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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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266 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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275 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
276 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
279 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
280 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
281 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
282 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
283 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
284 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
285 License'' in the Emacs manual.
287 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
288 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
289 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
291 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
292 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
293 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
294 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
302 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
304 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
306 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
307 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
308 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
309 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
310 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
311 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
312 License'' in the Emacs manual.
314 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
315 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
316 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
318 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
319 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
320 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
321 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
329 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
332 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
333 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
335 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
336 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
337 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
338 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
339 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
340 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
341 License'' in the Emacs manual.
343 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
344 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
345 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
347 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
348 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
349 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
350 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
359 @top The Gnus Newsreader
363 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
364 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
365 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
368 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.01.
379 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
380 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
382 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
383 being accused of plagiarism:
385 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
386 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
387 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
388 can even read news with it!
390 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
391 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
392 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
393 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
394 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
400 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
401 * The Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
402 * The Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
403 * The Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
404 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
405 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
406 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
407 * Various:: General purpose settings.
408 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
409 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
410 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
411 * Key Index:: Key Index.
414 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
418 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
419 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
420 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
421 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
422 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
423 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
424 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
425 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
426 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
427 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
428 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
432 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
433 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
434 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
438 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
439 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
440 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
441 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
442 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
443 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
444 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
445 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
446 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
447 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
448 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
449 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
450 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
451 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
452 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
453 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
454 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
458 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
459 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
460 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
464 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
465 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
466 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
467 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
468 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
472 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
473 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
474 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
475 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
479 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
480 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
481 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
482 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
483 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
484 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
485 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
486 * Threading:: How threads are made.
487 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
488 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
489 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
490 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
491 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
492 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
493 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
494 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
495 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
496 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
497 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
498 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
499 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
500 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
501 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
502 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
503 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
504 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
505 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
506 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
507 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
509 Summary Buffer Format
511 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
512 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
513 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
514 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
518 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
519 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
521 Reply, Followup and Post
523 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
524 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
525 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
526 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
530 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
531 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
532 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
533 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
534 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
535 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
539 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
540 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
542 Customizing Threading
544 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
545 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
546 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
547 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
551 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
552 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
553 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
554 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
555 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
556 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
560 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
561 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
562 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
566 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
567 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
568 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
569 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
570 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
571 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
572 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
573 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
575 Alternative Approaches
577 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
578 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
580 Various Summary Stuff
582 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
583 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
584 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
585 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
589 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
590 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
591 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
592 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
593 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
597 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
598 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
599 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
600 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
601 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
602 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
603 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
604 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
608 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
609 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
610 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
611 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
612 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
613 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
614 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
618 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
619 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
620 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
621 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
622 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
623 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
624 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
628 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
629 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
633 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
634 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
635 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
636 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
637 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
638 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
639 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
640 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
641 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
642 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
643 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
644 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
645 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
649 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
650 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
651 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
653 Choosing a Mail Backend
655 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
656 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
657 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
658 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
659 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
660 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
664 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
665 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
666 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
667 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
671 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
672 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
673 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
674 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
675 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
676 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
680 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
684 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
685 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
686 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
690 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
691 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
692 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
696 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
697 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
701 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
702 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
703 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
704 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
705 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
706 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
707 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
708 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
709 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
710 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
714 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
715 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
716 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
720 * Group Agent Commands::
721 * Summary Agent Commands::
722 * Server Agent Commands::
726 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
727 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
728 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
729 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
730 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
731 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
732 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
733 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
734 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
735 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
736 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
737 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
738 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
739 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
740 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
741 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
745 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
746 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
747 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
748 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
752 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
753 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
754 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
758 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
759 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
760 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
761 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
762 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
763 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
764 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
765 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
766 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
767 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
768 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
769 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
770 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
771 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
772 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
773 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
774 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
775 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
779 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
780 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
781 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
782 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
783 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
787 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
788 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
789 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
790 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
794 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
795 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
796 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
797 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
798 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
802 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
803 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
804 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
805 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
806 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
807 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
808 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
809 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
813 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
814 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
815 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
816 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
817 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
818 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
819 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
820 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
821 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
825 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
826 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
827 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
828 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
829 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
833 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
834 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
835 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
836 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
840 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
841 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
842 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
843 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
844 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
845 * Group Info:: The group info format.
846 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
847 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
848 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
852 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
853 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
854 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
855 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
856 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
857 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
861 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
862 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
866 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
867 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
873 @chapter Starting Gnus
878 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
879 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
882 @findex gnus-other-frame
883 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
884 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
885 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
887 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
888 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
889 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
891 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
892 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
895 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
896 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
897 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
898 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
899 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
900 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
901 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
902 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
903 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
904 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
905 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
909 @node Finding the News
910 @section Finding the News
913 @vindex gnus-select-method
915 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
916 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
917 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
918 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
921 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
922 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
925 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
928 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
931 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
934 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
935 certainly be much faster.
937 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
939 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
940 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
941 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
942 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
943 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
944 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
946 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
947 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
948 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
949 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
951 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
952 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
953 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
954 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
955 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
956 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
957 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
958 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
959 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
962 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
964 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
965 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
966 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
967 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
968 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
969 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
971 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
973 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
974 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
975 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
976 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
977 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
978 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
981 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
982 would typically set this variable to
985 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
990 @section The First Time
991 @cindex first time usage
993 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
994 be subscribed by default.
996 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
997 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
998 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
999 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1002 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1003 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1004 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1006 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1007 help you with most common problems.
1009 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1010 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1014 @node The Server is Down
1015 @section The Server is Down
1016 @cindex server errors
1018 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1019 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1020 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1022 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1023 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1024 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1025 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1026 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1027 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1028 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1030 @findex gnus-no-server
1031 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1033 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1034 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1035 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1036 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1037 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1038 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1039 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1043 @section Slave Gnusae
1046 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1047 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1048 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1049 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1051 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1052 @code{.newsrc} file.
1054 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1055 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1056 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1057 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1058 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1059 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1060 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1062 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1063 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1064 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1065 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1066 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1067 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1068 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1069 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1071 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1072 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1075 @node Fetching a Group
1076 @section Fetching a Group
1077 @cindex fetching a group
1079 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1080 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1081 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1082 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1083 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1084 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1090 @cindex subscription
1092 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1093 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1094 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1095 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1096 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1097 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1098 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1099 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1100 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1103 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1104 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1105 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1109 @node Checking New Groups
1110 @subsection Checking New Groups
1112 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1113 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1114 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1115 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1116 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1117 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1118 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1119 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1120 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1121 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1123 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1124 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1125 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1126 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1127 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1128 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1129 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1130 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1131 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1132 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1133 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1135 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1136 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1137 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1138 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1139 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1140 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1143 @node Subscription Methods
1144 @subsection Subscription Methods
1146 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1147 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1148 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1150 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1151 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1153 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1157 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1158 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1159 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1160 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1161 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1163 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1164 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1165 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1166 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1168 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1169 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1170 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1172 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1173 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1174 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1175 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1176 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1177 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1178 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1179 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1180 up. Or something like that.
1182 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1183 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1184 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1185 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1186 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1188 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1189 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1190 Kill all new groups.
1192 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1193 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1194 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1195 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1196 topic parameter that looks like
1202 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1205 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1211 A closely related variable is
1212 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1213 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1214 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1215 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1218 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1219 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1220 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1221 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1224 @node Filtering New Groups
1225 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1227 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1228 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1229 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1232 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1235 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1236 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1237 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1238 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1239 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1240 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1241 subscribing these groups.
1242 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1243 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1245 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1246 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1247 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1248 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1249 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1250 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1251 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1252 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1254 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1255 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1256 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1257 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1258 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1259 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1260 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1261 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1262 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1263 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1265 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1266 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1269 @node Changing Servers
1270 @section Changing Servers
1271 @cindex changing servers
1273 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1274 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1275 very flaky and you want to use another.
1277 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1278 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1282 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1283 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1284 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1285 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1288 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1289 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1290 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1291 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1293 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1294 @findex gnus-change-server
1295 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1296 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1297 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1298 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1299 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1301 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1302 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1303 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1304 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1305 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1307 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1308 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1309 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1310 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1311 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1312 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1314 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1315 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1316 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1320 @section Startup Files
1321 @cindex startup files
1326 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1327 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1329 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1330 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1331 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1332 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1333 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1334 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1335 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1337 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1338 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1339 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1340 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1341 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1342 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1344 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1345 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1346 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1347 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1348 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1349 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1350 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1351 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1352 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1353 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1355 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1356 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1357 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1358 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1359 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1360 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1361 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1362 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1363 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1364 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1365 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1366 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1368 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1369 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1370 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1371 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1373 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1374 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1375 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1376 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1377 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1378 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1379 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1380 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1381 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1382 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1385 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1386 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1388 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1389 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1392 @vindex gnus-init-file
1393 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1394 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1395 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1396 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1397 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1398 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1399 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1400 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1401 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1407 @cindex dribble file
1410 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1411 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1412 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1413 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1414 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1417 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1418 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1421 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1422 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1423 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1425 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1426 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1427 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1428 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1429 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1430 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1432 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1433 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1434 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1437 @node The Active File
1438 @section The Active File
1440 @cindex ignored groups
1442 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1443 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1444 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1446 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1447 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1448 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1449 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1450 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1451 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1452 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1455 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1456 @c if you set it to anything else.
1458 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1460 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1461 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1462 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1464 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1465 you actually subscribe to.
1467 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1468 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1469 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1470 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1472 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1473 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1474 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1475 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1476 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1477 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1479 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1480 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1481 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1484 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1485 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1486 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1487 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1488 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1489 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1491 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1492 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1494 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1495 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1497 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1498 secondary select methods.
1501 @node Startup Variables
1502 @section Startup Variables
1506 @item gnus-load-hook
1507 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1508 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1509 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1510 times you start Gnus.
1512 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1513 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1514 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1516 @item gnus-startup-hook
1517 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1518 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1520 @item gnus-started-hook
1521 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1522 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1525 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1526 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1527 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1528 generating the group buffer.
1530 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1531 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1532 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1533 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1534 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1535 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1536 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1537 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1539 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1540 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1541 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1542 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1543 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1544 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1546 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1547 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1548 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1550 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1551 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1552 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1554 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1555 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1556 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1557 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1562 @node The Group Buffer
1563 @chapter The Group Buffer
1564 @cindex group buffer
1566 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1567 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1568 long as Gnus is active.
1572 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1573 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1574 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1575 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1576 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1577 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1578 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1579 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1585 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1586 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1587 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1588 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1589 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1590 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1591 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1592 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1593 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1594 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1595 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1596 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1597 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1598 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1599 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1600 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1601 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1605 @node Group Buffer Format
1606 @section Group Buffer Format
1609 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1610 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1611 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1615 @node Group Line Specification
1616 @subsection Group Line Specification
1617 @cindex group buffer format
1619 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1620 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1622 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1625 25: news.announce.newusers
1626 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1631 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1632 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1633 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1634 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1636 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1637 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1638 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1639 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1640 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1641 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1643 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1645 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1646 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1647 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1648 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1651 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1652 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1653 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1655 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1660 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1663 Whether the group is subscribed.
1666 Level of subscribedness.
1669 Number of unread articles.
1672 Number of dormant articles.
1675 Number of ticked articles.
1678 Number of read articles.
1681 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1682 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1685 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1688 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1697 Newsgroup description.
1700 @samp{m} if moderated.
1703 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1712 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1716 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1719 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1720 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1721 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1722 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1723 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1726 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1728 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1732 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1735 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1739 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1740 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1741 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1742 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1743 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1744 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1749 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1750 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1751 group, or a bogus native group.
1754 @node Group Modeline Specification
1755 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1756 @cindex group modeline
1758 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1759 The mode line can be changed by setting
1760 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1761 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1765 The native news server.
1767 The native select method.
1771 @node Group Highlighting
1772 @subsection Group Highlighting
1773 @cindex highlighting
1774 @cindex group highlighting
1776 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1777 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1778 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1779 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1780 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1782 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1786 (cond (window-system
1787 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1788 (defface my-group-face-1
1789 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1790 (defface my-group-face-2
1791 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1792 (defface my-group-face-3
1793 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1794 (defface my-group-face-4
1795 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1796 (defface my-group-face-5
1797 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1799 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1800 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1801 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1802 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1803 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1804 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1807 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1809 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1816 The number of unread articles in the group.
1820 Whether the group is a mail group.
1822 The level of the group.
1824 The score of the group.
1826 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1828 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1829 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1831 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1832 topic being inserted.
1835 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1836 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1837 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1839 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1840 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1841 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1842 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1843 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1846 @node Group Maneuvering
1847 @section Group Maneuvering
1848 @cindex group movement
1850 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1851 expected, hopefully.
1857 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1858 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1859 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1865 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1866 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1867 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1871 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1872 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1876 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1877 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1881 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1882 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1883 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1887 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1888 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1889 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1892 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1898 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1899 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1900 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1905 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1906 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1907 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1911 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1912 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1913 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1916 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1917 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1918 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1919 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1923 @node Selecting a Group
1924 @section Selecting a Group
1925 @cindex group selection
1930 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1931 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1932 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1933 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1934 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1935 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1936 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1937 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1938 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1939 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1941 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1942 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1943 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1945 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1946 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1951 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1952 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1953 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1954 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1955 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1959 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1960 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1961 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1962 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1963 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1964 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1965 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1966 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1967 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1968 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1971 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1972 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1973 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1974 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1975 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1978 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1979 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1980 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1981 doing any processing of its contents
1982 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1983 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1984 manner will have no permanent effects.
1988 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
1989 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
1990 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
1991 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
1992 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
1993 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
1994 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
1995 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
1998 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
1999 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2000 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2001 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2006 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2007 full summary buffer.
2010 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2013 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2018 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2019 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2020 Useful functions include:
2023 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2024 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2025 don't select the article.
2027 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2028 Select the first unread article.
2030 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2031 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2035 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2036 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2037 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2041 @node Subscription Commands
2042 @section Subscription Commands
2043 @cindex subscription
2051 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2052 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2053 Toggle subscription to the current group
2054 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2060 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2061 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2062 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2063 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2069 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2070 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2071 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2077 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2078 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2081 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2082 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2083 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2084 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2085 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2091 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2092 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2096 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2097 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2100 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2101 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2102 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2103 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2104 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2105 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2106 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2107 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2108 @file{.newsrc} file.
2112 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2122 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2123 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2124 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2125 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2126 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2127 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2132 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2133 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2134 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2138 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2139 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2140 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2142 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2143 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2144 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2145 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2146 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2147 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2154 @section Group Levels
2158 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2159 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2160 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2161 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2162 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2164 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2170 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2171 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2172 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2173 prompted for a level.
2176 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2177 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2178 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2179 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2180 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2181 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2182 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2183 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2184 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2185 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2186 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2187 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2188 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2189 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2190 reasons of efficiency.
2192 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2193 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2195 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2196 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2197 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2198 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2199 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2200 groups are hidden, in a way.
2202 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2203 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2204 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2205 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2206 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2207 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2209 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2210 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2211 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2212 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2213 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2214 list of killed groups.)
2216 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2217 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2218 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2220 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2221 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2222 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2223 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2224 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2225 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2226 relevant valid ranges.
2228 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2229 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2230 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2231 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2232 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2233 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2236 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2237 one with the best level.
2239 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2240 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2241 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2244 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2245 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2246 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2247 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2250 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2251 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2252 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2253 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2255 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2256 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2257 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2258 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2259 to 5. The default is 6.
2263 @section Group Score
2268 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2269 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2270 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2273 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2274 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2275 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2276 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2277 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2278 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2279 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2280 least significant part.))
2282 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2283 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2284 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2285 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2286 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2287 action after each summary exit, you can add
2288 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2289 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2290 slow things down somewhat.
2293 @node Marking Groups
2294 @section Marking Groups
2295 @cindex marking groups
2297 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2298 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2299 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2300 bidding on those groups.
2302 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2303 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2304 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2312 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2313 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2319 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2320 Remove the mark from the current group
2321 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2325 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2326 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2330 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2331 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2335 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2336 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2340 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2341 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2342 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2345 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2347 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2348 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2349 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2350 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2351 the command to be executed.
2354 @node Foreign Groups
2355 @section Foreign Groups
2356 @cindex foreign groups
2358 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2359 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2360 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2361 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2368 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2369 @cindex making groups
2370 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2371 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2372 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2376 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2377 @cindex renaming groups
2378 Rename the current group to something else
2379 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2380 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2386 @findex gnus-group-customize
2387 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2391 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2392 @cindex renaming groups
2393 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2394 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2398 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2399 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2400 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2404 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2405 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2406 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2410 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2412 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2413 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2418 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2419 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2423 @cindex (ding) archive
2424 @cindex archive group
2425 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2426 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2427 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2428 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2429 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2430 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2431 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2435 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2437 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2438 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2439 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2440 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2444 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2446 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2447 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2448 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2452 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2453 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2455 Make a group based on some file or other
2456 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2457 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2458 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2459 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2460 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2461 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2462 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2466 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2467 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2468 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2469 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2473 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2478 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2479 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2480 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2481 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2482 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2483 @xref{Web Searches}.
2485 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2486 to a particular group by using a match string like
2487 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2490 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2491 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2492 This function will delete the current group
2493 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2494 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2495 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2496 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2497 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2501 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2502 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2503 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2507 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2508 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2509 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2512 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2515 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2516 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2517 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2518 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2519 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2520 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2524 @node Group Parameters
2525 @section Group Parameters
2526 @cindex group parameters
2528 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2529 Here's an example group parameter list:
2532 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2536 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2537 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2538 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2539 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2541 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2542 is an alist of regexps and values.
2544 The following group parameters can be used:
2549 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2552 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2555 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2556 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2557 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2558 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2559 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2561 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2562 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2563 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2564 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2565 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2566 list address instead.
2568 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2572 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2575 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2578 It is totally ignored
2579 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2580 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2582 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2583 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2584 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2585 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2586 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2588 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2589 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2590 sending the message.
2592 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2596 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2597 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2598 of whether it has any unread articles.
2600 @item broken-reply-to
2601 @cindex broken-reply-to
2602 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2603 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2604 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2605 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2606 broken behavior. So there!
2610 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2611 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2615 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2616 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2617 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2622 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2623 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2624 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2625 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2626 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2627 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2628 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2632 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2633 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2634 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2636 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2639 @cindex total-expire
2640 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2641 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2642 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2643 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2646 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2650 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2651 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2652 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2653 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2654 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2655 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2658 @cindex score file group parameter
2659 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2660 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2661 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2664 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2665 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2666 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2667 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2670 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2671 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2672 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2673 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2676 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2677 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2681 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2684 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2689 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2690 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2691 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2695 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2696 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2697 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2699 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2701 @item ignored-charsets
2702 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-known iso-8859-1)}
2703 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2704 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2706 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2709 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2710 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2711 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2712 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2713 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2715 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2716 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2717 like this in the group parameters:
2722 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2726 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2727 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2728 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2729 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2730 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2732 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2733 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2734 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2735 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2736 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2737 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2738 @code{eval}ed there.
2740 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2741 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2742 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2743 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2744 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2748 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2749 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2750 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2751 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2752 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2755 @node Listing Groups
2756 @section Listing Groups
2757 @cindex group listing
2759 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2767 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2768 List all groups that have unread articles
2769 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2770 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2771 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2772 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2779 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2780 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2781 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2782 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2783 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2784 unsubscribed groups).
2788 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2789 List all unread groups on a specific level
2790 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2791 with no unread articles.
2795 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2796 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2797 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2798 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2803 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2804 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2808 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2809 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2810 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2814 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2815 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2819 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2820 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2821 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2822 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2823 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2824 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2825 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2826 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2830 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2831 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2832 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2836 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2837 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2838 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2842 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2843 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2847 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2848 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2852 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2853 List groups limited within the current selection
2854 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2858 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2859 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2863 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2864 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2868 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2869 @cindex visible group parameter
2870 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2871 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2872 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2873 get the same effect.
2875 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2876 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2877 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2878 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2879 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2882 @node Sorting Groups
2883 @section Sorting Groups
2884 @cindex sorting groups
2886 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2887 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2888 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2889 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2890 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2891 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2896 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2897 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2898 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2900 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2901 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2902 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2904 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2905 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2906 Sort by group level.
2908 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2909 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2910 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2912 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2913 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2914 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2915 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2917 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2918 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2919 Sort by number of unread articles.
2921 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
2922 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
2923 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
2925 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
2926 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
2927 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
2932 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
2933 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
2937 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
2938 some sorting criteria:
2942 @kindex G S a (Group)
2943 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
2944 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
2945 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
2948 @kindex G S u (Group)
2949 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
2950 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
2951 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
2954 @kindex G S l (Group)
2955 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
2956 Sort the group buffer by group level
2957 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
2960 @kindex G S v (Group)
2961 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
2962 Sort the group buffer by group score
2963 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
2966 @kindex G S r (Group)
2967 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
2968 Sort the group buffer by group rank
2969 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
2972 @kindex G S m (Group)
2973 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
2974 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
2975 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
2979 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
2980 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
2982 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
2983 commands will sort in reverse order.
2985 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
2989 @kindex G P a (Group)
2990 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
2991 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
2992 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
2995 @kindex G P u (Group)
2996 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
2997 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
2998 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3001 @kindex G P l (Group)
3002 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3003 Sort the groups by group level
3004 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3007 @kindex G P v (Group)
3008 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3009 Sort the groups by group score
3010 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3013 @kindex G P r (Group)
3014 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3015 Sort the groups by group rank
3016 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3019 @kindex G P m (Group)
3020 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3021 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3022 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3028 @node Group Maintenance
3029 @section Group Maintenance
3030 @cindex bogus groups
3035 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3036 Find bogus groups and delete them
3037 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3041 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3042 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3043 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3044 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3045 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3049 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3050 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3051 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3052 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}).
3055 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3056 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3057 Run all articles in all groups through the expiry process
3058 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3063 @node Browse Foreign Server
3064 @section Browse Foreign Server
3065 @cindex foreign servers
3066 @cindex browsing servers
3071 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3072 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3073 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3074 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3077 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3078 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3079 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3080 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3082 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3087 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3088 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3092 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3093 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3096 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3097 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3098 Enter the current group and display the first article
3099 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3102 @kindex RET (Browse)
3103 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3104 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3108 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3109 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3110 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3116 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3117 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3121 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3122 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3123 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3128 @section Exiting Gnus
3129 @cindex exiting Gnus
3131 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3136 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3137 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3138 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3139 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3143 @findex gnus-group-exit
3144 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3145 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3149 @findex gnus-group-quit
3150 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3151 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3154 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3155 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3156 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3157 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3158 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3163 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3164 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3165 trying to customize meta-variables.
3170 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3171 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3172 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3178 @section Group Topics
3181 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3182 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3183 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3184 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3185 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3186 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3190 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3191 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3202 2: alt.religion.emacs
3205 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3207 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3208 13: comp.sources.unix
3211 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3213 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3214 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3215 is a toggling command.)
3217 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3218 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3219 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3220 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3223 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3224 the hook for the group mode:
3227 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3231 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3232 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3233 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3234 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3235 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3239 @node Topic Variables
3240 @subsection Topic Variables
3241 @cindex topic variables
3243 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3244 really neat, I think.
3246 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3247 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3248 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3261 Number of groups in the topic.
3263 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3265 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3268 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3269 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3270 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3273 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3274 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3276 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3277 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3278 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3281 @node Topic Commands
3282 @subsection Topic Commands
3283 @cindex topic commands
3285 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3286 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3287 definitions slightly.
3293 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3294 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3295 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3299 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3300 Move the current group to some other topic
3301 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3302 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3306 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3307 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3311 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3312 Copy the current group to some other topic
3313 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3314 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3318 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3319 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3320 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3324 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3325 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3326 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3330 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3331 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3332 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3333 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3334 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3335 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3336 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3339 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3340 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3344 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3345 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3346 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3350 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3351 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3352 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3356 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3357 Toggle hiding empty topics
3358 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3362 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3363 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3364 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3367 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3368 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3369 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3370 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3374 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3376 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3377 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3378 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3379 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3382 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3383 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3384 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3385 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3389 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3391 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3392 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3393 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3394 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3395 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3396 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3399 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3400 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3401 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the expiry
3402 process (if any) (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}).
3406 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3407 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3408 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3412 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3413 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3414 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3419 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3420 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3423 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3424 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3425 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3429 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3430 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3431 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3435 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3436 @cindex group parameters
3437 @cindex topic parameters
3439 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3440 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3446 @subsection Topic Sorting
3447 @cindex topic sorting
3449 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3455 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3456 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3457 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3458 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3461 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3462 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3463 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3464 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3467 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3468 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3469 Sort the current topic by group level
3470 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3473 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3474 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3475 Sort the current topic by group score
3476 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3479 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3480 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3481 Sort the current topic by group rank
3482 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3485 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3486 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3487 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3488 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3492 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3495 @node Topic Topology
3496 @subsection Topic Topology
3497 @cindex topic topology
3500 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3506 2: alt.religion.emacs
3509 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3511 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3512 13: comp.sources.unix
3515 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3516 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3517 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3522 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3523 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3527 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3528 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3529 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3530 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3531 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3532 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3534 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3535 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3536 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3539 @node Topic Parameters
3540 @subsection Topic Parameters
3541 @cindex topic parameters
3543 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3544 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3545 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3547 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3552 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3553 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3554 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3559 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3560 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3561 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3562 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3568 2: alt.religion.emacs
3572 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3574 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3575 13: comp.sources.unix
3579 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3580 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3581 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3582 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3583 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3584 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3586 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3587 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3588 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3589 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3590 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3592 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3593 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3594 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3595 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3596 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3597 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3598 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3599 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3602 @node Misc Group Stuff
3603 @section Misc Group Stuff
3606 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3607 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3608 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3609 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3616 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3617 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3618 @xref{The Server Buffer}.
3622 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3623 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3624 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3628 @findex gnus-group-mail
3629 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3633 Variables for the group buffer:
3637 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3638 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3639 is called after the group buffer has been
3642 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3643 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3644 is called after the group buffer is
3645 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3648 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3649 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3650 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3651 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3653 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3654 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3655 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3656 whether they are empty or not.
3658 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3659 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3660 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3661 non-ASCII group names.
3665 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3666 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3669 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3670 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3671 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3672 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3676 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3677 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3682 @node Scanning New Messages
3683 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3684 @cindex new messages
3685 @cindex scanning new news
3691 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3692 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3693 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3694 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3695 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3696 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3701 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3702 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3703 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3704 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3705 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3706 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3707 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3709 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3710 @cindex activating groups
3712 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3713 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3718 @findex gnus-group-restart
3719 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3720 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3721 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3725 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3726 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3728 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3729 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3733 @node Group Information
3734 @subsection Group Information
3735 @cindex group information
3736 @cindex information on groups
3743 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3744 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3747 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3748 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3749 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3750 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3751 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3752 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3753 for fetching the file.
3755 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3756 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3760 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3762 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3763 @cindex describing groups
3764 @cindex group description
3765 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3766 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3767 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3771 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3772 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3773 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3780 @findex gnus-version
3781 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3785 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3786 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3789 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3792 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3793 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3797 @node Group Timestamp
3798 @subsection Group Timestamp
3800 @cindex group timestamps
3802 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3803 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3804 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3807 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3810 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3812 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3813 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3816 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3817 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3820 This will result in lines looking like:
3823 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3824 0: custom 19961002T012713
3827 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3828 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3832 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3833 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3838 @subsection File Commands
3839 @cindex file commands
3845 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3846 @vindex gnus-init-file
3847 @cindex reading init file
3848 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3849 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3853 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3854 @cindex saving .newsrc
3855 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3856 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3857 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3860 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3861 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3862 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3867 @node The Summary Buffer
3868 @chapter The Summary Buffer
3869 @cindex summary buffer
3871 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3872 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3874 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3875 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3877 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3880 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3881 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3882 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3883 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3884 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3885 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3886 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3887 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3888 * Sorting:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3889 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3890 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3891 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3892 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3893 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3894 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3895 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3896 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3897 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3898 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3899 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3900 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3901 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3902 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3903 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3904 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3905 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
3906 or reselecting the current group.
3907 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3908 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3909 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3913 @node Summary Buffer Format
3914 @section Summary Buffer Format
3915 @cindex summary buffer format
3919 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
3920 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
3921 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
3927 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
3928 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
3929 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
3930 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
3933 @findex mail-extract-address-components
3934 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
3935 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
3936 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
3937 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
3938 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
3939 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
3940 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
3941 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
3942 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
3943 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
3946 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
3947 'mail-extract-address-components)
3950 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
3951 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
3952 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
3953 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
3956 @node Summary Buffer Lines
3957 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
3959 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
3960 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
3961 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
3962 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
3963 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3965 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
3967 The following format specification characters are understood:
3973 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
3974 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
3976 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
3977 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
3978 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
3980 Full @code{From} header.
3982 The name (from the @code{From} header).
3984 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
3985 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
3987 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
3988 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
3989 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
3990 may be more thorough.
3992 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
3995 Number of lines in the article.
3997 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
3998 methods (like nnfolder).
4000 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4002 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4003 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4005 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4006 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4008 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4009 for adopted articles.
4011 One space for each thread level.
4013 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4018 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4019 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4023 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4025 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4026 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4027 default level. If the difference between
4028 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4029 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4037 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4039 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4045 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4046 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4048 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4049 article has any children.
4055 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4056 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4057 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4058 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4059 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4060 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4063 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4064 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4065 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4066 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4067 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4068 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4070 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4071 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4073 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4076 @node To From Newsgroups
4077 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4081 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4082 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4083 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4084 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4085 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4089 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4090 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4091 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4095 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4096 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4099 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4100 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4103 @findex gnus-extra-header
4104 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4105 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4106 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4109 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4113 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4114 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4115 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4116 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4117 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4118 headers are used instead.
4122 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4123 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4124 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4125 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4128 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4129 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4130 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4131 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4133 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4137 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4139 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4140 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4141 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4142 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4146 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4147 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4154 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4155 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4158 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4159 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4161 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4162 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4163 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4164 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4166 Here are the elements you can play with:
4172 Unprefixed group name.
4174 Current article number.
4176 Current article score.
4180 Number of unread articles in this group.
4182 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4185 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4186 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4187 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4188 and no unselected ones.
4190 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4191 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4193 Subject of the current article.
4195 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4197 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4199 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4201 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4203 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4205 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4209 @node Summary Highlighting
4210 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4214 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4215 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4216 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4217 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4218 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4220 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4221 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4222 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4223 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4225 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4226 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4227 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4228 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4230 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4231 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4232 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4233 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4234 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4235 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4238 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4239 ((> score default) . bold))
4241 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4242 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4246 @node Summary Maneuvering
4247 @section Summary Maneuvering
4248 @cindex summary movement
4250 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4251 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4253 None of these commands select articles.
4258 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4259 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4260 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4261 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4262 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4266 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4267 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4268 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4269 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4270 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4273 @kindex G g (Summary)
4274 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4275 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4276 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4279 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4280 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4281 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4282 to the group buffer.
4284 Variables related to summary movement:
4288 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4289 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4290 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4291 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4292 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4293 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4294 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4295 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4296 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4297 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4298 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4299 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4300 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4301 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4303 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4304 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4305 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4306 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4307 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4308 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4309 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4311 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4313 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4314 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4315 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4316 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4317 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4319 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4320 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4321 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4322 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4323 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4324 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4325 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4326 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4329 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4330 the given number of lines from the top.
4335 @node Choosing Articles
4336 @section Choosing Articles
4337 @cindex selecting articles
4340 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4341 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4345 @node Choosing Commands
4346 @subsection Choosing Commands
4348 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4349 and they all select and display an article.
4351 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4352 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4356 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4357 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4358 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4359 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4364 @kindex G n (Summary)
4365 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4366 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4367 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4372 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4373 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4374 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4379 @kindex G N (Summary)
4380 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4381 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4386 @kindex G P (Summary)
4387 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4388 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4391 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4392 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4393 Go to the next article with the same subject
4394 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4397 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4398 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4399 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4400 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4404 @kindex G f (Summary)
4406 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4407 Go to the first unread article
4408 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4412 @kindex G b (Summary)
4414 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4415 Go to the article with the highest score
4416 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4421 @kindex G l (Summary)
4422 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4423 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4426 @kindex G o (Summary)
4427 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4429 @cindex article history
4430 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4431 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4432 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4433 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4434 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4435 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4440 @kindex G j (Summary)
4441 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4442 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4443 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4448 @node Choosing Variables
4449 @subsection Choosing Variables
4451 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4454 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4455 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4456 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4457 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4458 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4459 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4461 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4462 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4463 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4464 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4466 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4467 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4468 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4469 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4470 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4471 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4472 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4473 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4474 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4475 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4476 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4477 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4478 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4479 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4484 @node Paging the Article
4485 @section Scrolling the Article
4486 @cindex article scrolling
4491 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4492 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4493 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4494 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4495 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4498 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4499 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4500 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4503 @kindex RET (Summary)
4504 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4505 Scroll the current article one line forward
4506 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4509 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4510 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4511 Scroll the current article one line backward
4512 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4516 @kindex A g (Summary)
4518 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4519 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4520 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4521 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4522 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4523 the way it came from the server.
4525 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4526 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4527 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4530 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4535 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4540 @kindex A < (Summary)
4541 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4542 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4543 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4548 @kindex A > (Summary)
4549 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4550 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4554 @kindex A s (Summary)
4556 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4557 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4558 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4562 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4563 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4568 @node Reply Followup and Post
4569 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4572 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4573 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4574 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4575 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4579 @node Summary Mail Commands
4580 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4582 @cindex composing mail
4584 Commands for composing a mail message:
4590 @kindex S r (Summary)
4592 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4593 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4594 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4595 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4596 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4601 @kindex S R (Summary)
4602 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4603 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4604 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4605 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4606 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4609 @kindex S w (Summary)
4610 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4611 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4612 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4613 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4614 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4617 @kindex S W (Summary)
4618 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4619 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4620 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4621 the process/prefix convention.
4625 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4626 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4627 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4628 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4629 Forward the current article to some other person
4630 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4631 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4632 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4633 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4634 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4635 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4636 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4637 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4638 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4643 @kindex S m (Summary)
4644 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4645 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4646 Send a mail to some other person
4647 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4650 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4651 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4652 @cindex bouncing mail
4653 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4654 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4655 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4656 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4657 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4658 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4659 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4660 very well fail, though.
4663 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4664 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4665 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4666 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4667 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4668 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4669 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4670 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4671 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4672 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4674 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4675 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4676 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4677 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4678 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4680 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4681 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4684 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4685 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4686 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4687 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4688 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4691 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4692 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4693 @cindex crossposting
4694 @cindex excessive crossposting
4695 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4696 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4698 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4699 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4700 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4701 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4702 command understands the process/prefix convention
4703 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4707 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4710 @node Summary Post Commands
4711 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4713 @cindex composing news
4715 Commands for posting a news article:
4721 @kindex S p (Summary)
4722 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4723 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4724 Post an article to the current group
4725 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4730 @kindex S f (Summary)
4731 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4732 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4733 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4737 @kindex S F (Summary)
4739 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4740 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4741 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4742 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4743 process/prefix convention.
4746 @kindex S n (Summary)
4747 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4748 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4749 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4752 @kindex S N (Summary)
4753 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4754 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4755 message through mail and include the original message
4756 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4757 the process/prefix convention.
4760 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4761 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4762 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4763 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4764 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4765 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4766 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4767 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4768 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4769 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4770 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4771 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4772 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4775 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4776 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4778 @cindex making digests
4779 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4780 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4781 process/prefix convention.
4784 @kindex S u (Summary)
4785 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4786 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4787 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4788 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4791 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4794 @node Summary Message Commands
4795 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4799 @kindex S y (Summary)
4800 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4801 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4802 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4803 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4804 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4809 @node Canceling and Superseding
4810 @subsection Canceling Articles
4811 @cindex canceling articles
4812 @cindex superseding articles
4814 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4815 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4817 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4819 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4821 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4822 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4823 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4824 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4825 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4826 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4828 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4829 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4832 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4833 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4834 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4836 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4837 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4838 your original article.
4840 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4842 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4843 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4844 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4847 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4848 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4849 have posted almost the same article twice.
4851 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4852 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4853 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4854 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4855 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4856 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4857 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4858 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4859 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4860 canceled/superseded.
4862 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4865 @node Marking Articles
4866 @section Marking Articles
4867 @cindex article marking
4868 @cindex article ticking
4871 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4873 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4874 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4875 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4877 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4880 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4881 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4882 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4886 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4890 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4891 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4892 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4896 @node Unread Articles
4897 @subsection Unread Articles
4899 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
4904 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
4905 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
4907 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
4908 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
4909 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
4910 tick it. However, articles can be expired, so if you want to keep an
4911 article forever, you'll have to make it persistent (@pxref{Persistent
4915 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
4916 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
4918 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
4919 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
4920 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
4923 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
4924 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
4926 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
4931 @subsection Read Articles
4932 @cindex expirable mark
4934 All the following marks mark articles as read.
4939 @vindex gnus-del-mark
4940 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
4941 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
4944 @vindex gnus-read-mark
4945 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
4948 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
4949 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
4950 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
4953 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
4954 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
4957 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
4958 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
4961 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
4962 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
4965 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
4966 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
4969 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
4970 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
4973 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
4974 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
4977 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
4978 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
4982 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
4983 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
4984 (@code{gnus-duplicated-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
4988 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
4989 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
4991 One more special mark, though:
4995 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
4996 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
4998 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
4999 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5000 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5001 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5007 @subsection Other Marks
5008 @cindex process mark
5011 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5017 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5018 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5019 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5020 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5021 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5024 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5025 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5026 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5027 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5030 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5031 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5032 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5035 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5036 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5037 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5038 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5041 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5042 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5043 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5044 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5045 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5048 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5049 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5050 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5051 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5052 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5053 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5057 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5058 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5059 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5061 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5062 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5063 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5067 @subsection Setting Marks
5068 @cindex setting marks
5070 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5075 @kindex M c (Summary)
5076 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5077 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5078 @cindex mark as unread
5079 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5080 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5086 @kindex M t (Summary)
5087 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5088 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5089 @xref{Article Caching}.
5094 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5095 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5096 Mark the current article as dormant
5097 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5101 @kindex M d (Summary)
5103 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5104 Mark the current article as read
5105 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5109 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5110 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5111 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5116 @kindex M k (Summary)
5117 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5118 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5119 and then select the next unread article
5120 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5124 @kindex M K (Summary)
5125 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5126 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5127 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5128 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5131 @kindex M C (Summary)
5132 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5133 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5134 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5137 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5138 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5139 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5140 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5143 @kindex M H (Summary)
5144 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5145 Catchup the current group to point
5146 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5149 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5150 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5151 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5152 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5155 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5156 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5157 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5158 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5162 @kindex M e (Summary)
5164 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5165 Mark the current article as expirable
5166 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5169 @kindex M b (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5171 Set a bookmark in the current article
5172 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5175 @kindex M B (Summary)
5176 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5177 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5178 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5181 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5182 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5183 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5184 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5187 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5188 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5189 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5190 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5193 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5194 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5195 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5196 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5197 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5200 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5201 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5202 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5203 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5204 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5205 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5206 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5207 The default is @code{t}.
5210 @node Generic Marking Commands
5211 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5213 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5214 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5215 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5216 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5217 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5220 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5221 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5224 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5225 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5226 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5227 to list in this manual.
5229 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5230 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5231 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5232 article, you could say something like:
5235 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5236 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5237 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5243 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5244 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5248 @node Setting Process Marks
5249 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5250 @cindex setting process marks
5257 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5258 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5259 Mark the current article with the process mark
5260 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5261 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5265 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5266 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5267 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5268 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5271 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5272 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5273 Remove the process mark from all articles
5274 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5277 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5278 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5279 Invert the list of process marked articles
5280 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5283 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5284 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5285 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5286 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5289 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5291 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5292 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5295 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5296 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5297 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5300 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5301 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5302 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5303 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5306 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5307 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5308 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5309 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5312 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5314 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5315 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5318 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5319 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5320 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5323 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5324 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5325 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5326 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5329 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5330 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5331 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5334 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5336 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5337 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5340 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5341 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5342 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5343 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5346 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5347 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5348 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5349 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5352 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5353 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5354 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5355 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5359 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5360 set process marks based on article body contents.
5367 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5368 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5369 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5372 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5373 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5374 additional articles.
5380 @kindex / / (Summary)
5381 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5382 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5383 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5386 @kindex / a (Summary)
5387 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5388 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5389 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5392 @kindex / x (Summary)
5393 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5394 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5395 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5396 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5400 @kindex / u (Summary)
5402 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5403 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5404 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5405 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5406 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5409 @kindex / m (Summary)
5410 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5411 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5412 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5415 @kindex / t (Summary)
5416 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5417 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5418 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5419 articles younger than that number of days.
5422 @kindex / n (Summary)
5423 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5424 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5425 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5426 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5429 @kindex / w (Summary)
5430 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5431 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5432 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5436 @kindex / v (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5438 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5439 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5443 @kindex M S (Summary)
5444 @kindex / E (Summary)
5445 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5446 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5447 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5450 @kindex / D (Summary)
5451 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5452 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5453 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5456 @kindex / * (Summary)
5457 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5458 Include all cached articles in the limit
5459 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5462 @kindex / d (Summary)
5463 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5464 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5465 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5468 @kindex / M (Summary)
5469 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5470 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5473 @kindex / T (Summary)
5474 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5475 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5478 @kindex / c (Summary)
5479 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5480 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5481 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5484 @kindex / C (Summary)
5485 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5486 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5487 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5488 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5496 @cindex article threading
5498 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5499 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5500 hierarchical fashion.
5502 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5503 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5504 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5505 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5506 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5507 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5508 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5510 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5514 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5517 A tree-like article structure.
5520 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5523 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5524 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5525 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5526 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5527 called loose threads.
5529 @item thread gathering
5530 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5532 @item sparse threads
5533 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5534 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5540 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5541 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5545 @node Customizing Threading
5546 @subsection Customizing Threading
5547 @cindex customizing threading
5550 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5551 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5552 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5553 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5558 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5561 @cindex loose threads
5564 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5565 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5566 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5567 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5568 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5569 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5571 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5572 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5573 There are four possible values:
5577 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5578 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5579 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5580 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5581 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5586 @cindex adopting articles
5591 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5592 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5593 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5594 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5597 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5598 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5599 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5600 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5601 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5602 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5603 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5606 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5607 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5608 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5612 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5613 display them after one another.
5616 Don't gather loose threads.
5619 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5620 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5621 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5622 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5623 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5624 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5625 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5626 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5627 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5628 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5629 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5631 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5632 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5633 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5636 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5637 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5638 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5639 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5640 simplification is used.
5642 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5643 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5644 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5645 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5647 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5649 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5655 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5656 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5657 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5658 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5663 (mapconcat 'identity
5664 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5666 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5669 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5672 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5673 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5674 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5675 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5676 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5677 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5679 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5682 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5683 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5684 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5686 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5687 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5690 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5691 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5692 Remove excessive whitespace.
5695 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5698 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5699 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5700 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5701 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5702 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5703 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5704 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5705 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5707 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5708 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5709 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5710 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5711 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5712 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5713 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5714 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5715 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5719 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5720 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5721 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5722 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5724 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5725 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5726 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5729 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5733 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5734 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5740 @node Filling In Threads
5741 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5744 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5745 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5746 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5747 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5748 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5749 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5750 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5751 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5752 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5753 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5754 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5755 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5757 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5758 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5759 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5761 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5762 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5763 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5764 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5765 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5766 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5767 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5768 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5769 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5770 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5771 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5772 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5773 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5774 @code{nil} by default.
5779 @node More Threading
5780 @subsubsection More Threading
5783 @item gnus-show-threads
5784 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5785 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5786 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5787 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5788 slower and more awkward.
5790 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5791 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5792 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5795 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5796 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5797 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5798 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5799 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5800 threads are expunged.
5802 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5803 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5804 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5807 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5808 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5809 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5810 this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subject change is ignored. If it
5811 is @code{nil}, which is the default, a change in the subject will result
5814 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5815 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5816 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5819 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5820 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5821 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5822 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5823 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5824 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5825 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5826 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5827 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5828 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5829 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5834 @node Low-Level Threading
5835 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5839 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5840 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5841 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5843 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5844 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5845 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5846 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5847 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5848 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5849 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5850 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5851 meaningful. Here's one example:
5854 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5856 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5857 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5859 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5861 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5868 @node Thread Commands
5869 @subsection Thread Commands
5870 @cindex thread commands
5876 @kindex T k (Summary)
5877 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
5878 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
5879 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
5880 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
5881 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
5886 @kindex T l (Summary)
5887 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
5888 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
5889 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
5890 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
5893 @kindex T i (Summary)
5894 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
5895 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
5896 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
5899 @kindex T # (Summary)
5900 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5901 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
5902 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5905 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
5906 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5907 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
5908 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5911 @kindex T T (Summary)
5912 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
5913 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
5916 @kindex T s (Summary)
5917 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
5918 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
5919 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
5922 @kindex T h (Summary)
5923 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
5924 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
5927 @kindex T S (Summary)
5928 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
5929 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
5932 @kindex T H (Summary)
5933 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
5934 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
5937 @kindex T t (Summary)
5938 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
5939 Re-thread the current article's thread
5940 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
5941 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
5944 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
5945 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
5946 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
5947 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
5951 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
5952 understand the numeric prefix.
5957 @kindex T n (Summary)
5959 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
5961 @kindex M-down (Summary)
5962 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
5963 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
5966 @kindex T p (Summary)
5968 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
5970 @kindex M-up (Summary)
5971 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
5972 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
5975 @kindex T d (Summary)
5976 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
5977 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
5980 @kindex T u (Summary)
5981 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
5982 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
5985 @kindex T o (Summary)
5986 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
5987 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
5990 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
5991 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
5992 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
5993 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
5994 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
5995 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
5996 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
5997 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
5998 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
5999 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6000 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6001 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6008 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6009 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6010 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6011 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6012 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6013 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6014 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6015 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6016 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6017 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6018 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6020 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6021 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6022 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6023 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6024 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6026 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6027 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6028 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6030 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6031 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6032 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6033 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6034 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6035 ascending article order.
6037 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6038 by number, you could do something like:
6041 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6042 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6043 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6044 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6047 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6048 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6049 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6050 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6051 which the articles arrived.
6053 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6057 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6059 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6060 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6063 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6064 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6065 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6066 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6069 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6070 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6071 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6072 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6073 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6074 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6075 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6076 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6077 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6078 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6079 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6080 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6081 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6083 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6087 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6088 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6089 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6094 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6095 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6096 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6097 @cindex article pre-fetch
6100 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6101 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6102 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6103 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6104 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6106 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6107 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6109 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6110 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6111 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6112 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6113 connection is blocked.
6115 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6116 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6117 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6118 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6120 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6121 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6122 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6123 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6126 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6129 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6130 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6131 happen automatically.
6133 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6134 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6135 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6136 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6137 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6138 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6139 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6141 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6142 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6143 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6144 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6145 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6146 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6147 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6148 data structure as the only parameter.
6150 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6153 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6154 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6155 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6156 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6159 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6162 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6163 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6164 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6166 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6167 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6168 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6169 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6173 Remove articles when they are read.
6176 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6179 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6181 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6182 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6183 @c from the next group.
6186 @node Article Caching
6187 @section Article Caching
6188 @cindex article caching
6191 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6192 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6193 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6194 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6195 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6197 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6199 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6200 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6201 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6202 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6203 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6204 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6205 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6206 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6208 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6209 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6210 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6211 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6212 as dormant, and don't worry.
6214 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6216 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6217 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6218 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6219 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6220 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6221 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6222 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6223 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6224 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6225 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6227 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6228 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6229 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6230 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6231 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6232 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6233 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6234 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6235 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6236 not then be downloaded by this command.
6238 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6239 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6240 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6241 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6242 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6243 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6245 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6246 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6247 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6248 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6249 variables, the group is not cached.
6251 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6252 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6253 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6254 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6255 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6256 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6257 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6258 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6259 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6263 @node Persistent Articles
6264 @section Persistent Articles
6265 @cindex persistent articles
6267 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6268 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6269 useful in my opinion.
6271 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6272 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6273 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6274 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6275 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6276 the expiry going on at the news server.
6278 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6279 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6280 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6286 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6287 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6290 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6291 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6292 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6293 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6297 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6299 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6300 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6301 interested in persistent articles:
6304 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6308 @node Article Backlog
6309 @section Article Backlog
6311 @cindex article backlog
6313 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6314 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6315 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6316 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6317 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6318 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6319 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6320 increase memory usage some.
6322 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6323 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6324 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6325 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6326 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6327 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6328 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6330 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6333 @node Saving Articles
6334 @section Saving Articles
6335 @cindex saving articles
6337 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6338 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6339 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6340 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6341 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6343 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6344 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6345 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6347 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6348 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6349 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6350 deleted before saving.
6356 @kindex O o (Summary)
6358 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6359 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6360 Save the current article using the default article saver
6361 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6364 @kindex O m (Summary)
6365 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6366 Save the current article in mail format
6367 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6370 @kindex O r (Summary)
6371 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6372 Save the current article in rmail format
6373 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6376 @kindex O f (Summary)
6377 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6378 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6379 Save the current article in plain file format
6380 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6383 @kindex O F (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6385 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6386 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6389 @kindex O b (Summary)
6390 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6391 Save the current article body in plain file format
6392 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6395 @kindex O h (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6397 Save the current article in mh folder format
6398 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6401 @kindex O v (Summary)
6402 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6403 Save the current article in a VM folder
6404 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6407 @kindex O p (Summary)
6408 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6409 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6410 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6413 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6414 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6415 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6416 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6417 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6418 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6419 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6420 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6421 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6422 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6423 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6424 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6428 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6429 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6430 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6431 functions below, or you can create your own.
6435 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6436 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6437 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6438 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6439 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6440 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6441 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6443 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6444 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6445 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6446 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6447 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6448 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6450 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6451 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6452 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6453 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6454 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6455 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6456 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6458 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6459 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6460 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6461 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6462 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6464 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6465 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6466 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6467 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6468 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6471 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6472 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6473 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6474 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6475 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6477 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6478 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6479 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6480 reader to use this setting.
6483 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6484 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6485 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6486 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6489 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6490 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6491 available functions that generate names:
6495 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6496 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6497 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6499 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6500 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6501 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6503 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6504 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6505 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6507 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6508 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6509 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6512 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6513 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6514 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6515 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6516 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6520 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6521 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6522 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6523 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6526 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6527 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6528 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6529 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6530 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6531 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6532 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6533 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6534 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6536 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6537 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6538 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6539 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6541 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6542 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6543 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6546 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6547 lots of mail groups called things like
6548 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6549 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6550 following will do just that:
6553 (defun my-save-name (group)
6554 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6555 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6557 (setq gnus-split-methods
6558 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6563 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6564 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6565 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6566 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6567 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6568 all the files in the top level directory
6569 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6570 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6571 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6572 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6574 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6575 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6576 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6577 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6578 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6581 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6585 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6586 (setq gnus-default-article-saver 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6589 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6590 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6591 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6592 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6595 @node Decoding Articles
6596 @section Decoding Articles
6597 @cindex decoding articles
6599 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6600 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6603 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6604 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6605 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6606 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6607 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6608 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6612 @cindex article series
6613 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6614 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6615 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6616 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6617 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6619 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6620 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6621 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6623 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6624 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6625 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6627 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6628 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6629 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6632 @node Uuencoded Articles
6633 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6635 @cindex uuencoded articles
6640 @kindex X u (Summary)
6641 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6642 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6643 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6646 @kindex X U (Summary)
6647 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6648 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6649 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6652 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6653 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6654 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6657 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6658 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6659 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6660 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6664 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6665 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6666 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6667 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6668 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6670 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6671 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6672 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6673 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6676 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6677 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6678 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6679 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6680 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6681 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6685 @node Shell Archives
6686 @subsection Shell Archives
6688 @cindex shell archives
6689 @cindex shared articles
6691 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6692 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6693 some commands to deal with these:
6698 @kindex X s (Summary)
6699 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6700 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6703 @kindex X S (Summary)
6704 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6705 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6708 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6709 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6710 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6713 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6714 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6715 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6716 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6720 @node PostScript Files
6721 @subsection PostScript Files
6727 @kindex X p (Summary)
6728 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6729 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6732 @kindex X P (Summary)
6733 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6734 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6735 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6738 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6739 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6740 View the current PostScript series
6741 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6744 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6745 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6746 View and save the current PostScript series
6747 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6752 @subsection Other Files
6756 @kindex X o (Summary)
6757 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6758 Save the current series
6759 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6762 @kindex X b (Summary)
6763 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6764 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6765 doesn't really work yet.
6769 @node Decoding Variables
6770 @subsection Decoding Variables
6772 Adjective, not verb.
6775 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6776 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6777 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6781 @node Rule Variables
6782 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6783 @cindex rule variables
6785 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6786 variables are of the form
6789 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6796 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6797 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6799 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6800 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6803 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6804 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6807 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6808 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6809 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6810 user and default view rules.
6812 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6813 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6814 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6819 @node Other Decode Variables
6820 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6823 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6825 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6826 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6827 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6828 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6829 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6833 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6834 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6837 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6838 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6839 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6842 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6843 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6844 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6845 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6846 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6849 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6850 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6851 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6853 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6854 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6855 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6856 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6857 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6860 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6861 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6862 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
6864 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6865 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
6866 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
6867 looking for files to display.
6869 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
6870 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
6871 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
6874 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6875 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
6876 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
6879 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6880 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
6881 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
6884 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6885 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
6886 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
6889 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6890 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
6891 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
6892 decoded articles as unread.
6894 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6895 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
6896 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
6897 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
6899 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6900 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
6901 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
6903 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6904 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
6906 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
6907 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
6908 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
6909 @code{metamail} for viewing.
6911 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6912 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
6913 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
6914 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
6915 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
6916 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
6917 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
6918 simply dropped them.
6923 @node Uuencoding and Posting
6924 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
6928 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6929 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
6930 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
6931 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
6932 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
6933 for you when you post the article.
6935 @item gnus-uu-post-length
6936 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
6937 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
6938 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
6940 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
6941 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
6942 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
6943 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
6944 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
6945 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
6946 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
6948 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6949 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
6950 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
6951 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
6952 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
6953 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
6954 Default is @code{t}.
6960 @subsection Viewing Files
6961 @cindex viewing files
6962 @cindex pseudo-articles
6964 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
6965 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
6966 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
6967 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
6968 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
6969 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
6970 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
6972 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
6973 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
6974 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
6975 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
6977 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
6978 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
6979 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
6981 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
6982 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
6983 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
6984 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
6985 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
6987 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
6988 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
6989 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
6990 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
6991 a list of parameters to that command.
6993 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
6994 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
6995 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
6997 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
6998 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
6999 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7002 @node Article Treatment
7003 @section Article Treatment
7005 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7006 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7007 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7008 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7009 these articles easier.
7012 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7013 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7014 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7015 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7016 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7017 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7018 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7019 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7023 @node Article Highlighting
7024 @subsection Article Highlighting
7025 @cindex highlighting
7027 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7028 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7033 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7034 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7035 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7036 Do much highlighting of the current article
7037 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7038 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7041 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7042 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7043 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7044 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7045 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7046 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7047 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7048 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7049 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7050 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7051 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7052 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7055 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7056 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7057 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7059 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7062 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7064 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7065 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7066 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7068 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7069 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7070 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7072 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7073 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7074 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7075 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7076 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7077 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7079 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7080 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7081 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7083 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7084 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7085 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7087 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7088 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7089 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7090 that it's a citation.
7092 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7093 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7094 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7096 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7097 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7098 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7100 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7101 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7102 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7103 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7109 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7110 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7111 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7112 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7113 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7114 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7115 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7116 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7121 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7124 @node Article Fontisizing
7125 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7127 @cindex article emphasis
7129 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7130 @kindex W e (Summary)
7131 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7132 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7133 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7134 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7136 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7137 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7138 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7139 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7140 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7141 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7142 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7143 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7147 (setq gnus-article-emphasis
7148 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7149 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7158 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7159 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7160 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7161 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7162 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7163 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7164 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7165 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7166 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7167 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7168 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7169 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7170 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7172 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7173 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7174 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7178 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7181 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7183 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7184 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7185 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7186 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7188 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7191 @node Article Hiding
7192 @subsection Article Hiding
7193 @cindex article hiding
7195 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7196 too much cruft in most articles.
7201 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7202 @findex gnus-article-hide
7203 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7204 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7205 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7208 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7209 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7210 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7214 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7215 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7216 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7217 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7220 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7221 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7222 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7226 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7227 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7228 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7229 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7230 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7231 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7232 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7233 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7237 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7238 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7239 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7240 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7245 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7246 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7247 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7248 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7249 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7250 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7251 articles that have signatures in them do:
7253 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7255 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7257 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7258 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7260 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7263 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7268 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7269 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7270 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7271 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7274 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7275 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7278 @cindex stripping advertisements
7279 @cindex advertisements
7280 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7281 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7282 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7283 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7284 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7285 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7286 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7287 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7288 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7289 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7293 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7294 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7295 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7296 customizing the hiding:
7300 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7301 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7302 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7303 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7304 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7305 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7306 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7311 Starting point of the hidden text.
7313 Ending point of the hidden text.
7315 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7317 Number of lines of hidden text.
7320 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7321 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7322 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7323 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7324 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7329 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7330 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7332 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7333 following two variables:
7336 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7337 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7338 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7339 50), hide the cited text.
7341 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7342 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7343 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7348 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7349 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7350 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7351 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7352 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7353 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7357 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7358 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7359 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7361 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7362 citation customization.
7364 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7368 @node Article Washing
7369 @subsection Article Washing
7371 @cindex article washing
7373 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7374 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7376 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7377 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7380 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7381 articles by default.
7386 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7387 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7391 @kindex W l (Summary)
7392 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7393 Remove page breaks from the current article
7394 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7398 @kindex W r (Summary)
7399 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7400 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7401 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7402 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7403 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7404 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7406 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7407 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7408 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7409 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7413 @kindex W t (Summary)
7415 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7416 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7417 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7420 @kindex W v (Summary)
7421 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7422 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7423 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7426 @kindex W o (Summary)
7427 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7428 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7431 @kindex W d (Summary)
7432 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7433 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7435 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7437 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7438 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7439 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7440 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7443 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7444 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7445 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7446 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7449 @kindex W w (Summary)
7450 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7451 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7453 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7457 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7458 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7459 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7462 @kindex W C (Summary)
7463 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7464 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7465 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7468 @kindex W c (Summary)
7469 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7470 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7471 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7472 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7473 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7476 @kindex W q (Summary)
7477 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7478 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7479 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7480 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7481 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7482 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7483 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7484 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7487 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7488 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7489 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7490 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7491 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7492 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7493 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7497 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7498 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7499 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7500 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7501 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7504 @kindex W h (Summary)
7505 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7506 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7507 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7508 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7512 @kindex W f (Summary)
7514 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7515 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7516 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7517 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7524 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7525 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7526 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7527 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7528 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7529 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7530 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7531 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7532 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7533 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7534 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7535 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7536 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7537 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7538 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7539 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7540 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7541 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7542 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7543 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7547 @kindex W b (Summary)
7548 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7549 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7550 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7553 @kindex W B (Summary)
7554 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7555 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7556 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7559 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7560 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7561 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7562 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7565 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7566 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7567 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7568 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7571 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7572 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7573 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7574 lines with a single empty line.
7575 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7578 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7579 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7580 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7581 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7584 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7585 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7586 Do all the three commands above
7587 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7590 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7592 Remove all blank lines
7593 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7596 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7597 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7598 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7599 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7602 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7603 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7604 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7605 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7609 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7612 @node Article Buttons
7613 @subsection Article Buttons
7616 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7617 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7618 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7619 button on these references.
7621 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7622 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7623 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7628 @item gnus-button-alist
7629 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7630 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7633 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7639 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7640 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7641 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7644 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7645 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7646 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7649 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7650 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7651 avoid false matches.
7654 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7657 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7658 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7662 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7665 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7668 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7669 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7670 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7671 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7672 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7675 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7678 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7680 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7681 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7682 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7683 default values of the variables above.
7685 @item gnus-article-button-face
7686 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7687 Face used on buttons.
7689 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7690 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7691 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7695 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7699 @subsection Article Date
7701 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7702 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7703 when the article was sent.
7708 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7709 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7710 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7711 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7714 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7715 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7717 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7718 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7721 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7722 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7723 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7726 @kindex W T p (Summary)
7727 @findex gnus-article-date-english
7728 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
7729 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
7732 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7733 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7734 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7735 @findex format-time-string
7736 Display the date using a user-defined format
7737 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7738 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7739 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7740 for a list of possible format specs.
7743 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7744 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7745 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7746 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7747 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7748 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7751 X-Sent: 9 years, 6 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds ago
7754 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7755 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7758 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7759 into wonderful absurdities.
7761 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7764 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7767 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7768 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7772 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7773 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7774 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7775 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7776 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7777 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7778 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7782 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7783 preferred format automatically.
7786 @node Article Signature
7787 @subsection Article Signature
7789 @cindex article signature
7791 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7792 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7793 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7794 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7795 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7796 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7797 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7798 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7799 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7802 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7803 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7804 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7805 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7806 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7807 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7808 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7809 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7812 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7815 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7816 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7817 signature when displaying articles.
7821 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7824 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7827 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7828 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7830 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7831 in question is not a signature.
7834 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7835 listed above. Here's an example:
7838 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7839 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7842 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7843 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7844 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7845 signature after all.
7848 @node Article Miscellania
7849 @subsection Article Miscellania
7853 @kindex A t (Summary)
7854 @findex gnus-article-babel
7855 Translate the article from one language to another
7856 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
7862 @section @sc{mime} Commands
7863 @cindex MIME decoding
7865 @cindex viewing attachments
7867 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
7868 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
7874 @kindex K v (Summary)
7875 View the @sc{mime} part.
7878 @kindex K o (Summary)
7879 Save the @sc{mime} part.
7882 @kindex K c (Summary)
7883 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
7886 @kindex K e (Summary)
7887 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
7890 @kindex K i (Summary)
7891 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
7894 @kindex K | (Summary)
7895 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
7898 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
7903 @kindex K b (Summary)
7904 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
7905 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
7909 @kindex K m (Summary)
7910 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
7911 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
7912 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
7913 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
7914 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
7917 @kindex X m (Summary)
7918 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
7919 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
7920 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
7921 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
7924 @kindex M-t (Summary)
7925 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
7926 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
7927 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
7930 @kindex W M w (Summary)
7931 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
7932 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
7935 @kindex W M c (Summary)
7936 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
7937 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
7939 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
7940 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
7941 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
7942 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
7943 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
7944 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
7947 @kindex W M v (Summary)
7948 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
7949 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
7956 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
7957 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
7958 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7959 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
7962 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
7965 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
7969 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7970 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
7971 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
7972 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
7973 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
7975 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
7976 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
7977 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
7978 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
7979 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
7980 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
7981 save all jpegs into some directory).
7983 Here's an example function the does the latter:
7986 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
7987 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
7989 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
7990 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
7991 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
7992 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
7993 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
7996 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7997 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
7998 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8007 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8008 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8009 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8010 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8011 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8012 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8013 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8015 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8016 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8017 variable, which is an alist of regexps (to match full group names) and
8018 default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8020 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8021 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
8022 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8023 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8024 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
8025 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8026 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
8027 something some agents insist on having in there.
8029 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8030 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8031 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8032 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8033 quoted-printable header encoding.
8035 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8036 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8037 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8041 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8044 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8045 means encode all charsets),
8047 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8048 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8049 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8056 @cindex coding system aliases
8057 @cindex preferred charset
8059 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8061 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8062 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8065 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8066 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8069 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8070 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8072 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8075 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8078 This will almost do the right thing.
8080 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8084 (codepage-setup 1251)
8085 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8089 @node Article Commands
8090 @section Article Commands
8097 @kindex A P (Summary)
8098 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8099 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8100 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8101 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8102 run just before printing the buffer.
8107 @node Summary Sorting
8108 @section Summary Sorting
8109 @cindex summary sorting
8111 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8112 can't really see why you'd want that.
8117 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8118 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8119 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8122 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8123 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8124 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8127 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8128 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8129 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8132 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8133 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8134 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8137 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8138 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8139 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8142 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8143 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8144 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8147 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8148 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8149 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8152 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8153 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8154 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8155 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8156 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8160 @node Finding the Parent
8161 @section Finding the Parent
8162 @cindex parent articles
8163 @cindex referring articles
8168 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8169 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8170 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8171 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8172 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8173 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8174 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8175 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8176 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8178 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8179 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8180 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8181 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8182 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8186 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8187 @kindex A R (Summary)
8188 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8189 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8192 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8193 @kindex A T (Summary)
8194 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8195 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8196 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8197 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8198 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8199 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8200 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8202 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8203 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8204 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8205 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8206 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8207 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8210 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8211 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8213 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8214 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8215 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8216 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8217 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8218 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8219 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8222 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8223 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8224 by giving this command a prefix.
8226 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8227 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8228 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8229 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8230 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8231 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8234 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8235 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8236 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8239 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8240 then ask Deja if that fails:
8243 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8245 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8248 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8249 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8250 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8251 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8252 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8253 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8256 @node Alternative Approaches
8257 @section Alternative Approaches
8259 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8260 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8263 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8264 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8269 @subsection Pick and Read
8270 @cindex pick and read
8272 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8273 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8274 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8275 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8277 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8278 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8279 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8280 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8281 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8282 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8284 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8289 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8290 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8291 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8292 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8293 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8294 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8295 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8296 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8299 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8300 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8301 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8302 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8306 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8307 Unpick the thread or article
8308 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8309 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8310 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8311 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8312 the thread or article at that line.
8316 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8317 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8318 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8319 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8320 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8321 will still be visible when you are reading.
8325 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8326 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8327 which is mapped to the same function
8328 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8330 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8333 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8336 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8337 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8339 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8340 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8341 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8343 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8344 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8345 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8346 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8347 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8348 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8349 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8353 @subsection Binary Groups
8354 @cindex binary groups
8356 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8357 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8358 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8359 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8360 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8361 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8362 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8365 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8366 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8367 command, when you have turned on this mode
8368 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8370 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8371 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8375 @section Tree Display
8378 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8379 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8380 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8381 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8384 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8387 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8388 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8389 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8391 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8392 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8393 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8394 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8395 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8397 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8398 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8399 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8400 default is @code{modeline}.
8402 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8403 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8404 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8405 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8406 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8407 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8408 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8414 The name of the poster.
8416 The @code{From} header.
8418 The number of the article.
8420 The opening bracket.
8422 The closing bracket.
8427 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8429 Variables related to the display are:
8432 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8433 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8434 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8435 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8436 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8437 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8439 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8440 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8441 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8442 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8446 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8447 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8448 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8449 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8450 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8451 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8452 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8453 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8454 other windows displayed next to it.
8456 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8457 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8458 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8459 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8460 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8461 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8462 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8466 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8469 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8479 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8483 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8484 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8486 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8488 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8493 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8494 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8495 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8498 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8499 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8500 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8501 (gnus-add-configuration
8505 (summary 0.75 point)
8510 @xref{Windows Configuration}.
8513 @node Mail Group Commands
8514 @section Mail Group Commands
8515 @cindex mail group commands
8517 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8518 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8520 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8521 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8526 @kindex B e (Summary)
8527 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8528 Expire all expirable articles in the group
8529 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}).
8532 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8533 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8534 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8535 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8536 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8537 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8540 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8541 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8542 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8543 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8544 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8545 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8548 @kindex B m (Summary)
8550 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8551 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8552 Move the article from one mail group to another
8553 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8554 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8557 @kindex B c (Summary)
8559 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8560 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8561 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8562 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8563 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8566 @kindex B B (Summary)
8567 @cindex crosspost mail
8568 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8569 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8570 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8571 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8572 be properly updated.
8575 @kindex B i (Summary)
8576 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8577 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8578 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8579 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8582 @kindex B r (Summary)
8583 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8584 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8585 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8586 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8587 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8588 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8589 (which is the default).
8593 @kindex B w (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8596 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8597 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8598 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8599 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8600 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8603 @kindex B q (Summary)
8604 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8605 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8606 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8607 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8610 @kindex B t (Summary)
8611 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8612 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8613 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8616 @kindex B p (Summary)
8617 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8618 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8619 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8620 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8621 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8622 article from your news server (or rather, from
8623 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8624 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8625 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8626 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8627 just not have arrived yet.
8631 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8632 @cindex moving articles
8633 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8634 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8635 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8636 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8637 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8638 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8639 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8642 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8643 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8644 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8645 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8649 @node Various Summary Stuff
8650 @section Various Summary Stuff
8653 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8654 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8655 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8656 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8660 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8661 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8662 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8664 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8665 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8666 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8667 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8668 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8669 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8672 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8673 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8674 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8675 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8676 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8678 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8679 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8680 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8683 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8684 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8685 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8686 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8687 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8688 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8689 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8690 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8691 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8692 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8694 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8695 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8696 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8697 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8698 list of articles to be selected.
8700 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8701 the list in one particular group:
8704 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8705 (if (string= group "some.group")
8706 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8713 @node Summary Group Information
8714 @subsection Summary Group Information
8719 @kindex H f (Summary)
8720 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8721 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8722 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8723 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8724 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8725 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8726 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8727 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8728 be used for fetching the file.
8731 @kindex H d (Summary)
8732 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8733 Give a brief description of the current group
8734 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8735 rereading the description from the server.
8738 @kindex H h (Summary)
8739 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8740 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8741 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8744 @kindex H i (Summary)
8745 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8746 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8750 @node Searching for Articles
8751 @subsection Searching for Articles
8756 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8757 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8758 Search through all subsequent articles for a regexp
8759 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8762 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8763 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8764 Search through all previous articles for a regexp
8765 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8769 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8770 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8771 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8772 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8773 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8774 search backward instead.
8776 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8777 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8780 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8781 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8782 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8783 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8786 @node Summary Generation Commands
8787 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8792 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8793 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8794 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8797 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8798 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8799 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8800 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8805 @node Really Various Summary Commands
8806 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
8812 @kindex C-d (Summary)
8813 @kindex A D (Summary)
8814 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
8815 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
8816 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
8817 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
8818 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
8819 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
8820 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
8821 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
8825 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
8826 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
8827 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
8828 several documents into one biiig group
8829 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
8830 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
8831 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
8832 command understands the process/prefix convention
8833 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8836 @kindex C-t (Summary)
8837 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
8838 Toggle truncation of summary lines
8839 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
8840 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
8841 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
8845 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
8846 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
8847 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
8850 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
8851 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
8852 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8853 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
8856 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
8857 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
8858 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
8859 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
8864 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
8865 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
8866 @cindex summary exit
8867 @cindex exiting groups
8869 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
8870 group and return you to the group buffer.
8876 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
8878 @findex gnus-summary-exit
8879 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
8880 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
8881 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
8882 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
8883 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
8884 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
8885 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
8886 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
8887 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
8888 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
8892 @kindex Z E (Summary)
8894 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
8895 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
8896 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
8900 @kindex Z c (Summary)
8902 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
8903 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
8904 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
8905 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
8908 @kindex Z C (Summary)
8909 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
8910 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
8911 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
8914 @kindex Z n (Summary)
8915 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
8916 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
8917 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
8920 @kindex Z R (Summary)
8921 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
8922 Exit this group, and then enter it again
8923 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
8924 all articles, both read and unread.
8928 @kindex Z G (Summary)
8929 @kindex M-g (Summary)
8930 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
8931 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
8932 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
8933 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
8934 articles, both read and unread.
8937 @kindex Z N (Summary)
8938 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
8939 Exit the group and go to the next group
8940 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
8943 @kindex Z P (Summary)
8944 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
8945 Exit the group and go to the previous group
8946 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
8949 @kindex Z s (Summary)
8950 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
8951 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
8952 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
8953 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
8954 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
8957 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
8958 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
8959 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
8960 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
8962 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
8963 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
8964 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
8965 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
8966 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
8967 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
8968 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
8969 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
8970 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
8971 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
8972 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
8973 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
8975 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
8977 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
8978 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
8979 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
8980 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
8981 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
8982 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
8983 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
8984 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
8985 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
8988 @node Crosspost Handling
8989 @section Crosspost Handling
8993 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
8994 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
8995 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
8996 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
8997 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
8998 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9001 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9002 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9003 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9004 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9005 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9007 @cindex cross-posting
9010 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9011 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9012 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9013 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9014 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9015 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9016 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9017 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9018 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9019 the cross reference mechanism.
9021 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9022 @cindex overview.fmt
9023 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9024 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9025 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9026 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9027 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9028 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9031 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9032 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9033 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9038 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9041 @node Duplicate Suppression
9042 @section Duplicate Suppression
9044 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9045 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9046 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9047 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9052 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9053 is evil and not very common.
9056 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9057 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9060 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9061 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9064 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9067 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9068 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9070 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9071 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9072 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9073 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9074 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9075 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9076 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9079 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9080 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9081 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9082 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9083 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9087 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9088 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9089 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9091 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9092 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9093 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9094 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9095 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9096 session are suppressed.
9098 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9099 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9100 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9101 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9103 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9104 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9105 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9106 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9109 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9110 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9111 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9112 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9113 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9114 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9115 to you to figure out, I think.
9120 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9125 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9131 @item mm-verify-option
9132 @vindex mm-verify-option
9133 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9134 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9135 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9137 @item mm-decrypt-option
9138 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9139 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9140 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9141 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9145 @node The Article Buffer
9146 @chapter The Article Buffer
9147 @cindex article buffer
9149 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9150 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9151 tell Gnus otherwise.
9154 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9155 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9156 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9157 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9158 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9162 @node Hiding Headers
9163 @section Hiding Headers
9164 @cindex hiding headers
9165 @cindex deleting headers
9167 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9168 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9170 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9171 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9172 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9173 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9174 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9175 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9176 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9177 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9178 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9180 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9184 @item gnus-visible-headers
9185 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9186 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9187 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9188 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9190 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9191 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9194 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9197 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9200 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9201 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9202 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9203 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9204 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9205 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9207 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9208 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9211 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9214 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9217 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9218 variable will have no effect.
9222 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9223 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9224 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9225 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9226 the headers are to be displayed.
9228 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9229 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9232 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9235 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9236 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9238 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9239 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9240 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9241 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-header} to @code{head}. What this function
9242 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9243 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9244 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9247 These conditions are:
9250 Remove all empty headers.
9252 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9253 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9255 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9258 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9261 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9262 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9264 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9267 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9269 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9272 To include the four three elements, you could say something like;
9275 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9276 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9279 This is also the default value for this variable.
9283 @section Using @sc{mime}
9286 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9287 while people stand around yawning.
9289 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9290 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9292 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9293 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9294 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9296 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9297 @findex gnus-display-mime
9298 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9299 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9300 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9301 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9303 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9307 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9309 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9310 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9311 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9313 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9314 @item M-RET (Article)
9316 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9317 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9319 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9321 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9322 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9324 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9326 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9327 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9329 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9331 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9332 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9334 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9336 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9338 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9340 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9341 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9342 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9343 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9344 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9347 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9349 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9350 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9354 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9355 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9358 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9359 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9360 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9361 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9362 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9363 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9364 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9365 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9366 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9368 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9370 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9373 @node Customizing Articles
9374 @section Customizing Articles
9375 @cindex article customization
9377 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9378 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9379 called automatically when you select the articles.
9381 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9382 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9383 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9384 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9386 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9387 for sensible values.
9391 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9394 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9397 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9400 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9403 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9407 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9408 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9409 regexps in the list.
9412 A list where the first element is not a string:
9414 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9415 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9416 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9420 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9425 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9426 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9427 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9428 considered to contain just a single part.
9430 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9431 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9432 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9433 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9434 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9435 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9436 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9438 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9439 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9440 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9441 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9444 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9445 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9446 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9447 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9448 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9449 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9450 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9451 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9452 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9453 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9454 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9455 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9456 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9457 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9458 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9459 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9460 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9461 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9462 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9463 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9464 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9465 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9466 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9467 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9468 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9469 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9470 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9471 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9472 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9473 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9474 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9475 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9476 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9477 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9478 @item gnus-treat-translate
9481 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9482 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9483 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9484 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9485 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9489 @node Article Keymap
9490 @section Article Keymap
9492 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9493 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9494 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9495 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9498 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9503 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9504 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9505 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9508 @kindex DEL (Article)
9509 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9510 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9513 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9514 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9515 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9516 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9517 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9520 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9521 @findex gnus-article-mail
9522 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9523 given a prefix, include the mail.
9527 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9528 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9529 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9533 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9534 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9535 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9538 @kindex TAB (Article)
9539 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9540 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9541 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9544 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9545 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9546 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9552 @section Misc Article
9556 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9557 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9558 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9559 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9562 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9563 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9565 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9566 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9568 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9569 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9570 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9571 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9572 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9573 the contents of the article buffer.
9575 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9576 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9577 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9579 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9580 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9581 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9582 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9584 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9585 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9586 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9587 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9588 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9593 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9594 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9597 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9600 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9602 @item gnus-break-pages
9603 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9604 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9605 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9606 paging will not be done.
9608 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9609 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9610 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9615 @node Composing Messages
9616 @chapter Composing Messages
9617 @cindex composing messages
9620 @cindex sending mail
9626 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9627 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9628 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9629 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9630 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9631 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9634 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9635 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9636 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9637 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9638 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9639 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9640 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9641 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9644 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9645 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9651 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9654 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9655 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9656 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9657 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9659 @item gnus-add-to-list
9660 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9661 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9662 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9667 @node Posting Server
9668 @section Posting Server
9670 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9671 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9673 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9675 @vindex gnus-post-method
9677 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will use the same native
9678 server. However. If your native server doesn't allow posting, just
9679 reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9680 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9681 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9684 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9687 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9688 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9689 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9690 the ``current'' server for posting.
9692 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9693 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9695 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9696 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9699 Finally, if you want to always post using the same select method as
9700 you're reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
9701 groups from different private servers), you can set this variable to
9706 @section Mail and Post
9708 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9712 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9713 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9714 @cindex mailing lists
9716 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9717 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9718 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9719 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9720 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9721 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9722 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9723 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9724 still a pain, though.
9728 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9729 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9730 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9733 @findex ispell-message
9735 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9738 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9739 you're in, you could say something like the following:
9742 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
9745 ((string-match "^de\\." gnus-newsgroup-name)
9746 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
9748 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
9751 Modify to suit your needs.
9754 @node Archived Messages
9755 @section Archived Messages
9756 @cindex archived messages
9757 @cindex sent messages
9759 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
9760 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
9761 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
9762 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
9765 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
9766 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
9767 use to store sent messages. The default is:
9771 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
9772 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
9773 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
9774 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
9777 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
9778 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
9779 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
9780 directory chosen, you could say something like:
9783 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
9784 '(nnfolder "archive"
9785 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
9786 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
9787 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
9790 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
9792 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
9793 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
9794 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
9796 This variable can be used to do the following:
9800 Messages will be saved in that group.
9802 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
9803 message will not be stored in the select method given by
9804 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
9805 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
9806 has the default value shown above. Then setting
9807 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
9808 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
9809 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
9811 @item a list of strings
9812 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
9813 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
9814 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
9816 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
9821 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
9823 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
9826 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
9828 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
9831 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
9833 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9834 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
9835 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
9836 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
9841 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9842 '((if (message-news-p)
9847 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
9848 messages in one file per month:
9851 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
9852 '((if (message-news-p)
9854 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
9857 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
9858 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
9860 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
9861 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
9862 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
9863 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
9864 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
9865 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
9866 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
9867 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
9868 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
9869 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
9871 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
9872 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
9873 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
9874 this will disable archiving.
9877 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
9878 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
9879 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
9880 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
9881 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
9884 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
9885 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
9886 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
9889 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
9890 but the latter is the preferred method.
9892 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9893 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
9894 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
9899 @node Posting Styles
9900 @section Posting Styles
9901 @cindex posting styles
9904 All them variables, they make my head swim.
9906 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
9907 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
9908 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
9911 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
9912 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
9913 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
9914 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
9915 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
9920 (signature "Peace and happiness")
9921 (organization "What me?"))
9923 (signature "Death to everybody"))
9924 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
9925 (organization "Emacs is it")))
9928 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
9929 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
9930 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
9931 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
9932 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
9933 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
9934 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
9935 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
9937 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
9938 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
9939 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header that
9940 match the next element in the match, and compare that to the last header
9941 in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function will be called
9942 with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
9943 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
9944 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
9947 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
9948 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} . @var{value})} pair. The
9949 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
9950 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
9951 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
9952 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
9953 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
9954 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
9955 result is thrown away.
9957 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
9958 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
9959 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
9960 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
9961 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
9962 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
9964 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
9965 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
9966 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
9968 @findex message-mail-p
9969 @findex message-news-p
9971 So here's a new example:
9974 (setq gnus-posting-styles
9976 (signature-file "~/.signature")
9978 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
9979 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
9981 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
9982 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
9983 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
9985 (signature my-news-signature))
9986 (header "From\\|To" "larsi.*org"
9987 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
9988 ((posting-from-work-p)
9989 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
9990 (address "user@@bar.foo")
9991 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
9992 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
9994 (From (save-excursion
9995 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
9996 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
9998 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10001 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10002 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10003 if you fill many roles.
10010 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10011 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10012 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10013 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10014 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10016 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10017 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10018 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10019 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10020 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10024 @vindex nndraft-directory
10025 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10026 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10027 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10028 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10029 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10030 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10032 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10033 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10036 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10037 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10038 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10039 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10040 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10041 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10042 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10043 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10044 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10045 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10046 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10047 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10048 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10049 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10051 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10052 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10053 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10055 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10056 @kindex D e (Draft)
10057 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10058 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10059 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10061 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10064 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10065 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10066 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10067 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10068 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10069 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10070 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10073 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10074 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10075 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10078 @node Rejected Articles
10079 @section Rejected Articles
10080 @cindex rejected articles
10082 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10083 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10084 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10085 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10087 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10088 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10089 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10090 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10091 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10093 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10094 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10095 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10101 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10102 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10103 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10105 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10106 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10110 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10111 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10114 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10115 to 700, for your own safety.
10117 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10118 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10122 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10125 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10126 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10129 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10132 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10133 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10134 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10135 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10136 encrypt using S/MIME.
10138 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10139 you've typed it correctly.
10141 @node Select Methods
10142 @chapter Select Methods
10143 @cindex foreign groups
10144 @cindex select methods
10146 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10147 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10148 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10149 personal mail group.
10151 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10152 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10153 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10154 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10155 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10156 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10158 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10159 we do just that (@pxref{The Server Buffer}).
10161 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10164 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10165 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10166 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10167 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10168 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10170 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10173 * The Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10174 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10175 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10176 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10177 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10178 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10179 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10183 @node The Server Buffer
10184 @section The Server Buffer
10186 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10187 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10188 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10189 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10190 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10191 backend represents a virtual server.
10193 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10194 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10195 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10196 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10198 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10199 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10200 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10201 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10202 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10203 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10204 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10206 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10207 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10210 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10211 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10212 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10213 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10214 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10215 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10216 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10219 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10220 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10223 @node Server Buffer Format
10224 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10225 @cindex server buffer format
10227 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10228 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10229 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10230 variable, with some simple extensions:
10235 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10238 The name of this server.
10241 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10244 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10247 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10248 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10249 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10250 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10260 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10263 @node Server Commands
10264 @subsection Server Commands
10265 @cindex server commands
10271 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10272 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10276 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10277 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10280 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10281 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10282 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10286 @findex gnus-server-exit
10287 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10291 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10292 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10296 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10297 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10301 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10302 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10306 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10307 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10311 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10312 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10313 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10318 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10319 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10320 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10321 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10326 @node Example Methods
10327 @subsection Example Methods
10329 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10332 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10335 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10341 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10342 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10345 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10346 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10348 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10349 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10353 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10356 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10357 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10359 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10360 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10361 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10365 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10368 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10371 Here's the method for a public spool:
10375 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10376 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10382 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10383 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10384 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10385 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10386 should probably look something like this:
10390 (nntp-address "the.firewall.machine")
10391 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10392 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10393 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10394 ("telnet" "the.real.nntp.host" "nntp")))
10397 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10398 compressed connection over the modem line, you could create a virtual
10399 server that would look something like this:
10403 (nntp-address "copper.uio.no")
10404 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
10405 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
10406 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
10407 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
10408 ("telnet" "news.uio.no" "nntp")))
10411 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10412 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10413 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10414 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10417 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10418 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10420 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10421 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10423 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10424 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10425 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10427 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10429 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10430 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10431 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10432 will contain the following:
10442 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10443 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10444 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10447 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10448 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10449 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10452 @node Server Variables
10453 @subsection Server Variables
10455 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10456 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10457 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10458 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10459 won't change the "derived" variables.
10461 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10462 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10463 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10464 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10465 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10466 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10467 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10468 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10469 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10473 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10474 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10475 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10479 @node Servers and Methods
10480 @subsection Servers and Methods
10482 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10483 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10484 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10485 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10489 @node Unavailable Servers
10490 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10492 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10493 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10494 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10495 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10496 actually the case or not.
10498 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10499 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10500 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10501 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10502 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10503 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10504 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10505 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10507 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10508 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10510 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{The Server Buffer}) and poke it
10511 with the following commands:
10517 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10518 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10519 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10523 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10524 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10525 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10529 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10530 Mark the current server as unreachable
10531 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10534 @kindex M-o (Server)
10535 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10536 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10537 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10540 @kindex M-c (Server)
10541 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10542 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10543 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10547 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10548 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10549 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10555 @section Getting News
10556 @cindex reading news
10557 @cindex news backends
10559 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10560 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10561 or it can read from a local spool.
10564 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10565 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10570 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10573 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10574 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10575 server as the, uhm, address.
10577 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10578 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10579 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10580 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10582 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10583 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10584 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10586 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10591 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10592 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10593 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10595 @cindex authentification
10596 @cindex nntp authentification
10597 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10598 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10599 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10600 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10601 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10602 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10603 present in this hook.
10605 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10606 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10607 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10608 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10609 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10610 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10611 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10612 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10613 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10614 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10615 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10616 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10620 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10623 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10625 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10626 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10627 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10628 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10629 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10630 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10631 @samp{force} is explained below.
10635 Here's an example file:
10638 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10639 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10642 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10643 have to be first, for instance.
10645 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10646 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10647 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10648 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10649 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10650 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10651 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10653 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10654 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10660 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10661 previously mentioned.
10663 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10665 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10666 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10667 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10668 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10669 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10672 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10673 '(("innd" (ding))))
10676 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10678 The default value is
10681 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10682 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10685 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10686 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10688 @item nntp-maximum-request
10689 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10690 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10691 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10692 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10693 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10694 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10695 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10697 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10698 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10699 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10700 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10701 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10702 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10703 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10704 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10705 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10706 no timeouts are done.
10708 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10709 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10710 @c @cindex PPP connections
10711 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10712 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10713 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10714 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10715 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10716 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10717 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10718 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10719 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10720 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10722 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10723 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10724 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10725 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10726 @c described above.
10728 @item nntp-server-hook
10729 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10730 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
10733 @findex nntp-open-rlogin
10734 @findex nntp-open-telnet
10735 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
10736 @item nntp-open-connection-function
10737 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
10738 This function is used to connect to the remote system. Four pre-made
10739 functions are supplied:
10742 @item nntp-open-network-stream
10743 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
10746 @item nntp-open-rlogin
10747 Does an @samp{rlogin} on the
10748 remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet} to the @sc{nntp} server
10751 @code{nntp-open-rlogin}-related variables:
10755 @item nntp-rlogin-program
10756 @vindex nntp-rlogin-program
10757 Program used to log in on remote machines. The default is @samp{rsh},
10758 but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
10760 @item nntp-rlogin-parameters
10761 @vindex nntp-rlogin-parameters
10762 This list will be used as the parameter list given to @code{rsh}.
10764 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10765 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10766 User name on the remote system.
10770 @item nntp-open-telnet
10771 Does a @samp{telnet} to the remote system and then another @samp{telnet}
10772 to get to the @sc{nntp} server.
10774 @code{nntp-open-telnet}-related variables:
10777 @item nntp-telnet-command
10778 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
10779 Command used to start @code{telnet}.
10781 @item nntp-telnet-switches
10782 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
10783 List of strings to be used as the switches to the @code{telnet} command.
10785 @item nntp-telnet-user-name
10786 @vindex nntp-telnet-user-name
10787 User name for log in on the remote system.
10789 @item nntp-telnet-passwd
10790 @vindex nntp-telnet-passwd
10791 Password to use when logging in.
10793 @item nntp-telnet-parameters
10794 @vindex nntp-telnet-parameters
10795 A list of strings executed as a command after logging in
10798 @item nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10799 @vindex nntp-telnet-shell-prompt
10800 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the remote machine. The default is
10801 @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
10803 @item nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10804 @vindex nntp-open-telnet-envuser
10805 If non-@code{nil}, the @code{telnet} session (client and server both)
10806 will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for login name.
10807 This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
10811 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
10812 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
10813 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
10814 you must have SSLay installed
10815 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
10816 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
10817 define a server as follows:
10820 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
10822 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
10824 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
10825 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
10826 (nntp-port-number "snews")
10827 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
10832 @item nntp-end-of-line
10833 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
10834 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
10835 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
10836 using @code{rlogin} to talk to the server.
10838 @item nntp-rlogin-user-name
10839 @vindex nntp-rlogin-user-name
10840 User name on the remote system when using the @code{rlogin} connect
10844 @vindex nntp-address
10845 The address of the remote system running the @sc{nntp} server.
10847 @item nntp-port-number
10848 @vindex nntp-port-number
10849 Port number to connect to when using the @code{nntp-open-network-stream}
10852 @item nntp-buggy-select
10853 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
10854 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
10856 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
10857 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
10858 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
10859 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
10862 @item nntp-xover-commands
10863 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
10866 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
10867 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
10871 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
10872 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
10873 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
10874 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
10875 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
10876 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
10877 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
10878 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
10879 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
10880 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
10881 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
10883 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
10884 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
10885 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
10887 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10888 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
10889 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
10890 server closes connection.
10892 @item nntp-record-commands
10893 @vindex nntp-record-commands
10894 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
10895 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
10896 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
10897 that doesn't seem to work.
10903 @subsection News Spool
10907 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
10908 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
10909 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
10912 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
10913 anything else) as the address.
10915 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
10916 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
10917 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
10918 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
10922 @item nnspool-inews-program
10923 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
10924 Program used to post an article.
10926 @item nnspool-inews-switches
10927 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
10928 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
10930 @item nnspool-spool-directory
10931 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
10932 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
10933 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
10935 @item nnspool-nov-directory
10936 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
10937 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
10938 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
10940 @item nnspool-lib-dir
10941 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
10942 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
10944 @item nnspool-active-file
10945 @vindex nnspool-active-file
10946 The path to the active file.
10948 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
10949 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
10950 The path to the group descriptions file.
10952 @item nnspool-history-file
10953 @vindex nnspool-history-file
10954 The path to the news history file.
10956 @item nnspool-active-times-file
10957 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
10958 The path to the active date file.
10960 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
10961 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
10962 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
10965 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10966 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
10968 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
10969 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
10970 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
10976 @section Getting Mail
10977 @cindex reading mail
10980 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
10984 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
10985 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
10986 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
10987 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
10988 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
10989 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
10990 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
10991 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
10992 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
10993 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
10994 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
10995 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
10996 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11000 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11001 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11003 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11004 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11005 of a culture shock.
11007 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11008 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11010 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11011 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11012 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11013 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11015 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11017 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11018 deleted? How awful!
11020 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11021 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11022 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11023 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11026 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11027 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11028 they want to treat a message.
11030 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11031 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11032 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11033 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11034 archived somewhere else.
11036 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11037 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11038 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11039 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11040 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11042 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11043 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11044 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11046 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11047 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11050 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11051 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11052 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11053 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11054 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11056 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11057 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11058 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11059 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11060 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11061 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11065 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11066 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11068 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11069 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11070 and things will happen automatically.
11072 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11073 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11076 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11077 '((nnml "private")))
11080 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11081 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11082 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11083 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11084 like any other group.
11086 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11089 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11090 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11091 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11095 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11096 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11097 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11100 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11101 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11102 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11105 @node Splitting Mail
11106 @subsection Splitting Mail
11107 @cindex splitting mail
11108 @cindex mail splitting
11110 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11111 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11112 to be split into groups.
11115 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11116 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11117 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11118 ("mail.other" "")))
11121 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11122 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11123 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11124 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11125 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11126 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11127 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11130 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11133 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11134 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11135 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11136 mail belongs in that group.
11138 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11139 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11140 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11141 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11142 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11143 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11145 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11146 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11147 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11148 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11149 thinks should carry this mail message.
11151 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11152 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11153 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11154 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11156 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11157 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11158 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11159 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11160 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11162 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11165 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11166 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11167 links. If that's the case for you, set
11168 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11169 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11171 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11172 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11173 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11174 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11175 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11176 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11179 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11180 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11181 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11182 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11183 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11184 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11185 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11186 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11187 month's rent money.
11191 @subsection Mail Sources
11193 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11194 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11198 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11199 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11200 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11204 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11205 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11207 @cindex mail server
11210 @cindex mail source
11212 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11213 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11218 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11221 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11222 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11223 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11226 The following mail source types are available:
11230 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11236 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11237 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11240 An example file mail source:
11243 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11246 Or using the default path:
11252 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11253 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11254 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11257 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11261 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11264 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11268 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11271 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11273 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11276 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11280 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11281 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11282 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil force Gnus to
11283 scan the mail source only once.
11289 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11293 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11297 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11298 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11299 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11300 predicate are considered.
11304 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11308 An example directory mail source:
11311 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11316 Get mail from a POP server.
11322 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11323 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11326 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11327 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11328 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11329 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11330 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11333 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11337 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11341 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11342 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11345 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11348 The valid format specifier characters are:
11352 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11353 included in this string.
11356 The name of the server.
11359 The port number of the server.
11362 The user name to use.
11365 The password to use.
11368 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11369 corresponding keywords.
11372 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11373 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11376 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11377 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11380 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11381 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11384 @item :authentication
11385 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11386 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11391 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11392 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11394 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11395 default user name, and default fetcher:
11401 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11404 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11405 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11408 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11411 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11415 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11416 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11417 contains exactly one mail.
11423 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11424 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11427 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11428 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11430 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11431 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11432 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11435 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11436 from locking problems).
11440 Two example maildir mail sources:
11443 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/" :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11447 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/" :subdirs ("new"))
11451 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11452 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11453 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11454 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11461 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11462 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11465 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11466 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11469 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11473 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11477 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11478 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11479 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11481 @item :authentication
11482 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11483 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11484 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11488 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
11489 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
11490 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
11496 The valid format specifier characters are:
11500 The name of the server.
11503 User name from `imap-default-user'.
11506 The port number of the server.
11509 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11510 corresponding keywords.
11513 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11514 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11517 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11518 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11519 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11520 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11521 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11522 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11525 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11526 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11527 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11528 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11531 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11532 after finishing the fetch.
11536 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11539 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com" :stream kerberos4 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11543 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11544 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11546 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11549 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11550 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11552 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11558 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11559 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11562 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11566 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11570 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11571 folder after finishing the fetch.
11575 An example webmail source:
11578 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11583 @item Common Keywords
11584 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11590 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11591 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11595 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11600 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11601 useful when you use local mail and news.
11606 @subsubsection Function Interface
11608 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11609 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11610 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11611 consider the following mail-source setting:
11614 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11615 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11618 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11619 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11620 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11621 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11622 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11624 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11627 @node Mail Source Customization
11628 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11630 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11631 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11635 @item mail-source-crash-box
11636 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11637 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11638 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11640 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11641 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11642 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11644 @item mail-source-directory
11645 @vindex mail-source-directory
11646 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11647 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11648 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
11651 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11652 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
11653 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
11654 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
11655 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
11656 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
11658 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
11659 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
11660 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
11665 @node Fetching Mail
11666 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
11668 @vindex mail-sources
11669 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
11670 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
11671 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
11672 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
11674 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
11675 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
11678 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
11679 mail server, you'd say something like:
11684 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11685 :password "secret")))
11688 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
11692 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
11693 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
11696 :password "secret")))
11700 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
11701 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
11702 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
11703 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
11704 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
11705 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
11709 @node Mail Backend Variables
11710 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
11712 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
11716 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11717 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
11718 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
11719 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
11721 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
11722 @item nnmail-split-hook
11723 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
11724 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
11725 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
11726 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
11727 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
11728 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
11729 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
11730 in the buffer will show up in any files.
11731 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
11734 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11735 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11736 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11737 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
11738 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
11739 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
11740 starting to handle the new mail) and
11741 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
11742 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
11743 default file modes the new mail files get:
11746 (add-hook 'gnus-pre-get-new-mail-hook
11747 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
11749 (add-hook 'gnus-post-get-new-mail-hook
11750 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
11753 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
11754 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
11755 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
11756 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
11757 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
11758 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
11759 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
11761 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
11762 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
11763 @findex delete-file
11764 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
11766 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11767 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11768 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
11769 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
11770 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
11775 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
11776 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
11777 @cindex mail splitting
11778 @cindex fancy mail splitting
11780 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
11781 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
11782 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
11783 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
11784 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
11785 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
11787 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
11790 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
11791 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
11792 ;; from real errors.
11793 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
11795 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
11796 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
11797 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
11798 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
11799 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
11800 ;; Other mailing lists...
11801 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
11802 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
11803 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
11804 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
11805 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
11806 ;; message was really cross-posted.
11807 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
11808 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
11810 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
11811 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
11815 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
11816 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
11817 the five possible split syntaxes:
11822 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
11823 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
11827 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
11828 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
11829 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
11830 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
11831 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
11832 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
11833 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
11834 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
11837 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11838 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
11839 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
11840 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
11843 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11844 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
11847 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
11848 this message. Use with extreme caution.
11851 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
11852 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
11853 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
11854 function should return a @var{split}.
11856 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
11857 body of the messages:
11860 (defun split-on-body ()
11862 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
11863 (goto-char (point-min))
11864 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
11869 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
11870 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
11871 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
11875 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
11879 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
11880 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
11881 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
11882 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
11883 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
11885 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
11886 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
11887 are expanded as specified by the variable
11888 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
11889 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
11892 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
11893 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
11894 when all this splitting is performed.
11896 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
11897 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
11898 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
11901 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
11904 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
11905 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
11907 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
11908 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
11909 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
11910 groupings 1 through 9.
11912 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
11913 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
11914 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
11915 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
11916 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
11917 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
11918 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
11919 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
11920 it once per thread.
11922 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
11923 non-nil value. And then you can include
11924 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
11926 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
11927 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
11928 ;; other splits go here
11932 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
11933 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
11934 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
11935 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
11936 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
11937 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
11938 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
11939 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
11940 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name. It
11941 is recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
11942 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
11943 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300
11945 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
11946 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
11947 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
11948 messages goes into the new group.
11951 @node Group Mail Splitting
11952 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
11953 @cindex mail splitting
11954 @cindex group mail splitting
11956 @findex gnus-group-split
11957 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
11958 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
11959 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
11960 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
11961 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
11962 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
11963 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
11964 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
11966 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
11967 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
11968 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
11969 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
11971 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
11972 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
11973 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
11974 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
11975 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
11976 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
11977 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
11979 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
11980 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
11981 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
11982 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
11983 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
11984 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
11985 @code{gnus-group-split}.
11987 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
11988 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
11989 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
11990 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
11991 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
11992 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
11993 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
11994 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
11995 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
11996 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
11997 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
11998 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
11999 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12001 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12006 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12007 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12009 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12010 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12011 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12012 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12014 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12017 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12018 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12019 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12022 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12023 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12024 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12028 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12029 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12030 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12034 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12037 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12038 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12039 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12040 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12041 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12042 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12043 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12044 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12045 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12047 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12048 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12049 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12050 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12051 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12052 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12053 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12054 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12055 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12057 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12058 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12059 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12060 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12061 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12062 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12065 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12068 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12069 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12070 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12071 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12072 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12075 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12076 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12077 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12078 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12080 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12081 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12083 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12084 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12085 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12088 Doing so can be quite easy.
12090 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12091 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12092 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12093 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12094 your @code{nnml} groups.
12100 Go to the group buffer.
12103 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12104 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12107 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12110 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12111 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12114 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12115 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12118 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12119 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12120 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12121 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12122 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12124 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12125 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12126 using the new mail backend.
12129 @node Expiring Mail
12130 @subsection Expiring Mail
12131 @cindex article expiry
12133 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12134 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12135 different approach to mail reading.
12137 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12138 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12139 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12140 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12141 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12142 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12145 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12146 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12147 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12148 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12149 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12150 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12151 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12152 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12154 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12155 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12156 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12157 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12158 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12159 column in the summary buffer.
12161 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12162 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12163 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12164 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12167 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12169 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12170 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12171 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12174 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12175 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12176 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12177 groups expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12178 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12180 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12181 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12184 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12185 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12188 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12189 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12191 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12192 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12193 don't really mix very well.
12195 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12196 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12197 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12198 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12201 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12202 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12203 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12204 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12207 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12209 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12211 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12213 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12215 ((string= group "important")
12221 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12222 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12224 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12225 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12226 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12229 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12230 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12232 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12233 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12234 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12235 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12236 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12237 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12238 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12239 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12240 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12241 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12242 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12243 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12246 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12248 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12252 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12253 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12254 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12255 easier for procmail users.
12257 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12258 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12259 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12260 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12261 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12262 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12263 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12264 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12265 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12266 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12267 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12268 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12269 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12272 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12274 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12275 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12276 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12277 auto-expire turned on.
12281 @subsection Washing Mail
12282 @cindex mail washing
12283 @cindex list server brain damage
12284 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12286 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12287 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12288 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12289 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12290 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12291 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12293 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12294 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12295 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12298 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12299 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12300 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12301 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12304 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12305 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12306 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12307 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12308 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12311 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12312 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12313 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12314 Emacs running on MS machines.
12318 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12319 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12320 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12321 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12324 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12325 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12326 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12327 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12329 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12330 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12331 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12332 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12333 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12334 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12335 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12338 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12339 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12342 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12343 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12346 This can also be done non-destructively with
12347 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12349 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12350 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12351 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12353 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12354 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12356 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12357 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12358 @code{References} headers.
12362 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12363 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12364 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12368 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12369 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12370 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12377 @subsection Duplicates
12379 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12380 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12381 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12382 @cindex duplicate mails
12383 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12384 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12385 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12386 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12387 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12388 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12389 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12390 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12391 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12392 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12393 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12394 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12395 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12397 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12398 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12399 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12400 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12402 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12405 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12406 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12410 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12411 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12412 ("gnus-warning" "duplication of message" "duplicate")
12413 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12414 (any mail "mail.misc")
12421 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12422 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:")
12427 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12428 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12429 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12430 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12431 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12434 @node Not Reading Mail
12435 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12437 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12438 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12439 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12441 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12442 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12443 mail, which should help.
12445 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12446 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12447 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12448 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12449 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12450 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12451 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12452 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12453 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12454 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12455 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12457 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12458 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12462 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12463 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12465 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12466 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12467 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12469 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12470 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12471 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12472 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12475 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12476 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12477 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12478 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12479 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12480 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12484 @node Unix Mail Box
12485 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12487 @cindex unix mail box
12489 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12490 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12491 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12492 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12493 which group it belongs in.
12495 Virtual server settings:
12498 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12499 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12500 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory.
12502 @item nnmbox-active-file
12503 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12504 The name of the active file for the mail box.
12506 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12507 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12508 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12514 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12518 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12519 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12520 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12521 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12522 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12524 Virtual server settings:
12527 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12528 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12529 The name of the rmail mbox file.
12531 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12532 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12533 The name of the active file for the rmail box.
12535 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12536 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12537 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail.
12542 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12544 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12546 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12547 format. It should be used with some caution.
12549 @vindex nnml-directory
12550 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12551 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12552 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12553 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12555 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12558 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12559 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12560 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12561 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12562 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12563 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12564 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12565 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12567 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12568 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12569 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12570 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12572 Virtual server settings:
12575 @item nnml-directory
12576 @vindex nnml-directory
12577 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12579 @item nnml-active-file
12580 @vindex nnml-active-file
12581 The active file for the @code{nnml} server.
12583 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12584 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12585 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12588 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12589 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12590 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail.
12592 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12593 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12594 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12596 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12597 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12598 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12600 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12601 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12602 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12606 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12607 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12608 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12609 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12610 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12611 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12612 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12617 @subsubsection MH Spool
12619 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12621 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12622 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12623 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12624 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12626 Virtual server settings:
12629 @item nnmh-directory
12630 @vindex nnmh-directory
12631 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory.
12633 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
12634 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12635 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail.
12638 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
12639 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
12640 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
12641 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
12642 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
12643 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
12644 to set this variable to @code{t}.
12649 @subsubsection Mail Folders
12651 @cindex mbox folders
12652 @cindex mail folders
12654 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
12655 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
12656 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
12659 Virtual server settings:
12662 @item nnfolder-directory
12663 @vindex nnfolder-directory
12664 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
12666 @item nnfolder-active-file
12667 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
12668 The name of the active file.
12670 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12671 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
12672 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File Format}.
12674 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
12675 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12676 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail.
12678 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12679 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
12680 @cindex backup files
12681 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
12682 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
12683 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
12684 your @file{.emacs} file:
12687 (defun turn-off-backup ()
12688 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
12690 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
12693 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12694 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
12695 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
12696 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
12697 extract some information from it before removing it.
12699 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12700 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
12701 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files.
12706 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
12707 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
12708 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
12709 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
12710 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
12711 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
12714 @node Comparing Mail Backends
12715 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
12717 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
12718 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
12719 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
12720 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
12721 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
12723 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
12724 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
12725 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
12726 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
12727 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
12728 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
12729 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
12730 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
12733 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
12734 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
12735 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
12736 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
12741 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
12742 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
12743 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
12744 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
12745 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
12746 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
12747 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
12748 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
12749 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
12750 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
12751 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
12752 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
12753 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
12758 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
12759 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
12760 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
12761 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
12762 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
12763 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
12764 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
12765 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
12766 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
12767 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
12768 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
12769 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
12770 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
12771 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
12773 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
12774 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
12779 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
12780 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
12781 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
12782 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
12783 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
12784 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
12785 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
12786 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
12787 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
12788 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
12789 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
12790 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
12791 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
12792 provided by the active file and overviews.
12794 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
12795 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
12796 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
12797 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
12798 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
12801 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
12802 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
12807 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
12808 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
12809 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
12810 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
12811 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
12812 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
12813 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
12817 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
12818 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
12819 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
12820 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
12821 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
12822 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
12823 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
12824 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
12825 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
12827 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
12828 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
12829 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
12830 friendly mail backend all over.
12835 @node Browsing the Web
12836 @section Browsing the Web
12838 @cindex browsing the web
12842 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
12843 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
12844 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
12845 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
12846 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
12847 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
12848 even know what a news group is.
12850 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
12851 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
12852 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
12853 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
12854 you mad in the end.
12856 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
12859 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
12860 interfaces to these sources.
12863 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
12864 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
12865 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
12866 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
12867 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
12870 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
12872 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
12873 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
12874 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
12875 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
12876 though, you should be ok.
12878 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
12879 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
12880 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
12881 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
12882 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
12886 @subsection Web Searches
12890 @cindex InReference
12891 @cindex Usenet searches
12892 @cindex searching the Usenet
12894 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
12895 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
12896 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
12897 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
12898 searches without having to use a browser.
12900 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
12901 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
12902 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
12903 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
12904 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
12906 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
12907 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
12908 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
12909 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
12910 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
12911 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
12912 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
12913 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
12914 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
12915 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
12918 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
12919 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
12920 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
12921 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
12922 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
12923 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
12925 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
12926 to use @code{nnweb}.
12928 Virtual server variables:
12933 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
12934 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
12938 @vindex nnweb-search
12939 The search string to feed to the search engine.
12941 @item nnweb-max-hits
12942 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
12943 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
12946 @item nnweb-type-definition
12947 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
12948 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
12949 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
12954 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
12958 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
12961 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
12964 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
12968 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
12975 @subsection Slashdot
12979 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
12980 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
12981 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
12983 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
12984 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
12987 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
12988 '((nnslashdot "")))
12991 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
12992 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
12993 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
12994 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
12995 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
12998 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
12999 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13001 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13002 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13003 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13004 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13005 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13006 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13009 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13012 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13013 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13014 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13015 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13016 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13017 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13018 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13020 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13021 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13022 The login name to use when posting.
13024 @item nnslashdot-password
13025 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13026 The password to use when posting.
13028 @item nnslashdot-directory
13029 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13030 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default value is
13031 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13033 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13034 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13035 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13036 news articles and comments. The default is
13037 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13039 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13040 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13041 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13043 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13045 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13046 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13047 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13049 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13051 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13052 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13053 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13055 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13056 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13057 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13058 updated. The default is 0.
13065 @subsection Ultimate
13067 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13069 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13070 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13071 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13072 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13074 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13075 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13076 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13077 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13078 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13079 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13080 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13082 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13085 @item nnultimate-directory
13086 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13087 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13088 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13093 @subsection Web Archive
13095 @cindex Web Archive
13097 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13098 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13099 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13100 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13103 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13104 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13105 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13106 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13107 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13108 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13109 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13111 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13114 @item nnwarchive-directory
13115 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13116 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13117 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13119 @item nnwarchive-login
13120 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13121 The account name on the web server.
13123 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13124 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13125 The password for your account on the web server.
13129 @node Customizing w3
13130 @subsection Customizing w3
13136 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13137 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13138 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13140 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13141 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13142 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13145 (eval-after-load "w3"
13147 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13148 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13149 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13150 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13152 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13155 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13156 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13160 @node Other Sources
13161 @section Other Sources
13163 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13164 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13168 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13169 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13170 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13171 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13172 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13173 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13177 @node Directory Groups
13178 @subsection Directory Groups
13180 @cindex directory groups
13182 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13183 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13186 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13187 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13188 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13189 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13191 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13192 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13193 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13194 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13195 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13197 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13199 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13200 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13201 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13202 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13205 @node Anything Groups
13206 @subsection Anything Groups
13209 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13210 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13211 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13214 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13215 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13216 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13217 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13218 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13219 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13220 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13221 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13222 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13223 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13226 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13227 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13228 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13229 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13231 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13232 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13233 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13234 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13236 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13237 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13238 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13239 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13240 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13241 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13242 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13243 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13248 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13249 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13250 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13251 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13253 @item nneething-exclude-files
13254 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13255 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13256 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13258 @item nneething-include-files
13259 @vindex nneething-include-files
13260 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13261 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13263 @item nneething-map-file
13264 @vindex nneething-map-file
13265 Name of the map files.
13269 @node Document Groups
13270 @subsection Document Groups
13272 @cindex documentation group
13275 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13276 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13283 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13288 The standard Unix mbox file.
13290 @cindex MMDF mail box
13292 The MMDF mail box format.
13295 Several news articles appended into a file.
13298 @cindex rnews batch files
13299 The rnews batch transport format.
13300 @cindex forwarded messages
13303 Forwarded articles.
13306 Netscape mail boxes.
13309 MIME multipart messages.
13311 @item standard-digest
13312 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13315 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13318 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13319 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13320 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13323 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13324 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13325 group. And that's it.
13327 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13328 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13329 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13330 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13331 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13332 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13333 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13334 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13335 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13336 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13338 Virtual server variables:
13341 @item nndoc-article-type
13342 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13343 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13344 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13345 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13346 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13348 @item nndoc-post-type
13349 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13350 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13351 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13356 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13360 @node Document Server Internals
13361 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13363 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13364 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13365 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13366 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13368 First, here's an example document type definition:
13372 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13373 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13376 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13377 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13378 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13379 types can be defined with very few settings:
13382 @item first-article
13383 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13384 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13387 @item article-begin
13388 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13389 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13391 @item head-begin-function
13392 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13395 @item nndoc-head-begin
13396 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13399 @item nndoc-head-end
13400 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13401 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13403 @item body-begin-function
13404 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13408 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13411 @item body-end-function
13412 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13416 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13419 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13420 regexp will be totally ignored.
13424 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13425 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13426 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13427 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13428 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13431 @item prepare-body-function
13432 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13433 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13434 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13436 @item article-transform-function
13437 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13438 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13439 body of the article.
13441 @item generate-head-function
13442 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13443 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13444 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13445 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13449 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13454 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13455 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13456 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13457 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13458 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13459 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13460 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13461 (subtype digest guess))
13464 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13465 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13466 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13467 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13468 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13470 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13471 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13472 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13473 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13474 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
13475 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13476 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13477 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13478 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13479 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13487 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13488 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13489 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13491 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13492 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13493 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13496 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13497 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13498 that interested in doing things properly.
13500 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13501 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13504 First some terminology:
13509 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13510 get news and/or mail from.
13513 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13514 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13517 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13521 @item message packets
13522 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13523 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13524 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13526 @item response packets
13527 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13528 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13529 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13539 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13540 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13541 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13542 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13545 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13548 You put the packet in your home directory.
13551 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13552 the native or secondary server.
13555 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13556 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13559 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13563 You transfer this packet to the server.
13566 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
13569 You then repeat until you die.
13573 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
13574 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
13577 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
13578 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
13579 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
13583 @node SOUP Commands
13584 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
13586 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
13590 @kindex G s b (Group)
13591 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
13592 Pack all unread articles in the current group
13593 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
13594 process/prefix convention.
13597 @kindex G s w (Group)
13598 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
13599 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
13602 @kindex G s s (Group)
13603 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
13604 Send all replies from the replies packet
13605 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
13608 @kindex G s p (Group)
13609 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
13610 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
13613 @kindex G s r (Group)
13614 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
13615 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
13618 @kindex O s (Summary)
13619 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
13620 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
13621 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
13622 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
13627 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
13632 @item gnus-soup-directory
13633 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
13634 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
13635 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
13637 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
13638 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
13639 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
13640 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
13642 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
13643 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
13644 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
13645 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
13647 @item gnus-soup-packer
13648 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
13649 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13650 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
13652 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
13653 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
13654 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
13655 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13657 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
13658 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
13659 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
13661 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13662 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
13663 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
13664 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
13670 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
13673 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
13674 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
13675 you can read them at leisure.
13677 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
13681 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
13682 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
13683 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
13684 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
13686 @item nnsoup-directory
13687 @vindex nnsoup-directory
13688 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
13689 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
13691 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
13692 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
13693 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
13694 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
13696 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
13697 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
13698 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
13699 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
13700 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
13702 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
13703 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
13704 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
13705 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
13707 @item nnsoup-active-file
13708 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
13709 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
13710 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
13711 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
13712 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
13714 @item nnsoup-packer
13715 @vindex nnsoup-packer
13716 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
13717 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
13719 @item nnsoup-unpacker
13720 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
13721 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
13722 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
13724 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
13725 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
13726 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
13729 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
13730 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
13731 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
13734 @item nnsoup-always-save
13735 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
13736 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
13742 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
13744 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
13745 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
13746 more for that to happen.
13748 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
13749 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
13750 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
13753 In specific, this is what it does:
13756 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
13757 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
13760 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
13761 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
13762 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
13765 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
13766 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
13767 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
13770 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
13771 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
13772 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
13774 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
13780 @item nngateway-address
13781 @vindex nngateway-address
13782 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
13784 @item nngateway-header-transformation
13785 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
13786 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
13787 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
13788 transformation should be called, and defaults to
13789 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
13790 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
13793 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
13794 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
13795 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
13798 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
13801 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
13804 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
13807 The following pre-defined functions exist:
13809 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13812 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
13813 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13814 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
13816 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13818 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
13819 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
13820 @code{nngateway-address}.
13825 (setq gnus-post-method
13826 '(nngateway "mail2news@@replay.com"
13827 (nngateway-header-transformation
13828 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
13836 So, to use this, simply say something like:
13839 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
13845 @subsection @sc{imap}
13849 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
13850 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
13851 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
13852 specify the network address of the server.
13854 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
13855 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
13856 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
13857 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
13858 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
13860 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
13861 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
13862 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
13863 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
13865 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
13866 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
13867 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
13868 usage explained in this section.
13870 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
13871 might look something like this:
13874 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13875 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
13876 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
13878 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13879 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
13880 ; a UW server running on localhost
13882 (nnimap-server-port 143)
13883 (nnimap-address "localhost")
13884 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
13885 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
13886 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
13887 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
13888 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
13889 (nnimap-stream network))
13890 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
13892 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
13893 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
13894 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
13897 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
13902 @item nnimap-address
13903 @vindex nnimap-address
13905 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
13906 server name if not specified.
13908 @item nnimap-server-port
13909 @vindex nnimap-server-port
13910 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
13912 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
13915 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13916 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
13919 @item nnimap-list-pattern
13920 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
13921 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
13922 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
13923 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
13924 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
13925 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
13927 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
13928 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
13929 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
13932 Example server specification:
13935 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13936 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
13937 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
13940 @item nnimap-stream
13941 @vindex nnimap-stream
13942 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
13943 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
13944 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
13945 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
13947 Example server specification:
13950 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
13951 (nnimap-stream ssl))
13954 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
13958 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Require the
13959 @samp{imtest} program.
13961 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Require the @samp{imtest} program.
13963 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
13964 SSL). Require the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
13967 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Require OpenSSL (the
13968 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
13970 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
13972 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
13975 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
13976 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD, nnimap support
13977 both @samp{imtest} version 1.5.x and version 1.6.x. The variable
13978 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
13981 @vindex imap-ssl-program
13982 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
13983 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
13984 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
13985 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
13986 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
13987 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
13990 @vindex imap-shell-program
13991 @vindex imap-shell-host
13992 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
13993 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
13995 @item nnimap-authenticator
13996 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
13998 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
13999 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14001 Example server specification:
14004 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14005 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14008 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14012 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14013 external program @code{imtest}.
14015 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14018 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14019 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14021 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14023 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14025 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14028 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14030 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14031 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14032 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14033 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14034 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14035 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14038 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14039 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14040 running in circles yet?
14042 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14043 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14046 The possible options are:
14051 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14054 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14055 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14056 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14057 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14059 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14064 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14065 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14067 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format
14068 is (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See
14069 `nntp-authinfo-file' for exact syntax.
14071 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14072 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14073 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14079 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14080 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14081 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14086 @node Splitting in IMAP
14087 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14088 @cindex splitting imap mail
14090 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14091 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14092 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14093 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14094 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14098 Here are the variables of interest:
14102 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14103 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14105 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14107 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14108 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14110 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14112 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14113 @cindex splitting, inbox
14115 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14117 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14118 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14122 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14123 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14126 No nnmail equivalent.
14128 @item nnimap-split-rule
14129 @cindex Splitting, rules
14130 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14132 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14135 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14136 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14137 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14138 Neither did I, we need examples.
14141 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14142 '(("INBOX.nnimap" "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14143 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14144 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14147 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14148 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14149 into INBOX.spam and everything else in INBOX.private.
14151 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14152 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14156 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14159 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14160 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14161 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14162 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14164 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14165 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14166 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14167 of your inbox. (This might might affect performance if you keep lots of
14168 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14169 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14171 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14172 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14173 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14175 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14176 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14177 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14179 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14181 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14182 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14183 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14186 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14187 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14188 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14189 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14190 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14191 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14194 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14195 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14196 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14197 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14198 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14199 group/function elements.
14201 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14203 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14205 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14207 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14208 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14210 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14211 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14212 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14215 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14216 @cindex splitting, fancy
14217 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14218 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14220 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14221 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14222 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14224 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14225 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14226 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14227 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14232 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14233 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14236 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14240 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14241 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14242 @cindex editing imap acls
14243 @cindex Access Control Lists
14244 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14246 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14248 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14249 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14250 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14253 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14254 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14255 editing window with detailed instructions.
14257 Some possible uses:
14261 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14262 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14263 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14265 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14266 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14267 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14271 @node Expunging mailboxes
14272 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14276 @cindex Manual expunging
14278 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14280 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-close},
14281 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14282 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14284 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14289 @node Combined Groups
14290 @section Combined Groups
14292 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14296 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14297 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14301 @node Virtual Groups
14302 @subsection Virtual Groups
14304 @cindex virtual groups
14305 @cindex merging groups
14307 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14310 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14311 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14312 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14314 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14315 regexp to match component groups.
14317 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14318 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14319 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14320 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14321 the virtual group.)
14323 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14324 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14327 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14330 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14331 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14333 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14334 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14335 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14336 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14339 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14342 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14343 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14344 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14346 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14347 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14348 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14349 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14350 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14352 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14353 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14354 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14356 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14357 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14358 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14359 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14360 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14361 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14362 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14363 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14364 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14365 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14366 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14368 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14369 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14370 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14371 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14372 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14373 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14374 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14376 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14377 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14381 @node Kibozed Groups
14382 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14386 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14387 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14388 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14389 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14391 @kindex G k (Group)
14392 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14395 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14396 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14397 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14398 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14400 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14401 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14402 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14404 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14405 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14406 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14407 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14408 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14409 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14410 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14411 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14413 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14414 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14415 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14416 Stranger things have happened.
14418 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14419 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14421 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14422 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14423 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14424 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14425 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14426 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14428 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14429 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14432 @node Gnus Unplugged
14433 @section Gnus Unplugged
14438 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14440 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14441 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14442 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14443 read news. Believe it or not.
14445 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14446 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14447 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14448 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14449 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14451 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14452 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14453 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14454 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14455 reading news on a machine.
14457 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14461 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14462 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14466 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14467 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14474 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14476 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14479 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14480 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14481 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14482 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14483 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14484 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14485 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14486 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14487 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14488 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14493 @subsection Agent Basics
14495 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14497 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14498 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14499 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14500 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14502 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14503 connected to the net continuously.
14505 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14506 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14508 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14513 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14514 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14515 already fetched while in this mode.
14518 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14519 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14520 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14521 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14522 Source Specifiers}).
14525 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14526 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14527 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14528 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
14529 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
14532 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
14533 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
14534 then you read the news offline.
14537 And then you go to step 2.
14540 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
14546 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
14547 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
14548 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
14549 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
14550 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
14551 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
14554 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
14561 @node Agent Categories
14562 @subsection Agent Categories
14564 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
14565 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
14566 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
14567 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
14568 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
14569 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
14570 you're interested in the articles anyway.
14572 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
14573 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
14574 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
14575 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
14576 managing categories.
14579 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
14580 * The Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
14581 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
14585 @node Category Syntax
14586 @subsubsection Category Syntax
14588 A category consists of two things.
14592 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
14593 are eligible for downloading; and
14596 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
14597 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
14598 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
14601 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
14602 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
14603 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
14604 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
14606 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
14607 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
14608 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
14610 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
14611 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
14612 operators sprinkled in between.
14614 Perhaps some examples are in order.
14616 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
14617 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
14623 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
14624 short (for some value of ``short'').
14626 Here's a more complex predicate:
14635 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
14636 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
14639 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
14640 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
14641 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
14643 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
14644 you want to do, you can write your own.
14648 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
14649 lines; default 100.
14652 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
14653 lines; default 200.
14656 True iff the article has a download score less than
14657 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
14660 True iff the article has a download score greater than
14661 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
14664 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
14665 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
14666 checksum and sees whether articles match.
14675 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
14676 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
14677 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
14680 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
14681 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
14682 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
14683 something along the lines of the following:
14686 (defun my-article-old-p ()
14687 "Say whether an article is old."
14688 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
14689 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
14692 with the predicate then defined as:
14695 (not my-article-old-p)
14698 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
14699 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
14700 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
14701 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
14704 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
14705 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
14706 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
14709 and simply specify your predicate as:
14715 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
14716 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
14717 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
14718 just don't give a damn.
14720 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
14721 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
14722 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
14723 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
14724 parameters like so:
14727 (agent-predicate . short)
14730 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
14731 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
14732 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
14734 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
14737 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
14740 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
14741 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
14742 predicate is assumed to be a list.
14745 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
14746 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
14747 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
14748 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
14749 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
14750 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
14752 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
14753 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
14754 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
14755 if it's to be specific to that group.
14757 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
14764 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
14765 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
14771 Category specification
14775 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14781 Group Parameter specification
14784 (agent-score ("from"
14785 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
14790 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
14796 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
14803 Category specification
14806 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
14812 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
14816 Group Parameter specification
14819 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
14822 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
14827 Use @code{normal} score files
14829 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
14830 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
14831 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
14832 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
14834 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
14835 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
14836 files for a group, *filtering out* those those sections that do not
14837 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
14841 Category Specification
14848 Group Parameter specification
14851 (agent-score . file)
14856 @node The Category Buffer
14857 @subsubsection The Category Buffer
14859 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
14860 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
14861 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
14863 The following commands are available in this buffer:
14867 @kindex q (Category)
14868 @findex gnus-category-exit
14869 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
14872 @kindex k (Category)
14873 @findex gnus-category-kill
14874 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
14877 @kindex c (Category)
14878 @findex gnus-category-copy
14879 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
14882 @kindex a (Category)
14883 @findex gnus-category-add
14884 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
14887 @kindex p (Category)
14888 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
14889 Edit the predicate of the current category
14890 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
14893 @kindex g (Category)
14894 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
14895 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
14896 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
14899 @kindex s (Category)
14900 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
14901 Edit the download score rule of the current category
14902 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
14905 @kindex l (Category)
14906 @findex gnus-category-list
14907 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
14911 @node Category Variables
14912 @subsubsection Category Variables
14915 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
14916 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
14917 Hook run in category buffers.
14919 @item gnus-category-line-format
14920 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
14921 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
14922 Variables}). Valid elements are:
14926 The name of the category.
14929 The number of groups in the category.
14932 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
14933 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
14934 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
14936 @item gnus-agent-short-article
14937 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
14938 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
14940 @item gnus-agent-long-article
14941 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
14942 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
14944 @item gnus-agent-low-score
14945 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
14946 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
14949 @item gnus-agent-high-score
14950 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
14951 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
14957 @node Agent Commands
14958 @subsection Agent Commands
14960 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
14961 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
14962 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
14966 * Group Agent Commands::
14967 * Summary Agent Commands::
14968 * Server Agent Commands::
14971 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
14972 following incantation:
14974 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14976 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
14981 @node Group Agent Commands
14982 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
14986 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
14987 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
14988 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
14989 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
14992 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
14993 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
14994 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
14997 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
14998 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
14999 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15000 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15003 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15004 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15005 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15006 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15009 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15010 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15011 Add the current group to an Agent category
15012 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15013 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15016 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15017 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15018 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15019 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15020 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15023 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15024 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15025 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15031 @node Summary Agent Commands
15032 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15036 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15037 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15038 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15041 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15042 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15043 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15044 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15047 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15048 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15049 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15052 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15053 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15054 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15059 @node Server Agent Commands
15060 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15064 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15065 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15066 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15067 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15070 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15071 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15072 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15073 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15079 @subsection Agent Expiry
15081 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15082 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15083 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15084 @cindex Agent expiry
15085 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15088 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15089 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15090 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15091 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15092 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15093 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15095 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15096 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15097 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15098 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15099 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15102 @node Agent and IMAP
15103 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15105 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15106 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15107 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15108 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15110 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15111 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15112 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15113 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15115 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15116 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15117 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15118 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15119 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15121 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15122 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15123 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15124 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15125 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15126 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15128 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15129 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15130 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15131 in the group buffer by default.
15133 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15134 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15139 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15142 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15146 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15147 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15148 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15149 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15150 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15151 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15152 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15153 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15156 @node Outgoing Messages
15157 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15159 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15160 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15161 after posting, and edit them at will.
15163 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15164 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15165 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15166 messages in the draft group.
15170 @node Agent Variables
15171 @subsection Agent Variables
15174 @item gnus-agent-directory
15175 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15176 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15177 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15179 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15180 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15181 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15182 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15183 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15186 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15187 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15188 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15190 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15191 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15192 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15197 @node Example Setup
15198 @subsection Example Setup
15200 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15201 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15202 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15205 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15206 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15207 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15209 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15210 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15211 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15213 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15214 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15216 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15220 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15221 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15224 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15225 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15226 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15227 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15228 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15231 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15232 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15233 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15234 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15235 back all the killed groups.)
15237 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15238 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15239 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15242 @node Batching Agents
15243 @subsection Batching Agents
15245 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15246 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15247 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15251 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15255 @node Agent Caveats
15256 @subsection Agent Caveats
15258 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15259 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15263 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15268 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15269 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15275 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15276 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15283 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15284 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15285 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15288 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15289 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15290 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15291 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15292 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15294 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15295 before generating the summary buffer.
15297 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15298 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15299 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15301 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15302 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15303 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15304 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15307 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15308 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15309 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15310 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15311 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15312 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15313 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15314 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15315 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15316 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15317 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15318 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15319 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15320 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15321 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15322 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15326 @node Summary Score Commands
15327 @section Summary Score Commands
15328 @cindex score commands
15330 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15331 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15332 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15333 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15334 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15336 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15337 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15338 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15339 score file the current one.
15341 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15346 @kindex V s (Summary)
15347 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15348 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15351 @kindex V S (Summary)
15352 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15353 Display the score of the current article
15354 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15357 @kindex V t (Summary)
15358 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15359 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15360 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15363 @kindex V R (Summary)
15364 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15365 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15366 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15367 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15368 effect you're having.
15371 @kindex V c (Summary)
15372 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15373 Make a different score file the current
15374 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15377 @kindex V e (Summary)
15378 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15379 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15380 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15384 @kindex V f (Summary)
15385 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15386 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15387 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15390 @kindex V F (Summary)
15391 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15392 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15393 after editing score files.
15396 @kindex V C (Summary)
15397 @findex gnus-score-customize
15398 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15399 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15403 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15408 @kindex V m (Summary)
15409 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15410 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15411 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15414 @kindex V x (Summary)
15415 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15416 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15417 expunge all articles below this score
15418 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15421 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15422 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15425 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15426 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15430 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15431 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15433 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15434 keys are available:
15438 Score on the author name.
15441 Score on the subject line.
15444 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15447 Score on the @code{References} line.
15453 Score on the number of lines.
15456 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15459 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15460 the followups to this author.
15474 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15475 what headers you are scoring on.
15487 Substring matching.
15490 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15519 Greater than number.
15524 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15525 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
15526 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
15530 Temporary score entry.
15533 Permanent score entry.
15536 Immediately scoring.
15541 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
15542 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
15543 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
15544 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
15546 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
15547 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
15548 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
15549 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
15550 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
15552 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
15553 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
15554 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
15555 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
15556 current score file.
15558 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
15559 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
15560 pretend they are keymaps or not.
15563 @node Group Score Commands
15564 @section Group Score Commands
15565 @cindex group score commands
15567 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
15572 @kindex W f (Group)
15573 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15574 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
15575 all the time. This command will flush the cache
15576 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
15580 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
15582 @findex gnus-batch-score
15583 @cindex batch scoring
15585 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
15589 @node Score Variables
15590 @section Score Variables
15591 @cindex score variables
15595 @item gnus-use-scoring
15596 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
15597 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
15598 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
15600 @item gnus-kill-killed
15601 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
15602 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
15603 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
15604 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
15605 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
15606 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
15607 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
15609 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
15610 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
15611 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
15612 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
15613 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
15615 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
15616 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
15617 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
15618 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
15620 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15621 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
15622 @cindex score cache
15623 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
15624 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
15625 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
15626 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
15627 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
15628 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
15631 @item gnus-save-score
15632 @vindex gnus-save-score
15633 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
15634 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
15635 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
15637 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
15638 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
15639 across group visits.
15641 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15642 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
15643 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
15644 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
15645 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
15646 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
15647 manually entered data.
15649 @item gnus-summary-default-score
15650 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
15651 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
15653 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
15654 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
15655 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
15656 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
15657 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
15658 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
15660 @item gnus-score-over-mark
15661 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
15662 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
15663 default. Default is @samp{+}.
15665 @item gnus-score-below-mark
15666 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
15667 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
15668 default. Default is @samp{-}.
15670 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15671 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
15672 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
15673 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
15675 Predefined functions available are:
15678 @item gnus-score-find-single
15679 @findex gnus-score-find-single
15680 Only apply the group's own score file.
15682 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
15683 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
15684 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
15685 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
15686 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
15687 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
15688 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
15689 then a regexp match is done.
15691 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
15692 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
15694 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
15695 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
15696 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
15697 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
15699 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15700 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
15701 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
15702 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
15703 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
15707 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
15708 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
15709 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
15710 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
15711 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
15712 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
15713 returned is the local score file. Phu.
15715 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
15716 overall score file, you could use the value
15718 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE")) 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
15721 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
15722 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
15723 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
15724 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
15725 are expired. It's 7 by default.
15727 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15728 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
15729 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
15730 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
15731 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
15732 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
15733 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
15736 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15737 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
15738 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
15740 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
15741 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
15742 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
15743 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
15744 threading---according to the current value of
15745 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
15746 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
15747 simplified in this manner.
15752 @node Score File Format
15753 @section Score File Format
15754 @cindex score file format
15756 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
15757 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
15758 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
15760 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
15764 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
15766 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
15768 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
15770 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
15775 (mark-and-expunge -10)
15779 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
15780 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
15781 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
15782 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
15786 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
15787 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
15789 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
15790 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
15791 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
15793 Six keys are supported by this alist:
15798 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
15799 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
15800 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
15801 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
15802 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
15803 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
15804 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
15805 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
15806 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
15807 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
15808 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
15809 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
15810 to articles that matches these score entries.
15812 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
15813 score entry has one to four elements.
15817 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
15818 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
15822 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
15823 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
15824 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
15825 is successful. If this element is not present, the
15826 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
15827 instead. This is 1000 by default.
15830 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
15831 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
15832 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
15833 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
15834 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
15837 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
15838 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
15839 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
15840 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
15843 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
15844 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
15845 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
15846 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
15847 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
15848 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
15849 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
15850 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
15851 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
15852 instead, if you feel like.
15855 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
15856 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
15858 These predicates are true if
15861 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
15864 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
15865 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
15872 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
15873 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
15874 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
15875 it's not. I think.)
15877 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
15878 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
15879 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
15880 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
15883 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
15884 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
15885 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
15886 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
15887 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
15888 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
15889 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
15893 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
15894 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
15895 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
15896 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
15897 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
15898 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
15899 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
15900 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
15903 @item Head, Body, All
15904 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
15908 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
15909 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
15910 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
15911 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
15912 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
15913 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
15914 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
15918 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
15919 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
15920 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
15921 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
15922 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
15923 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
15924 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
15925 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
15926 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
15927 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
15928 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
15932 @cindex Score File Atoms
15934 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15935 lower than this number will be marked as read.
15938 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15939 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
15941 @item mark-and-expunge
15942 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
15943 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
15946 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
15947 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
15948 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
15949 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
15950 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
15953 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
15954 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
15957 @item exclude-files
15958 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
15959 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
15963 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
15964 ignored when handling global score files.
15967 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
15968 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
15969 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
15970 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
15973 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
15974 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
15975 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
15976 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
15978 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
15982 (mark-and-expunge -100)
15985 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
15986 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
15987 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
15988 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
15989 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
15991 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where there
15992 exist a few interesting threads which can't be found automatically by
15993 ordinary scoring rules.
15996 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
15997 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
15998 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
15999 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16000 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16001 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16002 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16003 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16004 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16005 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16006 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16010 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16011 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16012 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16013 file for a number of groups.
16016 @cindex local variables
16017 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16018 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16019 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16020 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16021 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16025 @node Score File Editing
16026 @section Score File Editing
16028 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16029 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16030 with a mode for that.
16032 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16033 additional commands:
16038 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16039 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16040 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16041 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16044 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16045 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16046 Insert the current date in numerical format
16047 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16048 you were wondering.
16051 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16052 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16053 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16054 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16055 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16060 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16062 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16063 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16065 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16066 e} to begin editing score files.
16069 @node Adaptive Scoring
16070 @section Adaptive Scoring
16071 @cindex adaptive scoring
16073 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16074 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16075 stupidity, to be precise.
16077 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16078 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16079 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16080 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16081 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16082 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16083 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16084 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16085 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16087 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16088 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16089 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16090 might look something like this:
16093 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16094 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16095 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16096 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16097 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16098 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16099 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16100 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16101 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16102 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16103 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16104 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16107 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16108 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16109 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16110 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16111 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16112 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16115 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16116 will be applied to each article.
16118 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16119 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16120 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16121 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16123 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16124 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16125 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16126 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16128 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16129 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16130 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16131 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16133 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16134 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16135 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16136 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16137 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16138 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16140 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16141 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16142 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16143 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16144 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16145 aspirins afterwards.)
16147 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16148 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16149 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16151 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16152 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16153 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16155 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16156 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16157 let you use different rules in different groups.
16159 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16160 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16161 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16164 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16165 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16166 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16167 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16168 the length of the match is less than
16169 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16170 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16173 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16174 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16175 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16176 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16177 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16180 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16181 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16182 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16183 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16184 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16187 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16188 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16189 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16190 score with 30 points.
16192 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16193 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16194 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16195 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16196 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16198 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16199 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16200 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16201 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16203 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16204 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16205 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16206 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16208 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16209 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16210 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16211 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16212 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16214 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16215 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16216 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16218 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16219 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16220 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16221 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16224 @node Home Score File
16225 @section Home Score File
16227 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16228 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16229 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16230 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16232 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16233 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16234 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16236 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16237 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16242 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16246 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16247 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16251 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16255 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16256 group name, the @var{file-name} will will be used as the home score file.
16259 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16260 the home score file.
16263 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16266 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16271 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16274 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16275 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16278 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16279 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16281 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16283 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16284 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16287 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16288 Other functions include
16291 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16292 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16293 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16294 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16298 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16299 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16300 their own home score files:
16303 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16304 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16305 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16306 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16307 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16310 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16311 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16312 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16313 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16314 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16316 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16317 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16318 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16319 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16320 precedence over this variable.
16323 @node Followups To Yourself
16324 @section Followups To Yourself
16326 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16327 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16328 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16329 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16330 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16331 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16335 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16336 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16337 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16340 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16341 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16342 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16346 @vindex message-sent-hook
16347 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16348 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16350 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16354 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16355 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16359 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16360 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16363 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16364 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16369 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16373 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16374 is system-dependent.
16378 @section Scoring Tips
16379 @cindex scoring tips
16385 @cindex scoring crossposts
16386 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16387 the @code{Xref} header.
16389 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16392 @item Multiple crossposts
16393 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16394 more than, say, 3 groups:
16396 ("xref" ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+" -1000 nil r))
16399 @item Matching on the body
16400 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16401 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16402 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16403 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16404 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16405 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16406 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16409 @item Marking as read
16410 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16411 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16412 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16416 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16418 @item Negated character classes
16419 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16420 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16421 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16425 @node Reverse Scoring
16426 @section Reverse Scoring
16427 @cindex reverse scoring
16429 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16430 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16431 like this in your score file:
16435 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16440 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16441 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16444 @node Global Score Files
16445 @section Global Score Files
16446 @cindex global score files
16448 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16449 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16450 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16452 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16453 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16454 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16456 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16457 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16458 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16459 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16460 files are applicable to which group.
16462 Say you want to use the score file
16463 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16464 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory:
16467 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16468 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16469 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16472 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16473 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16474 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16475 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16476 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16478 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16479 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16481 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
16482 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
16483 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
16484 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
16485 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
16486 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
16488 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
16494 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
16496 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
16498 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
16500 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
16501 lowered out of existence.
16503 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
16504 articles completely.
16507 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
16508 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
16509 old articles for a long time.
16512 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
16513 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
16514 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
16515 holding our breath yet?
16519 @section Kill Files
16522 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
16523 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
16524 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
16526 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
16527 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
16528 files into score files.
16530 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
16531 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
16532 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
16533 that isn't a very good idea.
16535 Normal kill files look like this:
16538 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16539 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
16543 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
16544 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
16546 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
16547 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
16550 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
16555 @kindex M-k (Summary)
16556 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
16557 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
16560 @kindex M-K (Summary)
16561 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
16562 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
16565 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
16570 @kindex M-k (Group)
16571 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
16572 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
16575 @kindex M-K (Group)
16576 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
16577 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
16580 Kill file variables:
16583 @item gnus-kill-file-name
16584 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
16585 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
16586 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
16587 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
16588 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
16589 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
16591 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16592 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
16593 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
16594 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
16597 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
16598 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
16599 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
16600 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
16601 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
16602 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
16603 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
16604 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
16605 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
16607 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16608 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
16609 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
16614 @node Converting Kill Files
16615 @section Converting Kill Files
16617 @cindex converting kill files
16619 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
16620 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
16621 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
16624 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
16625 You can fetch it from
16626 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
16628 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
16629 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
16630 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
16638 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
16639 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
16640 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
16642 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
16643 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
16644 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
16645 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
16646 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
16647 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
16648 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
16649 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
16653 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
16654 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
16655 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
16656 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
16660 @node Using GroupLens
16661 @subsection Using GroupLens
16663 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
16665 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
16666 better bit in town at the moment.
16668 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
16672 @item gnus-use-grouplens
16673 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
16674 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
16675 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
16677 @item grouplens-pseudonym
16678 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
16679 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
16680 with the Better Bit Bureau.
16682 @item grouplens-newsgroups
16683 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
16684 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
16688 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
16689 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
16690 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
16691 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
16692 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
16693 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
16696 @node Rating Articles
16697 @subsection Rating Articles
16699 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
16700 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
16701 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
16702 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
16705 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
16710 @kindex r (GroupLens)
16711 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
16712 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
16715 @kindex k (GroupLens)
16716 @findex grouplens-score-thread
16717 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
16718 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
16719 threads in rec.humor.
16723 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
16724 the score of the article you're reading.
16729 @kindex n (GroupLens)
16730 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
16731 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
16734 @kindex , (GroupLens)
16735 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
16736 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
16740 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
16741 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
16744 @node Displaying Predictions
16745 @subsection Displaying Predictions
16747 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
16748 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
16749 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
16750 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
16751 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
16753 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
16754 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
16755 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
16756 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
16757 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
16758 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
16759 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
16760 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
16761 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
16762 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
16763 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
16764 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
16765 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
16767 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
16768 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
16769 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
16770 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
16772 The following are valid values for that variable.
16775 @item prediction-spot
16776 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
16779 @item confidence-interval
16780 A numeric confidence interval.
16782 @item prediction-bar
16783 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
16785 @item confidence-bar
16786 Numerical confidence.
16788 @item confidence-spot
16789 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
16791 @item prediction-num
16792 Plain-old numeric value.
16794 @item confidence-plus-minus
16795 Prediction +/- confidence.
16800 @node GroupLens Variables
16801 @subsection GroupLens Variables
16805 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
16806 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
16807 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
16808 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
16811 @item grouplens-bbb-host
16812 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
16815 @item grouplens-bbb-port
16816 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
16818 @item grouplens-score-offset
16819 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
16820 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
16823 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
16824 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
16825 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
16830 @node Advanced Scoring
16831 @section Advanced Scoring
16833 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
16834 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
16835 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
16836 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
16837 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
16839 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
16843 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
16844 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
16845 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
16849 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
16850 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
16852 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
16853 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
16854 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
16855 non-@code{nil} value.
16857 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
16858 operator, and various match operators.
16865 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16866 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
16867 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
16872 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
16873 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
16874 then this operator will return @code{false}.
16879 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
16880 logical negation of the value of its argument.
16884 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
16885 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
16886 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
16887 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
16888 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
16889 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
16890 the ancestry you want to go.
16892 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
16893 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
16894 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
16895 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
16896 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
16899 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
16900 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
16902 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
16903 when he's talking about Gnus:
16907 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16908 ("subject" "Gnus"))
16914 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
16918 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16925 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
16926 really don't want to read what he's written:
16930 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
16931 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
16935 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
16936 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
16937 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
16944 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
16945 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
16946 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
16947 ("body" "white.*socks"))
16951 The possibilities are endless.
16954 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
16955 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
16957 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
16958 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
16959 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
16960 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
16961 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
16962 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
16963 @samp{subject}) first.
16965 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
16966 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
16977 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
16978 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
16984 ("subject" "Gnus")))
16991 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
16992 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
16997 @section Score Decays
16998 @cindex score decays
17001 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17002 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17003 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17004 use them in any sensible way.
17006 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17007 @findex gnus-decay-score
17008 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17009 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17010 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17011 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17012 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17013 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17014 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17015 definition of that function:
17018 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17020 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17021 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17024 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17026 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17028 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17031 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17032 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17033 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17034 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17038 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17041 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17044 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17048 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17049 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17050 the new score, which should be an integer.
17052 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17053 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17060 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17061 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17062 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17063 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17064 * Windows Configuration:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17065 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17066 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17067 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17068 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17069 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17070 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17071 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17072 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17073 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17074 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17075 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17076 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17077 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17081 @node Process/Prefix
17082 @section Process/Prefix
17083 @cindex process/prefix convention
17085 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17086 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17088 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17089 command to be performed on.
17093 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17094 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17095 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17096 with the current one.
17098 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17099 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17100 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17102 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17103 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17106 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17107 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17109 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17112 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17113 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17114 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17115 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17117 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17118 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17119 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17120 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17121 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17122 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17123 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17124 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17126 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17127 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17128 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17129 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17130 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17134 @section Interactive
17135 @cindex interaction
17139 @item gnus-novice-user
17140 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17141 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17142 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17143 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17144 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17147 @item gnus-expert-user
17148 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17149 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17150 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17151 matter how strange.
17153 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17154 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17155 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17156 is @code{t} by default.
17158 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17159 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17160 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17165 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17166 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17167 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17169 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17170 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17171 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17172 rule of 900 to the current article.
17174 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17175 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17176 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17177 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17178 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17179 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17180 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17182 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17183 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17184 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17185 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17186 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17187 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17188 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17189 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17190 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17192 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17193 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17194 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17196 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17200 @node Formatting Variables
17201 @section Formatting Variables
17202 @cindex formatting variables
17204 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17205 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17206 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17207 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17208 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17211 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17212 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17213 lots of percentages everywhere.
17216 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17217 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17218 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17219 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17220 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17223 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17224 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17225 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17226 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17227 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17228 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17229 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17230 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17232 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17233 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17235 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17236 @findex gnus-update-format
17237 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17238 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17239 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17240 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17244 @node Formatting Basics
17245 @subsection Formatting Basics
17247 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17248 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17249 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17251 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17252 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17253 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17254 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17255 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17258 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17259 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17260 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17261 less than 4 characters wide.
17264 @node Mode Line Formatting
17265 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17267 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17268 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17269 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17270 with the following two differences:
17275 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17278 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17279 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17280 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17281 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17282 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17283 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17284 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17289 @node Advanced Formatting
17290 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17292 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17293 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17294 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17295 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17297 These are the valid modifiers:
17302 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17306 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17311 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17314 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17319 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17322 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17325 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17328 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17332 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17333 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17334 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17335 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17336 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17337 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17338 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17340 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17341 last operation, padding.
17343 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
17344 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
17345 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
17346 @xref{Compilation}.
17349 @node User-Defined Specs
17350 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17352 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17353 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17354 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17355 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17356 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17357 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17358 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17359 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17360 should protect against that.
17362 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17363 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17364 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17365 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17369 @node Formatting Fonts
17370 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17372 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17373 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17374 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17375 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17378 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17379 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17380 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17381 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17382 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17383 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17385 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17386 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17387 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17388 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17389 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17390 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17391 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17392 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17394 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17397 ;; Create three face types.
17398 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17399 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17401 ;; We want the article count to be in
17402 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17403 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17404 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17406 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17407 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17409 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17410 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17411 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17414 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17415 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17417 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17418 mode-line variables.
17421 @node Windows Configuration
17422 @section Windows Configuration
17423 @cindex windows configuration
17425 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17427 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17428 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17429 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17430 @code{t} by default.
17432 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17433 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17435 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17436 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17437 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17440 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17441 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17442 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17446 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17447 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17448 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17449 possible names is listed below.
17451 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17452 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17455 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17459 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17460 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17461 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17462 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17463 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17464 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17465 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17466 size spec per split.
17468 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17469 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17470 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17471 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17472 present) gets focus.
17474 Here's a more complicated example:
17477 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17478 (summary 0.25 point)
17479 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
17483 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
17484 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
17485 occupy, not a percentage.
17487 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
17488 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
17489 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
17490 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
17491 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
17494 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
17497 (article (horizontal 1.0
17502 (summary 0.25 point)
17507 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
17508 @code{horizontal} thingie?
17510 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
17511 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
17512 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
17513 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
17514 the screen is to be given to this strip.
17516 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
17517 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
17518 lines from the splits.
17520 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
17524 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
17525 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
17526 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
17527 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
17528 buffer = "(" buffer-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
17529 size = number | frame-params
17530 buffer-name = group | article | summary ...
17533 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
17534 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
17535 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
17536 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
17538 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
17539 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
17540 @cindex window height
17541 @cindex window width
17542 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
17543 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
17544 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
17545 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
17546 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
17547 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
17549 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
17550 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
17551 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
17552 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
17554 @findex gnus-configure-frame
17555 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
17556 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
17557 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
17558 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
17559 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
17560 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
17561 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
17562 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
17563 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
17564 configuration list.
17567 (gnus-configure-frame
17571 (article 0.3 point))
17579 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
17580 @code{frame} split:
17583 (gnus-configure-frame
17586 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
17588 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
17589 (user-position . t)
17590 (left . -1) (top . 1))
17595 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
17596 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
17597 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
17598 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
17599 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
17600 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
17601 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
17602 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
17604 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
17605 be found in its default value.
17607 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
17608 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
17609 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
17613 (message (horizontal 1.0
17614 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
17616 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
17621 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
17622 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
17623 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
17626 (message (frame 1.0
17627 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
17628 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
17629 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
17630 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
17631 (name . "Message"))
17632 (message 1.0 point))))
17635 @findex gnus-add-configuration
17636 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
17637 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
17638 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
17639 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
17642 (gnus-add-configuration
17643 '(article (vertical 1.0
17645 (summary .25 point)
17649 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
17650 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
17651 Gnus has been loaded.
17653 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
17654 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
17655 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
17656 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
17657 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
17659 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
17660 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
17661 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
17664 @subsection Example Window Configurations
17668 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
17669 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
17684 (gnus-add-configuration
17687 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17689 (summary 0.16 point)
17692 (gnus-add-configuration
17695 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
17696 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
17702 @node Faces and Fonts
17703 @section Faces and Fonts
17708 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
17709 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
17710 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
17715 @section Compilation
17716 @cindex compilation
17717 @cindex byte-compilation
17719 @findex gnus-compile
17721 Remember all those line format specification variables?
17722 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
17723 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
17724 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
17725 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
17726 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
17729 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
17730 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
17731 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
17732 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
17733 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
17734 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
17735 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
17739 @section Mode Lines
17742 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
17743 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
17744 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
17745 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
17746 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
17747 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
17748 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
17751 @cindex display-time
17753 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
17754 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
17755 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
17756 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
17757 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
17758 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
17759 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
17760 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
17763 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
17765 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
17766 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
17768 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
17769 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
17770 (length display-time-string)))))
17773 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
17774 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
17775 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
17776 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
17777 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
17780 @node Highlighting and Menus
17781 @section Highlighting and Menus
17783 @cindex highlighting
17786 @vindex gnus-visual
17787 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
17788 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
17789 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
17792 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
17793 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
17796 @item group-highlight
17797 Do highlights in the group buffer.
17798 @item summary-highlight
17799 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
17800 @item article-highlight
17801 Do highlights in the article buffer.
17803 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
17805 Create menus in the group buffer.
17807 Create menus in the summary buffers.
17809 Create menus in the article buffer.
17811 Create menus in the browse buffer.
17813 Create menus in the server buffer.
17815 Create menus in the score buffers.
17817 Create menus in all buffers.
17820 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
17821 buffers, you could say something like:
17824 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
17827 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
17830 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
17833 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
17834 in all Gnus buffers.
17836 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
17839 @item gnus-mouse-face
17840 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
17841 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
17842 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
17846 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
17850 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
17851 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
17852 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
17854 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
17855 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
17856 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
17858 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
17859 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
17860 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
17862 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
17863 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
17864 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
17866 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
17867 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
17868 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
17870 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
17871 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
17872 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
17883 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
17884 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
17885 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
17886 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
17887 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
17891 @vindex gnus-carpal
17892 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
17893 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
17894 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
17899 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17900 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
17901 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
17903 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
17904 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
17905 Face used on buttons.
17907 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
17908 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
17909 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
17911 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17912 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
17913 Buttons in the group buffer.
17915 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17916 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
17917 Buttons in the summary buffer.
17919 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17920 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
17921 Buttons in the server buffer.
17923 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17924 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
17925 Buttons in the browse buffer.
17928 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
17929 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
17930 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
17938 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
17939 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
17940 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
17941 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
17942 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
17944 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
17945 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
17946 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
17948 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
17949 been idle for thirty minutes:
17952 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
17955 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
17959 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
17962 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
17963 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
17964 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17966 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
17967 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
17968 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
17969 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
17971 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
17972 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
17973 @var{idle} minutes.
17975 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
17976 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
17979 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
17980 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
17981 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
17983 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
17984 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
17985 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
17986 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
17988 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
17989 your @file{.gnus} file:
17991 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
17993 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
17996 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
17997 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
17998 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
17999 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18000 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18001 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18002 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18003 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18004 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18005 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18006 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18008 @findex gnus-demon-init
18009 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18010 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18011 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18012 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18013 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18015 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18016 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18017 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18026 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18027 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18029 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18030 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18031 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18032 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18035 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18036 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18037 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18038 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18040 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18041 this will make spam disappear.
18043 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18046 @item gnus-use-nocem
18047 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18048 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18051 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18052 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18053 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18054 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18055 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18057 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18058 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18059 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18060 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18061 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18062 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18064 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18065 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18067 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18068 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18069 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18070 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18071 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18072 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18073 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18074 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18075 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18076 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18078 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18079 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18082 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18085 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18086 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18089 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18092 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18095 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18096 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18098 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18099 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18100 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18101 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18103 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18104 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18107 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18109 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18117 This might be dangerous, though.
18119 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18120 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18121 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18122 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18124 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18125 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18126 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18127 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18128 might then see old spam.
18130 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18131 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18132 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18133 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18134 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18137 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18138 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18139 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18140 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18144 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18145 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18146 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18147 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18154 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18155 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18156 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18158 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18159 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18160 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18161 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18162 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18163 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18164 @code{undo} function.
18166 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18167 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18168 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18169 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18170 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18171 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18172 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18173 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18174 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18175 never be totally undoable.
18177 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18178 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18180 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18181 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18182 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo} command
18183 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18188 @section Moderation
18191 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18192 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18193 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18196 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18200 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18203 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18205 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18210 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18211 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18212 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18215 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18216 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18219 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18220 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18224 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18227 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18228 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18232 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18233 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18236 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18240 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18241 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18242 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18243 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18256 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18257 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18258 over your shoulder as you read news.
18261 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18262 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18263 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18264 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18265 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18270 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18272 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18281 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18282 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18283 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18284 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18285 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18286 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18287 @code{GIF} formats.
18290 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18291 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18292 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18293 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18294 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18296 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18297 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18298 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18299 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18300 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18301 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18304 @node Picon Requirements
18305 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18307 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18308 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18311 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18312 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18313 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18315 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18316 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18317 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18318 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18319 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18323 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18325 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18326 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18329 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18330 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18333 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18334 containing the Picons databases.
18336 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18339 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18340 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18345 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18353 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18354 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18355 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18356 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18357 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18362 @item gnus-picons-database
18363 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18364 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18365 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18366 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18367 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18368 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18370 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18371 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18372 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18373 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18374 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18375 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18376 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18378 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18379 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18380 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18381 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18382 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18383 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18384 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18385 routines---@pxref{Windows Configuration}.
18387 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18388 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18389 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18394 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18395 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18397 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18398 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18401 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18403 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18404 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18405 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18406 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18408 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18409 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18410 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18416 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18417 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18425 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18426 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18427 don't need to worry about.
18431 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18432 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18433 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18434 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18436 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18437 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18438 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18439 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18441 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18442 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18443 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18444 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18445 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18447 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18448 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18449 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18450 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18451 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18452 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18453 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18455 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18456 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18457 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18458 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18460 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18461 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18462 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18463 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18464 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18465 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18466 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18468 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18469 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18470 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18471 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18473 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18474 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18475 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18476 Defaults to @code{t}.
18478 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18479 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18480 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
18481 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
18483 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
18484 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
18485 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
18487 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18488 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
18489 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
18490 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
18492 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
18493 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
18495 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18496 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
18497 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
18498 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
18499 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
18500 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
18501 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
18502 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
18513 @subsection Smileys
18518 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
18523 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
18524 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
18526 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
18527 @file{.gnus.el} file:
18530 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
18533 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
18534 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
18535 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
18536 text and maps that to file names.
18538 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
18539 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
18540 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
18541 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
18542 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
18543 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
18545 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
18546 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
18548 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
18549 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
18550 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
18552 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
18553 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
18557 @item smiley-data-directory
18558 @vindex smiley-data-directory
18559 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
18561 @item smiley-flesh-color
18562 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
18563 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
18565 @item smiley-features-color
18566 @vindex smiley-features-color
18567 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18569 @item smiley-tongue-color
18570 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
18571 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
18573 @item smiley-circle-color
18574 @vindex smiley-circle-color
18575 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
18577 @item smiley-mouse-face
18578 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
18579 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
18585 @subsection Toolbar
18595 @item gnus-use-toolbar
18596 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
18597 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
18598 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
18599 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
18601 @item gnus-group-toolbar
18602 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
18603 The toolbar in the group buffer.
18605 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
18606 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
18607 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
18609 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18610 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
18611 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
18617 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
18620 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18621 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
18622 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
18623 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
18624 unusual directory structure.
18626 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18627 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
18628 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
18629 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
18631 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18632 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
18633 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
18634 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
18635 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
18636 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
18638 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18639 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
18640 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
18654 @node Fuzzy Matching
18655 @section Fuzzy Matching
18656 @cindex fuzzy matching
18658 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
18659 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
18661 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
18662 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
18663 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
18665 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
18666 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
18667 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
18668 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
18669 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
18672 @node Thwarting Email Spam
18673 @section Thwarting Email Spam
18677 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
18679 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
18680 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
18681 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
18682 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
18683 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
18684 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
18685 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
18686 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
18689 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
18690 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
18691 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
18692 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
18693 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
18694 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
18698 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
18699 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
18701 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
18702 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
18703 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
18704 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
18705 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
18706 part of the mail address.)
18709 (setq message-default-news-headers
18710 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
18713 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
18714 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
18719 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
18720 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
18721 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
18727 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
18728 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
18729 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
18730 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
18732 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
18733 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
18734 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
18735 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
18736 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
18737 your fancy split rule in this way:
18742 (to "larsi" "misc")
18746 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
18747 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
18748 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
18749 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
18750 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
18752 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
18753 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
18754 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
18755 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
18756 cosmic balance somewhat.
18758 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
18759 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
18760 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
18761 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
18764 @node Various Various
18765 @section Various Various
18771 @item gnus-home-directory
18772 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
18773 defaults to @file{~/}.
18775 @item gnus-directory
18776 @vindex gnus-directory
18777 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
18778 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
18779 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
18781 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
18782 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
18783 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
18784 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
18786 @item gnus-default-directory
18787 @vindex gnus-default-directory
18788 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
18789 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
18790 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
18791 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
18792 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
18793 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
18796 @vindex gnus-verbose
18797 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
18798 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
18799 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
18800 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
18801 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
18803 @item gnus-verbose-backends
18804 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
18805 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
18806 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
18808 @item nnheader-max-head-length
18809 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
18810 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
18811 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
18812 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
18813 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
18814 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
18815 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
18816 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
18817 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
18819 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
18820 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
18821 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
18822 read when doing the operation described above.
18824 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18825 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18827 @cindex invalid characters in file names
18828 @cindex characters in file names
18829 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
18830 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
18831 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
18834 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
18838 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
18839 Windows (phooey) systems.
18841 @item gnus-hidden-properties
18842 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
18843 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
18844 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
18845 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
18847 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
18848 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
18849 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
18850 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
18851 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
18853 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
18854 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
18855 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
18857 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18858 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
18860 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
18861 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
18862 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
18863 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
18866 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
18875 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
18876 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
18878 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
18880 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
18886 Not because of victories @*
18889 but for the common sunshine,@*
18891 the largess of the spring.
18895 but for the day's work done@*
18896 as well as I was able;@*
18897 not for a seat upon the dais@*
18898 but at the common table.@*
18903 @chapter Appendices
18906 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
18907 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
18908 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
18909 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
18910 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
18911 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
18912 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
18913 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
18921 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
18922 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
18924 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
18925 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
18926 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
18927 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
18928 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
18930 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
18931 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
18932 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
18933 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
18934 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
18935 appropriate name, don't you think?)
18937 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
18938 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
18939 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
18940 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
18943 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
18944 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
18945 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
18946 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
18947 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
18948 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
18949 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
18950 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
18951 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
18955 @node Gnus Versions
18956 @subsection Gnus Versions
18957 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
18959 @cindex September Gnus
18960 @cindex Quassia Gnus
18962 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
18963 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
18964 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
18966 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
18967 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
18969 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
18970 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
18972 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
18973 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
18975 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
18976 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
18979 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
18981 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
18982 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
18983 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
18984 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
18985 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
18986 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
18989 @node Other Gnus Versions
18990 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
18993 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
18994 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
18995 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
18996 @sc{mime} capabilities.
18998 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
18999 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19000 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19001 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19008 What's the point of Gnus?
19010 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19011 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19012 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19013 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19014 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19015 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19016 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19017 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19018 keep track of millions of people who post?
19020 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19021 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19022 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19023 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19024 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19025 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19026 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19027 every one of you to explore and invent.
19029 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19030 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19033 @node Compatibility
19034 @subsection Compatibility
19036 @cindex compatibility
19037 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19038 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19039 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19044 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19048 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19051 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19054 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19055 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19056 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19057 important variables have their values copied into their global
19058 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19059 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19061 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19062 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19063 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19064 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19065 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19069 @cindex highlighting
19070 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19071 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19072 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19073 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19074 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19075 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19078 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19079 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19080 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19081 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19083 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19084 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19085 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19086 to stop doing it the old way.
19088 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19090 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19092 @cindex reporting bugs
19094 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19095 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19096 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19098 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19099 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19100 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19101 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19106 @subsection Conformity
19108 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19109 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19116 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19120 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19122 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19123 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19124 We do have some breaches to this one.
19130 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19131 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19132 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19133 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19134 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19139 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19140 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19141 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19142 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19146 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19147 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19152 @subsection Emacsen
19158 Gnus should work on :
19166 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
19170 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19171 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19174 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19175 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19176 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19180 @node Gnus Development
19181 @subsection Gnus Development
19183 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19184 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19185 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19186 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19187 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19188 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19189 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19190 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19192 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19193 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19194 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19195 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19196 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19199 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19200 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19201 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19202 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19203 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19205 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19206 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19207 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19208 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19209 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19210 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19211 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19212 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19213 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19214 can't be assumed to do so.
19219 @subsection Contributors
19220 @cindex contributors
19222 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19223 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19224 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19225 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19226 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19227 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19228 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19229 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19230 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19231 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19233 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19239 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19242 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19243 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19244 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19245 functionality and stuff.
19248 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19249 well as numerous other things).
19252 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19255 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19258 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19261 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19262 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19265 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19268 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19269 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19272 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19275 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19278 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19281 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19284 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19285 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19288 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19291 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19294 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19297 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19301 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19304 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19307 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19310 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19311 well as autoconf support.
19315 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19316 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19318 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19327 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19331 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19341 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19356 Massimo Campostrini,
19361 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19362 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19366 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19369 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19375 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19380 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19384 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19392 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19394 Michelangelo Grigni,
19398 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19400 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19402 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19409 François Felix Ingrand,
19410 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19411 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19413 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19424 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19425 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19427 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19428 Thor Kristoffersen,
19431 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19449 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19450 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19457 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19462 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19466 John McClary Prevost,
19472 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19477 Christian von Roques,
19480 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
19487 Philippe Schnoebelen,
19489 Randal L. Schwartz,
19503 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
19508 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
19524 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
19529 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
19530 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
19531 (550kB and counting).
19533 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
19536 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
19537 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
19541 @subsection New Features
19542 @cindex new features
19545 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
19546 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
19547 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
19548 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
19549 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
19552 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
19553 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
19554 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
19557 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
19559 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
19564 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
19565 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
19568 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
19569 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
19572 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
19575 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
19576 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
19577 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
19580 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
19581 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
19582 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
19583 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19586 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
19587 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19590 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
19591 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
19592 (@pxref{The Active File}).
19595 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
19596 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
19599 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
19600 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
19601 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19604 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
19605 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
19606 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
19609 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
19610 the @file{.emacs} file.
19613 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
19614 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19617 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
19618 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
19621 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
19622 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19625 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
19626 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
19629 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
19630 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19633 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
19636 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
19637 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
19640 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
19641 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
19644 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
19645 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
19648 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
19651 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
19652 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19655 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
19659 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
19663 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
19664 configuration (@pxref{Windows Configuration}).
19667 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
19673 @node September Gnus
19674 @subsubsection September Gnus
19678 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
19682 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
19687 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
19688 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
19692 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
19693 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
19697 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
19701 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
19702 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
19705 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
19709 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19712 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
19715 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
19718 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
19722 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
19723 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
19726 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
19730 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
19734 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
19738 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
19742 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
19745 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
19746 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
19749 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
19753 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
19754 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
19757 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
19760 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
19761 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
19762 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
19765 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
19769 The Gnus cache is much faster.
19772 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
19776 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
19777 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19780 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
19781 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
19784 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
19785 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19788 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
19789 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
19790 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
19793 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
19794 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
19797 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
19800 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19803 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
19806 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
19809 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
19810 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
19813 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Windows
19817 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
19820 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
19825 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
19828 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
19832 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
19835 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
19839 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
19842 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
19845 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
19846 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
19849 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
19850 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
19854 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
19855 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
19858 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
19862 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
19863 buffer to allow easier treatment.
19866 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
19869 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
19873 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
19877 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
19878 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
19881 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
19885 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
19886 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
19889 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
19890 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19893 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
19897 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
19900 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
19903 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
19909 @subsubsection Red Gnus
19911 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
19915 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
19922 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
19925 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
19926 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
19929 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
19930 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
19934 Article washing status can be displayed in the
19935 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
19938 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
19941 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
19942 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
19945 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
19949 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
19950 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
19954 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
19955 Server Internals}).
19958 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
19962 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
19965 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
19966 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
19969 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
19970 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
19971 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
19974 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
19975 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
19978 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
19979 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
19982 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
19986 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
19987 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
19990 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
19991 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
19994 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
19998 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20001 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20005 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20006 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20009 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20010 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20013 A new command for reading collections of documents
20014 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20015 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20018 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20022 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20023 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20026 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20027 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20028 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20031 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20032 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20036 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20040 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20044 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20049 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20053 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20057 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20058 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20061 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20067 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20069 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20074 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20075 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20076 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20079 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20080 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20081 group, which is created automatically.
20084 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20088 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20091 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20092 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20095 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20099 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20102 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20103 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20106 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20109 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20110 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20113 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20114 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20117 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20118 control over simplification.
20121 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20124 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20128 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20131 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20134 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20135 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20136 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20139 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20140 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20143 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20147 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20148 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20151 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20152 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20155 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20159 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20162 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20165 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20166 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20169 A new function for citing in Message has been
20170 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20173 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20176 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20180 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20181 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20184 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20185 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20188 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20191 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20195 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
20196 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
20198 New features in Gnus 5.8:
20202 @item The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
20203 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
20205 If you used procmail like in
20208 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
20209 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
20210 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
20211 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
20214 this now has changed to
20218 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
20222 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
20223 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
20225 @item Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
20226 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
20228 @item Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
20229 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
20231 @item @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
20232 called to position point.
20234 @item The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
20235 summary buffers and NOV files.
20237 @item @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
20238 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
20240 @item The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
20241 subtly different manner.
20243 @item New web-based backends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
20244 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
20245 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
20247 @item Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
20255 @section The Manual
20259 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20260 either @code{texi2dvi}
20262 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20263 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20265 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20267 The following conventions have been used:
20272 This is a @samp{string}
20275 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20278 This is a @file{file}
20281 This is a @code{symbol}
20285 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20289 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20292 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20295 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20298 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20299 ever get them confused.
20303 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20304 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20305 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20306 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20307 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20308 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20309 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20315 @node On Writing Manuals
20316 @section On Writing Manuals
20318 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20319 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20320 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20321 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20322 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20323 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20326 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20327 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20328 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20331 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20332 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20337 @section Terminology
20339 @cindex terminology
20344 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20345 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20346 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20347 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20348 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20352 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20353 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20354 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20355 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20359 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20363 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20368 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20369 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20370 is all done by the backends.
20374 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20375 default, way of getting news.
20379 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20380 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20385 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20386 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20390 A message that has been posted as news.
20393 @cindex mail message
20394 A message that has been mailed.
20398 A mail message or news article
20402 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20407 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20412 A line from the head of an article.
20416 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20417 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20421 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20422 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20423 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20424 normal @sc{head} format.
20428 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20429 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20430 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20431 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20432 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20433 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20435 @item killed groups
20436 @cindex killed groups
20437 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20438 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20440 @item zombie groups
20441 @cindex zombie groups
20442 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20445 @cindex active file
20446 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20447 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20448 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20451 @cindex bogus groups
20452 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20453 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20454 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20457 @cindex activating groups
20458 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20459 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20460 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20464 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20466 @item select method
20467 @cindex select method
20468 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20471 @item virtual server
20472 @cindex virtual server
20473 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20474 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20475 whole is a virtual server.
20479 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20480 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
20483 @item ephemeral groups
20484 @cindex ephemeral groups
20485 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
20486 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
20487 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
20490 @cindex solid groups
20491 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
20492 group buffer are solid groups.
20494 @item sparse articles
20495 @cindex sparse articles
20496 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
20497 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
20501 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
20502 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
20506 @cindex thread root
20507 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
20508 articles in the thread.
20512 An article that has responses.
20516 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
20520 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
20521 specified by RFC 1153.
20527 @node Customization
20528 @section Customization
20529 @cindex general customization
20531 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
20532 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
20533 for some quite common situations.
20536 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
20537 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
20538 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
20539 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
20543 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
20544 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
20546 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
20547 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
20548 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
20552 @item gnus-read-active-file
20553 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
20554 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
20555 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20556 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
20557 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
20559 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
20560 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
20561 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
20562 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
20566 @node Slow Terminal Connection
20567 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
20569 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
20570 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
20571 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
20575 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
20576 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
20577 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
20578 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
20579 horizontal and vertical recentering.
20581 @item gnus-visible-headers
20582 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
20583 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
20584 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
20585 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
20587 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
20589 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
20590 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
20591 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
20594 @item gnus-use-full-window
20595 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
20596 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
20597 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
20598 want to read them anyway.
20600 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
20601 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
20604 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
20605 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
20606 lines, which might save some time.
20610 @node Little Disk Space
20611 @subsection Little Disk Space
20614 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
20615 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
20619 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
20620 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
20621 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20622 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20625 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
20626 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
20627 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
20628 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
20631 @item gnus-save-killed-list
20632 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
20633 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
20634 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
20635 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
20641 @subsection Slow Machine
20642 @cindex slow machine
20644 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
20645 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
20647 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
20648 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
20650 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
20651 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
20652 summary buffer faster.
20656 @node Troubleshooting
20657 @section Troubleshooting
20658 @cindex troubleshooting
20660 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
20668 Make sure your computer is switched on.
20671 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
20672 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
20676 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
20677 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
20678 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
20679 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
20682 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
20686 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
20687 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
20688 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
20689 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
20690 something like that.
20693 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
20696 @cindex reporting bugs
20698 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
20700 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
20701 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
20702 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
20703 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
20705 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
20706 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
20707 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
20708 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
20711 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
20712 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
20713 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
20714 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
20715 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
20716 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
20718 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
20719 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
20720 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
20723 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
20724 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
20726 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
20727 @cindex ding mailing list
20728 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
20729 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
20733 @node Gnus Reference Guide
20734 @section Gnus Reference Guide
20736 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
20737 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
20738 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
20739 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
20742 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
20743 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
20744 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
20745 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
20746 and general methods of operation.
20749 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
20750 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
20751 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
20752 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
20753 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
20754 * Group Info:: The group info format.
20755 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
20756 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
20757 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
20761 @node Gnus Utility Functions
20762 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
20763 @cindex Gnus utility functions
20764 @cindex utility functions
20766 @cindex internal variables
20768 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
20769 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
20770 Below is a list of the most common ones.
20774 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
20775 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
20776 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
20778 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
20779 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
20780 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
20782 @item gnus-group-real-name
20783 @findex gnus-group-real-name
20784 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
20787 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
20788 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
20789 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
20790 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
20792 @item gnus-get-info
20793 @findex gnus-get-info
20794 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
20796 @item gnus-group-unread
20797 @findex gnus-group-unread
20798 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
20802 @findex gnus-active
20803 The active entry for @var{group}.
20805 @item gnus-set-active
20806 @findex gnus-set-active
20807 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
20809 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20810 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
20811 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
20814 @item gnus-continuum-version
20815 @findex gnus-continuum-version
20816 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
20817 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
20820 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
20821 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
20822 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
20824 @item gnus-news-group-p
20825 @findex gnus-news-group-p
20826 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
20828 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20829 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
20830 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
20832 @item gnus-server-to-method
20833 @findex gnus-server-to-method
20834 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
20836 @item gnus-server-equal
20837 @findex gnus-server-equal
20838 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
20840 @item gnus-group-native-p
20841 @findex gnus-group-native-p
20842 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
20844 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
20845 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
20846 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
20848 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
20849 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
20850 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
20852 @item group-group-find-parameter
20853 @findex group-group-find-parameter
20854 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
20855 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
20857 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
20858 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
20859 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
20861 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
20862 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
20863 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
20865 @item gnus-check-backend-function
20866 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
20867 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
20868 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
20871 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
20875 @item gnus-read-method
20876 @findex gnus-read-method
20877 Prompts the user for a select method.
20882 @node Backend Interface
20883 @subsection Backend Interface
20885 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
20886 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
20887 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
20888 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
20889 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
20890 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
20892 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
20893 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
20894 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
20895 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
20896 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
20897 been opened, the function should fail.
20899 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
20900 name. Take this example:
20904 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
20905 (nntp-port-number 4324))
20908 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
20909 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
20911 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
20912 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
20913 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
20915 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
20916 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
20917 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
20919 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
20920 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
20921 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
20922 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
20923 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
20924 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
20927 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
20928 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
20929 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
20930 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
20933 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
20936 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
20939 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
20940 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
20941 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
20942 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
20943 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
20944 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
20948 @node Required Backend Functions
20949 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
20953 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
20955 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
20956 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
20957 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
20958 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
20960 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
20961 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
20962 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
20963 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
20965 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
20966 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
20967 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
20968 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
20969 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
20970 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
20971 number, do maximum fetches.
20973 Here's an example HEAD:
20976 221 1056 Article retrieved.
20977 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
20978 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
20979 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
20980 Subject: Re: Something very droll
20981 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
20982 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
20984 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
20985 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
20986 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
20990 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
20991 these in the data buffer.
20993 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
20997 head = error / valid-head
20998 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
20999 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21000 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21001 header = <text> eol
21004 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21005 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21009 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21010 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21011 field = <text except TAB>
21014 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21018 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21020 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21021 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21023 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21024 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21025 server. In fact, it should do so.
21027 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21028 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21031 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21033 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21034 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21037 There should be no data returned.
21040 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21042 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21043 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21044 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21045 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21047 There should be no data returned.
21050 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21052 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21053 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21054 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21055 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21057 There should be no data returned.
21060 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21062 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21064 There should be no data returned.
21067 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21069 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21070 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21071 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21072 it would be nice if that were possible.
21074 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21075 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21076 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21077 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21078 into its article buffer.
21080 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21081 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21082 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21083 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21084 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21085 on successful article retrieval.
21088 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21090 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21091 making @var{group} the current group.
21093 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21096 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21099 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21102 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21103 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21104 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21105 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21106 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21107 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21108 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21109 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21112 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21113 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21114 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21118 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21120 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21121 a no-op on most backends.
21123 There should be no data returned.
21126 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21128 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21131 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21134 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21135 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21138 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21139 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21142 active-file = *active-line
21143 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21145 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21148 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21149 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21150 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21153 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21155 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21156 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21157 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21158 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21159 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21160 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21162 There should be no result data from this function.
21167 @node Optional Backend Functions
21168 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21172 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21174 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21175 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21176 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21178 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21179 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21180 former is in the same format as the data from
21181 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21182 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21185 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21189 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21191 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21192 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21193 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21194 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21195 should return the (altered) group info.
21197 There should be no result data from this function.
21200 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21202 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21203 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21204 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21205 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21206 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21207 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21208 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21209 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21211 There should be no result data from this function.
21214 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21216 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21217 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21218 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21219 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21220 propagate the mark information to the server.
21222 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21225 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21228 Range is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. Action is
21229 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21230 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21231 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21232 mentioned) marks. Mark is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21233 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21234 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21235 @code{download} and @code{unsend}, but your backend should, if possible,
21236 not limit itself to these.
21238 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21239 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21240 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21241 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21243 An example action list:
21246 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21247 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21248 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21251 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21252 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21254 There should be no result data from this function.
21256 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21258 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21259 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21260 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21261 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21262 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21264 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21265 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21266 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21269 There should be no result data from this function.
21272 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21274 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21275 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21276 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21277 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21278 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21279 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21280 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21282 There should be no result data from this function.
21285 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21287 The result data from this function should be a description of
21291 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21293 description = <text>
21296 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21298 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21299 groups available on the server.
21302 description-buffer = *description-line
21306 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21308 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21309 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21310 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21313 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21315 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21317 There should be no return data.
21320 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21322 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21323 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21324 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21325 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21326 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21329 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21332 There should be no result data returned.
21335 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21338 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21339 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21341 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21342 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21343 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21344 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21345 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21346 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21348 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21349 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21352 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21353 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21355 There should be no data returned.
21358 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21360 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21361 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21362 this function in short order.
21364 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21365 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21367 There should be no data returned.
21370 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21372 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21373 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21375 There should be no data returned.
21378 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21380 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21381 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21382 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21384 There should be no data returned.
21387 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21389 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21390 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21392 There should be no data returned.
21397 @node Error Messaging
21398 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21400 @findex nnheader-report
21401 @findex nnheader-get-report
21402 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21403 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21404 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21405 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21406 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21407 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21410 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21412 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21415 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21416 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21417 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21418 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21420 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21421 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21422 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21425 @node Writing New Backends
21426 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21428 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21429 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21430 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21431 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21432 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21435 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21436 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21437 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21439 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21440 package called @code{nnoo}.
21442 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21443 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21449 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21450 parameters. For instance:
21453 (nnoo-declare nndir
21457 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
21458 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
21461 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
21462 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
21463 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
21465 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
21466 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
21467 a function in those backends.
21470 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21471 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21472 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21475 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
21476 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
21477 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
21479 @item nnoo-define-basics
21480 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
21484 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21488 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
21489 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
21490 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
21492 @item nnoo-map-functions
21493 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
21494 functions from the parent backends.
21497 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21498 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21499 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
21502 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
21503 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
21504 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
21505 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
21508 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
21509 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
21510 haven't already been defined.
21516 nnmh-request-newgroups)
21520 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
21521 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
21522 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
21527 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
21530 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
21531 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21535 (require 'nnheader)
21539 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
21541 (nnoo-declare nndir
21544 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
21545 "Where nndir will look for groups."
21546 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
21548 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
21549 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
21552 (defvoo nndir-current-group "" nil nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
21553 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
21554 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
21556 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
21557 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
21559 ;;; Interface functions.
21561 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
21563 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
21564 (setq nndir-directory
21565 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
21567 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
21568 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
21569 (push `(nndir-current-group
21570 ,(file-name-nondirectory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21572 (push `(nndir-top-directory
21573 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
21575 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
21577 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
21578 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21579 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
21580 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
21581 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
21585 nnmh-status-message
21587 nnmh-request-newgroups))
21593 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21594 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
21596 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
21597 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
21598 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
21599 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
21601 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
21602 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
21607 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
21610 The abilities can be:
21614 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
21616 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
21618 This backend supports both mail and news.
21620 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
21623 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
21624 articles and groups.
21626 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
21627 true for almost all backends.
21628 @item prompt-address
21629 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
21630 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
21631 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
21635 @node Mail-like Backends
21636 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
21638 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
21639 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
21640 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
21641 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
21644 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
21645 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
21646 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
21649 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
21650 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
21653 This function takes four parameters.
21657 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
21660 @item exit-function
21661 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
21663 @item temp-directory
21664 Where the temporary files should be stored.
21667 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
21668 performed for one group only.
21671 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
21672 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
21673 find the article number assigned to this article.
21675 The function also uses the following variables:
21676 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
21677 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
21678 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
21679 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
21683 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
21684 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
21688 @node Score File Syntax
21689 @subsection Score File Syntax
21691 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
21692 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
21693 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
21695 Here's a typical score file:
21699 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
21706 BNF definition of a score file:
21709 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
21710 element = rule / atom
21711 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
21712 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
21713 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
21714 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
21716 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
21717 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
21718 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
21719 date-header = "date"
21720 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21721 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21722 score = "nil" / <integer>
21723 date = "nil" / <natural number>
21724 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
21725 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
21726 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
21727 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
21728 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21729 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21730 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
21731 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
21732 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
21733 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
21734 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
21735 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
21736 exclude-files / read-only / touched
21737 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
21738 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
21739 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
21740 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
21741 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
21742 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
21743 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
21744 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
21745 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
21746 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
21747 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
21748 eval = "eval" space <form>
21749 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
21752 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
21755 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
21756 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
21757 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
21758 one looong line, then that's ok.
21760 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
21761 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
21765 @subsection Headers
21767 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
21768 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
21769 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
21770 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
21772 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
21773 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
21774 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
21775 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
21776 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
21777 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
21778 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
21780 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
21781 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
21782 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
21783 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
21784 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
21786 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
21787 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
21793 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
21794 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
21796 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
21797 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
21798 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
21799 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
21801 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
21805 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
21808 is transformed into
21811 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
21814 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
21815 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
21818 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
21821 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
21822 is slightly tricky:
21825 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
21831 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
21834 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
21840 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
21847 and is equal to the previous range.
21849 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
21850 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
21851 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
21855 range = simple-range / normal-range
21856 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
21857 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
21858 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
21859 number *[ " " contents ]
21862 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
21863 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
21864 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
21865 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
21866 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
21871 @subsection Group Info
21873 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
21874 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
21875 describes the group.
21877 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
21878 second is a more complex one:
21881 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
21883 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
21884 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
21886 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
21889 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
21890 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
21891 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
21892 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
21893 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
21894 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
21895 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
21896 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
21897 this section is about.
21899 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
21900 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
21901 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
21903 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
21906 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
21907 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
21908 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
21909 group = quote <string> quote
21910 ralevel = rank / level
21911 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
21912 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
21913 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
21915 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
21916 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
21917 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
21918 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
21921 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
21922 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
21925 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
21926 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
21929 @item gnus-info-group
21930 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
21931 @findex gnus-info-group
21932 @findex gnus-info-set-group
21933 Get/set the group name.
21935 @item gnus-info-rank
21936 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
21937 @findex gnus-info-rank
21938 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
21939 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
21941 @item gnus-info-level
21942 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
21943 @findex gnus-info-level
21944 @findex gnus-info-set-level
21945 Get/set the group level.
21947 @item gnus-info-score
21948 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
21949 @findex gnus-info-score
21950 @findex gnus-info-set-score
21951 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
21953 @item gnus-info-read
21954 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
21955 @findex gnus-info-read
21956 @findex gnus-info-set-read
21957 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
21959 @item gnus-info-marks
21960 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
21961 @findex gnus-info-marks
21962 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
21963 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
21965 @item gnus-info-method
21966 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
21967 @findex gnus-info-method
21968 @findex gnus-info-set-method
21969 Get/set the group select method.
21971 @item gnus-info-params
21972 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
21973 @findex gnus-info-params
21974 @findex gnus-info-set-params
21975 Get/set the group parameters.
21978 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
21979 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
21981 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
21982 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
21983 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
21984 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
21987 @node Extended Interactive
21988 @subsection Extended Interactive
21989 @cindex interactive
21990 @findex gnus-interactive
21992 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
21993 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
21994 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
21997 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
21998 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22003 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22004 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22005 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22006 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22007 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22008 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22009 @code{interactive}.
22011 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22016 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22017 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22021 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22022 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22023 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22026 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22030 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22034 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22040 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22041 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22045 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22046 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22047 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22049 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22050 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22051 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22052 Gnus, that's very useful.
22054 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22055 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22056 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22057 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22058 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22059 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22060 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22061 following function:
22064 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22068 (,function ,@@args))
22072 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22073 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22074 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22077 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22078 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22079 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22081 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22082 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22083 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22086 @node Various File Formats
22087 @subsection Various File Formats
22090 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22091 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22095 @node Active File Format
22096 @subsubsection Active File Format
22098 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22099 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22102 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22105 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22106 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22107 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22108 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22109 no.general 1000 900 y
22112 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22115 active = *group-line
22116 group-line = group space high-number space low-number space flag <NEWLINE>
22117 group = <non-white-space string>
22119 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22120 low-number = <positive integer>
22121 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22124 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22125 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22128 @node Newsgroups File Format
22129 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22131 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22132 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22133 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22136 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22137 Here's the definition:
22141 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22142 group = <non-white-space string>
22144 description = <string>
22149 @node Emacs for Heathens
22150 @section Emacs for Heathens
22152 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22153 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22154 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22155 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22156 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22157 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22158 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22162 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22163 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22168 @subsection Keystrokes
22172 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22175 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22178 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22179 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22180 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22181 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22182 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22183 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22185 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22186 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22187 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22188 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22189 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22190 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22191 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22193 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22194 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22195 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22196 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22197 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22198 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22199 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22201 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22202 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22203 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22204 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22205 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22211 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22213 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22214 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22215 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22216 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22218 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22219 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22220 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22221 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22222 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22223 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22224 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22227 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22228 write the following:
22231 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22234 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22235 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22236 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22239 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22240 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22241 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22242 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22243 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22245 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22246 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22247 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22251 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22255 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22258 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22259 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22262 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22265 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22266 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22269 @include gnus-faq.texi
22290 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
22291 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
22292 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
22293 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
22294 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref