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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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268 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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277 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
278 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
281 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
282 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
283 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
284 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
285 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
286 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
287 License'' in the Emacs manual.
289 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
290 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
291 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
293 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
294 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
295 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
296 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
304 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
306 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
311 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
331 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
334 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
335 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
340 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
361 @top The Gnus Newsreader
365 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
366 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
367 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
370 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
381 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
382 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
384 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
385 being accused of plagiarism:
387 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
388 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
389 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
390 can even read news with it!
392 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
393 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
394 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
395 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
396 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
402 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
403 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
404 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
405 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
406 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
407 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
408 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
409 * Various:: General purpose settings.
410 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
411 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
412 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
413 * Key Index:: Key Index.
416 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
420 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
421 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
422 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
423 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
424 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
425 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
426 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
427 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
428 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
429 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
430 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
434 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
435 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
436 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
440 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
441 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
442 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
443 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
444 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
445 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
446 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
447 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
448 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
449 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
450 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
451 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
452 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
453 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
454 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
455 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
456 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
460 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
461 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
462 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
466 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
467 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
468 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
469 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
470 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
474 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
475 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
476 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
477 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
481 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
482 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
483 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
484 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
485 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
486 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
487 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
488 * Threading:: How threads are made.
489 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
490 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
491 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
492 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
493 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
494 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
495 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
496 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
497 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
498 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
499 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
500 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
501 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
502 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
503 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
504 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
505 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
506 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
507 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
508 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
509 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
511 Summary Buffer Format
513 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
514 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
515 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
516 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
520 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
521 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
523 Reply, Followup and Post
525 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
526 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
527 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
528 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
532 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
533 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
534 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
535 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
536 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
537 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
541 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
542 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
544 Customizing Threading
546 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
547 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
548 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
549 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
553 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
554 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
555 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
556 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
557 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
558 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
562 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
563 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
564 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
568 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
569 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
570 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
571 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
572 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
573 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
574 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
575 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
577 Alternative Approaches
579 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
580 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
582 Various Summary Stuff
584 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
585 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
586 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
587 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
591 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
592 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
593 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
594 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
595 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
599 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
600 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
601 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
602 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
603 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
604 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
605 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
606 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
610 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
611 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
612 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
613 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
614 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
615 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
616 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
620 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
621 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
622 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
623 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
624 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
625 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
626 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
630 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
631 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
635 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
636 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
637 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
638 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
639 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
640 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
641 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
642 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
643 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
644 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
645 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
646 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
647 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
651 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
652 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
653 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
655 Choosing a Mail Backend
657 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
658 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
659 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
660 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
661 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
662 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
666 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
667 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
668 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
669 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
670 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
671 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
675 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
676 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
677 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
678 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
679 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
680 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
684 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
688 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
689 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
690 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
694 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
695 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
696 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
700 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
701 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
705 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
706 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
707 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
708 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
709 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
710 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
711 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
712 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
713 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
714 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
718 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
719 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
720 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
724 * Group Agent Commands::
725 * Summary Agent Commands::
726 * Server Agent Commands::
730 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
731 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
732 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
733 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
734 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
735 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
736 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
737 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
738 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
739 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
740 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
741 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
742 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
743 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
744 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
745 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
749 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
750 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
751 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
752 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
756 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
757 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
758 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
762 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
763 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
764 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
765 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
766 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
767 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
768 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
769 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
770 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
771 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
772 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
773 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
774 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
775 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
776 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
777 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
778 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
779 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
783 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
784 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
785 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
786 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
787 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
791 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
792 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
793 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
794 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
798 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
799 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
800 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
801 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
802 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
806 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
807 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
808 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
809 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
810 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
811 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
812 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
813 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
817 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
818 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
819 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
820 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
821 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
822 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
823 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
824 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
825 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
829 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
830 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
831 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
832 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
833 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
837 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
838 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
839 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
840 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
844 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
845 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
846 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
847 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
848 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
849 * Group Info:: The group info format.
850 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
851 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
852 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
856 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
857 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
858 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
859 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
860 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
861 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
865 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
866 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
870 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
871 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
877 @chapter Starting Gnus
882 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
883 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
886 @findex gnus-other-frame
887 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
888 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
889 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
891 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
892 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
893 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
895 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
896 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
899 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
900 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
901 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
902 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
903 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
904 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
905 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
906 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
907 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
908 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
909 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
913 @node Finding the News
914 @section Finding the News
917 @vindex gnus-select-method
919 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
920 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
921 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
922 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
925 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
926 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
929 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
932 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
935 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
938 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
939 certainly be much faster.
941 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
943 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
944 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
945 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
946 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
947 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
948 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
950 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
951 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
952 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
953 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
955 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
956 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
957 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
958 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
959 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
960 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
961 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
962 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
963 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
966 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
968 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
969 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
970 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
971 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
972 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
973 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
975 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
977 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
978 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
979 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
980 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
981 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
982 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
985 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
986 would typically set this variable to
989 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
994 @section The First Time
995 @cindex first time usage
997 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
998 be subscribed by default.
1000 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1001 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1002 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1003 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1006 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1007 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1008 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1010 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1011 help you with most common problems.
1013 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1014 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1018 @node The Server is Down
1019 @section The Server is Down
1020 @cindex server errors
1022 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1023 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1024 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1026 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1027 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1028 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1029 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1030 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1031 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1032 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1034 @findex gnus-no-server
1035 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1037 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1038 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1039 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1040 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1041 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1042 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1043 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1047 @section Slave Gnusae
1050 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1051 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1052 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1053 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1055 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1056 @code{.newsrc} file.
1058 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1059 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1060 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1061 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1062 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1063 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1064 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1066 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1067 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1068 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1069 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1070 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1071 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1072 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1073 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1075 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1076 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1079 @node Fetching a Group
1080 @section Fetching a Group
1081 @cindex fetching a group
1083 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1084 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1085 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1086 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1087 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1088 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1094 @cindex subscription
1096 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1097 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1098 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1099 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1100 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1101 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1102 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1103 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1104 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1107 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1108 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1109 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1113 @node Checking New Groups
1114 @subsection Checking New Groups
1116 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1117 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1118 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1119 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1120 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1121 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1122 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1123 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1124 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1125 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1127 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1128 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1129 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1130 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1131 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1132 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1133 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1134 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1135 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1136 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1137 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1139 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1140 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1141 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1142 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1143 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1144 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1147 @node Subscription Methods
1148 @subsection Subscription Methods
1150 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1151 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1152 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1154 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1155 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1157 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1161 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1162 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1163 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1164 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1165 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1167 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1168 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1169 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1170 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1172 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1173 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1174 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1176 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1177 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1178 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1179 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1180 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1181 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1182 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1183 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1184 up. Or something like that.
1186 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1187 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1188 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1189 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1190 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1192 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1193 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1194 Kill all new groups.
1196 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1197 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1198 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1199 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1200 topic parameter that looks like
1206 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1209 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1214 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1215 A closely related variable is
1216 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1217 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1218 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1219 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1222 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1223 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1224 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1225 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1228 @node Filtering New Groups
1229 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1231 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1232 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1233 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1236 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1239 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1240 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1241 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1242 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1243 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1244 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1245 subscribing these groups.
1246 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1247 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1249 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1250 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1251 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1252 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1253 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1254 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1255 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1256 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1258 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1259 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1260 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1261 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1262 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1263 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1264 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1265 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1266 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1267 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1269 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1270 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1273 @node Changing Servers
1274 @section Changing Servers
1275 @cindex changing servers
1277 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1278 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1279 very flaky and you want to use another.
1281 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1282 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1286 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1287 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1288 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1289 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1292 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1293 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1294 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1295 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1297 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1298 @findex gnus-change-server
1299 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1300 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1301 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1302 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1303 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1305 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1306 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1307 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1308 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1309 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1311 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1312 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1313 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1314 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1315 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1316 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1318 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1319 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1320 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1324 @section Startup Files
1325 @cindex startup files
1330 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1331 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1333 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1334 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1335 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1336 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1337 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1338 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1339 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1341 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1342 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1343 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1344 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1345 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1346 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1348 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1349 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1350 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1351 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1352 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1353 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1354 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1355 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1356 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1357 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1359 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1360 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1361 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1362 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1363 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1364 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1365 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1366 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1367 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1368 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1369 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1370 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1372 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1373 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1374 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1375 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1377 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1378 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1379 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1380 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1381 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1382 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1383 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1384 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1385 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1386 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1389 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1390 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1392 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1393 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1396 @vindex gnus-init-file
1397 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1398 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1399 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1400 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1401 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1402 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1403 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1404 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1405 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1411 @cindex dribble file
1414 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1415 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1416 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1417 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1418 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1421 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1422 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1425 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1426 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1427 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1429 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1430 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1431 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1432 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1433 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1434 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1436 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1437 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1438 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1441 @node The Active File
1442 @section The Active File
1444 @cindex ignored groups
1446 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1447 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1448 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1450 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1451 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1452 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1453 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1454 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1455 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1456 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1459 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1460 @c if you set it to anything else.
1462 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1464 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1465 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1466 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1468 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1469 you actually subscribe to.
1471 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1472 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1473 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1474 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1476 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1477 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1478 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1479 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1480 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1481 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1483 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1484 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1485 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1488 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1489 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1490 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1491 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1492 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1493 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1495 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1496 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1498 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1499 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1501 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1502 secondary select methods.
1505 @node Startup Variables
1506 @section Startup Variables
1510 @item gnus-load-hook
1511 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1512 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1513 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1514 times you start Gnus.
1516 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1517 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1518 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1520 @item gnus-startup-hook
1521 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1522 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1524 @item gnus-started-hook
1525 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1526 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1529 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1530 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1531 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1532 generating the group buffer.
1534 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1535 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1536 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1537 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1538 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1539 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1540 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1541 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1543 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1544 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1545 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1546 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1547 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1548 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1550 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1551 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1552 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1554 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1555 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1556 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1558 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1559 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1560 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1561 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1567 @chapter Group Buffer
1568 @cindex group buffer
1570 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1571 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1572 long as Gnus is active.
1576 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1577 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1578 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1579 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1580 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1581 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1582 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1583 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1589 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1590 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1591 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1592 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1593 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1594 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1595 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1596 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1597 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1598 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1599 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1600 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1601 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1602 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1603 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1604 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1605 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1609 @node Group Buffer Format
1610 @section Group Buffer Format
1613 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1614 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1615 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1619 @node Group Line Specification
1620 @subsection Group Line Specification
1621 @cindex group buffer format
1623 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1624 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1626 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1629 25: news.announce.newusers
1630 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1635 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1636 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1637 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1638 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1640 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1641 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1642 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1643 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1644 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1645 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1647 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1649 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1650 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1651 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1652 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1655 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1656 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1657 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1659 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1664 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1667 Whether the group is subscribed.
1670 Level of subscribedness.
1673 Number of unread articles.
1676 Number of dormant articles.
1679 Number of ticked articles.
1682 Number of read articles.
1685 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1686 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1689 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1692 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1701 Newsgroup description.
1704 @samp{m} if moderated.
1707 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1716 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1720 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1723 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1724 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1725 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1726 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1727 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1730 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1732 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1736 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1739 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1743 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1744 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1745 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1746 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1747 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1748 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1753 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1754 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1755 group, or a bogus native group.
1758 @node Group Modeline Specification
1759 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1760 @cindex group modeline
1762 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1763 The mode line can be changed by setting
1764 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1765 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1769 The native news server.
1771 The native select method.
1775 @node Group Highlighting
1776 @subsection Group Highlighting
1777 @cindex highlighting
1778 @cindex group highlighting
1780 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1781 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1782 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1783 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1784 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1786 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1790 (cond (window-system
1791 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1792 (defface my-group-face-1
1793 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1794 (defface my-group-face-2
1795 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1796 (defface my-group-face-3
1797 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1798 (defface my-group-face-4
1799 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1800 (defface my-group-face-5
1801 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1803 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1804 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1805 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1806 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1807 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1808 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1811 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1813 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1820 The number of unread articles in the group.
1824 Whether the group is a mail group.
1826 The level of the group.
1828 The score of the group.
1830 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1832 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1833 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1835 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1836 topic being inserted.
1839 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1840 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1841 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1843 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1844 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1845 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1846 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1847 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1850 @node Group Maneuvering
1851 @section Group Maneuvering
1852 @cindex group movement
1854 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1855 expected, hopefully.
1861 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1862 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1863 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1869 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1870 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1871 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1875 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1876 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1880 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1881 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1885 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1886 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1887 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1891 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1892 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1893 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1896 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1902 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1903 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1904 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1909 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1910 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1911 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1915 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1916 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1917 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1920 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1921 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1922 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1923 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1927 @node Selecting a Group
1928 @section Selecting a Group
1929 @cindex group selection
1934 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1935 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1936 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1937 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1938 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1939 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1940 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1941 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1942 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1943 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1945 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1946 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1947 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1949 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1950 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1955 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1956 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1957 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1958 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1959 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1963 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1964 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1965 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1966 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1967 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1968 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1969 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1970 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1971 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1972 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1975 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1976 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1977 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1978 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1979 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1982 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1983 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1984 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1985 doing any processing of its contents
1986 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1987 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1988 manner will have no permanent effects.
1992 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1993 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1994 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1995 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1996 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1997 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1998 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1999 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2002 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2003 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2004 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2005 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2010 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2011 full summary buffer.
2014 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2017 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2022 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2023 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2024 Useful functions include:
2027 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2028 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2029 don't select the article.
2031 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2032 Select the first unread article.
2034 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2035 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2039 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2040 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2041 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2045 @node Subscription Commands
2046 @section Subscription Commands
2047 @cindex subscription
2055 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2056 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2057 Toggle subscription to the current group
2058 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2064 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2065 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2066 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2067 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2073 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2074 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2075 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2081 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2082 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2085 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2086 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2087 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2088 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2089 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2095 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2096 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2100 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2101 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2104 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2105 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2106 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2107 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2108 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2109 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2110 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2111 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2112 @file{.newsrc} file.
2116 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2126 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2127 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2128 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2129 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2130 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2131 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2136 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2137 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2138 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2142 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2143 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2144 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2146 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2147 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2148 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2149 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2150 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2151 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2158 @section Group Levels
2162 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2163 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2164 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2165 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2166 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2168 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2174 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2175 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2176 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2177 prompted for a level.
2180 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2181 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2182 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2183 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2184 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2185 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2186 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2187 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2188 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2189 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2190 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2191 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2192 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2193 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2194 reasons of efficiency.
2196 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2197 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2199 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2200 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2201 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2202 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2203 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2204 groups are hidden, in a way.
2206 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2207 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2208 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2209 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2210 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2211 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2213 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2214 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2215 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2216 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2217 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2218 list of killed groups.)
2220 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2221 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2222 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2224 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2225 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2226 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2227 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2228 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2229 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2230 relevant valid ranges.
2232 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2233 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2234 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2235 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2236 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2237 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2240 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2241 one with the best level.
2243 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2244 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2245 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2248 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2249 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2250 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2251 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2254 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2255 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2256 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2257 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2259 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2260 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2261 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2262 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2263 to 5. The default is 6.
2267 @section Group Score
2272 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2273 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2274 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2277 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2278 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2279 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2280 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2281 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2282 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2283 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2284 least significant part.))
2286 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2287 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2288 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2289 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2290 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2291 action after each summary exit, you can add
2292 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2293 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2294 slow things down somewhat.
2297 @node Marking Groups
2298 @section Marking Groups
2299 @cindex marking groups
2301 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2302 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2303 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2304 bidding on those groups.
2306 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2307 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2308 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2316 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2317 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2323 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2324 Remove the mark from the current group
2325 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2329 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2330 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2334 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2335 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2339 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2340 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2344 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2345 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2346 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2349 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2351 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2352 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2353 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2354 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2355 the command to be executed.
2358 @node Foreign Groups
2359 @section Foreign Groups
2360 @cindex foreign groups
2362 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2363 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2364 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2365 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2372 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2373 @cindex making groups
2374 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2375 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2376 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2380 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2381 @cindex renaming groups
2382 Rename the current group to something else
2383 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2384 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2390 @findex gnus-group-customize
2391 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2395 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2396 @cindex renaming groups
2397 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2398 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2402 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2403 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2404 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2408 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2409 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2410 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2414 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2416 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2417 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2422 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2423 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2427 @cindex (ding) archive
2428 @cindex archive group
2429 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2430 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2431 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2432 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2433 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2434 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2435 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2439 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2441 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2442 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2443 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2444 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2448 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2450 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2451 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2452 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2456 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2457 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2459 Make a group based on some file or other
2460 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2461 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2462 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2463 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2464 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2465 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2466 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2470 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2471 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2472 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2473 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2477 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2482 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2483 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2484 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2485 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2486 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2487 @xref{Web Searches}.
2489 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2490 to a particular group by using a match string like
2491 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2494 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2495 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2496 This function will delete the current group
2497 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2498 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2499 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2500 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2501 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2505 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2506 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2507 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2511 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2512 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2513 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2516 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2519 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2520 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2521 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2522 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2523 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2524 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2528 @node Group Parameters
2529 @section Group Parameters
2530 @cindex group parameters
2532 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2533 Here's an example group parameter list:
2536 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2540 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2541 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2542 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2543 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2545 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2546 is an alist of regexps and values.
2548 The following group parameters can be used:
2553 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2556 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2559 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2560 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2561 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2562 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2563 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2565 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2566 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2567 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2568 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2569 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2570 list address instead.
2572 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2576 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2579 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2582 It is totally ignored
2583 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2584 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2586 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2587 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2588 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2589 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2590 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2592 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2593 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2594 sending the message.
2596 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2600 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2601 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2602 of whether it has any unread articles.
2604 @item broken-reply-to
2605 @cindex broken-reply-to
2606 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2607 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2608 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2609 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2610 broken behavior. So there!
2614 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2615 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2619 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2620 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2621 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2626 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2627 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2628 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2629 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2630 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2631 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2632 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2636 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2637 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2638 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2640 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2643 @cindex total-expire
2644 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2645 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2646 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2647 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2650 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2654 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2655 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2656 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2657 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2658 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2659 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2662 @cindex score file group parameter
2663 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2664 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2665 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2668 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2669 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2670 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2671 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2674 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2675 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2676 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2677 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2680 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2681 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2685 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2688 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2693 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2694 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2695 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2699 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2700 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2701 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2703 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2705 @item ignored-charsets
2706 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-known iso-8859-1)}
2707 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2708 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2710 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2713 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2714 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2715 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2716 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2717 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2719 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2720 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2721 like this in the group parameters:
2726 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2730 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2731 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2732 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2733 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2734 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2736 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2737 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2738 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2739 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2740 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2741 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2742 @code{eval}ed there.
2744 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2745 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2746 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2747 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2748 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2752 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2753 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2754 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2755 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2756 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2759 @node Listing Groups
2760 @section Listing Groups
2761 @cindex group listing
2763 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2771 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2772 List all groups that have unread articles
2773 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2774 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2775 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2776 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2783 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2784 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2785 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2786 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2787 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2788 unsubscribed groups).
2792 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2793 List all unread groups on a specific level
2794 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2795 with no unread articles.
2799 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2800 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2801 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2802 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2807 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2808 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2812 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2813 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2814 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2818 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2819 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2823 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2824 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2825 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2826 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2827 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2828 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2829 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2830 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2834 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2835 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2836 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2840 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2841 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2842 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2846 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2847 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2851 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2852 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2856 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2857 List groups limited within the current selection
2858 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2862 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2863 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2867 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2868 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2872 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2873 @cindex visible group parameter
2874 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2875 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2876 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2877 get the same effect.
2879 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2880 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2881 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2882 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2883 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2886 @node Sorting Groups
2887 @section Sorting Groups
2888 @cindex sorting groups
2890 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2891 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2892 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2893 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2894 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2895 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2900 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2901 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2902 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2904 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2905 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2906 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2908 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2909 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2910 Sort by group level.
2912 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2913 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2914 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2916 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2917 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2918 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2919 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2921 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2922 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2923 Sort by number of unread articles.
2925 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2926 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2927 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2929 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
2930 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
2931 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
2936 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2937 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2941 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2942 some sorting criteria:
2946 @kindex G S a (Group)
2947 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2948 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2949 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2952 @kindex G S u (Group)
2953 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2954 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2955 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2958 @kindex G S l (Group)
2959 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2960 Sort the group buffer by group level
2961 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2964 @kindex G S v (Group)
2965 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2966 Sort the group buffer by group score
2967 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2970 @kindex G S r (Group)
2971 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2972 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2973 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2976 @kindex G S m (Group)
2977 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2978 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2979 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2983 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2984 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2986 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2987 commands will sort in reverse order.
2989 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2993 @kindex G P a (Group)
2994 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2995 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2996 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2999 @kindex G P u (Group)
3000 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3001 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3002 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3005 @kindex G P l (Group)
3006 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3007 Sort the groups by group level
3008 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3011 @kindex G P v (Group)
3012 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3013 Sort the groups by group score
3014 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3017 @kindex G P r (Group)
3018 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3019 Sort the groups by group rank
3020 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3023 @kindex G P m (Group)
3024 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3025 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3026 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3030 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3034 @node Group Maintenance
3035 @section Group Maintenance
3036 @cindex bogus groups
3041 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3042 Find bogus groups and delete them
3043 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3047 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3048 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3049 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3050 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3051 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3055 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3056 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3057 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3058 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3059 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3060 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3063 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3064 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3065 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3066 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3071 @node Browse Foreign Server
3072 @section Browse Foreign Server
3073 @cindex foreign servers
3074 @cindex browsing servers
3079 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3080 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3081 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3082 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3085 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3086 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3087 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3088 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3090 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3095 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3096 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3100 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3101 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3104 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3105 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3106 Enter the current group and display the first article
3107 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3110 @kindex RET (Browse)
3111 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3112 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3116 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3117 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3118 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3124 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3125 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3129 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3130 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3131 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3136 @section Exiting Gnus
3137 @cindex exiting Gnus
3139 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3144 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3145 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3146 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3147 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3151 @findex gnus-group-exit
3152 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3153 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3157 @findex gnus-group-quit
3158 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3159 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3162 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3163 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3164 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3165 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3166 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3171 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3172 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3173 trying to customize meta-variables.
3178 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3179 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3180 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3186 @section Group Topics
3189 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3190 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3191 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3192 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3193 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3194 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3198 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3199 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3210 2: alt.religion.emacs
3213 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3215 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3216 13: comp.sources.unix
3219 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3221 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3222 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3223 is a toggling command.)
3225 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3226 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3227 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3228 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3231 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3232 the hook for the group mode:
3235 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3239 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3240 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3241 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3242 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3243 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3247 @node Topic Variables
3248 @subsection Topic Variables
3249 @cindex topic variables
3251 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3252 really neat, I think.
3254 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3255 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3256 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3269 Number of groups in the topic.
3271 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3273 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3276 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3277 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3278 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3281 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3282 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3284 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3285 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3286 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3289 @node Topic Commands
3290 @subsection Topic Commands
3291 @cindex topic commands
3293 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3294 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3295 definitions slightly.
3301 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3302 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3303 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3307 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3308 Move the current group to some other topic
3309 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3310 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3314 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3315 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3319 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3320 Copy the current group to some other topic
3321 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3322 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3326 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3327 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3328 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3332 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3333 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3334 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3338 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3339 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3340 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3341 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3342 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3343 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3344 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3347 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3348 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3352 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3353 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3354 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3358 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3359 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3360 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3364 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3365 Toggle hiding empty topics
3366 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3370 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3371 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3372 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3375 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3376 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3377 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3378 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3382 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3384 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3385 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3386 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3387 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3390 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3391 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3392 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3393 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3397 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3399 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3400 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3401 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3402 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3403 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3404 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3407 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3408 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3409 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3410 expiry process (if any)
3411 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3415 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3416 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3417 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3421 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3422 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3423 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3428 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3429 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3432 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3433 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3434 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3438 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3439 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3440 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3444 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3445 @cindex group parameters
3446 @cindex topic parameters
3448 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3449 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3455 @subsection Topic Sorting
3456 @cindex topic sorting
3458 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3464 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3465 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3466 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3467 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3470 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3471 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3472 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3473 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3476 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3477 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3478 Sort the current topic by group level
3479 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3482 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3483 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3484 Sort the current topic by group score
3485 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3488 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3489 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3490 Sort the current topic by group rank
3491 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3494 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3495 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3496 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3497 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3501 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3504 @node Topic Topology
3505 @subsection Topic Topology
3506 @cindex topic topology
3509 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3515 2: alt.religion.emacs
3518 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3520 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3521 13: comp.sources.unix
3524 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3525 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3526 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3531 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3532 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3536 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3537 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3538 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3539 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3540 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3541 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3543 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3544 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3545 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3548 @node Topic Parameters
3549 @subsection Topic Parameters
3550 @cindex topic parameters
3552 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3553 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3554 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3556 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3561 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3562 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3563 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3568 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3569 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3570 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3571 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3577 2: alt.religion.emacs
3581 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3583 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3584 13: comp.sources.unix
3588 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3589 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3590 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3591 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3592 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3593 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3595 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3596 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3597 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3598 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3599 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3601 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3602 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3603 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3604 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3605 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3606 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3607 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3608 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3611 @node Misc Group Stuff
3612 @section Misc Group Stuff
3615 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3616 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3617 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3618 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3625 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3626 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3627 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3631 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3632 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3633 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3637 @findex gnus-group-mail
3638 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3642 Variables for the group buffer:
3646 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3647 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3648 is called after the group buffer has been
3651 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3652 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3653 is called after the group buffer is
3654 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3657 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3658 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3659 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3660 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3662 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3663 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3664 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3665 whether they are empty or not.
3667 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3668 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3669 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3670 non-ASCII group names.
3674 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3675 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3678 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3679 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3680 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3681 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3685 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3686 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3691 @node Scanning New Messages
3692 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3693 @cindex new messages
3694 @cindex scanning new news
3700 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3701 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3702 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3703 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3704 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3705 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3710 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3711 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3712 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3713 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3714 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3715 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3716 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3718 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3719 @cindex activating groups
3721 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3722 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3727 @findex gnus-group-restart
3728 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3729 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3730 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3734 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3735 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3737 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3738 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3742 @node Group Information
3743 @subsection Group Information
3744 @cindex group information
3745 @cindex information on groups
3752 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3753 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3756 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3757 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3758 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3759 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3760 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3761 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3762 for fetching the file.
3764 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3765 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3769 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3771 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3772 @cindex describing groups
3773 @cindex group description
3774 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3775 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3776 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3780 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3781 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3782 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3789 @findex gnus-version
3790 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3794 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3795 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3798 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3801 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3802 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3806 @node Group Timestamp
3807 @subsection Group Timestamp
3809 @cindex group timestamps
3811 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3812 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3813 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3816 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3819 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3821 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3822 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3825 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3826 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3829 This will result in lines looking like:
3832 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3833 0: custom 19961002T012713
3836 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3837 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3841 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3842 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3847 @subsection File Commands
3848 @cindex file commands
3854 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3855 @vindex gnus-init-file
3856 @cindex reading init file
3857 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3858 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3862 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3863 @cindex saving .newsrc
3864 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3865 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3866 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3869 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3870 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3871 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3876 @node Summary Buffer
3877 @chapter Summary Buffer
3878 @cindex summary buffer
3880 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3881 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3883 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3884 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3886 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3889 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3890 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3891 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3892 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3893 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3894 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3895 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3896 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3897 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3898 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3899 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3900 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3901 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3902 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3903 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3904 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3905 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3906 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3907 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3908 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3909 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3910 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3911 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3912 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3913 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3914 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
3915 or reselecting the current group.
3916 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3917 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3918 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3922 @node Summary Buffer Format
3923 @section Summary Buffer Format
3924 @cindex summary buffer format
3928 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3929 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3930 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3936 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3937 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3938 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3939 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3942 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3943 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3944 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3945 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3946 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3947 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3948 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3949 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3950 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3951 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3952 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3955 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3956 'mail-extract-address-components)
3959 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3960 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3961 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3962 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3965 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3966 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3968 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3969 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3970 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3971 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3972 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3974 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
3975 the colon after performing an operation.
3977 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3979 The following format specification characters are understood:
3985 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3986 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3988 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3989 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3990 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3992 Full @code{From} header.
3994 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3996 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3997 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3999 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4000 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4001 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4002 may be more thorough.
4004 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4007 Number of lines in the article.
4009 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
4010 methods (like nnfolder).
4012 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4014 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4015 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4017 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4018 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4020 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4021 for adopted articles.
4023 One space for each thread level.
4025 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4030 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4031 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4035 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4037 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4038 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4039 default level. If the difference between
4040 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4041 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4049 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4051 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4057 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4058 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4060 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4061 article has any children.
4067 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4068 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4069 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4070 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4071 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4072 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4075 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4076 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4077 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4078 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4079 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4080 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4082 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4083 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4085 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4088 @node To From Newsgroups
4089 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4093 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4094 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4095 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4096 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4097 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4101 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4102 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4103 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4107 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4108 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4111 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4112 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4115 @findex gnus-extra-header
4116 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4117 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4118 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4121 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4125 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4126 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4127 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4128 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4129 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4130 headers are used instead.
4134 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4135 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4136 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4137 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4140 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4141 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4142 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4143 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4145 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4149 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4151 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4152 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4153 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4154 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4158 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4159 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4166 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4167 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4170 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4171 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4173 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4174 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4175 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4176 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4178 Here are the elements you can play with:
4184 Unprefixed group name.
4186 Current article number.
4188 Current article score.
4192 Number of unread articles in this group.
4194 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4197 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4198 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4199 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4200 and no unselected ones.
4202 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4203 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4205 Subject of the current article.
4207 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4209 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4211 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4213 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4215 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4217 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4221 @node Summary Highlighting
4222 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4226 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4227 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4228 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4229 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4230 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4232 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4233 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4234 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4235 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4237 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4238 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4239 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4240 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4242 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4243 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4244 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4245 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4246 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4247 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4250 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4251 ((> score default) . bold))
4253 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4254 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4258 @node Summary Maneuvering
4259 @section Summary Maneuvering
4260 @cindex summary movement
4262 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4263 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4265 None of these commands select articles.
4270 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4271 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4272 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4273 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4274 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4278 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4279 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4280 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4281 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4282 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4285 @kindex G g (Summary)
4286 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4287 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4288 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4291 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4292 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4293 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4294 to the group buffer.
4296 Variables related to summary movement:
4300 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4301 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4302 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4303 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4304 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4305 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4306 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4307 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4308 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4309 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4310 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4311 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4312 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4313 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4315 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4316 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4317 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4318 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4319 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4320 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4321 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4323 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4325 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4326 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4327 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4328 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4329 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4331 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4332 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4333 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4334 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4335 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4336 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4337 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4338 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4341 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4342 the given number of lines from the top.
4347 @node Choosing Articles
4348 @section Choosing Articles
4349 @cindex selecting articles
4352 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4353 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4357 @node Choosing Commands
4358 @subsection Choosing Commands
4360 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4361 and they all select and display an article.
4363 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4364 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4368 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4369 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4370 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4371 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4376 @kindex G n (Summary)
4377 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4378 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4379 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4384 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4385 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4386 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4391 @kindex G N (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4393 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4398 @kindex G P (Summary)
4399 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4400 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4403 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4404 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4405 Go to the next article with the same subject
4406 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4409 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4410 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4411 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4412 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4416 @kindex G f (Summary)
4418 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4419 Go to the first unread article
4420 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4424 @kindex G b (Summary)
4426 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4427 Go to the article with the highest score
4428 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4433 @kindex G l (Summary)
4434 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4435 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4438 @kindex G o (Summary)
4439 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4441 @cindex article history
4442 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4443 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4444 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4445 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4446 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4447 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4452 @kindex G j (Summary)
4453 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4454 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4455 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4460 @node Choosing Variables
4461 @subsection Choosing Variables
4463 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4466 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4467 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4468 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4469 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4470 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4471 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4473 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4474 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4475 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4476 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4478 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4479 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4480 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4481 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4482 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4483 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4484 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4485 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4486 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4487 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4488 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4489 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4490 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4491 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4496 @node Paging the Article
4497 @section Scrolling the Article
4498 @cindex article scrolling
4503 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4504 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4505 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4506 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4507 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4510 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4511 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4512 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4515 @kindex RET (Summary)
4516 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4517 Scroll the current article one line forward
4518 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4521 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4522 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4523 Scroll the current article one line backward
4524 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4528 @kindex A g (Summary)
4530 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4531 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4532 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4533 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4534 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4535 the way it came from the server.
4537 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4538 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4539 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4542 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4547 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4552 @kindex A < (Summary)
4553 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4554 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4555 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4560 @kindex A > (Summary)
4561 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4562 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4566 @kindex A s (Summary)
4568 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4569 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4570 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4574 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4575 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4580 @node Reply Followup and Post
4581 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4584 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4585 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4586 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4587 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4591 @node Summary Mail Commands
4592 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4594 @cindex composing mail
4596 Commands for composing a mail message:
4602 @kindex S r (Summary)
4604 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4605 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4606 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4607 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4608 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4613 @kindex S R (Summary)
4614 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4615 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4616 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4617 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4618 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4621 @kindex S w (Summary)
4622 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4623 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4624 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4625 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4626 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4629 @kindex S W (Summary)
4630 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4631 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4632 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4633 the process/prefix convention.
4636 @kindex S v (Summary)
4637 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4638 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4639 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4640 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4641 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4642 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4645 @kindex S W (Summary)
4646 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4647 Mail a very wide reply to the current article and include the original
4648 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4649 the process/prefix convention.
4653 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4654 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4655 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4656 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4657 Forward the current article to some other person
4658 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4659 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4660 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4661 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4662 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4663 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4664 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4665 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4666 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4671 @kindex S m (Summary)
4672 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4673 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4674 Send a mail to some other person
4675 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4678 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4679 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4680 @cindex bouncing mail
4681 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4682 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4683 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4684 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4685 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4686 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4687 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4688 very well fail, though.
4691 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4692 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4693 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4694 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4695 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4696 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4697 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4698 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4699 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4700 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4702 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4703 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4704 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4705 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4706 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4708 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4709 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4712 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4713 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4714 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4715 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4716 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4719 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4720 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4721 @cindex crossposting
4722 @cindex excessive crossposting
4723 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4724 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4726 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4727 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4728 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4729 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4730 command understands the process/prefix convention
4731 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4735 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4738 @node Summary Post Commands
4739 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4741 @cindex composing news
4743 Commands for posting a news article:
4749 @kindex S p (Summary)
4750 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4751 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4752 Post an article to the current group
4753 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4758 @kindex S f (Summary)
4759 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4760 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4761 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4765 @kindex S F (Summary)
4767 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4768 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4769 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4770 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4771 process/prefix convention.
4774 @kindex S n (Summary)
4775 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4776 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4777 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4780 @kindex S N (Summary)
4781 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4782 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4783 message through mail and include the original message
4784 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4785 the process/prefix convention.
4788 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4789 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4790 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4791 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4792 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4793 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4794 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4795 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4796 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4797 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4798 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4799 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4800 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4803 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4804 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4806 @cindex making digests
4807 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4808 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4809 process/prefix convention.
4812 @kindex S u (Summary)
4813 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4814 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4815 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4816 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4819 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4822 @node Summary Message Commands
4823 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4827 @kindex S y (Summary)
4828 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4829 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4830 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4831 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4832 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4837 @node Canceling and Superseding
4838 @subsection Canceling Articles
4839 @cindex canceling articles
4840 @cindex superseding articles
4842 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4843 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4845 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4847 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4849 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4850 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4851 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4852 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4853 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4854 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4856 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4857 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4860 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4861 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4862 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4864 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4865 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4866 your original article.
4868 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4870 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4871 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4872 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4875 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4876 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4877 have posted almost the same article twice.
4879 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4880 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4881 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4882 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4883 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4884 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4885 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4886 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4887 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4888 canceled/superseded.
4890 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4893 @node Marking Articles
4894 @section Marking Articles
4895 @cindex article marking
4896 @cindex article ticking
4899 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4901 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4902 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4903 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4905 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4908 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4909 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4910 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4914 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4918 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4919 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4920 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4924 @node Unread Articles
4925 @subsection Unread Articles
4927 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4932 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4933 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4935 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4936 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4937 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4938 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
4939 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
4940 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
4941 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
4944 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4945 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4947 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4948 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4949 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4950 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
4954 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4955 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4957 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4962 @subsection Read Articles
4963 @cindex expirable mark
4965 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4970 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4971 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4972 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4975 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4976 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4979 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4980 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4981 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4984 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4985 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4988 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4989 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4992 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4993 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4996 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4997 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5000 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5001 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5004 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5005 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5008 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5009 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5013 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5014 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5015 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5019 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5020 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5022 One more special mark, though:
5026 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5027 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5029 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5030 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5031 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5032 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5038 @subsection Other Marks
5039 @cindex process mark
5042 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5048 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5049 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5050 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5051 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5052 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5055 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5056 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5057 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5058 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5060 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5061 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{O} in
5062 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5065 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5066 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5067 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5070 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5071 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5072 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5073 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5076 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5077 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5078 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5079 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5080 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5083 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5084 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5085 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5086 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5087 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5088 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5092 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5093 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5094 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5096 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5097 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5098 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5102 @subsection Setting Marks
5103 @cindex setting marks
5105 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5110 @kindex M c (Summary)
5111 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5112 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5113 @cindex mark as unread
5114 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5115 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5121 @kindex M t (Summary)
5122 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5123 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5124 @xref{Article Caching}.
5129 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5130 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5131 Mark the current article as dormant
5132 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5136 @kindex M d (Summary)
5138 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5139 Mark the current article as read
5140 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5144 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5145 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5146 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5151 @kindex M k (Summary)
5152 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5153 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5154 and then select the next unread article
5155 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5159 @kindex M K (Summary)
5160 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5161 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5162 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5163 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5166 @kindex M C (Summary)
5167 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5168 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5169 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5172 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5174 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5175 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5178 @kindex M H (Summary)
5179 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5180 Catchup the current group to point
5181 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5184 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5185 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5186 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5187 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5190 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5191 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5192 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5193 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5197 @kindex M e (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5200 Mark the current article as expirable
5201 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5204 @kindex M b (Summary)
5205 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5206 Set a bookmark in the current article
5207 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5210 @kindex M B (Summary)
5211 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5212 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5213 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5216 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5217 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5218 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5219 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5222 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5223 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5224 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5225 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5228 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5229 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5230 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5231 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5232 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5235 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5236 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5237 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5238 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5239 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5240 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5241 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5242 The default is @code{t}.
5245 @node Generic Marking Commands
5246 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5248 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5249 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5250 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5251 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5252 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5255 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5256 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5259 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5260 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5261 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5262 to list in this manual.
5264 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5265 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5266 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5267 article, you could say something like:
5270 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5271 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5272 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5278 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5279 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5283 @node Setting Process Marks
5284 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5285 @cindex setting process marks
5292 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5293 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5294 Mark the current article with the process mark
5295 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5296 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5300 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5301 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5302 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5303 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5306 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5308 Remove the process mark from all articles
5309 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5312 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5314 Invert the list of process marked articles
5315 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5318 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5320 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5321 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5324 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5325 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5326 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5327 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5330 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5331 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5332 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5335 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5336 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5337 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5338 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5341 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5342 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5343 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5344 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5347 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5348 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5349 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5350 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5353 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5354 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5355 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5358 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5359 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5360 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5361 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5364 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5365 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5366 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5369 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5370 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5371 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5372 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5375 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5376 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5377 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5378 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5381 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5382 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5383 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5384 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5387 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5388 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5389 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5390 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5394 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5395 set process marks based on article body contents.
5402 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5403 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5404 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5407 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5408 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5409 additional articles.
5415 @kindex / / (Summary)
5416 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5417 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5418 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5421 @kindex / a (Summary)
5422 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5423 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5424 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5427 @kindex / x (Summary)
5428 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5429 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5430 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5431 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5435 @kindex / u (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5438 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5439 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5440 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5441 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5444 @kindex / m (Summary)
5445 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5446 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5447 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5450 @kindex / t (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5452 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5453 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5454 articles younger than that number of days.
5457 @kindex / n (Summary)
5458 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5459 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5460 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5461 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5464 @kindex / w (Summary)
5465 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5466 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5467 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5471 @kindex / v (Summary)
5472 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5473 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5474 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5478 @kindex M S (Summary)
5479 @kindex / E (Summary)
5480 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5481 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5482 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5485 @kindex / D (Summary)
5486 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5487 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5488 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5491 @kindex / * (Summary)
5492 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5493 Include all cached articles in the limit
5494 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5497 @kindex / d (Summary)
5498 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5499 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5500 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5503 @kindex / M (Summary)
5504 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5505 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5508 @kindex / T (Summary)
5509 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5510 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5513 @kindex / c (Summary)
5514 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5515 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5516 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5519 @kindex / C (Summary)
5520 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5521 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5522 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5523 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5531 @cindex article threading
5533 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5534 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5535 hierarchical fashion.
5537 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5538 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5539 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5540 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5541 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5542 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5543 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5545 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5549 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5552 A tree-like article structure.
5555 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5558 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5559 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5560 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5561 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5562 called loose threads.
5564 @item thread gathering
5565 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5567 @item sparse threads
5568 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5569 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5575 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5576 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5580 @node Customizing Threading
5581 @subsection Customizing Threading
5582 @cindex customizing threading
5585 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5586 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5587 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5588 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5593 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5596 @cindex loose threads
5599 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5600 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5601 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5602 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5603 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5604 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5606 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5607 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5608 There are four possible values:
5612 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5613 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5614 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5615 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5616 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5621 @cindex adopting articles
5626 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5627 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5628 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5629 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5632 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5633 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5634 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5635 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5636 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5637 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5638 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5641 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5642 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5643 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5647 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5648 display them after one another.
5651 Don't gather loose threads.
5654 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5655 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5656 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5657 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5658 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5659 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5660 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5661 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5662 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5663 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5664 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5666 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5667 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5668 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5671 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5672 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5673 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5674 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5675 simplification is used.
5677 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5678 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5679 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5680 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5682 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5684 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5690 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5691 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5692 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5693 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5698 (mapconcat 'identity
5699 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5701 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5704 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5707 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5708 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5709 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5710 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5711 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5712 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5714 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5717 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5718 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5719 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5721 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5722 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5725 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5726 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5727 Remove excessive whitespace.
5730 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5733 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5734 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5735 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5736 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5737 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5738 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5739 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5740 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5742 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5743 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5744 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5745 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5746 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5747 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5748 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5749 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5750 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5754 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5755 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5756 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5757 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5759 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5760 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5761 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5764 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5768 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5769 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5775 @node Filling In Threads
5776 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5779 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5780 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5781 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5782 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5783 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5784 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5785 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5786 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5787 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5788 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5789 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5790 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5792 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5793 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5794 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5796 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5797 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5798 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5799 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5800 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5801 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5802 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5803 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5804 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5805 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5806 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5807 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5808 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5809 @code{nil} by default.
5811 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
5812 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
5813 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
5814 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the backend has to fetch
5815 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
5816 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
5817 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
5819 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
5820 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
5821 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
5826 @node More Threading
5827 @subsubsection More Threading
5830 @item gnus-show-threads
5831 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5832 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5833 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5834 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5835 slower and more awkward.
5837 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5838 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5839 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5842 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5843 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5844 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5845 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5846 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5847 threads are expunged.
5849 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5850 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5851 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5854 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5855 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5856 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5857 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
5858 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
5859 result in a new thread.
5861 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5862 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5863 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5866 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5867 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5868 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5869 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5870 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5871 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5872 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5873 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5874 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5875 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5876 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5881 @node Low-Level Threading
5882 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5886 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5887 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5888 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5890 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5891 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5892 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5893 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5894 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5895 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5896 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5897 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5898 meaningful. Here's one example:
5901 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5903 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5904 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5906 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5908 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5915 @node Thread Commands
5916 @subsection Thread Commands
5917 @cindex thread commands
5923 @kindex T k (Summary)
5924 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5925 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5926 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5927 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5928 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5933 @kindex T l (Summary)
5934 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5935 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5936 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5937 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5940 @kindex T i (Summary)
5941 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5942 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5943 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5946 @kindex T # (Summary)
5947 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5948 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5949 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5952 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5953 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5954 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5955 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5958 @kindex T T (Summary)
5959 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5960 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5963 @kindex T s (Summary)
5964 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5965 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5966 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5969 @kindex T h (Summary)
5970 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5971 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5974 @kindex T S (Summary)
5975 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5976 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5979 @kindex T H (Summary)
5980 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5981 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5984 @kindex T t (Summary)
5985 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5986 Re-thread the current article's thread
5987 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5988 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5991 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5992 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5993 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5994 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5998 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5999 understand the numeric prefix.
6004 @kindex T n (Summary)
6006 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6008 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6009 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6010 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6013 @kindex T p (Summary)
6015 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6017 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6019 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6022 @kindex T d (Summary)
6023 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6024 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6027 @kindex T u (Summary)
6028 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6029 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6032 @kindex T o (Summary)
6033 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6034 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6037 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6038 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6039 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6040 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6041 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6042 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6043 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6044 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6045 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6046 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6047 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6048 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6052 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6053 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6055 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6056 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6057 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6058 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6059 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6060 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6061 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6062 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6063 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6064 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6065 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6067 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6068 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6069 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6070 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6071 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6073 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6074 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6075 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6077 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6078 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6079 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6080 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6081 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6082 ascending article order.
6084 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6085 by number, you could do something like:
6088 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6089 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6090 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6091 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6094 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6095 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6096 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6097 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6098 which the articles arrived.
6100 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6104 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6106 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6107 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6110 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6111 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6112 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6113 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6116 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6117 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6118 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6119 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6120 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6121 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6122 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6123 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6124 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6125 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6126 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6127 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6128 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6130 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6134 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6135 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6136 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6141 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6142 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6143 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6144 @cindex article pre-fetch
6147 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6148 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6149 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6150 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6151 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6153 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6154 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6156 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6157 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6158 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6159 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6160 connection is blocked.
6162 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6163 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6164 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6165 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6167 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6168 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6169 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6170 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6173 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6176 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6177 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6178 happen automatically.
6180 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6181 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6182 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6183 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6184 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6185 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6186 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6188 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6189 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6190 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6191 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6192 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6193 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6194 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6195 data structure as the only parameter.
6197 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6200 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6201 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6202 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6203 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6206 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6209 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6210 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6211 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6213 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6214 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6215 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6216 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6220 Remove articles when they are read.
6223 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6226 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6228 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6229 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6230 @c from the next group.
6233 @node Article Caching
6234 @section Article Caching
6235 @cindex article caching
6238 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6239 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6240 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6241 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6242 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6244 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6246 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6247 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6248 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6249 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6250 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6251 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6252 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6253 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6255 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6256 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6257 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6258 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6259 as dormant, and don't worry.
6261 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6263 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6264 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6265 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6266 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6267 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6268 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6269 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6270 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6271 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6272 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6274 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6275 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6276 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6277 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6278 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6279 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6280 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6281 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6282 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6283 not then be downloaded by this command.
6285 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6286 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6287 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6288 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6289 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6290 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6292 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6293 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6294 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6295 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6296 variables, the group is not cached.
6298 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6299 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6300 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6301 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6302 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6303 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6304 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6305 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6306 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6310 @node Persistent Articles
6311 @section Persistent Articles
6312 @cindex persistent articles
6314 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6315 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6316 useful in my opinion.
6318 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6319 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6320 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6321 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6322 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6323 the expiry going on at the news server.
6325 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6326 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6327 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6333 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6334 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6337 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6338 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6339 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6340 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6344 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6346 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6347 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6348 interested in persistent articles:
6351 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6355 @node Article Backlog
6356 @section Article Backlog
6358 @cindex article backlog
6360 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6361 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6362 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6363 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6364 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6365 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6366 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6367 increase memory usage some.
6369 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6370 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6371 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6372 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6373 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6374 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6375 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6377 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6380 @node Saving Articles
6381 @section Saving Articles
6382 @cindex saving articles
6384 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6385 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6386 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6387 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6388 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6390 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6391 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6392 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6394 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6395 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6396 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6397 deleted before saving.
6403 @kindex O o (Summary)
6405 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6406 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6407 Save the current article using the default article saver
6408 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6411 @kindex O m (Summary)
6412 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6413 Save the current article in mail format
6414 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6417 @kindex O r (Summary)
6418 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6419 Save the current article in rmail format
6420 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6423 @kindex O f (Summary)
6424 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6425 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6426 Save the current article in plain file format
6427 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6430 @kindex O F (Summary)
6431 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6432 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6433 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6436 @kindex O b (Summary)
6437 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6438 Save the current article body in plain file format
6439 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6442 @kindex O h (Summary)
6443 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6444 Save the current article in mh folder format
6445 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6448 @kindex O v (Summary)
6449 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6450 Save the current article in a VM folder
6451 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6454 @kindex O p (Summary)
6455 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6456 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6457 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6460 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6461 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6462 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6463 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6464 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6465 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6466 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6467 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6468 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6469 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6470 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6471 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6475 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6476 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6477 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6478 functions below, or you can create your own.
6482 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6483 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6484 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6485 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6486 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6487 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6488 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6490 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6491 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6492 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6493 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6494 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6495 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6497 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6498 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6499 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6500 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6501 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6502 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6503 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6505 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6506 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6507 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6508 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6509 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6511 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6512 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6513 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6514 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6515 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6518 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6519 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6520 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6521 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6522 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6524 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6525 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6526 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6527 reader to use this setting.
6530 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6531 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6532 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6533 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6536 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6537 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6538 available functions that generate names:
6542 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6543 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6544 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6546 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6547 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6548 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6550 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6551 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6552 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6554 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6555 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6556 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6558 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6559 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6560 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6563 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6564 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6565 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6566 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6567 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6571 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6572 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6573 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6574 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6577 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6578 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6579 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6580 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6581 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6582 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6583 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6584 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6585 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6587 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6588 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6589 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6590 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6592 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6593 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6594 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6597 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6598 lots of mail groups called things like
6599 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6600 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6601 following will do just that:
6604 (defun my-save-name (group)
6605 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6606 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6608 (setq gnus-split-methods
6609 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6614 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6615 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6616 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6617 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6618 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6619 all the files in the top level directory
6620 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6621 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6622 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6623 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6625 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6626 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6627 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6628 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6629 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6632 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6636 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6637 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6640 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6641 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6642 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6643 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6646 @node Decoding Articles
6647 @section Decoding Articles
6648 @cindex decoding articles
6650 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6651 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6654 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6655 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6656 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6657 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6658 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6659 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6663 @cindex article series
6664 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6665 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6666 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6667 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6668 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6670 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6671 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6672 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6674 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6675 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6676 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6678 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6679 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6680 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6683 @node Uuencoded Articles
6684 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6686 @cindex uuencoded articles
6691 @kindex X u (Summary)
6692 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6693 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6694 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6697 @kindex X U (Summary)
6698 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6699 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6700 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6703 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6704 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6705 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6708 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6710 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6711 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6715 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6716 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6717 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6718 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6719 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6721 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6722 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6723 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6724 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6727 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6728 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6729 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6730 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6731 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6732 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6736 @node Shell Archives
6737 @subsection Shell Archives
6739 @cindex shell archives
6740 @cindex shared articles
6742 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6743 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6744 some commands to deal with these:
6749 @kindex X s (Summary)
6750 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6751 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6754 @kindex X S (Summary)
6755 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6756 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6759 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6760 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6761 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6764 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6765 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6766 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6767 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6771 @node PostScript Files
6772 @subsection PostScript Files
6778 @kindex X p (Summary)
6779 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6780 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6783 @kindex X P (Summary)
6784 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6785 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6786 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6789 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6790 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6791 View the current PostScript series
6792 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6795 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6796 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6797 View and save the current PostScript series
6798 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6803 @subsection Other Files
6807 @kindex X o (Summary)
6808 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6809 Save the current series
6810 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6813 @kindex X b (Summary)
6814 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6815 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6816 doesn't really work yet.
6820 @node Decoding Variables
6821 @subsection Decoding Variables
6823 Adjective, not verb.
6826 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6827 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6828 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6832 @node Rule Variables
6833 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6834 @cindex rule variables
6836 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6837 variables are of the form
6840 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6847 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6848 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6850 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6851 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6854 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6855 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6858 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6859 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6860 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6861 user and default view rules.
6863 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6864 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6865 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6870 @node Other Decode Variables
6871 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6874 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6876 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6877 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6878 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6879 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6880 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6884 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6885 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6888 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6889 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6890 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6893 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6894 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6895 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6896 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6897 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6900 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6901 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6902 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6904 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6905 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6906 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6907 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6908 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6911 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6912 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6913 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6915 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6916 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6917 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6918 looking for files to display.
6920 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6921 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6922 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6925 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6926 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6927 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6930 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6931 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6932 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6935 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6936 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6937 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6940 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6941 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6942 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6943 decoded articles as unread.
6945 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6946 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6947 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6948 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6950 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6951 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6952 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6954 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6955 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6957 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6958 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6959 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6960 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6962 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6963 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6964 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6965 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6966 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6967 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6968 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6969 simply dropped them.
6974 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6975 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6979 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6980 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6981 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6982 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6983 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6984 for you when you post the article.
6986 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6987 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6988 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6989 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6991 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6992 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6993 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6994 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6995 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6996 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6997 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6999 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7000 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7001 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7002 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7003 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7004 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7005 Default is @code{t}.
7011 @subsection Viewing Files
7012 @cindex viewing files
7013 @cindex pseudo-articles
7015 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7016 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7017 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7018 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7019 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7020 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7021 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7023 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7024 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7025 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7026 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7028 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7029 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7030 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7032 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7033 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7034 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7035 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7036 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7038 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7039 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7040 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7041 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7042 a list of parameters to that command.
7044 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7045 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7046 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7048 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7049 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7050 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7053 @node Article Treatment
7054 @section Article Treatment
7056 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7057 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7058 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7059 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7060 these articles easier.
7063 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7064 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7065 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7066 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7067 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7068 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7069 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7070 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7074 @node Article Highlighting
7075 @subsection Article Highlighting
7076 @cindex highlighting
7078 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7079 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7084 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7085 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7086 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7087 Do much highlighting of the current article
7088 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7089 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7092 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7093 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7094 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7095 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7096 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7097 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7098 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7099 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7100 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7101 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7102 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7103 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7106 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7107 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7108 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7110 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7113 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7115 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7116 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7117 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7119 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7120 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7121 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7123 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7124 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7125 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7126 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7127 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7128 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7130 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7131 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7132 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7134 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7135 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7136 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7138 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7139 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7140 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7141 that it's a citation.
7143 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7144 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7145 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7147 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7148 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7149 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7151 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7152 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7153 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7154 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7160 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7161 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7162 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7163 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7164 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7165 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7166 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7167 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7172 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7175 @node Article Fontisizing
7176 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7178 @cindex article emphasis
7180 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7181 @kindex W e (Summary)
7182 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7183 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7184 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7185 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7187 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7188 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7189 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7190 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7191 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7192 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7193 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7194 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7198 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7199 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7200 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7209 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7210 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7211 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7212 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7213 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7214 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7215 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7216 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7217 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7218 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7219 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7220 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7221 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7223 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7224 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7225 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7229 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7232 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7234 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7235 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7236 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7237 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7239 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7242 @node Article Hiding
7243 @subsection Article Hiding
7244 @cindex article hiding
7246 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7247 too much cruft in most articles.
7252 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7253 @findex gnus-article-hide
7254 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7255 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7256 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7259 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7260 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7261 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7265 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7266 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7267 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7268 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7271 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7272 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7273 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7277 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7278 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7279 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7280 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7281 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7282 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7283 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7284 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7288 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7289 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7290 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7291 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7296 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7297 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7298 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7299 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7300 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7301 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7302 articles that have signatures in them do:
7304 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7306 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7308 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7309 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7311 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7314 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7319 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7320 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7321 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7322 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7325 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7326 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7329 @cindex stripping advertisements
7330 @cindex advertisements
7331 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7332 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7333 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7334 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7335 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7336 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7337 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7338 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7339 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7340 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7344 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7345 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7346 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7347 customizing the hiding:
7351 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7352 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7353 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7354 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7355 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7356 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7357 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7362 Starting point of the hidden text.
7364 Ending point of the hidden text.
7366 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7368 Number of lines of hidden text.
7371 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7372 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7373 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7374 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7375 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7380 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7381 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7383 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7384 following two variables:
7387 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7388 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7389 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7390 50), hide the cited text.
7392 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7393 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7394 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7399 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7400 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7401 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7402 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7403 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7404 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7408 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7409 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7410 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7412 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7413 citation customization.
7415 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7419 @node Article Washing
7420 @subsection Article Washing
7422 @cindex article washing
7424 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7425 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7427 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7428 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7431 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7432 articles by default.
7437 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7438 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7442 @kindex W l (Summary)
7443 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7444 Remove page breaks from the current article
7445 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7449 @kindex W r (Summary)
7450 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7451 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7452 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7453 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7454 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7455 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7457 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7458 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7459 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7460 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7464 @kindex W t (Summary)
7466 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7467 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7468 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7471 @kindex W v (Summary)
7472 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7473 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7474 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7477 @kindex W o (Summary)
7478 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7479 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7482 @kindex W d (Summary)
7483 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7484 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7486 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7488 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7489 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7490 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7491 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7494 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7495 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7496 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7497 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7500 @kindex W w (Summary)
7501 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7502 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7504 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7508 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7509 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7510 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7513 @kindex W C (Summary)
7514 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7515 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7516 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7519 @kindex W c (Summary)
7520 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7521 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7522 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7523 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7524 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7527 @kindex W q (Summary)
7528 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7529 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7530 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7531 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7532 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7533 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7534 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7535 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7538 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7539 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7540 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7541 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7542 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7543 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7544 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7548 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7549 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7550 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7551 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7552 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7555 @kindex W h (Summary)
7556 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7557 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7558 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7559 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7563 @kindex W f (Summary)
7565 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7566 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7567 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7568 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7575 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7576 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7577 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7578 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7579 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7580 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7581 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7582 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7583 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7584 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7585 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7586 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7587 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7588 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7589 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7590 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7591 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7592 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7593 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7594 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7598 @kindex W b (Summary)
7599 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7600 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7601 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7604 @kindex W B (Summary)
7605 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7606 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7607 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7610 @kindex W p (Summary)
7611 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7612 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7613 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7614 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7615 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7616 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7617 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7620 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7621 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7622 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7623 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7626 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7627 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7628 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7629 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7632 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7633 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7634 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7635 lines with a single empty line.
7636 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7639 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7640 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7641 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7642 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7645 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7646 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7647 Do all the three commands above
7648 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7651 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7652 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7653 Remove all blank lines
7654 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7657 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7658 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7659 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7660 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7663 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7664 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7665 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7666 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7670 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7673 @node Article Buttons
7674 @subsection Article Buttons
7677 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7678 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7679 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7680 button on these references.
7682 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7683 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7684 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7689 @item gnus-button-alist
7690 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7691 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7694 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7700 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7701 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7702 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7705 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7706 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7707 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7710 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7711 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7712 avoid false matches.
7715 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7718 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7719 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7723 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7726 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7729 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7730 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7731 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7732 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7733 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7736 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7739 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7741 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7742 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7743 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7744 default values of the variables above.
7746 @item gnus-article-button-face
7747 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7748 Face used on buttons.
7750 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7751 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7752 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7756 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7760 @subsection Article Date
7762 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7763 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7764 when the article was sent.
7769 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7770 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7771 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7772 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7775 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7776 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7778 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7779 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7782 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7783 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7784 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7787 @kindex W T p (Summary)
7788 @findex gnus-article-date-english
7789 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
7790 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
7793 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7794 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7795 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7796 @findex format-time-string
7797 Display the date using a user-defined format
7798 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7799 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7800 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7801 for a list of possible format specs.
7804 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7805 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7806 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7807 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7808 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7809 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7812 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7815 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7816 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7819 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7820 into wonderful absurdities.
7822 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7825 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7828 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7829 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7833 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7834 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7835 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7836 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7837 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7838 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7839 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7843 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7844 preferred format automatically.
7847 @node Article Signature
7848 @subsection Article Signature
7850 @cindex article signature
7852 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7853 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7854 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7855 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7856 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7857 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7858 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7859 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7860 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7863 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7864 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7865 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7866 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7867 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7868 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7869 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7870 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7873 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7876 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7877 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7878 signature when displaying articles.
7882 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7885 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7888 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7889 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7891 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7892 in question is not a signature.
7895 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7896 listed above. Here's an example:
7899 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7900 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7903 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7904 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7905 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7906 signature after all.
7909 @node Article Miscellania
7910 @subsection Article Miscellania
7914 @kindex A t (Summary)
7915 @findex gnus-article-babel
7916 Translate the article from one language to another
7917 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7923 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7924 @cindex MIME decoding
7926 @cindex viewing attachments
7928 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7929 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7935 @kindex K v (Summary)
7936 View the @sc{mime} part.
7939 @kindex K o (Summary)
7940 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7943 @kindex K c (Summary)
7944 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7947 @kindex K e (Summary)
7948 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7951 @kindex K i (Summary)
7952 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7955 @kindex K | (Summary)
7956 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7959 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7964 @kindex K b (Summary)
7965 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7966 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7970 @kindex K m (Summary)
7971 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7972 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7973 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7974 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7975 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7978 @kindex X m (Summary)
7979 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7980 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7981 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7982 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7985 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7986 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7987 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7988 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7991 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7992 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7993 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7996 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7997 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7998 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8000 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8001 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8002 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8003 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8004 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8005 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8008 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8009 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8010 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8017 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8018 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8019 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8020 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8023 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8026 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8030 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8031 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8032 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8033 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8034 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
8036 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8037 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8038 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8039 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8040 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8041 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8042 save all jpegs into some directory).
8044 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8047 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8048 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8050 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8051 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8052 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8053 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8054 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8057 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8058 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8059 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8068 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8069 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8070 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8071 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8072 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8073 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8074 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8076 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8077 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8078 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match full group names) and
8079 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8081 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8082 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
8083 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8084 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8085 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
8086 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8087 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
8088 something some agents insist on having in there.
8090 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8091 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8092 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8093 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8094 quoted-printable header encoding.
8096 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8097 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8098 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8102 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8105 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8106 means encode all charsets),
8108 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8109 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8110 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8117 @cindex coding system aliases
8118 @cindex preferred charset
8120 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8122 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8123 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8126 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8127 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8130 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8131 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8133 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8136 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8139 This will almost do the right thing.
8141 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8145 (codepage-setup 1251)
8146 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8150 @node Article Commands
8151 @section Article Commands
8158 @kindex A P (Summary)
8159 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8160 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8161 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8162 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8163 run just before printing the buffer.
8168 @node Summary Sorting
8169 @section Summary Sorting
8170 @cindex summary sorting
8172 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8173 can't really see why you'd want that.
8178 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8179 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8180 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8183 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8184 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8185 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8188 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8189 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8190 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8193 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8194 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8195 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8198 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8199 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8200 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8203 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8204 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8205 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8208 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8209 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8210 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8213 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8214 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8215 Sort using the default sorting method
8216 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8219 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8220 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8221 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8222 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8223 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8227 @node Finding the Parent
8228 @section Finding the Parent
8229 @cindex parent articles
8230 @cindex referring articles
8235 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8236 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8237 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8238 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8239 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8240 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8241 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8242 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8243 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8245 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8246 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8247 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8248 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8249 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8253 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8254 @kindex A R (Summary)
8255 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8256 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8259 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8260 @kindex A T (Summary)
8261 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8262 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8263 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8264 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8265 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8266 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8267 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8269 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8270 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8271 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8272 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8273 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8274 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8277 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8278 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8280 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8281 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8282 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8283 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8284 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8285 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8286 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8289 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8290 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8291 by giving this command a prefix.
8293 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8294 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8295 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8296 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8297 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8298 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8301 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8302 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8303 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8306 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8307 then ask Deja if that fails:
8310 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8312 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8315 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8316 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8317 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8318 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8319 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8320 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8323 @node Alternative Approaches
8324 @section Alternative Approaches
8326 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8327 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8330 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8331 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8336 @subsection Pick and Read
8337 @cindex pick and read
8339 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8340 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8341 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8342 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8344 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8345 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8346 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8347 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8348 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8349 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8351 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8356 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8357 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8358 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8359 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8360 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8361 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8362 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8363 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8366 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8367 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8368 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8369 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8373 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8374 Unpick the thread or article
8375 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8376 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8377 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8378 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8379 the thread or article at that line.
8383 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8384 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8385 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8386 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8387 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8388 will still be visible when you are reading.
8392 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8393 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8394 which is mapped to the same function
8395 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8397 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8400 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8403 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8404 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8406 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8407 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8408 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8410 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8411 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8412 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8413 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8414 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8415 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8416 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8420 @subsection Binary Groups
8421 @cindex binary groups
8423 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8424 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8425 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8426 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8427 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8428 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8429 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8432 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8433 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8434 command, when you have turned on this mode
8435 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8437 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8438 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8442 @section Tree Display
8445 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8446 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8447 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8448 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8451 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8454 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8455 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8456 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8458 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8459 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8460 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8461 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8462 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8464 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8465 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8466 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8467 default is @code{modeline}.
8469 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8470 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8471 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8472 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8473 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8474 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8475 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8481 The name of the poster.
8483 The @code{From} header.
8485 The number of the article.
8487 The opening bracket.
8489 The closing bracket.
8494 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8496 Variables related to the display are:
8499 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8500 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8501 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8502 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8503 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8504 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8506 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8507 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8508 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8509 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8513 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8514 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8515 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8516 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8517 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8518 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8519 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8520 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8521 other windows displayed next to it.
8523 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8524 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8525 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8526 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8527 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8528 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8529 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8533 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8536 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8546 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8550 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8551 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8553 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8555 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8560 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8561 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8562 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8565 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8566 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8567 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8568 (gnus-add-configuration
8572 (summary 0.75 point)
8577 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8580 @node Mail Group Commands
8581 @section Mail Group Commands
8582 @cindex mail group commands
8584 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8585 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8587 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8588 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8593 @kindex B e (Summary)
8594 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8595 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8596 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8597 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8598 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8601 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8602 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8603 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8604 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8605 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8606 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8609 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8610 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8611 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8612 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8613 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8614 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8617 @kindex B m (Summary)
8619 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8620 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8621 Move the article from one mail group to another
8622 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8623 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8626 @kindex B c (Summary)
8628 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8629 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8630 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8631 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8632 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8635 @kindex B B (Summary)
8636 @cindex crosspost mail
8637 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8638 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8639 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8640 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8641 be properly updated.
8644 @kindex B i (Summary)
8645 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8646 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8647 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8648 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8651 @kindex B r (Summary)
8652 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8653 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8654 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8655 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8656 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8657 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8658 (which is the default).
8662 @kindex B w (Summary)
8664 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8665 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8666 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8667 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8668 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8669 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8672 @kindex B q (Summary)
8673 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8674 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8675 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8676 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8679 @kindex B t (Summary)
8680 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8681 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8682 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8685 @kindex B p (Summary)
8686 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8687 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8688 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8689 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8690 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8691 article from your news server (or rather, from
8692 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8693 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8694 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8695 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8696 just not have arrived yet.
8700 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8701 @cindex moving articles
8702 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8703 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8704 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8705 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8706 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8707 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8708 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8711 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8712 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8713 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8714 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8718 @node Various Summary Stuff
8719 @section Various Summary Stuff
8722 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8723 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8724 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8725 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8729 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8730 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8731 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8733 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8734 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8735 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8736 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8737 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8738 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8741 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8742 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8743 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8744 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8745 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8747 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8748 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8749 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8752 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8753 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8754 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8755 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8756 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8757 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8758 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8759 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8760 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8761 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8763 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8764 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8765 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8766 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8767 list of articles to be selected.
8769 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8770 the list in one particular group:
8773 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8774 (if (string= group "some.group")
8775 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8782 @node Summary Group Information
8783 @subsection Summary Group Information
8788 @kindex H f (Summary)
8789 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8790 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8791 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8792 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8793 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8794 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8795 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8796 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8797 be used for fetching the file.
8800 @kindex H d (Summary)
8801 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8802 Give a brief description of the current group
8803 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8804 rereading the description from the server.
8807 @kindex H h (Summary)
8808 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8809 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8810 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8813 @kindex H i (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8815 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8819 @node Searching for Articles
8820 @subsection Searching for Articles
8825 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8826 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8827 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8828 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8831 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8832 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8833 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8834 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8838 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8839 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8840 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8841 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8842 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8843 search backward instead.
8845 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8846 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8849 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8850 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8851 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8852 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8855 @node Summary Generation Commands
8856 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8861 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8862 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8863 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8866 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8867 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8868 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8869 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8874 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8875 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8881 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8882 @kindex A D (Summary)
8883 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8884 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8885 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8886 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8887 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8888 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8889 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8890 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8894 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8895 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8896 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8897 several documents into one biiig group
8898 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8899 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8900 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8901 command understands the process/prefix convention
8902 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8905 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8906 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8907 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8908 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8909 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8910 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8914 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8915 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8916 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8919 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8920 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8921 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8922 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8925 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8926 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8927 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8928 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8933 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8934 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8935 @cindex summary exit
8936 @cindex exiting groups
8938 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8939 group and return you to the group buffer.
8945 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8947 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8948 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8949 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8950 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8951 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8952 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8953 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8954 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8955 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8956 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8957 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8961 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8963 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8964 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8965 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8969 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8971 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8972 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8973 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8974 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8977 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8978 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8979 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8980 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8983 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8984 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8985 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8986 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8989 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8990 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8991 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8992 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8993 all articles, both read and unread.
8997 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8998 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8999 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9000 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9001 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9002 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9003 articles, both read and unread.
9006 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9007 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9008 Exit the group and go to the next group
9009 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9012 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9013 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9014 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9015 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9018 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9019 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9020 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9021 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9022 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9023 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9026 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9027 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9028 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9029 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9031 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9032 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9033 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9034 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9035 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9036 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9037 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9038 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9039 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9040 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9041 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9042 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9044 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9046 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9047 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9048 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9049 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9050 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9051 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9052 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9053 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9054 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9057 @node Crosspost Handling
9058 @section Crosspost Handling
9062 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9063 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9064 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9065 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9066 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9067 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9070 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9071 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9072 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9073 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9074 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9076 @cindex cross-posting
9079 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9080 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9081 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9082 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9083 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9084 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9085 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9086 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9087 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9088 the cross reference mechanism.
9090 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9091 @cindex overview.fmt
9092 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9093 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9094 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9095 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9096 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9097 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9100 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9101 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9102 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9107 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9110 @node Duplicate Suppression
9111 @section Duplicate Suppression
9113 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9114 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9115 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9116 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9121 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9122 is evil and not very common.
9125 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9126 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9129 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9130 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9133 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9136 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9137 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9139 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9140 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9141 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9142 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9143 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9144 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9145 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9148 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9149 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9150 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9151 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9152 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9156 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9157 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9158 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9160 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9161 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9162 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9163 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9164 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9165 session are suppressed.
9167 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9168 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9169 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9170 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9172 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9173 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9174 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9175 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9178 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9179 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9180 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9181 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9182 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9183 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9184 to you to figure out, I think.
9189 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9194 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9200 @item mm-verify-option
9201 @vindex mm-verify-option
9202 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9203 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9204 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9206 @item mm-decrypt-option
9207 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9208 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9209 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9210 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9214 @node Article Buffer
9215 @chapter Article Buffer
9216 @cindex article buffer
9218 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9219 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9220 tell Gnus otherwise.
9223 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9224 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9225 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9226 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9227 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9231 @node Hiding Headers
9232 @section Hiding Headers
9233 @cindex hiding headers
9234 @cindex deleting headers
9236 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9237 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9239 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9240 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9241 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9242 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9243 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9244 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9245 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9246 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9247 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9249 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9253 @item gnus-visible-headers
9254 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9255 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9256 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9257 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9259 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9260 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9263 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9266 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9269 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9270 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9271 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9272 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9273 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9274 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9276 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9277 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9280 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9283 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9286 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9287 variable will have no effect.
9291 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9292 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9293 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9294 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9295 the headers are to be displayed.
9297 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9298 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9301 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9304 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9305 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9307 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9308 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9309 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9310 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9311 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9312 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9313 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9316 These conditions are:
9319 Remove all empty headers.
9321 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9322 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9324 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9327 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9330 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9331 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9333 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9336 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9338 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9341 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9344 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9345 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9348 This is also the default value for this variable.
9352 @section Using @sc{mime}
9355 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9356 while people stand around yawning.
9358 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9359 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9361 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9362 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9363 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9365 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9366 @findex gnus-display-mime
9367 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9368 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9369 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9370 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9372 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9376 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9378 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9379 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9380 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9382 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9383 @item M-RET (Article)
9385 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9386 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9388 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9390 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9391 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9393 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
9395 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9396 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
9398 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9400 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9401 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9403 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
9405 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
9406 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
9407 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
9408 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
9409 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
9410 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
9412 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9414 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9415 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9417 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9419 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9420 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9421 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9422 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9423 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9426 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
9428 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
9429 viewer is available, use an external viewer
9430 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
9432 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
9434 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
9435 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
9437 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9439 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9441 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9443 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9444 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9448 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9449 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9452 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9453 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9454 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9455 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9456 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9457 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9458 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9459 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9460 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9462 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9464 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9467 @node Customizing Articles
9468 @section Customizing Articles
9469 @cindex article customization
9471 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9472 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9473 called automatically when you select the articles.
9475 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9476 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9477 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9478 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9480 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9481 for sensible values.
9485 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9488 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9491 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9494 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9497 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9501 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9502 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9503 regexps in the list.
9506 A list where the first element is not a string:
9508 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9509 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9510 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9514 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9519 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9520 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9521 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9522 considered to contain just a single part.
9524 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9525 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9526 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9527 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9528 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9529 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9530 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9532 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9533 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9534 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9535 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9538 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9539 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9540 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9541 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9542 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9543 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9544 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9545 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9546 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9547 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9548 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9549 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9550 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9551 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9552 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9553 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9554 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9555 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9556 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9557 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9558 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9559 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9560 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9561 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9562 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9563 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9564 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9565 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9566 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9567 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9568 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9569 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9570 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9571 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9572 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9573 @item gnus-treat-translate
9576 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9577 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9578 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9579 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9580 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9584 @node Article Keymap
9585 @section Article Keymap
9587 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9588 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9589 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9590 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9593 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9598 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9599 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9600 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9603 @kindex DEL (Article)
9604 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9605 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9608 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9609 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9610 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9611 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9612 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9615 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9616 @findex gnus-article-mail
9617 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9618 given a prefix, include the mail.
9622 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9623 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9624 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9628 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9629 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9630 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9633 @kindex TAB (Article)
9634 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9635 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9636 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9639 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9640 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9641 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9647 @section Misc Article
9651 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9652 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9653 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9654 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9657 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9658 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9660 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9661 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9663 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9664 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9665 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9666 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9667 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9668 the contents of the article buffer.
9670 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9671 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9672 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9674 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9675 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9676 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9677 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9679 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9680 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9681 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9682 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9683 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9688 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9689 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9692 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9695 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9697 @item gnus-break-pages
9698 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9699 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9700 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9701 paging will not be done.
9703 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9704 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9705 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9710 @node Composing Messages
9711 @chapter Composing Messages
9712 @cindex composing messages
9715 @cindex sending mail
9721 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9722 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9723 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9724 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9725 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9726 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9729 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9730 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9731 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9732 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9733 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9734 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9735 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9736 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9739 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9740 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9746 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9749 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9750 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9751 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9752 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9754 @item gnus-add-to-list
9755 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9756 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9757 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9762 @node Posting Server
9763 @section Posting Server
9765 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9766 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9768 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9770 @vindex gnus-post-method
9772 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
9773 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
9774 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
9775 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
9776 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9777 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9778 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9781 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9784 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9785 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9786 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9787 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behaviour, for posting.
9789 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9790 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9792 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9793 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9796 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
9797 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
9801 @section Mail and Post
9803 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9807 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9808 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9809 @cindex mailing lists
9811 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9812 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9813 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9814 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9815 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9816 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9817 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9818 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9819 still a pain, though.
9823 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9824 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9825 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9828 @findex ispell-message
9830 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9833 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9834 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9837 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9841 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
9842 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9844 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9847 Modify to suit your needs.
9850 @node Archived Messages
9851 @section Archived Messages
9852 @cindex archived messages
9853 @cindex sent messages
9855 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9856 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9857 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9858 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9861 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9862 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9863 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9867 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9868 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9869 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9870 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9873 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9874 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
9875 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9876 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9879 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9880 '(nnfolder "archive"
9881 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9882 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9883 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9886 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9888 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9889 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9890 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9892 This variable can be used to do the following:
9896 Messages will be saved in that group.
9898 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9899 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9900 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9901 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9902 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9903 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9904 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9905 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9907 @item a list of strings
9908 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9909 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9910 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9912 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9917 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9919 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9922 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9924 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9927 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9929 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9930 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9931 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9932 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9937 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9938 '((if (message-news-p)
9943 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9944 messages in one file per month:
9947 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9948 '((if (message-news-p)
9950 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9953 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9954 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9956 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9957 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9958 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9959 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9960 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9961 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9962 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9963 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9964 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9965 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9967 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9968 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9969 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9970 this will disable archiving.
9973 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9974 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9975 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9976 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9977 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9980 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9981 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9982 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9985 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9986 but the latter is the preferred method.
9988 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9989 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9990 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9995 @node Posting Styles
9996 @section Posting Styles
9997 @cindex posting styles
10000 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10002 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10003 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10004 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10007 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10008 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10009 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10010 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10011 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10016 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10017 (organization "What me?"))
10019 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10020 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10021 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10024 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10025 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10026 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10027 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10028 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10029 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10030 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10031 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10033 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10034 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10035 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10036 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10037 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10038 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10039 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10040 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10041 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10043 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10044 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10045 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10046 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10047 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10048 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10049 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10050 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10051 result is thrown away.
10053 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10054 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10055 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10056 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10057 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10058 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10060 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10061 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10062 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10064 @findex message-mail-p
10065 @findex message-news-p
10067 So here's a new example:
10070 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10072 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10074 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10075 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10077 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10078 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10079 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10081 (signature my-news-signature))
10082 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10083 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10084 ((posting-from-work-p)
10085 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10086 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10087 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10088 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10090 (From (save-excursion
10091 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10092 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10094 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10097 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10098 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10099 if you fill many roles.
10106 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10107 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10108 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10109 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10110 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10112 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10113 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10114 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10115 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10116 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10120 @vindex nndraft-directory
10121 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10122 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10123 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10124 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10125 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10126 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10128 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10129 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10132 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10133 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10134 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10135 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10136 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10137 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10138 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10139 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10140 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10141 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10142 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10143 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10144 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10145 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10147 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10148 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10149 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10151 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10152 @kindex D e (Draft)
10153 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10154 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10155 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10157 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10160 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10161 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10162 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10163 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10164 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10165 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10166 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10169 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10170 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10171 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10174 @node Rejected Articles
10175 @section Rejected Articles
10176 @cindex rejected articles
10178 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10179 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10180 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10181 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10183 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10184 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10185 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10186 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10187 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10189 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10190 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10191 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10197 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10198 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10199 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10201 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10202 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10206 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10207 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10210 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10211 to 700, for your own safety.
10213 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10214 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10218 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10221 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10222 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10225 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10228 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10229 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10230 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10231 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10232 encrypt using S/MIME.
10234 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10235 you've typed it correctly.
10237 @node Select Methods
10238 @chapter Select Methods
10239 @cindex foreign groups
10240 @cindex select methods
10242 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10243 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10244 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10245 personal mail group.
10247 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10248 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10249 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10250 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10251 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10252 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10254 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10255 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10257 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10260 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10261 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10262 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10263 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10264 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10266 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10269 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10270 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10271 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10272 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10273 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10274 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10275 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10279 @node Server Buffer
10280 @section Server Buffer
10282 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10283 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10284 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10285 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10286 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10287 backend represents a virtual server.
10289 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10290 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10291 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10292 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10294 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10295 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10296 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10297 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10298 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10299 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10300 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10302 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10303 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10306 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10307 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10308 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10309 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10310 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10311 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10312 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10315 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10316 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10319 @node Server Buffer Format
10320 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10321 @cindex server buffer format
10323 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10324 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10325 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10326 variable, with some simple extensions:
10331 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10334 The name of this server.
10337 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10340 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10343 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10344 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10345 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10346 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10356 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10359 @node Server Commands
10360 @subsection Server Commands
10361 @cindex server commands
10367 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10368 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10372 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10373 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10376 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10377 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10378 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10382 @findex gnus-server-exit
10383 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10387 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10388 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10392 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10393 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10397 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10398 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10402 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10403 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10407 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10408 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10409 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10414 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10415 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10416 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10417 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10422 @node Example Methods
10423 @subsection Example Methods
10425 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10428 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10431 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10437 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10438 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10441 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10442 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10444 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10445 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10449 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10452 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10453 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10455 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10456 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10457 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10461 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10464 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10467 Here's the method for a public spool:
10471 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10472 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10478 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10479 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10480 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10481 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10482 should probably look something like this:
10486 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10487 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10488 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10489 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10490 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10493 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10494 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10495 server that would look something like this:
10499 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10500 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10501 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10502 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10503 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10504 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10507 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10508 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10509 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10510 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10513 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10514 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10516 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10517 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10519 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10520 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10521 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10523 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10525 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10526 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10527 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10528 will contain the following:
10538 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10539 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10540 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10543 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10544 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10545 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10548 @node Server Variables
10549 @subsection Server Variables
10551 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10552 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10553 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10554 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10555 won't change the "derived" variables.
10557 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10558 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10559 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10560 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10561 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10562 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10563 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10564 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10565 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10569 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10570 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10571 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10575 @node Servers and Methods
10576 @subsection Servers and Methods
10578 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10579 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10580 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10581 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10585 @node Unavailable Servers
10586 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10588 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10589 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10590 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10591 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10592 actually the case or not.
10594 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10595 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10596 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10597 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10598 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10599 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10600 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10601 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10603 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10604 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10606 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
10607 with the following commands:
10613 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10614 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10615 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10619 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10620 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10621 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10625 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10626 Mark the current server as unreachable
10627 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10630 @kindex M-o (Server)
10631 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10632 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10633 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10636 @kindex M-c (Server)
10637 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10638 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10639 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10643 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10644 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10645 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10651 @section Getting News
10652 @cindex reading news
10653 @cindex news backends
10655 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10656 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10657 or it can read from a local spool.
10660 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10661 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10666 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10669 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10670 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10671 server as the, uhm, address.
10673 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10674 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10675 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10676 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10678 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10679 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10680 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10682 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10687 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10688 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10689 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10691 @cindex authentification
10692 @cindex nntp authentification
10693 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10694 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10695 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10696 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10697 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10698 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10699 present in this hook.
10701 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10702 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10703 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10704 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10705 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10706 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10707 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10708 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10709 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10710 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10711 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10712 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10716 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10719 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10721 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10722 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10723 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10724 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10725 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10726 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10727 @samp{force} is explained below.
10731 Here's an example file:
10734 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10735 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10738 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10739 have to be first, for instance.
10741 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10742 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10743 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10744 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10745 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10746 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10747 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10749 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10750 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10756 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10757 previously mentioned.
10759 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10761 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10762 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10763 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10764 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10765 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10768 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10769 '(("innd" (ding))))
10772 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10774 The default value is
10777 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10778 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10781 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10782 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10784 @item nntp-maximum-request
10785 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10786 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10787 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10788 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10789 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10790 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10791 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10793 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10794 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10795 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10796 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10797 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10798 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10799 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10800 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10801 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10802 no timeouts are done.
10804 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10805 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10806 @c @cindex PPP connections
10807 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10808 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10809 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10810 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10811 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10812 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10813 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10814 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10815 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10816 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10818 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10819 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10820 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10821 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10822 @c described above.
10824 @item nntp-server-hook
10825 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10826 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10829 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10830 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10831 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10832 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10833 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10834 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10835 functions are supplied:
10838 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10839 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10842 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10843 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10844 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10847 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10851 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10852 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10853 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10854 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10856 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10857 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10858 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10860 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10861 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10862 User name on the remote system.
10866 @item nntp-open-telnet
10867 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10868 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10870 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10873 @item nntp-telnet-command
10874 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10875 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10877 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10878 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10879 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10881 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10882 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10883 User name for log in on the remote system.
10885 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10886 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10887 Password to use when logging in.
10889 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10890 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10891 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10894 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10895 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10896 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10897 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10899 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10900 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10901 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10902 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10903 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10907 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10908 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10909 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10910 you must have SSLay installed
10911 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10912 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
10913 define a server as follows:
10916 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10918 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10920 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10921 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10922 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10923 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10928 @item nntp-end-of-line
10929 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10930 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10931 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10932 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10934 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10935 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10936 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10940 @vindex nntp-address
10941 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10943 @item nntp-port-number
10944 @vindex nntp-port-number
10945 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10948 @item nntp-buggy-select
10949 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10950 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10952 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10953 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10954 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10955 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10958 @item nntp-xover-commands
10959 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10962 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10963 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10967 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10968 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10969 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10970 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10971 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10972 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10973 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10974 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10975 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10976 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10977 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10979 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10980 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10981 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10983 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10984 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10985 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10986 server closes connection.
10988 @item nntp-record-commands
10989 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10990 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10991 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10992 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10993 that doesn't seem to work.
10999 @subsection News Spool
11003 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11004 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11005 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11008 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11009 anything else) as the address.
11011 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11012 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11013 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11014 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11018 @item nnspool-inews-program
11019 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11020 Program used to post an article.
11022 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11023 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11024 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11026 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11027 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11028 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11029 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11031 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11032 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11033 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11034 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11036 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11037 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11038 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11040 @item nnspool-active-file
11041 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11042 The path to the active file.
11044 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11045 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11046 The path to the group descriptions file.
11048 @item nnspool-history-file
11049 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11050 The path to the news history file.
11052 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11053 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11054 The path to the active date file.
11056 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11057 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11058 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11061 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11062 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11064 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11065 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11066 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11072 @section Getting Mail
11073 @cindex reading mail
11076 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11080 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11081 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11082 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11083 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11084 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11085 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11086 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11087 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11088 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11089 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11090 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11091 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
11092 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11096 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11097 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11099 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11100 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11101 of a culture shock.
11103 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11104 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11106 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11107 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11108 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11109 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11111 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11113 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11114 deleted? How awful!
11116 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11117 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11118 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11119 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11122 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11123 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11124 they want to treat a message.
11126 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11127 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11128 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11129 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11130 archived somewhere else.
11132 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11133 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11134 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11135 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11136 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11138 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11139 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11140 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11142 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11143 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11146 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11147 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11148 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11149 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11150 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11152 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11153 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11154 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11155 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11156 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11157 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11161 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11162 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11164 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11165 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11166 and things will happen automatically.
11168 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11169 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11172 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11173 '((nnml "private")))
11176 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11177 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11178 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11179 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11180 like any other group.
11182 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11185 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11186 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11187 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11191 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11192 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11193 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11196 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11197 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11198 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11201 @node Splitting Mail
11202 @subsection Splitting Mail
11203 @cindex splitting mail
11204 @cindex mail splitting
11206 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11207 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11208 to be split into groups.
11211 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11212 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11213 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11214 ("mail.other" "")))
11217 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11218 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11219 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11220 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11221 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11222 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11223 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11226 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11229 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11230 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11231 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11232 mail belongs in that group.
11234 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11235 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11236 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11237 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11238 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11239 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11241 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11242 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11243 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11244 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11245 thinks should carry this mail message.
11247 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11248 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11249 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11250 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11252 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11253 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11254 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11255 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11256 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11258 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11261 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11262 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11263 links. If that's the case for you, set
11264 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11265 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11267 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11268 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11269 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11270 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11271 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11272 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11275 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11276 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11277 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11278 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11279 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11280 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11281 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11282 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11283 month's rent money.
11287 @subsection Mail Sources
11289 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11290 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11294 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11295 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11296 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11300 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11301 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11303 @cindex mail server
11306 @cindex mail source
11308 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11309 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11314 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11317 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11318 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11319 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11322 The following mail source types are available:
11326 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11332 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11333 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11336 An example file mail source:
11339 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11342 Or using the default path:
11348 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11349 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11350 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11353 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11357 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11360 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11364 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11367 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11369 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11372 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11376 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11377 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11378 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11379 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11380 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11386 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11390 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11394 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11395 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11396 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11397 predicate are considered.
11401 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11405 An example directory mail source:
11408 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11413 Get mail from a POP server.
11419 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11420 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11423 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11424 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11425 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11426 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11427 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11430 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11434 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11438 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11439 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11442 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11445 The valid format specifier characters are:
11449 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11450 included in this string.
11453 The name of the server.
11456 The port number of the server.
11459 The user name to use.
11462 The password to use.
11465 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11466 corresponding keywords.
11469 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11470 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11473 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11474 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11477 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11478 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11481 @item :authentication
11482 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11483 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11488 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11489 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11491 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11492 default user name, and default fetcher:
11498 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11501 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11502 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11505 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11508 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11512 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11513 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11514 contains exactly one mail.
11520 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11521 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11524 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11525 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11527 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11528 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11529 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11532 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11533 from locking problems).
11537 Two example maildir mail sources:
11540 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11544 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11548 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11549 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11550 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11551 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11558 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11559 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11562 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11563 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11566 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11570 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11574 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11575 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11576 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11578 @item :authentication
11579 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11580 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11581 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11585 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
11586 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
11587 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
11593 The valid format specifier characters are:
11597 The name of the server.
11600 User name from `imap-default-user'.
11603 The port number of the server.
11606 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11607 corresponding keywords.
11610 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11611 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11614 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11615 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11616 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11617 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11618 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11619 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11622 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11623 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11624 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11625 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11628 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11629 after finishing the fetch.
11633 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11636 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11640 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11641 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11643 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11646 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11647 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11649 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11655 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11656 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11659 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11663 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11667 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11668 folder after finishing the fetch.
11672 An example webmail source:
11675 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11680 @item Common Keywords
11681 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11687 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11688 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11692 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11697 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11698 useful when you use local mail and news.
11703 @subsubsection Function Interface
11705 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11706 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11707 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11708 consider the following mail-source setting:
11711 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11712 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11715 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11716 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11717 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11718 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11719 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11721 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11724 @node Mail Source Customization
11725 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11727 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11728 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11732 @item mail-source-crash-box
11733 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11734 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11735 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11737 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11738 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11739 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11741 @item mail-source-directory
11742 @vindex mail-source-directory
11743 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11744 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11745 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11748 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11749 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11750 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11751 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11752 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11753 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11755 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11756 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11757 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11762 @node Fetching Mail
11763 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11765 @vindex mail-sources
11766 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11767 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11768 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11769 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11771 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11772 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11775 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11776 mail server, you'd say something like:
11781 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11782 :password "secret")))
11785 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11789 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11790 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11793 :password "secret")))
11797 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11798 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11799 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11800 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11801 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11802 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11806 @node Mail Backend Variables
11807 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11809 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11813 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11814 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11815 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11816 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11818 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11819 @item nnmail-split-hook
11820 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11821 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11822 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11823 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11824 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11825 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11826 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11827 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11828 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11831 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11832 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11833 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11834 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11835 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11836 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11837 starting to handle the new mail) and
11838 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11839 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11840 default file modes the new mail files get:
11843 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11844 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11846 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11847 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11850 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11851 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11852 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11853 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11854 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11855 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11856 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11858 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11859 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11860 @findex delete-file
11861 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11863 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11864 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11865 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11866 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11867 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11872 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11873 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11874 @cindex mail splitting
11875 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11877 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11878 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11879 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11880 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11881 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11882 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11884 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11887 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11888 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11889 ;; from real errors.
11890 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11892 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11893 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11894 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11895 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11896 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11897 ;; Other mailing lists...
11898 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11899 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11900 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11901 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11902 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11903 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11904 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11905 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11907 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11908 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11912 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11913 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11914 the five possible split syntaxes:
11919 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11920 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11924 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11925 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11926 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11927 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11928 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11929 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11930 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11931 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11934 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11935 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11936 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11937 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11940 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11941 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11944 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11945 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11948 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11949 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11950 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11951 function should return a @var{split}.
11954 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11955 body of the messages:
11958 (defun split-on-body ()
11960 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11961 (goto-char (point-min))
11962 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11966 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
11967 when the @code{:} function is run.
11970 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11971 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11972 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11976 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11980 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11981 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11982 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11983 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11984 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11986 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11987 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11988 are expanded as specified by the variable
11989 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11990 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11993 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11994 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11995 when all this splitting is performed.
11997 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11998 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11999 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12002 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12005 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12006 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12008 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12009 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12010 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12011 groupings 1 through 9.
12013 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12014 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12015 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12016 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12017 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12018 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12019 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12020 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12021 it once per thread.
12023 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
12024 non-nil value. And then you can include
12025 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
12027 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12028 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12029 ;; other splits go here
12033 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12034 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12035 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12036 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12037 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12038 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12039 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12040 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12041 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
12042 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
12043 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
12044 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300
12046 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12047 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12048 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12049 messages goes into the new group.
12052 @node Group Mail Splitting
12053 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12054 @cindex mail splitting
12055 @cindex group mail splitting
12057 @findex gnus-group-split
12058 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12059 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12060 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12061 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12062 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12063 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12064 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12065 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12067 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12068 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12069 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12070 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12072 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12073 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12074 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12075 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12076 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12077 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12078 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12080 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12081 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12082 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12083 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12084 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12085 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12086 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12088 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12089 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12090 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12091 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12092 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12093 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12094 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12095 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12096 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12097 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12098 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12099 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12100 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12102 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12107 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12108 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12110 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12111 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12112 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12113 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12115 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12118 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12119 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12120 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12123 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12124 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12125 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12129 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12130 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12131 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12135 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12138 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12139 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12140 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12141 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12142 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12143 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12144 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12145 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12146 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12148 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12149 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12150 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12151 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12152 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12153 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12154 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12155 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12156 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12158 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12159 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12160 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12161 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12162 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12163 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12166 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12169 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12170 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12171 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12172 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12173 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12176 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12177 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12178 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12179 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12181 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12182 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12184 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12185 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12186 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12189 Doing so can be quite easy.
12191 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12192 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12193 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12194 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12195 your @code{nnml} groups.
12201 Go to the group buffer.
12204 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12205 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12208 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12211 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12212 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12215 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12216 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12219 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12220 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12221 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12222 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12223 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12225 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12226 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12227 using the new mail backend.
12230 @node Expiring Mail
12231 @subsection Expiring Mail
12232 @cindex article expiry
12234 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12235 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12236 different approach to mail reading.
12238 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12239 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12240 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12241 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12242 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12243 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12246 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12247 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12248 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12249 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12250 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12251 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12252 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12253 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12255 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12256 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12257 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12258 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12259 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12260 column in the summary buffer.
12262 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12263 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12264 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12265 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12268 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12270 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12271 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12272 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12275 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12276 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12277 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12278 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12279 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12281 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12282 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12285 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12286 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12289 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12290 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12292 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12293 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12294 don't really mix very well.
12296 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12297 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12298 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12299 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12302 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12303 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12304 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12305 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12308 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12310 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12312 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12314 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12316 ((string= group "important")
12322 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12323 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12325 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12326 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12327 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12330 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12331 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12333 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12334 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12335 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12336 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12337 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12338 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12339 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12340 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12341 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12342 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12343 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12344 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12347 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12349 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12353 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12354 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12355 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12356 easier for procmail users.
12358 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12359 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12360 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12361 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12362 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12363 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12364 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12365 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12366 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12367 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12368 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12369 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12370 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12373 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12375 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12376 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12377 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12378 auto-expire turned on.
12382 @subsection Washing Mail
12383 @cindex mail washing
12384 @cindex list server brain damage
12385 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12387 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12388 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12389 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12390 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12391 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12392 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12394 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12395 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12396 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12399 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12400 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12401 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12402 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12405 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12406 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12407 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12408 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12409 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12412 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12413 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12414 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12415 Emacs running on MS machines.
12419 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12420 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12421 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12422 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12425 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12426 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12427 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12428 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12430 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12431 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12432 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12433 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12434 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12435 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12436 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12439 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12440 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12443 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12444 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12447 This can also be done non-destructively with
12448 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12450 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12451 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12452 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12454 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12455 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12457 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12458 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12459 @code{References} headers.
12463 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12464 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12465 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12469 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12470 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12471 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12478 @subsection Duplicates
12480 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12481 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12482 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12483 @cindex duplicate mails
12484 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12485 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12486 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12487 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12488 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12489 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12490 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12491 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12492 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12493 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12494 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12495 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12496 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12498 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12499 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12500 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12501 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12503 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12506 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12507 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12511 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12512 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12513 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12514 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12515 (any mail "mail.misc")
12522 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12523 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12528 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12529 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12530 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12531 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12532 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12535 @node Not Reading Mail
12536 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12538 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12539 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12540 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12542 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12543 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12544 mail, which should help.
12546 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12547 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12548 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12549 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12550 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12551 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12552 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12553 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12554 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12555 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12556 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12558 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12559 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12563 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12564 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12566 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12567 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12568 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12570 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12571 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12572 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12573 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12576 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12577 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12578 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12579 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12580 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12581 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12585 @node Unix Mail Box
12586 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12588 @cindex unix mail box
12590 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12591 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12592 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12593 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12594 which group it belongs in.
12596 Virtual server settings:
12599 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12600 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12601 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
12604 @item nnmbox-active-file
12605 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12606 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
12607 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
12609 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12610 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12611 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12612 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
12617 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12621 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12622 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12623 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12624 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12625 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12627 Virtual server settings:
12630 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12631 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12632 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
12634 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12635 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12636 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
12637 @file{~/.rmail-active}
12639 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12640 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12641 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
12647 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12649 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12651 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12652 format. It should be used with some caution.
12654 @vindex nnml-directory
12655 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12656 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12657 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12658 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12660 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12663 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12664 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12665 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12666 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12667 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12668 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12669 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12670 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12672 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12673 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12674 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12675 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12677 Virtual server settings:
12680 @item nnml-directory
12681 @vindex nnml-directory
12682 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12683 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
12686 @item nnml-active-file
12687 @vindex nnml-active-file
12688 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
12689 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
12691 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12692 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12693 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12694 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
12696 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12697 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12698 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
12701 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12702 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12703 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
12704 default is @code{nil}
12706 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12707 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12708 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12710 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12711 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12712 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12716 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12717 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12718 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12719 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12720 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12721 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12722 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12727 @subsubsection MH Spool
12729 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12731 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12732 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12733 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12734 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12736 Virtual server settings:
12739 @item nnmh-directory
12740 @vindex nnmh-directory
12741 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
12742 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
12745 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12746 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12747 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
12751 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12752 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12753 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12754 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12755 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12756 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12757 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
12762 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12764 @cindex mbox folders
12765 @cindex mail folders
12767 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12768 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12769 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12772 Virtual server settings:
12775 @item nnfolder-directory
12776 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12777 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12778 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
12781 @item nnfolder-active-file
12782 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12783 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
12785 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12786 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12787 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12788 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
12790 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12791 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12792 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
12795 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12796 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12797 @cindex backup files
12798 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12799 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12800 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12801 your @file{.emacs} file:
12804 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12805 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12807 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12810 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12811 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12812 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12813 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12814 extract some information from it before removing it.
12816 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12817 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12818 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
12819 default is @code{nil}.
12824 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12825 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12826 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12827 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12828 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12829 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12832 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12833 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12835 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12836 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12837 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12838 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12839 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12841 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12842 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12843 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12844 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12845 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12846 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12847 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12848 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12851 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12852 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12853 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12854 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12859 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12860 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12861 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12862 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12863 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12864 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12865 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12866 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12867 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12868 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12869 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12870 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12871 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12876 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12877 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12878 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12879 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12880 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12881 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12882 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12883 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12884 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12885 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12886 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12887 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12888 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12889 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12891 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12892 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12897 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12898 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12899 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12900 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12901 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12902 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12903 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12904 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12905 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12906 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12907 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12908 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12909 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12910 provided by the active file and overviews.
12912 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12913 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12914 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12915 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12916 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12919 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12920 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12925 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12926 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12927 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12928 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12929 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12930 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12931 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12935 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12936 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12937 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12938 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12939 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12940 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12941 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12942 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12943 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12945 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12946 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12947 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12948 friendly mail backend all over.
12953 @node Browsing the Web
12954 @section Browsing the Web
12956 @cindex browsing the web
12960 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12961 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12962 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12963 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12964 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12965 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12966 even know what a news group is.
12968 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12969 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12970 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12971 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12972 you mad in the end.
12974 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12977 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12978 interfaces to these sources.
12981 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12982 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12983 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12984 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12985 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
12986 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12989 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12991 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12992 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12993 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12994 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12995 though, you should be ok.
12997 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12998 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12999 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13000 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13001 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13005 @subsection Web Searches
13009 @cindex InReference
13010 @cindex Usenet searches
13011 @cindex searching the Usenet
13013 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13014 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13015 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13016 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13017 searches without having to use a browser.
13019 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13020 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13021 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13022 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13023 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13025 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13026 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13027 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13028 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13029 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13030 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13031 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13032 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13033 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13034 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13037 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13038 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13039 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13040 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13041 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13042 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13044 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13045 to use @code{nnweb}.
13047 Virtual server variables:
13052 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13053 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13057 @vindex nnweb-search
13058 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13060 @item nnweb-max-hits
13061 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13062 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13065 @item nnweb-type-definition
13066 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13067 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13068 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13073 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13077 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13080 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13083 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13087 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13094 @subsection Slashdot
13098 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13099 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13100 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13102 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13103 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13106 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13107 '((nnslashdot "")))
13110 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
13111 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13112 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13113 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13114 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13117 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13118 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13120 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13121 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13122 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13123 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13124 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13125 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13128 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13131 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13132 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13133 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13134 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13135 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13136 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13137 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13139 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13140 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13141 The login name to use when posting.
13143 @item nnslashdot-password
13144 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13145 The password to use when posting.
13147 @item nnslashdot-directory
13148 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13149 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
13150 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13152 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13153 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13154 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13155 news articles and comments. The default is
13156 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13158 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13159 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13160 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13162 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13164 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13165 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13166 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13168 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13170 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13171 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13172 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13174 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13175 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13176 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13177 updated. The default is 0.
13184 @subsection Ultimate
13186 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13188 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13189 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13190 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13191 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13193 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13194 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13195 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13196 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13197 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13198 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13199 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13201 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13204 @item nnultimate-directory
13205 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13206 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13207 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13212 @subsection Web Archive
13214 @cindex Web Archive
13216 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13217 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13218 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13219 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13222 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13223 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13224 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13225 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13226 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13227 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13228 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13230 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13233 @item nnwarchive-directory
13234 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13235 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13236 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13238 @item nnwarchive-login
13239 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13240 The account name on the web server.
13242 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13243 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13244 The password for your account on the web server.
13252 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13253 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13254 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13257 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13258 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13261 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13264 @item nnrss-directory
13265 @vindex nnrss-directory
13266 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13267 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13271 @node Customizing w3
13272 @subsection Customizing w3
13278 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13279 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13280 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13282 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13283 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13284 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13287 (eval-after-load "w3"
13289 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13290 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13291 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13292 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13294 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13297 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13298 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13302 @node Other Sources
13303 @section Other Sources
13305 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13306 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13310 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13311 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13312 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13313 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13314 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13315 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13319 @node Directory Groups
13320 @subsection Directory Groups
13322 @cindex directory groups
13324 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13325 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13328 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13329 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13330 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13331 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13333 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13334 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13335 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13336 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13337 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13339 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13341 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13342 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13343 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13344 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13347 @node Anything Groups
13348 @subsection Anything Groups
13351 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13352 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13353 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13356 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13357 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13358 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13359 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13360 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13361 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13362 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13363 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13364 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13365 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13368 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13369 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13370 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13371 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13373 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13374 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13375 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13376 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13378 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13379 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13380 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13381 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13382 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13383 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13384 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13385 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13390 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13391 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13392 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13393 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13395 @item nneething-exclude-files
13396 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13397 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13398 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13400 @item nneething-include-files
13401 @vindex nneething-include-files
13402 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13403 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13405 @item nneething-map-file
13406 @vindex nneething-map-file
13407 Name of the map files.
13411 @node Document Groups
13412 @subsection Document Groups
13414 @cindex documentation group
13417 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13418 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13425 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13430 The standard Unix mbox file.
13432 @cindex MMDF mail box
13434 The MMDF mail box format.
13437 Several news articles appended into a file.
13440 @cindex rnews batch files
13441 The rnews batch transport format.
13442 @cindex forwarded messages
13445 Forwarded articles.
13448 Netscape mail boxes.
13451 MIME multipart messages.
13453 @item standard-digest
13454 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13457 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13460 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13461 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13462 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13465 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13466 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13467 group. And that's it.
13469 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13470 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13471 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13472 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13473 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13474 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13475 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13476 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13477 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13478 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13480 Virtual server variables:
13483 @item nndoc-article-type
13484 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13485 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13486 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13487 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13488 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13490 @item nndoc-post-type
13491 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13492 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13493 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13498 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13502 @node Document Server Internals
13503 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13505 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13506 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13507 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13508 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13510 First, here's an example document type definition:
13514 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13515 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13518 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13519 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13520 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13521 types can be defined with very few settings:
13524 @item first-article
13525 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13526 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13529 @item article-begin
13530 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13531 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13533 @item head-begin-function
13534 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13537 @item nndoc-head-begin
13538 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13541 @item nndoc-head-end
13542 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13543 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13545 @item body-begin-function
13546 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13550 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13553 @item body-end-function
13554 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13558 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13561 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13562 regexp will be totally ignored.
13566 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13567 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13568 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13569 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13570 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13573 @item prepare-body-function
13574 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13575 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13576 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13578 @item article-transform-function
13579 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13580 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13581 body of the article.
13583 @item generate-head-function
13584 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13585 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13586 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13587 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13591 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13596 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13597 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13598 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13599 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13600 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13601 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13602 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13603 (subtype digest guess))
13606 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13607 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13608 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13609 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13610 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13612 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13613 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13614 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13615 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13616 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
13617 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13618 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13619 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13620 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13621 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13629 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13630 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13631 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13633 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13634 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13635 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13638 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13639 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13640 that interested in doing things properly.
13642 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13643 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13646 First some terminology:
13651 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13652 get news and/or mail from.
13655 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13656 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13659 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13663 @item message packets
13664 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13665 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13666 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13668 @item response packets
13669 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13670 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13671 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13681 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13682 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13683 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13684 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13687 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13690 You put the packet in your home directory.
13693 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13694 the native or secondary server.
13697 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13698 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13701 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13705 You transfer this packet to the server.
13708 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13711 You then repeat until you die.
13715 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13716 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13719 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13720 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13721 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13725 @node SOUP Commands
13726 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13728 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13732 @kindex G s b (Group)
13733 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13734 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13735 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13736 process/prefix convention.
13739 @kindex G s w (Group)
13740 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13741 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13744 @kindex G s s (Group)
13745 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13746 Send all replies from the replies packet
13747 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13750 @kindex G s p (Group)
13751 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13752 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13755 @kindex G s r (Group)
13756 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13757 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13760 @kindex O s (Summary)
13761 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13762 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13763 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13764 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13769 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13774 @item gnus-soup-directory
13775 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13776 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13777 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13779 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13780 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13781 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13782 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13784 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13785 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13786 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13787 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13789 @item gnus-soup-packer
13790 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13791 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13792 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13794 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13795 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13796 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13797 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13799 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13800 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13801 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13803 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13804 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13805 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13806 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13812 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13815 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13816 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13817 you can read them at leisure.
13819 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13823 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13824 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13825 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13826 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13828 @item nnsoup-directory
13829 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13830 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13831 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13833 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13834 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13835 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13836 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13838 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13839 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13840 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13841 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13842 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13844 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13845 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13846 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13847 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13849 @item nnsoup-active-file
13850 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13851 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13852 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13853 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13854 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13856 @item nnsoup-packer
13857 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13858 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13859 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13861 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13862 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13863 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13864 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13866 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13867 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13868 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13871 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13872 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13873 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13876 @item nnsoup-always-save
13877 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13878 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13884 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13886 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13887 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13888 more for that to happen.
13890 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13891 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13892 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13895 In specific, this is what it does:
13898 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13899 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13902 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13903 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13904 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13907 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13908 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13909 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13912 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13913 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13914 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13916 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13922 @item nngateway-address
13923 @vindex nngateway-address
13924 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13926 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13927 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13928 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13929 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13930 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13931 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13932 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13935 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13936 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13937 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13940 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13943 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13946 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13949 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13951 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13954 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13955 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13956 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13958 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13960 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13961 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13962 @code{nngateway-address}.
13967 (setq gnus-post-method
13968 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13969 (nngateway-header-transformation
13970 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13978 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13981 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13987 @subsection @sc{imap}
13991 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13992 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
13993 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
13994 specify the network address of the server.
13996 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
13997 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
13998 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
13999 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14000 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14002 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14003 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14004 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14005 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14007 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14008 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14009 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14010 usage explained in this section.
14012 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14013 might look something like this:
14016 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14017 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14018 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14020 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14021 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14022 ; a UW server running on localhost
14024 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14025 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14026 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14027 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14028 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14029 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14030 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14031 (nnimap-stream network))
14032 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14034 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14035 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14036 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14039 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14044 @item nnimap-address
14045 @vindex nnimap-address
14047 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14048 server name if not specified.
14050 @item nnimap-server-port
14051 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14052 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14054 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14057 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14058 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14061 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14062 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14063 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14064 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14065 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14066 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14067 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14069 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14070 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14071 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14074 Example server specification:
14077 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14078 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14079 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14082 @item nnimap-stream
14083 @vindex nnimap-stream
14084 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14085 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14086 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14087 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14089 Example server specification:
14092 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14093 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14096 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14100 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
14101 @samp{imtest} program.
14103 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
14105 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14106 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14109 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
14110 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14112 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14114 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14117 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14118 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
14119 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
14120 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14123 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14124 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14125 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14126 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14127 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14128 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14129 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14132 @vindex imap-shell-program
14133 @vindex imap-shell-host
14134 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14135 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14137 @item nnimap-authenticator
14138 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14140 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14141 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14143 Example server specification:
14146 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14147 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14150 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14154 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14155 external program @code{imtest}.
14157 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14160 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14161 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14163 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14165 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14167 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14170 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14172 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14173 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14174 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14175 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14176 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14177 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14180 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14181 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14182 running in circles yet?
14184 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14185 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14188 The possible options are:
14193 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14196 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14197 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14198 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14199 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14201 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14206 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14207 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14209 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14210 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14211 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14217 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14218 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14219 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14224 @node Splitting in IMAP
14225 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14226 @cindex splitting imap mail
14228 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14229 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14230 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14231 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14232 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14236 Here are the variables of interest:
14240 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14241 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14243 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14245 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14246 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14248 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14250 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14251 @cindex splitting, inbox
14253 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14255 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14256 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14260 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14261 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14264 No nnmail equivalent.
14266 @item nnimap-split-rule
14267 @cindex Splitting, rules
14268 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14270 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14273 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14274 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14275 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14276 Neither did I, we need examples.
14279 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14280 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14281 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14282 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14285 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14286 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14287 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14289 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14290 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14294 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14297 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14298 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14299 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14300 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14302 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14303 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14304 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14305 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14306 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14307 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14309 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14310 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14311 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14313 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14314 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14315 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14317 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14319 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14320 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14321 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14324 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14325 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14326 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14327 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14328 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14329 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14332 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14333 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14334 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14335 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14336 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14337 group/function elements.
14339 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14341 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14343 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14345 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14346 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14348 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14349 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14350 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14353 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14354 @cindex splitting, fancy
14355 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14356 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14358 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14359 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14360 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14362 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14363 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14364 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14365 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14370 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14371 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14374 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14378 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14379 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14380 @cindex editing imap acls
14381 @cindex Access Control Lists
14382 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14384 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14386 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14387 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14388 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14391 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14392 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14393 editing window with detailed instructions.
14395 Some possible uses:
14399 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14400 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14401 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14403 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14404 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14405 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14409 @node Expunging mailboxes
14410 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14414 @cindex Manual expunging
14416 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14418 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14419 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14420 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14422 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14427 @node Combined Groups
14428 @section Combined Groups
14430 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14434 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14435 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14439 @node Virtual Groups
14440 @subsection Virtual Groups
14442 @cindex virtual groups
14443 @cindex merging groups
14445 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14448 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14449 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14450 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14452 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14453 regexp to match component groups.
14455 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14456 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14457 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14458 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14459 the virtual group.)
14461 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14462 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14465 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14468 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14469 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14471 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14472 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14473 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14474 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14477 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14480 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14481 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14482 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14484 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14485 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14486 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14487 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14488 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14490 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14491 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14492 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14494 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14495 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14496 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14497 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14498 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14499 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14500 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14501 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14502 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14503 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14504 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14506 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14507 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14508 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14509 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14510 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14511 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14512 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14514 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14515 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14519 @node Kibozed Groups
14520 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14524 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14525 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14526 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14527 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14529 @kindex G k (Group)
14530 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14533 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14534 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14535 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14536 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14538 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14539 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14540 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14542 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14543 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14544 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14545 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14546 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14547 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14548 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14549 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14551 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14552 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14553 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14554 Stranger things have happened.
14556 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14557 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14559 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14560 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14561 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14562 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14563 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14564 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14566 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14567 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14570 @node Gnus Unplugged
14571 @section Gnus Unplugged
14576 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14578 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14579 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14580 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14581 read news. Believe it or not.
14583 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14584 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14585 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14586 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14587 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14589 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14590 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14591 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14592 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14593 reading news on a machine.
14595 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14599 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14600 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14604 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14605 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14612 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14614 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14617 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14618 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14619 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14620 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14621 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14622 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14623 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14624 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14625 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14626 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14631 @subsection Agent Basics
14633 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14635 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14636 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14637 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14638 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14640 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14641 connected to the net continuously.
14643 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14644 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14646 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14651 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14652 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14653 already fetched while in this mode.
14656 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14657 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14658 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14659 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14660 Source Specifiers}).
14663 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14664 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14665 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14666 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14667 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14670 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14671 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14672 then you read the news offline.
14675 And then you go to step 2.
14678 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14684 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14685 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14686 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14687 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14688 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14689 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14692 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14699 @node Agent Categories
14700 @subsection Agent Categories
14702 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14703 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14704 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14705 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14706 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14707 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14708 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14710 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14711 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14712 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14713 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14714 managing categories.
14717 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14718 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14719 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14723 @node Category Syntax
14724 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14726 A category consists of two things.
14730 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14731 are eligible for downloading; and
14734 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14735 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14736 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14739 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14740 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14741 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14742 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14744 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14745 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14746 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14748 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14749 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14750 operators sprinkled in between.
14752 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14754 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14755 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14761 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14762 short (for some value of ``short'').
14764 Here's a more complex predicate:
14773 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14774 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14777 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14778 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14779 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14781 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14782 you want to do, you can write your own.
14786 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14787 lines; default 100.
14790 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14791 lines; default 200.
14794 True iff the article has a download score less than
14795 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14798 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14799 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14802 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14803 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14804 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14813 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14814 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14815 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14818 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14819 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14820 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14821 something along the lines of the following:
14824 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14825 "Say whether an article is old."
14826 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14827 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14830 with the predicate then defined as:
14833 (not my-article-old-p)
14836 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14837 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14838 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14839 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14842 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
14843 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14844 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14847 and simply specify your predicate as:
14853 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14854 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14855 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14856 just don't give a damn.
14858 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14859 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14860 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14861 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14862 parameters like so:
14865 (agent-predicate . short)
14868 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14869 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14870 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14872 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14875 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14878 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14879 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14880 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14883 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14884 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14885 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14886 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14887 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14888 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14890 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14891 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14892 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14893 if it's to be specific to that group.
14895 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14902 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14903 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14909 Category specification
14913 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14919 Group Parameter specification
14922 (agent-score ("from"
14923 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14928 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14934 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14941 Category specification
14944 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14950 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14954 Group Parameter specification
14957 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14960 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14965 Use @code{normal} score files
14967 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14968 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14969 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14970 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14972 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14973 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14974 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
14975 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14979 Category Specification
14986 Group Parameter specification
14989 (agent-score . file)
14994 @node Category Buffer
14995 @subsubsection Category Buffer
14997 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14998 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14999 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15001 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15005 @kindex q (Category)
15006 @findex gnus-category-exit
15007 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15010 @kindex k (Category)
15011 @findex gnus-category-kill
15012 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15015 @kindex c (Category)
15016 @findex gnus-category-copy
15017 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15020 @kindex a (Category)
15021 @findex gnus-category-add
15022 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15025 @kindex p (Category)
15026 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15027 Edit the predicate of the current category
15028 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15031 @kindex g (Category)
15032 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15033 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15034 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15037 @kindex s (Category)
15038 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15039 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15040 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15043 @kindex l (Category)
15044 @findex gnus-category-list
15045 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15049 @node Category Variables
15050 @subsubsection Category Variables
15053 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15054 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15055 Hook run in category buffers.
15057 @item gnus-category-line-format
15058 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15059 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15060 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15064 The name of the category.
15067 The number of groups in the category.
15070 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15071 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15072 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15074 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15075 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15076 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15078 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15079 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15080 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15082 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15083 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15084 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15087 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15088 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15089 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15095 @node Agent Commands
15096 @subsection Agent Commands
15098 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15099 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
15100 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15104 * Group Agent Commands::
15105 * Summary Agent Commands::
15106 * Server Agent Commands::
15109 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15110 following incantation:
15112 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15114 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15119 @node Group Agent Commands
15120 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15124 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15125 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15126 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15127 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15130 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15131 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15132 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15135 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15136 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15137 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15138 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15141 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15142 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15143 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15144 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15147 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15148 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15149 Add the current group to an Agent category
15150 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15151 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15154 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15155 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15156 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15157 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15158 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15161 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15162 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15163 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15169 @node Summary Agent Commands
15170 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15174 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15175 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15176 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15179 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15180 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15181 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15182 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15185 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15186 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15187 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15190 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15191 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15192 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15197 @node Server Agent Commands
15198 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15202 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15203 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15204 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15205 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15208 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15209 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15210 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15211 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15217 @subsection Agent Expiry
15219 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15220 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15221 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15222 @cindex Agent expiry
15223 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15226 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15227 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15228 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15229 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15230 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15231 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15233 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15234 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15235 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15236 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15237 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15240 @node Agent and IMAP
15241 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15243 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15244 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15245 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15246 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15248 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15249 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15250 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15251 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15253 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15254 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15255 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15256 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15257 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15259 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15260 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15261 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15262 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15263 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15264 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15266 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15267 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15268 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15269 in the group buffer by default.
15271 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15272 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15277 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15280 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15284 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15285 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15286 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15287 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15288 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15289 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15290 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15291 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15294 @node Outgoing Messages
15295 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15297 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15298 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15299 after posting, and edit them at will.
15301 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15302 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15303 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15304 messages in the draft group.
15308 @node Agent Variables
15309 @subsection Agent Variables
15312 @item gnus-agent-directory
15313 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15314 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15315 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15317 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15318 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15319 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15320 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15321 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15324 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15325 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15326 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15328 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15329 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15330 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15335 @node Example Setup
15336 @subsection Example Setup
15338 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15339 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15340 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15343 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15344 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15345 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15347 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15348 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15349 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15351 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15352 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15354 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15358 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15359 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15362 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15363 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15364 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15365 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15366 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15369 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15370 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15371 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15372 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15373 back all the killed groups.)
15375 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15376 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15377 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15380 @node Batching Agents
15381 @subsection Batching Agents
15383 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15384 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15385 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15389 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15393 @node Agent Caveats
15394 @subsection Agent Caveats
15396 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15397 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15401 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15406 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15407 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15413 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15414 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15421 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15422 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15423 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15426 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15427 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15428 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15429 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15430 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15432 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15433 before generating the summary buffer.
15435 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15436 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15437 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15439 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15440 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15441 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15442 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15445 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15446 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15447 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15448 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15449 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15450 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15451 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15452 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15453 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15454 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15455 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15456 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15457 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15458 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15459 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15460 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15464 @node Summary Score Commands
15465 @section Summary Score Commands
15466 @cindex score commands
15468 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15469 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15470 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15471 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15472 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15474 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15475 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15476 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15477 score file the current one.
15479 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15484 @kindex V s (Summary)
15485 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15486 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15489 @kindex V S (Summary)
15490 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15491 Display the score of the current article
15492 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15495 @kindex V t (Summary)
15496 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15497 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15498 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15501 @kindex V R (Summary)
15502 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15503 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15504 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15505 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15506 effect you're having.
15509 @kindex V c (Summary)
15510 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15511 Make a different score file the current
15512 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15515 @kindex V e (Summary)
15516 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15517 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15518 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15522 @kindex V f (Summary)
15523 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15524 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15525 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15528 @kindex V F (Summary)
15529 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15530 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15531 after editing score files.
15534 @kindex V C (Summary)
15535 @findex gnus-score-customize
15536 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15537 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15541 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15546 @kindex V m (Summary)
15547 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15548 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15549 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15552 @kindex V x (Summary)
15553 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15554 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15555 expunge all articles below this score
15556 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15559 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15560 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15563 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15564 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15568 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15569 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15571 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15572 keys are available:
15576 Score on the author name.
15579 Score on the subject line.
15582 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15585 Score on the @code{References} line.
15591 Score on the number of lines.
15594 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15597 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15598 the followups to this author.
15612 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15613 what headers you are scoring on.
15625 Substring matching.
15628 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15657 Greater than number.
15662 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15663 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15664 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15668 Temporary score entry.
15671 Permanent score entry.
15674 Immediately scoring.
15679 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15680 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15681 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15682 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15684 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15685 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15686 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15687 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15688 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15690 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15691 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15692 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15693 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15694 current score file.
15696 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15697 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15698 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15701 @node Group Score Commands
15702 @section Group Score Commands
15703 @cindex group score commands
15705 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15710 @kindex W f (Group)
15711 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15712 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15713 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15714 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15718 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15720 @findex gnus-batch-score
15721 @cindex batch scoring
15723 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15727 @node Score Variables
15728 @section Score Variables
15729 @cindex score variables
15733 @item gnus-use-scoring
15734 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15735 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15736 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15738 @item gnus-kill-killed
15739 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15740 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15741 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15742 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15743 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15744 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15745 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15747 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15748 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15749 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15750 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15751 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15753 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15754 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15755 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15756 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15758 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15759 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15760 @cindex score cache
15761 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15762 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15763 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
15764 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15765 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15766 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15769 @item gnus-save-score
15770 @vindex gnus-save-score
15771 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15772 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15773 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15775 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15776 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15777 across group visits.
15779 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15780 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15781 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15782 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15783 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15784 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15785 manually entered data.
15787 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15788 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15789 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15791 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15792 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15793 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15794 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15795 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15796 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15798 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15799 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15800 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15801 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15803 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15804 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15805 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15806 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15808 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15809 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15810 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15811 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15813 Predefined functions available are:
15816 @item gnus-score-find-single
15817 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15818 Only apply the group's own score file.
15820 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15821 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15822 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15823 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15824 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15825 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15826 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15827 then a regexp match is done.
15829 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15830 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15832 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15833 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15834 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15835 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15837 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15838 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15839 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15840 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15841 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
15845 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15846 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
15847 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
15848 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
15849 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
15850 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
15851 returned is the local score file. Phu.
15853 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
15854 overall score file, you could use the value
15856 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE")) 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
15859 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15860 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15861 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15862 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15863 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15865 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15866 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15867 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15868 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15869 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15870 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15871 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15874 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15875 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15876 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15878 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15879 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15880 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15881 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15882 threading---according to the current value of
15883 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15884 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15885 simplified in this manner.
15890 @node Score File Format
15891 @section Score File Format
15892 @cindex score file format
15894 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15895 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15896 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15898 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15902 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15904 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15906 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15908 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15913 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15917 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15918 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15919 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15920 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15924 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15925 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15927 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15928 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15929 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15931 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15936 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15937 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15938 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15939 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15940 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15941 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15942 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15943 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15944 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15945 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15946 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15947 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15948 to articles that matches these score entries.
15950 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15951 score entry has one to four elements.
15955 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15956 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15960 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15961 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15962 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15963 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15964 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15965 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15968 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15969 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15970 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15971 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15972 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15975 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15976 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15977 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15978 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15981 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15982 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15983 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15984 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15985 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15986 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15987 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15988 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15989 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15990 instead, if you feel like.
15993 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15994 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15996 These predicates are true if
15999 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16002 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16003 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16010 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16011 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16012 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16013 it's not. I think.)
16015 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
16016 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16017 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16018 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16021 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16022 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16023 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16024 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16025 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16026 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16027 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16031 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16032 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16033 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16034 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16035 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16036 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16037 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16038 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16041 @item Head, Body, All
16042 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16046 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16047 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16048 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16049 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16050 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16051 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16052 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16056 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16057 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16058 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16059 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16060 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16061 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16062 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16063 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16064 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16065 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16066 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16070 @cindex Score File Atoms
16072 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16073 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16076 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16077 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16079 @item mark-and-expunge
16080 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16081 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16084 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16085 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16086 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16087 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16088 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16091 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16092 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16095 @item exclude-files
16096 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16097 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16101 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16102 ignored when handling global score files.
16105 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16106 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16107 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16108 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16111 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16112 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16113 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16114 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16116 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16120 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16123 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16124 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16125 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16126 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16127 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16129 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16130 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16131 scoring rules exist.
16134 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16135 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16136 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16137 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16138 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16139 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16140 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16141 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16142 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16143 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16144 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16148 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16149 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16150 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16151 file for a number of groups.
16154 @cindex local variables
16155 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16156 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16157 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16158 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16159 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16163 @node Score File Editing
16164 @section Score File Editing
16166 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16167 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16168 with a mode for that.
16170 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16171 additional commands:
16176 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16177 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16178 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16179 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16182 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16183 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16184 Insert the current date in numerical format
16185 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16186 you were wondering.
16189 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16190 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16191 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16192 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16193 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16198 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16200 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16201 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16203 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16204 e} to begin editing score files.
16207 @node Adaptive Scoring
16208 @section Adaptive Scoring
16209 @cindex adaptive scoring
16211 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16212 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16213 stupidity, to be precise.
16215 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16216 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16217 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16218 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16219 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16220 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16221 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16222 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16223 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16225 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16226 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16227 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16228 might look something like this:
16231 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16232 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16233 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16234 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16235 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16236 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16237 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16238 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16239 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16240 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16241 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16242 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16245 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16246 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16247 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16248 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16249 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16250 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16253 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16254 will be applied to each article.
16256 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16257 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16258 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16259 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16261 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16262 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16263 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16264 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16266 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16267 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16268 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16269 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16271 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16272 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16273 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16274 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16275 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16276 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16278 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16279 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16280 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16281 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16282 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16283 aspirins afterwards.)
16285 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16286 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16287 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16289 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16290 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16291 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16293 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16294 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16295 let you use different rules in different groups.
16297 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16298 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16299 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16302 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16303 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16304 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16305 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16306 the length of the match is less than
16307 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16308 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16311 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16312 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16313 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16314 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16315 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16318 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16319 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16320 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16321 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16322 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16325 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16326 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16327 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16328 score with 30 points.
16330 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16331 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16332 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16333 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16334 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16336 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
16337 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
16338 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
16339 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
16340 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
16342 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16343 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16344 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16345 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16347 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16348 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16349 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16350 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16352 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16353 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16354 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16355 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16356 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16358 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16359 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16360 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16362 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16363 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16364 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16365 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16368 @node Home Score File
16369 @section Home Score File
16371 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16372 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16373 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16374 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16376 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16377 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16378 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16380 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16381 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16386 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16390 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16391 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16395 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16399 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16400 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
16403 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16404 the home score file.
16407 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16410 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16415 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16418 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16419 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16422 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16423 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16425 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16427 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16428 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16431 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16432 Other functions include
16435 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16436 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16437 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16438 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16442 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16443 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16444 their own home score files:
16447 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16448 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16449 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16450 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16451 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16454 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16455 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16456 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16457 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16458 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16460 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16461 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16462 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16463 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16464 precedence over this variable.
16467 @node Followups To Yourself
16468 @section Followups To Yourself
16470 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16471 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16472 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16473 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16474 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16475 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16479 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16480 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16481 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16484 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16485 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16486 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16490 @vindex message-sent-hook
16491 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16492 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16494 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16498 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16499 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16503 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16504 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16507 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16508 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16513 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16517 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16518 is system-dependent.
16522 @section Scoring Tips
16523 @cindex scoring tips
16529 @cindex scoring crossposts
16530 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16531 the @code{Xref} header.
16533 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16536 @item Multiple crossposts
16537 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16538 more than, say, 3 groups:
16540 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
16543 @item Matching on the body
16544 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16545 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16546 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16547 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16548 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16549 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16550 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16553 @item Marking as read
16554 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16555 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16556 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16560 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16562 @item Negated character classes
16563 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16564 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16565 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16569 @node Reverse Scoring
16570 @section Reverse Scoring
16571 @cindex reverse scoring
16573 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16574 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16575 like this in your score file:
16579 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16584 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16585 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16588 @node Global Score Files
16589 @section Global Score Files
16590 @cindex global score files
16592 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16593 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16594 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16596 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16597 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16598 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16600 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16601 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16602 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16603 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16604 files are applicable to which group.
16606 Say you want to use the score file
16607 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16608 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
16611 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16612 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16613 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16616 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16617 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16618 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16619 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16620 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16622 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16623 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16625 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16626 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16627 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16628 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16629 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16630 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16632 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16638 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16640 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16642 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16644 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16645 lowered out of existence.
16647 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16648 articles completely.
16651 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16652 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16653 old articles for a long time.
16656 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16657 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16658 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16659 holding our breath yet?
16663 @section Kill Files
16666 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16667 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16668 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16670 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16671 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16672 files into score files.
16674 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16675 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16676 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16677 that isn't a very good idea.
16679 Normal kill files look like this:
16682 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16683 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16687 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16688 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16690 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16691 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16694 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16699 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16700 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16701 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16704 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16705 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16706 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16709 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16714 @kindex M-k (Group)
16715 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16716 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16719 @kindex M-K (Group)
16720 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16721 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16724 Kill file variables:
16727 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16728 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16729 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16730 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16731 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16732 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16733 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16735 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16736 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16737 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16738 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16741 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16742 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16743 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16744 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16745 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16746 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16747 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16748 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16749 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16751 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16752 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16753 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16758 @node Converting Kill Files
16759 @section Converting Kill Files
16761 @cindex converting kill files
16763 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16764 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16765 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16768 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16769 You can fetch it from
16770 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
16772 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16773 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16774 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16782 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16783 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16784 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16786 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16787 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16788 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16789 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16790 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16791 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16792 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16793 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16797 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16798 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16799 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16800 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16804 @node Using GroupLens
16805 @subsection Using GroupLens
16807 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16809 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16810 better bit in town at the moment.
16812 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16816 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16817 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16818 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16819 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16821 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16822 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16823 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16824 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16826 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16827 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16828 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16832 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16833 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16834 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16835 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16836 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16837 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16840 @node Rating Articles
16841 @subsection Rating Articles
16843 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16844 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16845 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16846 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16849 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16854 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16855 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16856 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16859 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16860 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16861 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16862 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16863 threads in rec.humor.
16867 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16868 the score of the article you're reading.
16873 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16874 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16875 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16878 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16879 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16880 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16884 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16885 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16888 @node Displaying Predictions
16889 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16891 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16892 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16893 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16894 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16895 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16897 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16898 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16899 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16900 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16901 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16902 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16903 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16904 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16905 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16906 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16907 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16908 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16909 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16911 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16912 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16913 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16914 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16916 The following are valid values for that variable.
16919 @item prediction-spot
16920 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16923 @item confidence-interval
16924 A numeric confidence interval.
16926 @item prediction-bar
16927 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16929 @item confidence-bar
16930 Numerical confidence.
16932 @item confidence-spot
16933 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16935 @item prediction-num
16936 Plain-old numeric value.
16938 @item confidence-plus-minus
16939 Prediction +/- confidence.
16944 @node GroupLens Variables
16945 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16949 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16950 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16951 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16952 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16955 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16956 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16959 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16960 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16962 @item grouplens-score-offset
16963 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16964 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16967 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16968 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16969 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16974 @node Advanced Scoring
16975 @section Advanced Scoring
16977 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16978 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16979 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16980 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16981 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16983 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16987 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16988 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16989 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16993 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16994 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16996 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16997 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16998 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16999 non-@code{nil} value.
17001 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17002 operator, and various match operators.
17009 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17010 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17011 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17016 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17017 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17018 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17023 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17024 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17028 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17029 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17030 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17031 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17032 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17033 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17034 the ancestry you want to go.
17036 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17037 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17038 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17039 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17040 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17043 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17044 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17046 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17047 when he's talking about Gnus:
17051 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17052 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17058 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17062 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17069 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17070 really don't want to read what he's written:
17074 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17075 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17079 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17080 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17081 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17088 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17089 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17090 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17091 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17095 The possibilities are endless.
17098 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17099 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17101 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17102 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17103 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17104 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17105 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17106 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17107 @samp{subject}) first.
17109 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17110 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17121 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17122 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17128 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17135 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17136 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17141 @section Score Decays
17142 @cindex score decays
17145 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17146 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17147 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17148 use them in any sensible way.
17150 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17151 @findex gnus-decay-score
17152 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17153 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17154 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17155 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17156 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17157 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17158 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17159 definition of that function:
17162 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17164 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17165 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17168 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17170 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17172 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17175 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17176 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17177 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17178 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17182 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17185 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17188 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17192 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17193 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17194 the new score, which should be an integer.
17196 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17197 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17204 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17205 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17206 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17207 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17208 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17209 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17210 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17211 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17212 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17213 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17214 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17215 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17216 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17217 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17218 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17219 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17220 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17221 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17225 @node Process/Prefix
17226 @section Process/Prefix
17227 @cindex process/prefix convention
17229 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17230 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17232 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17233 command to be performed on.
17237 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17238 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17239 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17240 with the current one.
17242 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17243 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17244 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17246 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17247 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17250 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17251 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17253 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17256 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17257 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17258 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17259 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17261 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17262 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17263 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17264 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17265 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17266 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17267 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17268 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17270 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17271 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17272 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17273 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17274 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17278 @section Interactive
17279 @cindex interaction
17283 @item gnus-novice-user
17284 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17285 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17286 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17287 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17288 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17291 @item gnus-expert-user
17292 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17293 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17294 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17295 matter how strange.
17297 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17298 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17299 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17300 is @code{t} by default.
17302 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17303 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17304 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17309 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17310 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17311 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17313 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17314 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17315 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17316 rule of 900 to the current article.
17318 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17319 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17320 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17321 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17322 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17323 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17324 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17326 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17327 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17328 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17329 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17330 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17331 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17332 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17333 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17334 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17336 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17337 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17338 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17340 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17344 @node Formatting Variables
17345 @section Formatting Variables
17346 @cindex formatting variables
17348 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17349 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17350 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17351 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17352 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17355 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17356 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17357 lots of percentages everywhere.
17360 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17361 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17362 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17363 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17364 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17367 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17368 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17369 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17370 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17371 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17372 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17373 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17374 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17376 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17377 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17379 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17380 @findex gnus-update-format
17381 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17382 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17383 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17384 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17388 @node Formatting Basics
17389 @subsection Formatting Basics
17391 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17392 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17393 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17395 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17396 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17397 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17398 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17399 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17402 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17403 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17404 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17405 less than 4 characters wide.
17408 @node Mode Line Formatting
17409 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17411 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17412 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17413 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17414 with the following two differences:
17419 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17422 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17423 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17424 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17425 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17426 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17427 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17428 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17433 @node Advanced Formatting
17434 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17436 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17437 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17438 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17439 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17441 These are the valid modifiers:
17446 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17450 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17455 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17458 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17463 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17466 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17469 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17472 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17476 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17477 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17478 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17479 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17480 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17481 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17482 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17484 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17485 last operation, padding.
17487 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
17488 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
17489 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
17490 @xref{Compilation}.
17493 @node User-Defined Specs
17494 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17496 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17497 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17498 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17499 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17500 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17501 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17502 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17503 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17504 should protect against that.
17506 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17507 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17508 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17509 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17513 @node Formatting Fonts
17514 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17516 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17517 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17518 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17519 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17522 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17523 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17524 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17525 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17526 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17527 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17529 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17530 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17531 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17532 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17533 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17534 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17535 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17536 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17538 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17541 ;; Create three face types.
17542 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17543 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17545 ;; We want the article count to be in
17546 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17547 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17548 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17550 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17551 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17553 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17554 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17555 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17558 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17559 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17561 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17562 mode-line variables.
17565 @node Windows Configuration
17566 @section Windows Configuration
17567 @cindex windows configuration
17569 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17571 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17572 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17573 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17574 @code{t} by default.
17576 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17577 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17579 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17580 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17581 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17584 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17585 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17586 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17590 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17591 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17592 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17593 possible names is listed below.
17595 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17596 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17599 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17603 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17604 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17605 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17606 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17607 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17608 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17609 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17610 size spec per split.
17612 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17613 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17614 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17615 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17616 present) gets focus.
17618 Here's a more complicated example:
17621 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17622 (summary 0.25 point)
17623 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17627 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17628 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17629 occupy, not a percentage.
17631 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17632 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17633 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17634 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17635 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17638 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17641 (article (horizontal 1.0
17646 (summary 0.25 point)
17651 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17652 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17654 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17655 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17656 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17657 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17658 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17660 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17661 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17662 lines from the splits.
17664 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17668 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17669 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17670 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17671 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17672 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17673 size = number | frame-params
17674 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17677 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17678 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17679 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17680 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17682 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17683 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17684 @cindex window height
17685 @cindex window width
17686 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17687 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17688 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17689 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17690 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17691 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17693 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17694 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17695 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17696 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17698 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17699 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17700 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17701 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17702 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17703 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17704 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17705 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17706 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17707 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17708 configuration list.
17711 (gnus-configure-frame
17715 (article 0.3 point))
17723 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17724 @code{frame} split:
17727 (gnus-configure-frame
17730 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17732 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17733 (user-position . t)
17734 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17739 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17740 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17741 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17742 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17743 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17744 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17745 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17746 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17748 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17749 be found in its default value.
17751 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17752 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17753 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17757 (message (horizontal 1.0
17758 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17760 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17765 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17766 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17767 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17770 (message (frame 1.0
17771 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17772 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17773 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17774 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17775 (name . "Message"))
17776 (message 1.0 point))))
17779 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17780 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17781 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17782 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17783 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17786 (gnus-add-configuration
17787 '(article (vertical 1.0
17789 (summary .25 point)
17793 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17794 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17795 Gnus has been loaded.
17797 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17798 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17799 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17800 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17801 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17803 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17804 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17805 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17808 @subsection Example Window Configurations
17812 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
17813 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
17828 (gnus-add-configuration
17831 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17833 (summary 0.16 point)
17836 (gnus-add-configuration
17839 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17840 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
17846 @node Faces and Fonts
17847 @section Faces and Fonts
17852 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17853 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17854 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17859 @section Compilation
17860 @cindex compilation
17861 @cindex byte-compilation
17863 @findex gnus-compile
17865 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17866 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17867 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
17868 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17869 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17870 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17873 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17874 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17875 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17876 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17877 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17878 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17879 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17883 @section Mode Lines
17886 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17887 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17888 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17889 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17890 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17891 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17892 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17895 @cindex display-time
17897 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17898 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17899 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17900 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17901 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17902 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17903 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17904 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17907 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17909 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17910 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17912 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17913 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17914 (length display-time-string)))))
17917 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17918 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17919 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17920 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17921 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17924 @node Highlighting and Menus
17925 @section Highlighting and Menus
17927 @cindex highlighting
17930 @vindex gnus-visual
17931 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17932 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17933 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17936 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17937 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17940 @item group-highlight
17941 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17942 @item summary-highlight
17943 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17944 @item article-highlight
17945 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17947 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17949 Create menus in the group buffer.
17951 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17953 Create menus in the article buffer.
17955 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17957 Create menus in the server buffer.
17959 Create menus in the score buffers.
17961 Create menus in all buffers.
17964 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17965 buffers, you could say something like:
17968 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17971 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17974 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17977 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17978 in all Gnus buffers.
17980 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17983 @item gnus-mouse-face
17984 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17985 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17986 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17990 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17994 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17995 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17996 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17998 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17999 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18000 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18002 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18003 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18004 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18006 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18007 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18008 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18010 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18011 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18012 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18014 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18015 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18016 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18027 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18028 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18029 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18030 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18031 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18035 @vindex gnus-carpal
18036 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18037 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18038 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18043 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18044 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18045 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18047 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18048 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18049 Face used on buttons.
18051 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18052 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18053 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18055 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18056 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18057 Buttons in the group buffer.
18059 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18060 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18061 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18063 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18064 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18065 Buttons in the server buffer.
18067 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18068 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18069 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18072 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18073 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18074 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18082 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18083 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18084 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18085 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18086 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18088 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18089 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18090 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18092 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18093 been idle for thirty minutes:
18096 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18099 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18103 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18106 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18107 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18108 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18110 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18111 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18112 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18113 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18115 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18116 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18117 @var{idle} minutes.
18119 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18120 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18123 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18124 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18125 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18127 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18128 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18129 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18130 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18132 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18133 your @file{.gnus} file:
18135 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18137 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18140 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18141 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18142 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18143 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18144 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18145 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18146 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18147 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18148 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18149 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18150 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18152 @findex gnus-demon-init
18153 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18154 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18155 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18156 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18157 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18159 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18160 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18161 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18170 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18171 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18173 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18174 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18175 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18176 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18179 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18180 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18181 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18182 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18184 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18185 this will make spam disappear.
18187 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18190 @item gnus-use-nocem
18191 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18192 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18195 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18196 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18197 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18198 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18199 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18201 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18202 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18203 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18204 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18205 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18206 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18208 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18209 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18211 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18212 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18213 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18214 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18215 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18216 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18217 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18218 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18219 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18220 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18222 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18223 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18226 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18229 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18230 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18233 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18236 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18239 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18240 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18242 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18243 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18244 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18245 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18247 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18248 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18251 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18253 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18261 This might be dangerous, though.
18263 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18264 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18265 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18266 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18268 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18269 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18270 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18271 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18272 might then see old spam.
18274 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18275 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18276 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18277 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18278 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18281 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18282 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18283 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18284 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18288 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18289 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18290 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18291 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18298 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18299 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18300 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18302 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18303 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18304 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18305 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18306 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18307 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18308 @code{undo} function.
18310 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18311 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18312 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18313 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18314 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18315 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18316 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18317 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18318 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18319 never be totally undoable.
18321 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18322 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18324 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18325 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18326 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
18327 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18332 @section Moderation
18335 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18336 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18337 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18340 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18344 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18347 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18349 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18354 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18355 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18356 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18359 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18360 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18363 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18364 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18368 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18371 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18372 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18376 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18377 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18380 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18384 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18385 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18386 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18387 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18400 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18401 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18402 over your shoulder as you read news.
18405 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18406 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18407 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18408 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18409 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18414 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18416 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18425 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18426 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18427 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18428 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18429 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18430 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18431 @code{GIF} formats.
18434 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18435 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18436 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18437 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18438 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18440 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18441 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18442 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18443 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18444 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18445 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18448 @node Picon Requirements
18449 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18451 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18452 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18455 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18456 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18457 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18459 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18460 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18461 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18462 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18463 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18467 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18469 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18470 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18473 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18474 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18477 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18478 containing the Picons databases.
18480 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18483 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18484 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18489 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18497 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18498 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18499 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18500 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18501 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18506 @item gnus-picons-database
18507 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18508 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18509 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18510 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18511 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18512 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18514 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18515 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18516 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18517 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18518 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18519 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18520 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18522 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18523 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18524 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18525 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18526 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18527 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18528 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18529 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18531 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18532 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18533 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18538 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18539 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18541 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18542 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18545 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18547 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18548 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18549 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18550 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18552 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18553 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18554 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18560 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18561 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18569 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18570 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18571 don't need to worry about.
18575 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18576 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18577 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18578 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18580 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18581 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18582 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18583 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18585 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18586 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18587 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18588 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18589 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18591 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18592 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18593 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18594 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18595 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18596 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18597 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18599 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18600 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18601 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18602 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18604 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18605 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18606 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18607 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18608 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18609 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18610 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18612 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18613 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18614 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18615 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18617 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18618 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18619 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18620 Defaults to @code{t}.
18622 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18623 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18624 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18625 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18627 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18628 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18629 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18631 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18632 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18633 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18634 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18636 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18637 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
18639 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18640 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18641 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18642 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18643 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18644 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18645 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18646 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18657 @subsection Smileys
18662 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18667 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18668 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18670 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18671 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18674 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18677 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18678 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18679 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18680 text and maps that to file names.
18682 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18683 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18684 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18685 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18686 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18687 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18689 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18690 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18692 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18693 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18694 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18696 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18697 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18701 @item smiley-data-directory
18702 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18703 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18705 @item smiley-flesh-color
18706 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18707 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18709 @item smiley-features-color
18710 @vindex smiley-features-color
18711 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18713 @item smiley-tongue-color
18714 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18715 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18717 @item smiley-circle-color
18718 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18719 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18721 @item smiley-mouse-face
18722 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18723 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18729 @subsection Toolbar
18739 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18740 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18741 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18742 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18743 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18745 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18746 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18747 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18749 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18750 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18751 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18753 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18754 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18755 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18761 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18764 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18765 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18766 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18767 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18768 unusual directory structure.
18770 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18771 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18772 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18773 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18775 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18776 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18777 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18778 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18779 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18780 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18782 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18783 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18784 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18798 @node Fuzzy Matching
18799 @section Fuzzy Matching
18800 @cindex fuzzy matching
18802 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18803 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18805 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18806 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18807 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18809 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18810 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18811 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18812 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18813 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18816 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18817 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18821 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18823 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18824 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18825 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18826 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18827 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18828 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18829 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18830 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18833 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18834 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18835 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18836 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18837 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18838 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18842 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18843 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18845 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18846 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18847 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18848 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18849 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18850 part of the mail address.)
18853 (setq message-default-news-headers
18854 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18857 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18858 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18863 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18864 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18865 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18871 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18872 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18873 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18874 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18876 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18877 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18878 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18879 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18880 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18881 your fancy split rule in this way:
18886 (to "larsi" "misc")
18890 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18891 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18892 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18893 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18894 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18896 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18897 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18898 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
18899 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18900 cosmic balance somewhat.
18902 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18903 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18904 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18905 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18908 @node Various Various
18909 @section Various Various
18915 @item gnus-home-directory
18916 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18917 defaults to @file{~/}.
18919 @item gnus-directory
18920 @vindex gnus-directory
18921 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18922 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18923 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18925 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18926 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18927 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18928 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18930 @item gnus-default-directory
18931 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18932 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18933 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18934 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18935 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18936 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18937 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18940 @vindex gnus-verbose
18941 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18942 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18943 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18944 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18945 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18947 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18948 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18949 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18950 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18952 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18953 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18954 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18955 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18956 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18957 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18958 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18959 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18960 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18961 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18963 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18964 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18965 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18966 read when doing the operation described above.
18968 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18969 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18971 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18972 @cindex characters in file names
18973 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18974 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18975 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18978 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18982 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18983 Windows (phooey) systems.
18985 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18986 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18987 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18988 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18989 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18991 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18992 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18993 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18994 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18995 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18997 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18998 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18999 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19001 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19002 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19004 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19005 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19006 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19007 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19010 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19019 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19020 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19022 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19024 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19030 Not because of victories @*
19033 but for the common sunshine,@*
19035 the largess of the spring.
19039 but for the day's work done@*
19040 as well as I was able;@*
19041 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19042 but at the common table.@*
19047 @chapter Appendices
19050 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19051 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19052 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19053 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19054 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19055 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19056 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19057 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
19065 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19066 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19068 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19069 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19070 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19071 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19072 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19074 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19075 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19076 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19077 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19078 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19079 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19081 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19082 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19083 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19084 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19087 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19088 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19089 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19090 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19091 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19092 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19093 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19094 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19095 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19099 @node Gnus Versions
19100 @subsection Gnus Versions
19101 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19103 @cindex September Gnus
19104 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19106 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19107 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19108 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19110 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19111 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19113 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19114 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19116 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19117 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19119 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19120 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19123 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19125 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19126 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19127 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19128 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19129 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19130 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19133 @node Other Gnus Versions
19134 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19137 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19138 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19139 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19140 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19142 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19143 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19144 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19145 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19152 What's the point of Gnus?
19154 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19155 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19156 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19157 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19158 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19159 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19160 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19161 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19162 keep track of millions of people who post?
19164 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19165 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19166 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19167 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19168 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19169 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19170 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19171 every one of you to explore and invent.
19173 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19174 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19177 @node Compatibility
19178 @subsection Compatibility
19180 @cindex compatibility
19181 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19182 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19183 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19188 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19192 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19195 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19198 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19199 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19200 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19201 important variables have their values copied into their global
19202 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19203 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19205 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19206 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19207 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19208 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19209 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19213 @cindex highlighting
19214 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19215 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19216 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19217 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19218 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19219 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19222 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19223 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19224 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19225 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19227 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19228 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19229 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19230 to stop doing it the old way.
19232 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19234 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19236 @cindex reporting bugs
19238 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19239 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19240 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19242 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19243 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19244 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19245 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19250 @subsection Conformity
19252 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19253 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19260 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19264 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19266 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19267 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19268 We do have some breaches to this one.
19274 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19275 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19276 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19277 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19278 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19283 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19284 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19285 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19286 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19290 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19291 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19296 @subsection Emacsen
19302 Gnus should work on :
19310 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
19314 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19315 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19318 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19319 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19320 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19324 @node Gnus Development
19325 @subsection Gnus Development
19327 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19328 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19329 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19330 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19331 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19332 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19333 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19334 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19336 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19337 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19338 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19339 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19340 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19343 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19344 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19345 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19346 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19347 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19349 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19350 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19351 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19352 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19353 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19354 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19355 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19356 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19357 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19358 can't be assumed to do so.
19363 @subsection Contributors
19364 @cindex contributors
19366 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19367 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19368 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19369 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19370 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19371 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19372 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19373 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19374 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19375 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19377 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19383 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19386 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19387 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19388 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19389 functionality and stuff.
19392 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19393 well as numerous other things).
19396 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19399 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19402 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19405 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19406 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19409 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19412 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19413 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19416 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19419 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19422 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19425 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19428 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19429 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19432 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19435 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19438 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19441 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19445 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19448 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19451 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19454 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19455 well as autoconf support.
19459 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19460 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19462 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19471 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19475 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19485 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19500 Massimo Campostrini,
19505 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19506 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19510 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19513 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19519 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19524 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19528 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19536 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19538 Michelangelo Grigni,
19542 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19544 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19546 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19553 François Felix Ingrand,
19554 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19555 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19557 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19568 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19569 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19571 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19572 Thor Kristoffersen,
19575 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19593 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19594 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19601 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19606 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19610 John McClary Prevost,
19616 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19621 Christian von Roques,
19624 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19631 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19633 Randal L. Schwartz,
19647 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19652 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19668 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19673 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19674 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19675 (550kB and counting).
19677 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19680 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19681 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19685 @subsection New Features
19686 @cindex new features
19689 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19690 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
19691 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19692 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19693 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
19696 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19697 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19698 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19701 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19703 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19708 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19709 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19712 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19713 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19716 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19719 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19720 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19721 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19724 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19725 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19726 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19727 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19730 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19731 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19734 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19735 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19736 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19739 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19740 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19743 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19744 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19745 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19748 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19749 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19750 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19753 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19754 the @file{.emacs} file.
19757 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19758 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19761 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19762 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19765 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19766 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19769 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19770 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19773 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19774 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19777 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19780 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19781 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19784 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19785 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19788 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19789 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19792 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19795 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19796 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19799 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19803 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19807 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19808 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19811 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19817 @node September Gnus
19818 @subsubsection September Gnus
19822 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19826 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19831 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19832 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19836 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19837 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19841 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19845 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19846 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19849 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19853 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19856 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19859 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19862 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19866 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19867 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19870 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19874 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19878 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19882 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19886 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19889 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19890 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19893 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19897 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19898 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19901 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19904 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19905 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19906 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19909 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19913 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19916 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19920 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19921 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19924 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19925 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19928 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19929 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19932 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19933 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19934 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19937 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19938 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19941 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19944 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19947 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19950 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19953 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19954 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19957 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19961 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19964 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19969 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19972 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19976 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19979 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19983 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19986 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19989 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19990 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19993 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19994 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19998 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19999 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20002 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20006 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20007 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20010 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20013 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20017 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20021 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20022 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20025 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20029 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20030 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20033 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20034 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20037 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20041 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20044 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20047 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20053 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20055 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20059 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
20066 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20069 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20070 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20073 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20074 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20078 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20079 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20082 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20085 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20086 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20089 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20093 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20094 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20098 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20099 Server Internals}).
20102 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20106 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20109 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20110 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20113 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20114 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20115 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20118 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20119 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20122 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20123 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20126 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20130 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20131 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20134 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20135 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20138 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20142 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20145 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20149 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20150 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20153 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20154 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20157 A new command for reading collections of documents
20158 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20159 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20162 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20166 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20167 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20170 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20171 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20172 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20175 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20176 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20180 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20184 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20188 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20193 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20197 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20201 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20202 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20205 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20211 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20213 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20218 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20219 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20220 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20223 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20224 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20225 group, which is created automatically.
20228 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20232 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20235 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20236 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20239 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20243 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20246 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20247 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20250 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20253 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20254 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20257 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20258 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20261 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20262 control over simplification.
20265 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20268 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20272 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20275 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20278 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20279 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20280 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20283 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20284 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20287 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20291 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20292 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20295 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20296 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20299 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20303 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20306 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20309 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20310 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20313 A new function for citing in Message has been
20314 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20317 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20320 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20324 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20325 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20328 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20329 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20332 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20335 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20339 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
20340 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
20342 New features in Gnus 5.8:
20346 @item The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
20347 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
20349 If you used procmail like in
20352 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
20353 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
20354 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
20355 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
20358 this now has changed to
20362 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
20366 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
20367 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
20369 @item Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
20370 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
20372 @item Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
20373 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
20375 @item @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
20376 called to position point.
20378 @item The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
20379 summary buffers and NOV files.
20381 @item @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
20382 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
20384 @item The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
20385 subtly different manner.
20387 @item New web-based backends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
20388 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
20389 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
20391 @item Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
20399 @section The Manual
20403 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20404 either @code{texi2dvi}
20406 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20407 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20409 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20411 The following conventions have been used:
20416 This is a @samp{string}
20419 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20422 This is a @file{file}
20425 This is a @code{symbol}
20429 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20433 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20436 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20439 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20442 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20443 ever get them confused.
20447 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20448 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20449 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20450 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20451 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20452 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20453 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20459 @node On Writing Manuals
20460 @section On Writing Manuals
20462 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20463 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20464 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20465 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20466 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20467 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20470 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20471 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20472 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20475 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20476 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20481 @section Terminology
20483 @cindex terminology
20488 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20489 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20490 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20491 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20492 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20496 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20497 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20498 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20499 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20503 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20507 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20512 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20513 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20514 is all done by the backends.
20518 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20519 default, way of getting news.
20523 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20524 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20529 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20530 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20534 A message that has been posted as news.
20537 @cindex mail message
20538 A message that has been mailed.
20542 A mail message or news article
20546 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20551 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20556 A line from the head of an article.
20560 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20561 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20565 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20566 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20567 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20568 normal @sc{head} format.
20572 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20573 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20574 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20575 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20576 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20577 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20579 @item killed groups
20580 @cindex killed groups
20581 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20582 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20584 @item zombie groups
20585 @cindex zombie groups
20586 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20589 @cindex active file
20590 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20591 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20592 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20595 @cindex bogus groups
20596 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20597 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20598 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20601 @cindex activating groups
20602 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20603 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20604 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20608 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20610 @item select method
20611 @cindex select method
20612 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20615 @item virtual server
20616 @cindex virtual server
20617 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20618 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20619 whole is a virtual server.
20623 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20624 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
20627 @item ephemeral groups
20628 @cindex ephemeral groups
20629 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
20630 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
20631 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
20634 @cindex solid groups
20635 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
20636 group buffer are solid groups.
20638 @item sparse articles
20639 @cindex sparse articles
20640 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
20641 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
20645 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
20646 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
20650 @cindex thread root
20651 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
20652 articles in the thread.
20656 An article that has responses.
20660 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
20664 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
20665 specified by RFC 1153.
20671 @node Customization
20672 @section Customization
20673 @cindex general customization
20675 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
20676 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
20677 for some quite common situations.
20680 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
20681 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
20682 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
20683 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
20687 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
20688 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
20690 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
20691 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
20692 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
20696 @item gnus-read-active-file
20697 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
20698 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
20699 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20700 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
20701 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
20703 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
20704 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
20705 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
20706 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
20710 @node Slow Terminal Connection
20711 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
20713 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
20714 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
20715 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
20719 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
20720 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
20721 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
20722 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
20723 horizontal and vertical recentering.
20725 @item gnus-visible-headers
20726 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
20727 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
20728 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
20729 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
20731 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
20733 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
20734 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
20735 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
20738 @item gnus-use-full-window
20739 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
20740 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
20741 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
20742 want to read them anyway.
20744 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
20745 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
20748 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
20749 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
20750 lines, which might save some time.
20754 @node Little Disk Space
20755 @subsection Little Disk Space
20758 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
20759 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
20763 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
20764 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
20765 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20766 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20769 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
20770 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
20771 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20772 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20775 @item gnus-save-killed-list
20776 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
20777 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
20778 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
20779 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
20785 @subsection Slow Machine
20786 @cindex slow machine
20788 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
20789 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
20791 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20792 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
20794 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
20795 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
20796 summary buffer faster.
20800 @node Troubleshooting
20801 @section Troubleshooting
20802 @cindex troubleshooting
20804 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
20812 Make sure your computer is switched on.
20815 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
20816 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
20820 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
20821 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
20822 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
20823 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
20826 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
20830 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
20831 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
20832 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
20833 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
20834 something like that.
20837 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
20840 @cindex reporting bugs
20842 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20844 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
20845 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
20846 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
20847 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
20849 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
20850 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
20851 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
20852 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
20855 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
20856 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
20857 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
20858 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
20859 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
20860 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
20862 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
20863 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
20864 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
20867 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
20868 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
20870 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
20871 @cindex ding mailing list
20872 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
20873 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
20877 @node Gnus Reference Guide
20878 @section Gnus Reference Guide
20880 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
20881 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
20882 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
20883 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
20886 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
20887 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
20888 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
20889 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
20890 and general methods of operation.
20893 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
20894 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
20895 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
20896 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
20897 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
20898 * Group Info:: The group info format.
20899 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
20900 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
20901 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
20905 @node Gnus Utility Functions
20906 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
20907 @cindex Gnus utility functions
20908 @cindex utility functions
20910 @cindex internal variables
20912 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
20913 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
20914 Below is a list of the most common ones.
20918 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
20919 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
20920 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
20922 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
20923 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
20924 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
20926 @item gnus-group-real-name
20927 @findex gnus-group-real-name
20928 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
20931 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
20932 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
20933 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
20934 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
20936 @item gnus-get-info
20937 @findex gnus-get-info
20938 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
20940 @item gnus-group-unread
20941 @findex gnus-group-unread
20942 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
20946 @findex gnus-active
20947 The active entry for @var{group}.
20949 @item gnus-set-active
20950 @findex gnus-set-active
20951 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
20953 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20954 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20955 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
20958 @item gnus-continuum-version
20959 @findex gnus-continuum-version
20960 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
20961 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
20964 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
20965 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
20966 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
20968 @item gnus-news-group-p
20969 @findex gnus-news-group-p
20970 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
20972 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20973 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20974 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
20976 @item gnus-server-to-method
20977 @findex gnus-server-to-method
20978 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
20980 @item gnus-server-equal
20981 @findex gnus-server-equal
20982 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
20984 @item gnus-group-native-p
20985 @findex gnus-group-native-p
20986 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
20988 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
20989 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
20990 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
20992 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
20993 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
20994 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
20996 @item group-group-find-parameter
20997 @findex group-group-find-parameter
20998 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
20999 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21001 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21002 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21003 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21005 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21006 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21007 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21009 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21010 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21011 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21012 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21015 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21019 @item gnus-read-method
21020 @findex gnus-read-method
21021 Prompts the user for a select method.
21026 @node Backend Interface
21027 @subsection Backend Interface
21029 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21030 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21031 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21032 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21033 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21034 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21036 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21037 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21038 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21039 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21040 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21041 been opened, the function should fail.
21043 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21044 name. Take this example:
21048 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21049 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21052 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21053 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21055 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21056 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21057 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21059 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21060 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21061 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21063 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21064 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21065 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21066 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21067 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21068 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21071 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21072 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21073 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21074 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21077 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21080 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21083 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21084 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21085 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21086 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21087 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21088 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21092 @node Required Backend Functions
21093 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21097 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21099 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21100 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21101 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21102 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21104 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21105 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21106 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21107 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21109 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21110 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21111 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21112 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21113 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21114 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21115 number, do maximum fetches.
21117 Here's an example HEAD:
21120 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21121 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21122 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21123 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21124 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21125 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21126 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21128 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21129 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21130 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21134 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21135 these in the data buffer.
21137 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21141 head = error / valid-head
21142 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21143 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21144 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21145 header = <text> eol
21148 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21149 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21153 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21154 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21155 field = <text except TAB>
21158 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21162 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21164 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21165 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21167 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21168 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21169 server. In fact, it should do so.
21171 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21172 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21175 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21177 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21178 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21181 There should be no data returned.
21184 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21186 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21187 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21188 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21189 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21191 There should be no data returned.
21194 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21196 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21197 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21198 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21199 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21201 There should be no data returned.
21204 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21206 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21208 There should be no data returned.
21211 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21213 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21214 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21215 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21216 it would be nice if that were possible.
21218 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21219 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21220 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21221 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21222 into its article buffer.
21224 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21225 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21226 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21227 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21228 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21229 on successful article retrieval.
21232 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21234 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21235 making @var{group} the current group.
21237 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21240 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21243 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21246 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21247 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21248 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21249 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21250 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21251 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21252 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21253 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21256 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21257 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21258 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21262 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21264 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21265 a no-op on most backends.
21267 There should be no data returned.
21270 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21272 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21275 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21278 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21279 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21282 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21283 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21286 active-file = *active-line
21287 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21289 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21292 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21293 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21294 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21297 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21299 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21300 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21301 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21302 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21303 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21304 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21306 There should be no result data from this function.
21311 @node Optional Backend Functions
21312 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21316 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21318 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21319 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21320 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21322 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21323 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21324 former is in the same format as the data from
21325 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21326 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21329 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21333 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21335 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21336 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21337 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21338 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21339 should return the (altered) group info.
21341 There should be no result data from this function.
21344 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21346 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21347 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21348 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21349 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21350 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21351 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21352 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21353 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21355 There should be no result data from this function.
21358 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21360 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21361 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21362 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21363 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21364 propagate the mark information to the server.
21366 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21369 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21372 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
21373 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21374 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21375 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21376 mentioned) marks. MARK is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21377 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21378 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21379 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21380 not limit itself to these.
21382 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21383 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21384 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21385 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21387 An example action list:
21390 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21391 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21392 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21395 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21396 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21398 There should be no result data from this function.
21400 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21402 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21403 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21404 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21405 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21406 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21408 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21409 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21410 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21413 There should be no result data from this function.
21416 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21418 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21419 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21420 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21421 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21422 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21423 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21424 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21426 There should be no result data from this function.
21429 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21431 The result data from this function should be a description of
21435 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21437 description = <text>
21440 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21442 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21443 groups available on the server.
21446 description-buffer = *description-line
21450 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21452 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21453 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21454 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21457 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21459 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21461 There should be no return data.
21464 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21466 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21467 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21468 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21469 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21470 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21473 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21476 There should be no result data returned.
21479 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21482 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21483 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21485 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21486 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21487 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21488 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21489 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21490 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21492 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21493 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21496 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21497 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21499 There should be no data returned.
21502 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21504 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21505 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21506 this function in short order.
21508 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21509 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21511 There should be no data returned.
21514 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21516 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21517 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21519 There should be no data returned.
21522 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21524 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21525 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21526 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21528 There should be no data returned.
21531 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21533 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21534 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21536 There should be no data returned.
21541 @node Error Messaging
21542 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21544 @findex nnheader-report
21545 @findex nnheader-get-report
21546 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21547 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21548 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21549 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21550 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21551 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21554 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21556 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21559 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21560 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21561 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21562 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21564 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21565 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21566 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21569 @node Writing New Backends
21570 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21572 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21573 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21574 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21575 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21576 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21579 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21580 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21581 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21583 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21584 package called @code{nnoo}.
21586 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21587 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21593 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21594 parameters. For instance:
21597 (nnoo-declare nndir
21601 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21602 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21605 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21606 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21607 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21609 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21610 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21611 a function in those backends.
21614 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21615 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21616 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21619 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
21620 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
21621 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
21623 @item nnoo-define-basics
21624 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
21628 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21632 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
21633 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
21634 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
21636 @item nnoo-map-functions
21637 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
21638 functions from the parent backends.
21641 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21642 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21643 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
21646 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
21647 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
21648 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
21649 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
21652 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
21653 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
21654 haven't already been defined.
21660 nnmh-request-newgroups)
21664 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
21665 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
21666 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
21671 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
21674 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
21675 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21679 (require 'nnheader)
21683 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
21685 (nnoo-declare nndir
21688 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21689 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21690 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21692 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
21693 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
21696 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
21697 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
21698 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
21700 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
21701 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
21703 ;;; Interface functions.
21705 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21707 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
21708 (setq nndir-directory
21709 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
21711 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
21712 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
21713 (push `(nndir-current-group
21714 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21716 (push `(nndir-top-directory
21717 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21719 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
21721 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21722 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21723 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21724 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
21725 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
21729 nnmh-status-message
21731 nnmh-request-newgroups))
21737 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21738 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21740 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
21741 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
21742 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
21743 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
21745 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
21746 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
21751 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
21754 The abilities can be:
21758 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
21760 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
21762 This backend supports both mail and news.
21764 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
21767 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
21768 articles and groups.
21770 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
21771 true for almost all backends.
21772 @item prompt-address
21773 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
21774 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
21775 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
21779 @node Mail-like Backends
21780 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
21782 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
21783 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
21784 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
21785 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
21788 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
21789 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
21790 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
21793 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
21794 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
21797 This function takes four parameters.
21801 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
21804 @item exit-function
21805 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
21807 @item temp-directory
21808 Where the temporary files should be stored.
21811 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
21812 performed for one group only.
21815 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
21816 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
21817 find the article number assigned to this article.
21819 The function also uses the following variables:
21820 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
21821 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
21822 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
21823 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
21827 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
21828 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
21832 @node Score File Syntax
21833 @subsection Score File Syntax
21835 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
21836 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
21837 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
21839 Here's a typical score file:
21843 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
21850 BNF definition of a score file:
21853 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
21854 element = rule / atom
21855 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
21856 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
21857 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
21858 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
21860 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
21861 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
21862 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
21863 date-header = "date"
21864 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21865 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21866 score = "nil" / <integer>
21867 date = "nil" / <natural number>
21868 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
21869 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
21870 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
21871 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
21872 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21873 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21874 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
21875 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21876 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
21877 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
21878 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
21879 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
21880 exclude-files / read-only / touched
21881 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
21882 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
21883 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
21884 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
21885 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
21886 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
21887 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
21888 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
21889 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
21890 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
21891 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
21892 eval = "eval" space <form>
21893 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
21896 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
21899 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
21900 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
21901 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
21902 one looong line, then that's ok.
21904 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
21905 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21909 @subsection Headers
21911 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
21912 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
21913 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
21914 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
21916 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
21917 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
21918 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
21919 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
21920 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
21921 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
21922 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
21924 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
21925 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
21926 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
21927 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
21928 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
21930 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
21931 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
21937 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
21938 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
21940 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
21941 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
21942 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
21943 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
21945 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
21949 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
21952 is transformed into
21955 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
21958 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
21959 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
21962 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
21965 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
21966 is slightly tricky:
21969 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
21975 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
21978 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
21984 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
21991 and is equal to the previous range.
21993 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
21994 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
21995 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
21999 range = simple-range / normal-range
22000 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22001 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22002 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22003 number *[ " " contents ]
22006 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22007 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22008 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22009 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22010 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22015 @subsection Group Info
22017 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22018 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22019 describes the group.
22021 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22022 second is a more complex one:
22025 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22027 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22028 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22030 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22033 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22034 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22035 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22036 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22037 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22038 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22039 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22040 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22041 this section is about.
22043 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22044 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22045 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22047 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22050 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22051 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22052 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22053 group = quote <string> quote
22054 ralevel = rank / level
22055 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22056 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22057 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22059 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22060 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22061 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22062 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22065 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22066 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22069 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22070 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22073 @item gnus-info-group
22074 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22075 @findex gnus-info-group
22076 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22077 Get/set the group name.
22079 @item gnus-info-rank
22080 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22081 @findex gnus-info-rank
22082 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22083 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22085 @item gnus-info-level
22086 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22087 @findex gnus-info-level
22088 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22089 Get/set the group level.
22091 @item gnus-info-score
22092 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22093 @findex gnus-info-score
22094 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22095 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22097 @item gnus-info-read
22098 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22099 @findex gnus-info-read
22100 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22101 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22103 @item gnus-info-marks
22104 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22105 @findex gnus-info-marks
22106 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22107 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22109 @item gnus-info-method
22110 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22111 @findex gnus-info-method
22112 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22113 Get/set the group select method.
22115 @item gnus-info-params
22116 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22117 @findex gnus-info-params
22118 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22119 Get/set the group parameters.
22122 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22123 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22125 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22126 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22127 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22128 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22131 @node Extended Interactive
22132 @subsection Extended Interactive
22133 @cindex interactive
22134 @findex gnus-interactive
22136 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22137 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22138 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22141 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22142 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22147 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22148 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22149 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22150 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22151 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22152 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22153 @code{interactive}.
22155 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22160 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22161 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22165 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22166 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22167 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22170 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22174 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22178 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22184 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22185 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22189 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22190 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22191 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22193 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22194 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22195 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22196 Gnus, that's very useful.
22198 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22199 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22200 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22201 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22202 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22203 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22204 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22205 following function:
22208 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22212 (,function ,@@args))
22216 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22217 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22218 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22221 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22222 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22223 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22225 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22226 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22227 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22230 @node Various File Formats
22231 @subsection Various File Formats
22234 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22235 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22239 @node Active File Format
22240 @subsubsection Active File Format
22242 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22243 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22246 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22249 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22250 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22251 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22252 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22253 no.general 1000 900 y
22256 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22259 active = *group-line
22260 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22261 group = <non-white-space string>
22263 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22264 low-number = <positive integer>
22265 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22268 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22269 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22272 @node Newsgroups File Format
22273 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22275 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22276 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22277 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22280 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22281 Here's the definition:
22285 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22286 group = <non-white-space string>
22288 description = <string>
22293 @node Emacs for Heathens
22294 @section Emacs for Heathens
22296 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22297 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22298 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22299 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22300 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22301 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22302 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22306 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22307 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22312 @subsection Keystrokes
22316 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22319 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22322 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22323 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22324 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22325 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22326 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22327 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22329 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22330 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22331 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22332 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22333 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22334 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22335 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22337 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22338 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22339 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22340 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22341 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22342 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22343 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22345 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22346 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22347 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22348 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22349 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22355 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22357 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22358 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22359 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22360 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22362 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22363 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22364 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22365 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22366 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22367 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22368 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22371 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22372 write the following:
22375 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22378 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22379 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22380 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22383 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22384 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22385 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22386 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22387 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22389 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22390 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22391 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22395 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22399 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22402 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22403 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22406 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22409 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22410 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22413 @include gnus-faq.texi
22434 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
22435 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
22436 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
22437 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
22438 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref