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19766 @cindex window height
19767 @cindex window width
19768 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19769 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19770 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19771 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19772 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19773 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19775 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19776 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19777 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19778 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19780 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19781 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19782 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19783 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19784 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19785 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19786 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19787 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19788 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19789 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19790 configuration list.
19793 (gnus-configure-frame
19797 (article 0.3 point))
19805 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19806 @code{frame} split:
19809 (gnus-configure-frame
19812 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19814 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19815 (user-position . t)
19816 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19821 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19822 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19823 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19824 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19825 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19826 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19827 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19828 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19830 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19831 be found in its default value.
19833 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19834 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19835 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19839 (message (horizontal 1.0
19840 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19842 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19847 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19848 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19849 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19854 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19855 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19856 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19857 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19858 (name . "Message"))
19859 (message 1.0 point))))
19862 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19863 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19864 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19865 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19866 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19869 (gnus-add-configuration
19870 '(article (vertical 1.0
19872 (summary .25 point)
19876 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19877 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19878 Gnus has been loaded.
19880 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19881 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19882 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19883 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19884 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19886 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19887 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19888 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19891 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19895 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19896 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19911 (gnus-add-configuration
19914 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19916 (summary 0.16 point)
19919 (gnus-add-configuration
19922 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19923 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19929 @node Faces and Fonts
19930 @section Faces and Fonts
19935 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19936 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19937 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19942 @section Compilation
19943 @cindex compilation
19944 @cindex byte-compilation
19946 @findex gnus-compile
19948 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19949 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19950 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19951 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19952 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19953 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19956 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19957 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19958 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19959 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19960 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19961 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19962 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19966 @section Mode Lines
19969 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19970 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19971 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19972 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19973 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19974 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19975 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19978 @cindex display-time
19980 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19981 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19982 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19983 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19984 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19985 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19986 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19987 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19990 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19992 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19993 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19995 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19996 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19997 (length display-time-string)))))
20000 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
20001 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
20002 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
20003 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
20004 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
20007 @node Highlighting and Menus
20008 @section Highlighting and Menus
20010 @cindex highlighting
20013 @vindex gnus-visual
20014 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
20015 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
20016 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20019 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20020 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20023 @item group-highlight
20024 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20025 @item summary-highlight
20026 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20027 @item article-highlight
20028 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20030 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20032 Create menus in the group buffer.
20034 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20036 Create menus in the article buffer.
20038 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20040 Create menus in the server buffer.
20042 Create menus in the score buffers.
20044 Create menus in all buffers.
20047 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20048 buffers, you could say something like:
20051 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20054 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20057 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20060 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20061 in all Gnus buffers.
20063 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20066 @item gnus-mouse-face
20067 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20068 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20069 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20073 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20077 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20078 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20079 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20081 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20082 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20083 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20085 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20086 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20087 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20089 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20090 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20091 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20093 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20094 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20095 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20097 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20098 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20099 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20110 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20111 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20112 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20113 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20114 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20118 @vindex gnus-carpal
20119 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20120 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20121 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20126 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20127 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20128 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20130 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20131 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20132 Face used on buttons.
20134 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20135 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20136 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20138 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20139 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20140 Buttons in the group buffer.
20142 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20143 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20144 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20146 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20147 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20148 Buttons in the server buffer.
20150 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20151 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20152 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20155 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20156 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20157 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20165 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20166 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20167 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20168 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20169 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20171 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20172 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20173 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20175 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20176 been idle for thirty minutes:
20179 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20182 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20186 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20189 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20190 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20191 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20193 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20194 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20195 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20196 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20198 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20199 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20200 @var{idle} minutes.
20202 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20203 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20206 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20207 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20208 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20210 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20211 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20212 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20213 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20215 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20216 your @file{.gnus} file:
20218 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20220 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20223 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20224 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20225 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20226 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20227 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20228 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20229 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20230 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20231 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20232 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20233 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
20235 @findex gnus-demon-init
20236 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20237 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20238 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20239 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20240 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20242 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20243 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20244 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20253 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20254 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20256 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20257 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20258 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20259 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20262 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20263 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20264 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20265 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20267 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20268 this will make spam disappear.
20270 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20273 @item gnus-use-nocem
20274 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20275 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20278 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20279 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20280 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20281 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20282 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20284 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20285 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20286 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20287 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20288 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20289 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20291 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20292 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20294 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20295 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20296 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20297 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20298 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20299 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20300 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20301 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20302 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20303 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20305 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20306 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20309 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20312 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20313 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20316 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20319 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20322 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20323 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20325 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20326 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20327 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20328 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20330 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20331 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20334 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20336 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20344 This might be dangerous, though.
20346 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20347 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20348 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20349 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20351 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20352 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20353 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20354 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20355 might then see old spam.
20357 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20358 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20359 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20360 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20361 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20364 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20365 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20366 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20367 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20371 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20372 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20373 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20374 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20381 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20382 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20383 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20385 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20386 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20387 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20388 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20389 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20390 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20391 @code{undo} function.
20393 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20394 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20395 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20396 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20397 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20398 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20399 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20400 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20401 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20402 never be totally undoable.
20404 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20405 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20407 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20408 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20409 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20410 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20414 @node Predicate Specifiers
20415 @section Predicate Specifiers
20416 @cindex predicate specifiers
20418 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20419 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20420 to type all that much.
20422 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20427 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20428 gnus-article-unread-p)
20431 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20432 functions all take one parameter.
20434 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20435 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20436 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20437 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20442 @section Moderation
20445 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20446 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20447 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20450 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20454 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20457 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20459 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20464 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20465 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20466 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20469 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20470 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20473 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20474 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20478 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20481 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20482 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20486 @node Image Enhancements
20487 @section Image Enhancements
20489 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20490 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20493 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20494 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20495 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20496 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20497 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20510 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20511 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20512 over your shoulder as you read news.
20515 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20516 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20517 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20518 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20519 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20524 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20526 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20535 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20536 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20537 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20538 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20539 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20540 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20541 @code{GIF} formats.
20544 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20545 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20546 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20547 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20548 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20550 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20551 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20552 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20553 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20554 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20555 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20557 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20558 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20561 @node Picon Requirements
20562 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20564 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20565 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20566 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20567 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20569 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20570 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20571 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20572 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20573 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20574 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20577 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20579 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20580 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20583 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20584 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20587 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20588 containing the Picons databases.
20590 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20593 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20594 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20599 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20607 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20608 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20609 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20610 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20611 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20616 @item gnus-picons-database
20617 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20618 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20619 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20620 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20621 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20622 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20624 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20625 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20626 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20627 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20628 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20629 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20630 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20632 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20633 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20634 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20635 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20636 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20637 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20638 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20639 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20641 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20642 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20643 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20648 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20649 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20651 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20652 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20655 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20657 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20658 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20659 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20660 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20662 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20663 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20664 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20665 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20671 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20672 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20680 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20681 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20682 don't need to worry about.
20686 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20687 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20688 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20689 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20691 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20692 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20693 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20694 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20696 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20697 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20698 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20699 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20700 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20702 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20703 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20704 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20705 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20706 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20707 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20708 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20709 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20711 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20712 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20713 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20714 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20715 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20717 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20718 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20719 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20720 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20721 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20722 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20723 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20725 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20726 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20727 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20728 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20730 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20731 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20732 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20733 Defaults to @code{t}.
20735 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20736 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20737 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20738 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20740 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20741 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20742 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20744 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20745 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20746 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20747 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20749 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20750 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20752 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20753 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20754 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20755 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20756 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20757 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20758 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20759 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20770 @subsection Smileys
20775 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20780 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20781 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20783 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20784 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20787 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20790 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20791 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20792 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20793 text and maps that to file names.
20795 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20796 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20797 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20798 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20799 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20800 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20802 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20803 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20805 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20806 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20807 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20809 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20810 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20814 @item smiley-data-directory
20815 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20816 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20818 @item smiley-flesh-color
20819 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20820 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20822 @item smiley-features-color
20823 @vindex smiley-features-color
20824 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20826 @item smiley-tongue-color
20827 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20828 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20830 @item smiley-circle-color
20831 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20832 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20834 @item smiley-mouse-face
20835 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20836 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20845 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20846 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20847 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20851 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20852 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20853 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20854 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20862 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20863 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20864 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20865 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20867 The variable that controls this is the
20868 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20869 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20870 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20871 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20872 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20874 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20875 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20876 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20877 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20880 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20881 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20882 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20883 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20884 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20885 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20886 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20887 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20889 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20892 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20893 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20895 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20896 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20897 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20898 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20899 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20900 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20902 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20903 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20904 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20906 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20907 like the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20910 (setq message-required-news-headers
20911 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20912 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20915 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20918 (setq message-required-news-headers
20919 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20920 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20921 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20922 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20927 @subsection Toolbar
20937 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20938 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20939 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20940 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20941 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20943 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20944 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20945 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20947 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20948 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20949 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20951 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20952 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20953 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20959 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20962 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20963 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20964 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20965 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20966 unusual directory structure.
20968 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20969 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20970 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20971 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20973 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20974 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20975 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20976 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20977 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20978 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20980 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20981 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20982 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20996 @node Fuzzy Matching
20997 @section Fuzzy Matching
20998 @cindex fuzzy matching
21000 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
21001 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
21003 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
21004 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
21005 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
21007 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
21008 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
21009 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
21010 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
21011 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
21014 @node Thwarting Email Spam
21015 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21019 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21021 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21022 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21023 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21024 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21025 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21026 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21027 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21028 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21031 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21032 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21033 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21034 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21035 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21036 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21038 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21041 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21042 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21043 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21044 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21045 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21046 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21049 @node The problem of spam
21050 @subsection The problem of spam
21052 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21053 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21055 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21057 First, some background on spam.
21059 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21060 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21061 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21062 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21063 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21064 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21065 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21066 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21068 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21069 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21070 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21071 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21072 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21073 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21074 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21075 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21076 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21079 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21080 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21081 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21082 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21083 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21084 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21085 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21086 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21087 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21088 mail can be useful.
21090 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21091 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21092 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21093 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21094 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21095 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21096 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21097 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21098 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21100 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21101 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21102 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21103 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21104 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21105 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21106 because of the incident.
21108 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21109 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21110 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21111 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21112 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21113 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21114 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21115 to store the database of spam analyses.
21117 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21118 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21122 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21124 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21125 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21127 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21128 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21129 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21130 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21131 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21132 part of the mail address.)
21135 (setq message-default-news-headers
21136 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21139 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21140 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21145 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21146 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21147 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21153 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21154 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21155 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21156 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21158 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21159 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21160 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21161 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21162 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21163 your fancy split rule in this way:
21168 (to "larsi" "misc")
21172 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21173 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21174 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21175 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21176 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21178 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21179 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21180 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21181 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21182 cosmic balance somewhat.
21184 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21185 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21186 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21187 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21192 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21193 @cindex SpamAssassin
21194 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21197 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21198 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21199 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21200 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21201 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21202 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21203 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21205 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21206 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21207 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21208 Specifiers}) follows.
21212 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21215 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21218 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21219 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21220 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21223 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21227 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21230 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21231 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21235 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21236 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21237 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21238 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21241 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21243 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21245 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21246 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21248 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21250 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21251 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21255 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21256 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21257 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21260 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21261 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21263 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21264 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21265 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21269 @subsection Hashcash
21272 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21273 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21274 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21275 since it is not part of the Internet standards, but it may be useful
21276 in smaller communities.
21278 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21279 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21280 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21281 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21282 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21283 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21284 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21285 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21286 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21287 one of them separately.
21290 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21291 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21292 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21293 header. For more details, and for the external application
21294 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21295 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21296 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21298 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21302 (require 'hashcash)
21303 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21306 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21307 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21308 development contrib directory.
21310 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21314 @item hashcash-default-payment
21315 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21316 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21317 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21318 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21320 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21321 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21322 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21323 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21324 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21325 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21326 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21327 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21331 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21335 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21336 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21337 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21338 a useful contribution, however.
21340 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21341 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21342 @cindex spam filtering
21345 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21346 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21347 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam.
21349 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21350 the following keyboard commands:
21360 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21361 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21363 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21364 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21365 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group.
21371 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21372 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21374 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21381 Gnus can learn from the spam you get. All you have to do is collect
21382 your spam in one or more spam groups, and set the variable
21383 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. In these groups, all messages
21384 are considered to be spam by default: they get the @samp{H} mark. You must
21385 review these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21386 every message that is not spam after all. When you leave a spam
21387 group, all messages that continue with the @samp{H} mark, are passed on to
21388 the spam-detection engine (bogofilter, ifile, and others). To remove
21389 the @samp{H} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21390 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all @samp{H}
21391 marked articles, saved or unsaved, are sent to Bogofilter or ifile
21392 (depending on @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-ifile}), which will study
21393 them as spam samples.
21395 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21396 @code{spam-ham-marks-form} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and @samp{r} for
21397 default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and @samp{K} for automatic or
21398 explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for low scores, are all considered
21399 to be associated with articles which are not spam. This assumption
21400 might be false, in particular if you use kill files or score files as
21401 means for detecting genuine spam, you should then adjust
21402 @code{spam-ham-marks-form}. When you leave a group, all _unsaved_ articles
21403 bearing any the above marks are sent to Bogofilter or ifile, which
21404 will study these as not-spam samples. If you explicit kill a lot, you
21405 might sometimes end up with articles marked @samp{K} which you never saw,
21406 and which might accidentally contain spam. Best is to make sure that
21407 real spam is marked with @samp{H}, and nothing else.
21409 All other marks do not contribute to Bogofilter or ifile
21410 pre-conditioning. In particular, ticked, dormant or souped articles
21411 are likely to contribute later, when they will get deleted for real,
21412 so there is no need to use them prematurely. Explicitly expired
21413 articles do not contribute, command @kbd{E} is a way to get rid of an
21414 article without Bogofilter or ifile ever seeing it.
21416 @strong{TODO: @code{spam-use-ifile} does not process spam articles on group exit.
21417 I'm waiting for info from the author of @code{ifile-gnus.el}, because I think
21418 that functionality should go in @code{ifile-gnus.el} rather than @code{spam.el}.}
21420 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21421 must add the following to your fancy split list
21422 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21428 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21429 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21430 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21432 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the mail
21433 considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21434 @code{spam-split-group}. Usually that group name is @samp{spam}.
21436 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21440 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21441 * BBDB Whitelists::
21444 * Ifile spam filtering::
21445 * Extending spam.el::
21448 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21449 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21450 @cindex spam filtering
21451 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21452 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21455 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21456 Set this variables to t (the default) if you want to use blacklists.
21459 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21460 Set this variables to t if you want to use whitelists.
21463 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21464 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21465 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21466 blacklist. Since you start out with an empty blacklist, no harm is
21467 done by having the @code{spam-use-blacklist} variable set, so it is
21468 set by default. Blacklist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21471 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21472 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21473 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21474 whitelists is very comprehensive. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}.
21475 Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21477 The Blacklist and whitelist location can be customized with the
21478 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default). The whitelist
21479 and blacklist files will be in that directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21480 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21482 @node BBDB Whitelists
21483 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21484 @cindex spam filtering
21485 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21486 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21489 @defvar spam-use-bbdb
21491 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21492 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21493 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21494 @code{spam-use-bbdb} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21495 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21500 @subsubsection Blackholes
21501 @cindex spam filtering
21502 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21505 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21507 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21508 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21509 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21510 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21511 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21512 contains outdated servers.
21514 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21515 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21516 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21517 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21518 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21519 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21524 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21525 @cindex spam filtering
21526 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21529 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21531 Set this variable if you want to use Eric Raymond's speedy Bogofilter.
21532 This has been tested with a locally patched copy of version 0.4. Make
21533 sure to read the installation comments in @code{spam.el}.
21535 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21536 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21537 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21538 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21539 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21540 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21541 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21542 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21543 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21547 @node Ifile spam filtering
21548 @subsubsection Ifile spam filtering
21549 @cindex spam filtering
21550 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21553 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21555 Enable this variable if you want to use Ifile, a statistical analyzer
21556 similar to Bogofilter. Currently you must have @code{ifile-gnus.el}
21557 loaded. The integration of Ifile with @code{spam.el} is not finished
21558 yet, but you can use @code{ifile-gnus.el} on its own if you like.
21562 @node Extending spam.el
21563 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21564 @cindex spam filtering
21565 @cindex spam.el, extending
21566 @cindex extending spam.el
21568 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. Provide the following:
21578 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21579 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21584 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21586 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21591 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21592 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21593 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21596 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21597 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21598 @cindex Paul Graham
21599 @cindex Graham, Paul
21600 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21601 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21602 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21604 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21605 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21606 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21607 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21608 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21609 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21610 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21611 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21612 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21615 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21616 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21617 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21618 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21619 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21620 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21621 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21622 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21624 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21625 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21626 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21627 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21628 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21631 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21632 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21633 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21636 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21637 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21639 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21640 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21641 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21642 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21643 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21645 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21646 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21647 per mail. Use the following:
21649 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21650 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21651 is treated as one spam mail.
21654 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21655 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21656 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21659 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21660 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21661 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21662 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21663 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21664 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21667 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21668 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21669 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21670 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21672 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21673 reset the dictionary.
21677 @defun spam-stat-reset
21678 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21680 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21681 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21682 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
21683 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
21684 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
21685 only non-spam mails.
21688 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
21689 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
21690 to update the dictionary incrementally.
21693 @defun spam-stat-save
21694 Save the dictionary.
21697 @defvar spam-stat-file
21698 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
21699 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
21702 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
21703 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
21705 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
21706 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21709 (require 'spam-stat)
21713 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
21716 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
21717 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. In the simplest case, you only have
21718 two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says
21719 that mail is either spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is
21720 spam, then @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
21723 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21724 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21728 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
21729 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
21732 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
21733 the following expression. It only the mails not matching the regular
21734 expression are considered potential spam.
21737 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21738 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21739 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21743 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
21744 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
21745 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
21746 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
21747 mails, when creating the dictionary!
21750 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21751 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21752 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21756 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
21757 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
21758 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
21759 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
21760 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
21764 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21765 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
21766 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21767 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21772 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21773 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21775 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
21777 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
21778 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail;
21779 use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21783 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
21784 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
21785 mail; use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21789 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
21790 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
21791 mail but spam; use this to change the status of a mail that has
21792 already been processed as non-spam
21796 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
21797 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
21798 normal mail; use this to change the status of a mail that has already
21799 been processed as spam
21803 @defun spam-stat-save
21804 save the hash table to the file; the filename used is stored in the
21805 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21809 @defun spam-stat-load
21810 load the hash table from a file; the filename used is stored in the
21811 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21815 @defun spam-stat-score-word
21816 return the spam score for a word
21820 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
21821 return the spam score for a buffer
21825 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
21826 for fancy mail splitting; add the rule @samp{(: spam-stat-split-fancy)} to
21827 @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21829 This requires the following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21832 (require 'spam-stat)
21838 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
21841 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21842 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21843 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21844 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21845 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21846 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21847 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21848 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21849 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21850 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21851 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21852 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21853 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21854 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21857 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
21860 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21861 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21862 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21863 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
21864 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21865 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21868 @node Various Various
21869 @section Various Various
21875 @item gnus-home-directory
21876 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
21877 defaults to @file{~/}.
21879 @item gnus-directory
21880 @vindex gnus-directory
21881 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
21882 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
21883 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
21885 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
21886 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
21887 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
21888 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
21890 @item gnus-default-directory
21891 @vindex gnus-default-directory
21892 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
21893 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
21894 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
21895 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
21896 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
21897 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
21900 @vindex gnus-verbose
21901 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
21902 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
21903 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
21904 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
21905 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
21907 @item gnus-verbose-backends
21908 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
21909 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
21910 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
21912 @item nnheader-max-head-length
21913 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
21914 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
21915 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
21916 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
21917 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
21918 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
21919 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
21920 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
21921 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
21923 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
21924 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
21925 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
21926 read when doing the operation described above.
21928 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21929 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21931 @cindex invalid characters in file names
21932 @cindex characters in file names
21933 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
21934 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
21935 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
21938 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21942 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
21943 Windows (phooey) systems.
21945 @item gnus-hidden-properties
21946 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
21947 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
21948 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
21949 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
21951 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
21952 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
21953 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
21954 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
21955 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
21957 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
21958 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
21959 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
21961 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21962 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21964 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
21965 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
21966 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
21967 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
21970 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
21978 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
21979 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
21981 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
21983 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
21989 Not because of victories @*
21992 but for the common sunshine,@*
21994 the largess of the spring.
21998 but for the day's work done@*
21999 as well as I was able;@*
22000 not for a seat upon the dais@*
22001 but at the common table.@*
22006 @chapter Appendices
22009 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
22010 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
22011 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
22012 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
22013 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
22014 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
22015 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
22016 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
22017 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22024 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22026 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22027 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22028 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22029 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22030 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}. The @samp{misc-games}
22031 package is required for Morse decoding.
22038 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22039 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22041 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22042 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22043 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22044 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22045 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22047 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22048 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22049 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22050 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22051 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22052 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22054 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22055 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22056 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22057 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22060 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22061 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22062 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22063 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22064 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22065 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22066 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22067 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22068 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22072 @node Gnus Versions
22073 @subsection Gnus Versions
22075 @cindex September Gnus
22077 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22078 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22082 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22083 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22084 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22086 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22087 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22089 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22090 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22092 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22093 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22095 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22096 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22099 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22101 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22102 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22103 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22104 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22105 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22106 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22109 @node Other Gnus Versions
22110 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22113 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22114 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22115 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22116 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22118 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22119 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22120 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22121 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22128 What's the point of Gnus?
22130 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22131 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22132 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22133 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22134 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22135 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22136 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22137 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22138 keep track of millions of people who post?
22140 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22141 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22142 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22143 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22144 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22145 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22146 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22147 every one of you to explore and invent.
22149 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22150 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22153 @node Compatibility
22154 @subsection Compatibility
22156 @cindex compatibility
22157 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22158 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22159 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22164 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22168 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22171 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22174 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22175 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22176 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22177 important variables have their values copied into their global
22178 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22179 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22181 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22182 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22183 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22184 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22185 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22189 @cindex highlighting
22190 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22191 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22192 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22193 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22194 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22195 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22198 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22199 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22200 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22201 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22203 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22204 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22205 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22206 to stop doing it the old way.
22208 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22210 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22212 @cindex reporting bugs
22214 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22215 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22216 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22218 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22219 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22220 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22221 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22226 @subsection Conformity
22228 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22229 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22237 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22241 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22243 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22244 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22245 We do have some breaches to this one.
22251 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22252 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22253 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22254 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22255 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22260 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22261 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22262 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22263 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22265 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22267 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22269 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22270 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22272 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22275 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22276 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22277 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22278 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22279 decoding (verification and decryption).
22281 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22282 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22283 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22284 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22286 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22287 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22289 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22290 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22291 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22292 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22293 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22294 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22295 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22299 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22300 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22305 @subsection Emacsen
22311 Gnus should work on :
22319 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
22323 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22324 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22327 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22328 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22329 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22333 @node Gnus Development
22334 @subsection Gnus Development
22336 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22337 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22338 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22339 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22340 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22341 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22342 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22343 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22345 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22346 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22347 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22348 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22349 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22352 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22353 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22354 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22355 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22356 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22358 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22359 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22360 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22361 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22362 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22363 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22364 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22365 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22366 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22367 can't be assumed to do so.
22372 @subsection Contributors
22373 @cindex contributors
22375 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22376 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22377 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22378 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22379 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22380 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22381 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22382 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22383 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22384 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22386 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22392 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22395 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22396 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22397 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22398 functionality and stuff.
22401 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22402 well as numerous other things).
22405 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22408 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22411 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22414 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22417 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22418 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22421 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22424 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22425 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22428 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22431 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22434 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22437 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22440 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22441 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22444 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22447 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22450 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22453 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22457 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22460 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22463 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22466 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22467 well as autoconf support.
22471 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22472 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22474 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22483 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22487 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22497 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22512 Massimo Campostrini,
22517 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22518 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22522 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22525 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22531 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22536 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22540 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22548 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22550 Michelangelo Grigni,
22554 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22556 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22558 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22565 François Felix Ingrand,
22566 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22567 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22569 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22580 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22581 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22583 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22584 Thor Kristoffersen,
22587 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22605 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22606 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22613 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22618 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22622 John McClary Prevost,
22628 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22633 Christian von Roques,
22636 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22643 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22645 Randal L. Schwartz,
22659 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22664 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22680 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22685 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
22686 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
22687 (550kB and counting).
22689 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
22692 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
22693 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
22697 @subsection New Features
22698 @cindex new features
22701 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
22702 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
22703 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
22704 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
22705 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
22708 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
22709 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
22710 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
22713 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
22715 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
22720 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
22721 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
22724 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
22725 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
22728 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
22731 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
22732 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
22733 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
22736 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
22737 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
22738 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
22739 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22742 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
22743 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22746 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
22747 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
22748 (@pxref{The Active File}).
22751 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
22752 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
22755 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
22756 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
22757 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22760 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
22761 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
22762 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
22765 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
22766 the @file{.emacs} file.
22769 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
22770 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
22773 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
22774 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
22777 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
22778 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22781 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
22782 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
22785 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
22786 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22789 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
22792 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
22793 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
22796 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
22797 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
22800 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
22801 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
22804 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
22807 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
22808 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22811 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
22815 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
22819 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
22820 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
22823 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
22829 @node September Gnus
22830 @subsubsection September Gnus
22834 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
22838 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
22843 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
22844 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
22848 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
22849 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
22853 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
22857 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
22858 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
22861 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
22865 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22868 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
22871 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
22874 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
22878 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
22879 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
22882 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
22886 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
22890 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
22894 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
22898 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
22901 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
22902 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
22905 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
22909 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
22910 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
22913 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
22916 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
22917 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
22918 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22921 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
22925 The Gnus cache is much faster.
22928 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
22932 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
22933 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
22936 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
22937 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
22940 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
22941 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22944 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
22945 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
22946 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
22949 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
22950 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
22953 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
22956 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22959 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
22962 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
22965 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
22966 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
22969 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
22973 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
22976 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
22981 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
22984 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
22988 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22991 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
22995 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
22998 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
23001 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
23002 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
23005 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
23006 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
23010 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
23011 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
23014 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23018 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23019 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23022 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23025 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23029 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23033 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23034 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23037 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23041 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23042 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23045 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23046 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23049 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23053 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23056 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23059 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23065 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23067 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23071 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23078 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23081 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23082 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23085 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23086 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23090 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23091 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23094 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23097 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23098 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23101 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23105 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23106 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23110 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23111 Server Internals}).
23114 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23118 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23121 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23122 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23125 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23126 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23127 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23130 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23131 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23134 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23135 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23138 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23142 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23143 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23146 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23147 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23150 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23154 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23157 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23161 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23162 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23165 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23166 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23169 A new command for reading collections of documents
23170 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23171 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23174 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23178 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23179 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23182 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23183 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23184 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23187 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23188 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23192 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23196 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23200 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23205 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23209 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23213 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23214 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23217 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23223 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23225 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23230 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23231 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23232 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23235 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23236 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23237 group, which is created automatically.
23240 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23244 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23247 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23248 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23251 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23255 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23258 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23259 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23262 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23265 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23266 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23269 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23270 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23273 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23274 control over simplification.
23277 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23280 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23284 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23287 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23290 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23291 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23292 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23295 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23296 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23299 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23303 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23304 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23307 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23308 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23311 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23315 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23318 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23321 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23322 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23325 A new function for citing in Message has been
23326 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23329 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23332 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23336 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23337 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23340 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23341 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23344 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23347 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23351 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23352 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23354 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23359 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23360 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23362 If you used procmail like in
23365 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23366 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23367 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23368 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23371 this now has changed to
23375 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23379 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23380 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23383 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23384 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23387 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23388 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23391 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23392 called to position point.
23395 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23396 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23399 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23400 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23403 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23404 subtly different manner.
23407 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23408 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23409 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23412 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23420 @section The Manual
23424 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23425 either @code{texi2dvi}
23427 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23428 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23430 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23432 The following conventions have been used:
23437 This is a @samp{string}
23440 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23443 This is a @file{file}
23446 This is a @code{symbol}
23450 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23454 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23457 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23460 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23463 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23464 ever get them confused.
23468 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23469 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23470 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23471 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23472 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23473 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23474 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23480 @node On Writing Manuals
23481 @section On Writing Manuals
23483 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23484 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23485 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23486 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23487 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23488 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23491 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23492 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23493 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23496 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23497 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23502 @section Terminology
23504 @cindex terminology
23509 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23510 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23511 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23512 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23513 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23517 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23518 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23519 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23520 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23524 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23528 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23533 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23534 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23535 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23536 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23537 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23538 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23539 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23540 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23541 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23543 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23544 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23545 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23546 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23547 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23550 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23551 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23552 access the articles.
23554 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23555 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23556 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23561 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23562 default, way of getting news.
23566 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23567 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23572 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23573 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23577 A message that has been posted as news.
23580 @cindex mail message
23581 A message that has been mailed.
23585 A mail message or news article
23589 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23594 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23599 A line from the head of an article.
23603 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23604 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23608 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23609 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23610 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23611 normal @sc{head} format.
23615 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23616 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23617 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23618 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23619 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23620 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23622 @item killed groups
23623 @cindex killed groups
23624 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23625 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23627 @item zombie groups
23628 @cindex zombie groups
23629 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23632 @cindex active file
23633 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23634 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23635 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23638 @cindex bogus groups
23639 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23640 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23641 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23644 @cindex activating groups
23645 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23646 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23647 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23651 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23653 @item select method
23654 @cindex select method
23655 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23658 @item virtual server
23659 @cindex virtual server
23660 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23661 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23662 whole is a virtual server.
23666 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23667 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23670 @item ephemeral groups
23671 @cindex ephemeral groups
23672 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23673 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23674 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23677 @cindex solid groups
23678 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23679 group buffer are solid groups.
23681 @item sparse articles
23682 @cindex sparse articles
23683 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23684 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
23688 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
23689 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
23693 @cindex thread root
23694 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
23695 articles in the thread.
23699 An article that has responses.
23703 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
23707 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
23708 specified by RFC 1153.
23714 @node Customization
23715 @section Customization
23716 @cindex general customization
23718 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
23719 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
23720 for some quite common situations.
23723 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
23724 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
23725 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
23726 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
23730 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
23731 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
23733 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
23734 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
23735 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
23739 @item gnus-read-active-file
23740 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
23741 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
23742 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23743 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
23744 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
23746 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
23747 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
23748 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
23749 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
23753 @node Slow Terminal Connection
23754 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
23756 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
23757 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
23758 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
23762 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
23763 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
23764 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
23765 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
23766 horizontal and vertical recentering.
23768 @item gnus-visible-headers
23769 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
23770 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
23771 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
23772 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
23774 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
23776 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
23777 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
23778 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
23781 @item gnus-use-full-window
23782 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
23783 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
23784 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
23785 want to read them anyway.
23787 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
23788 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
23792 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
23793 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
23794 lines, which might save some time.
23798 @node Little Disk Space
23799 @subsection Little Disk Space
23802 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
23803 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
23807 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
23808 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
23809 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23810 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23813 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
23814 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
23815 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23816 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23819 @item gnus-save-killed-list
23820 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
23821 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
23822 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
23823 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
23829 @subsection Slow Machine
23830 @cindex slow machine
23832 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
23833 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
23835 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23836 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
23838 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
23839 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
23840 summary buffer faster.
23844 @node Troubleshooting
23845 @section Troubleshooting
23846 @cindex troubleshooting
23848 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
23856 Make sure your computer is switched on.
23859 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
23860 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
23864 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
23865 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
23866 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
23867 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
23870 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
23874 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
23875 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
23876 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
23877 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
23878 something like that.
23881 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
23884 @cindex reporting bugs
23886 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23888 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
23889 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
23890 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
23891 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
23893 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
23894 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
23895 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
23896 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
23899 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
23900 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
23901 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
23902 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
23903 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
23904 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
23906 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
23907 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
23908 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
23912 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
23913 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
23916 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
23917 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
23918 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
23919 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
23920 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
23921 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
23922 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
23923 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
23924 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
23925 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
23926 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
23927 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
23928 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
23929 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
23934 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate a elisp error but
23935 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
23936 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press C-j when things are
23937 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
23938 helps isolating the real problem areas). A fancier approach is to use
23939 the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is (or should be) fully
23940 documented elsewhere, but to get you started there are a few steps
23941 that need to be followed. First, instrument the part of Gnus you are
23942 interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package RET
23943 gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-packagre RET message}. Then perform
23944 the operation that is slow and press @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will
23945 then see which operations that takes time, and can debug them further.
23946 If the entire operation takes much longer than the time spent in the
23947 slowest function in the profiler output, you probably profiled the
23948 wrong part of Gnus. To reset profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x
23949 elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove
23950 profiling, but given the complexities and dynamic code generation in
23951 Gnus, it might not always work perfectly.
23953 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
23954 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
23956 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
23957 @cindex ding mailing list
23958 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
23959 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
23963 @node Gnus Reference Guide
23964 @section Gnus Reference Guide
23966 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
23967 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
23968 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
23969 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
23972 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
23973 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
23974 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
23975 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
23976 and general methods of operation.
23979 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
23980 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
23981 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
23982 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
23983 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
23984 * Group Info:: The group info format.
23985 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
23986 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
23987 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
23991 @node Gnus Utility Functions
23992 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
23993 @cindex Gnus utility functions
23994 @cindex utility functions
23996 @cindex internal variables
23998 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
23999 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
24000 Below is a list of the most common ones.
24004 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
24005 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
24006 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
24008 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
24009 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
24010 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
24012 @item gnus-group-real-name
24013 @findex gnus-group-real-name
24014 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
24017 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
24018 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
24019 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
24020 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
24022 @item gnus-get-info
24023 @findex gnus-get-info
24024 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
24026 @item gnus-group-unread
24027 @findex gnus-group-unread
24028 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
24032 @findex gnus-active
24033 The active entry for @var{group}.
24035 @item gnus-set-active
24036 @findex gnus-set-active
24037 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
24039 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24040 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24041 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24044 @item gnus-continuum-version
24045 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24046 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24047 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24050 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24051 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24052 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24054 @item gnus-news-group-p
24055 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24056 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24058 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24059 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24060 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24062 @item gnus-server-to-method
24063 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24064 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24066 @item gnus-server-equal
24067 @findex gnus-server-equal
24068 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24070 @item gnus-group-native-p
24071 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24072 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24074 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24075 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24076 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24078 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24079 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24080 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24082 @item group-group-find-parameter
24083 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24084 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24085 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24087 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24088 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24089 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24091 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24092 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24093 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24095 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24096 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24097 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24098 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24101 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24105 @item gnus-read-method
24106 @findex gnus-read-method
24107 Prompts the user for a select method.
24112 @node Back End Interface
24113 @subsection Back End Interface
24115 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24116 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24117 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24118 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24119 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24120 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24122 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24123 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24124 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24125 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24126 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24127 been opened, the function should fail.
24129 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24130 name. Take this example:
24134 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24135 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24138 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24139 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24141 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24142 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24143 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24145 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24146 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24147 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24149 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24150 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24151 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24152 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24153 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24154 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24157 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24158 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24159 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24160 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24163 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24164 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24165 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24166 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24167 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24168 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24169 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24170 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24171 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24172 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24174 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24175 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24176 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24177 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24178 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24179 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24180 of numbers as long as possible.
24182 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24183 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24184 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24186 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24189 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24192 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24193 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24194 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24195 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24196 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24197 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24201 @node Required Back End Functions
24202 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24206 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24208 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24209 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24210 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24211 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24213 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24214 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24215 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24216 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24218 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24219 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24220 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24221 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24222 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24223 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24224 number, do maximum fetches.
24226 Here's an example HEAD:
24229 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24230 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24231 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24232 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24233 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24234 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24235 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24237 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24238 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24239 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24243 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24244 these in the data buffer.
24246 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24250 head = error / valid-head
24251 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24252 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24253 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24254 header = <text> eol
24257 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24258 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24262 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24263 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24264 field = <text except TAB>
24267 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24271 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24273 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24274 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24276 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24277 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24278 server. In fact, it should do so.
24280 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24281 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24284 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24286 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24287 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24290 There should be no data returned.
24293 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24295 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24296 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24297 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24298 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24300 There should be no data returned.
24303 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24305 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24306 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24307 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24308 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24310 There should be no data returned.
24313 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24315 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24317 There should be no data returned.
24320 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24322 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24323 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24324 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24325 it would be nice if that were possible.
24327 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24328 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24329 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24330 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24331 into its article buffer.
24333 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24334 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24335 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24336 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24337 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24338 on successful article retrieval.
24341 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24343 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24344 making @var{group} the current group.
24346 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24349 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24352 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24355 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24356 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24357 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24358 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24359 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24360 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24361 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24362 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24363 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24367 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24368 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24369 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24373 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24375 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24376 a no-op on most back ends.
24378 There should be no data returned.
24381 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24383 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24386 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24389 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24390 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24393 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24394 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24395 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24396 and the highest as 0.
24399 active-file = *active-line
24400 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24402 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24405 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24406 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24407 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24410 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24412 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24413 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24414 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24415 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24416 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24417 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24419 There should be no result data from this function.
24424 @node Optional Back End Functions
24425 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24429 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24431 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24432 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24433 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24435 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24436 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24437 former is in the same format as the data from
24438 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24439 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24442 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24446 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24448 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24449 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24450 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24451 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24452 should return a non-nil value.
24454 There should be no result data from this function.
24457 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24459 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24460 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24461 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24462 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24463 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24464 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24465 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24466 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24468 There should be no result data from this function.
24471 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24473 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24474 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24475 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24476 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24477 propagate the mark information to the server.
24479 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24482 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24485 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24486 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24487 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24488 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24489 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24490 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24491 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24492 possible, not limit itself to these.
24494 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24495 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24496 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24497 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24499 An example action list:
24502 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24503 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24504 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24507 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24508 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24510 There should be no result data from this function.
24512 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24514 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24515 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24516 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24517 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24518 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24520 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24521 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24522 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24525 There should be no result data from this function.
24528 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24530 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24531 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24532 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24533 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24534 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24535 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24536 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24538 There should be no result data from this function.
24541 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24543 The result data from this function should be a description of
24547 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24549 description = <text>
24552 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24554 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24555 groups available on the server.
24558 description-buffer = *description-line
24562 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24564 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24565 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24566 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24567 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24568 in the active buffer format.
24570 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24571 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24572 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24573 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24574 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24575 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24576 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24579 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24581 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24583 There should be no return data.
24586 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24588 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24589 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24590 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24591 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24592 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24595 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24598 There should be no result data returned.
24601 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24604 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24605 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24607 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24608 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24609 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24610 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24611 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24612 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24614 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24615 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24618 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24619 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24621 There should be no data returned.
24624 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24626 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24627 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24628 this function in short order.
24630 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24631 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24633 There should be no data returned.
24636 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24638 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24639 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24641 There should be no data returned.
24644 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24646 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24647 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24648 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24650 There should be no data returned.
24653 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24655 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24656 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24658 There should be no data returned.
24663 @node Error Messaging
24664 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24666 @findex nnheader-report
24667 @findex nnheader-get-report
24668 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24669 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24670 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24671 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24672 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24673 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24676 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24678 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24681 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
24682 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
24683 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
24684 takes one argument---the server symbol.
24686 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
24687 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
24688 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
24691 @node Writing New Back Ends
24692 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
24694 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
24695 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
24696 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
24697 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
24698 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
24701 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
24702 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
24703 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
24705 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
24706 package called @code{nnoo}.
24708 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
24709 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
24715 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
24716 parameters. For instance:
24719 (nnoo-declare nndir
24723 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
24724 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
24727 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
24728 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
24729 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
24731 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
24732 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
24733 a function in those back ends.
24736 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24737 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24738 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24741 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
24742 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
24743 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
24745 @item nnoo-define-basics
24746 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
24750 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24754 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
24755 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
24756 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
24758 @item nnoo-map-functions
24759 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
24760 functions from the parent back ends.
24763 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24764 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24765 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
24768 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
24769 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
24770 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
24771 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
24774 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
24775 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
24776 haven't already been defined.
24782 nnmh-request-newgroups)
24786 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
24787 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
24788 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
24793 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
24796 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
24797 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
24801 (require 'nnheader)
24805 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
24807 (nnoo-declare nndir
24810 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24811 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24812 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24814 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
24815 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
24818 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
24820 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
24821 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
24822 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
24824 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
24825 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
24827 ;;; Interface functions.
24829 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24831 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
24832 (setq nndir-directory
24833 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
24835 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
24836 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
24837 (push `(nndir-current-group
24838 ,(file-name-nondirectory
24839 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24841 (push `(nndir-top-directory
24842 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24844 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
24846 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24847 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24848 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24849 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
24850 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
24854 nnmh-status-message
24856 nnmh-request-newgroups))
24862 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24863 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24865 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
24866 @findex gnus-declare-backend
24867 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
24868 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
24869 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
24871 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
24872 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
24877 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
24880 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
24882 The abilities can be:
24886 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
24888 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
24890 This back end supports both mail and news.
24892 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
24895 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
24896 articles and groups.
24898 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
24899 true for almost all back ends.
24900 @item prompt-address
24901 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
24902 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
24903 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
24907 @node Mail-like Back Ends
24908 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
24910 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
24911 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
24912 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
24913 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
24916 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
24917 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
24918 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
24921 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
24922 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
24925 This function takes four parameters.
24929 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
24932 @item exit-function
24933 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
24935 @item temp-directory
24936 Where the temporary files should be stored.
24939 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
24940 performed for one group only.
24943 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
24944 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
24945 find the article number assigned to this article.
24947 The function also uses the following variables:
24948 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
24949 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
24950 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
24951 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
24955 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
24956 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
24960 @node Score File Syntax
24961 @subsection Score File Syntax
24963 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
24964 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
24965 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
24967 Here's a typical score file:
24971 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
24978 BNF definition of a score file:
24981 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
24982 element = rule / atom
24983 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
24984 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
24985 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
24986 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
24988 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
24989 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
24990 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
24991 date-header = "date"
24992 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24993 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24994 score = "nil" / <integer>
24995 date = "nil" / <natural number>
24996 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
24997 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
24998 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
24999 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
25000 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25001 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25002 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
25003 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
25004 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
25005 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
25006 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
25007 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
25008 exclude-files / read-only / touched
25009 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
25010 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
25011 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
25012 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
25013 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
25014 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
25015 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
25016 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
25017 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
25018 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
25019 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
25020 eval = "eval" space <form>
25021 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
25024 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
25027 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
25028 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
25029 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
25030 one looong line, then that's ok.
25032 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
25033 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
25037 @subsection Headers
25039 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25040 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25041 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25042 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25044 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25045 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25046 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25047 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25048 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25049 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25050 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25052 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25053 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25054 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25055 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25056 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25058 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25059 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25065 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25066 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25068 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25069 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25070 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25071 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25073 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25077 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25080 is transformed into
25083 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25086 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25087 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25090 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25093 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25094 is slightly tricky:
25097 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25103 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25106 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25112 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25119 and is equal to the previous range.
25121 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25122 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25123 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25127 range = simple-range / normal-range
25128 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25129 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25130 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25131 number *[ " " contents ]
25134 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25135 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25136 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25137 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25138 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25143 @subsection Group Info
25145 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25146 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25147 describes the group.
25149 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25150 second is a more complex one:
25153 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25155 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25156 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25158 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25161 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25162 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25163 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25164 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25165 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25166 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25167 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25168 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25169 this section is about.
25171 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25172 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25173 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25175 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25178 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25179 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25180 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25181 group = quote <string> quote
25182 ralevel = rank / level
25183 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25184 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25185 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25187 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25188 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25189 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25190 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25193 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25194 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25197 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25198 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25201 @item gnus-info-group
25202 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25203 @findex gnus-info-group
25204 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25205 Get/set the group name.
25207 @item gnus-info-rank
25208 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25209 @findex gnus-info-rank
25210 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25211 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25213 @item gnus-info-level
25214 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25215 @findex gnus-info-level
25216 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25217 Get/set the group level.
25219 @item gnus-info-score
25220 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25221 @findex gnus-info-score
25222 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25223 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25225 @item gnus-info-read
25226 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25227 @findex gnus-info-read
25228 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25229 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25231 @item gnus-info-marks
25232 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25233 @findex gnus-info-marks
25234 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25235 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25237 @item gnus-info-method
25238 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25239 @findex gnus-info-method
25240 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25241 Get/set the group select method.
25243 @item gnus-info-params
25244 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25245 @findex gnus-info-params
25246 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25247 Get/set the group parameters.
25250 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25251 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25253 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25254 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25255 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25256 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25259 @node Extended Interactive
25260 @subsection Extended Interactive
25261 @cindex interactive
25262 @findex gnus-interactive
25264 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25265 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25266 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25269 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25270 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25275 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25276 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25277 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25278 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25279 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25280 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25281 @code{interactive}.
25283 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25288 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25289 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25293 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25294 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25295 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25298 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25302 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25306 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25312 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25313 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25317 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25318 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25319 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25321 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25322 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25323 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25324 Gnus, that's very useful.
25326 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25327 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25328 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25329 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25330 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25331 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25332 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25333 following function:
25336 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25340 (,function ,@@args))
25344 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25345 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25346 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25349 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25350 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25351 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25353 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25354 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25355 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25358 @node Various File Formats
25359 @subsection Various File Formats
25362 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25363 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25367 @node Active File Format
25368 @subsubsection Active File Format
25370 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25371 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25374 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25377 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25378 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25379 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25380 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25381 no.general 1000 900 y
25384 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25387 active = *group-line
25388 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25389 group = <non-white-space string>
25391 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25392 low-number = <positive integer>
25393 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25396 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25397 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25400 @node Newsgroups File Format
25401 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25403 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25404 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25405 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25408 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25409 Here's the definition:
25413 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25414 group = <non-white-space string>
25416 description = <string>
25421 @node Emacs for Heathens
25422 @section Emacs for Heathens
25424 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25425 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25426 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25427 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25428 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25429 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25430 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25434 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25435 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25440 @subsection Keystrokes
25444 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25447 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25450 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25451 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25452 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25453 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25454 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25455 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25457 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25458 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25459 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25460 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25461 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25462 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25463 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25465 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25466 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25467 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25468 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25469 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25470 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25471 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25473 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25474 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25475 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25476 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25477 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25483 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25485 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25486 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25487 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25488 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25490 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25491 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25492 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25493 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25494 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25495 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25496 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25499 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25500 write the following:
25503 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25506 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25507 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25508 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25511 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25512 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25513 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25514 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25515 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25517 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25518 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25519 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25523 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25527 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25530 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25531 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25534 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25537 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25538 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25541 @include gnus-faq.texi
25561 @c Local Variables:
25563 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25565 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25566 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25567 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25568 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25569 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref