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335 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
340 @setchapternewpage odd
347 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
355 @top The Gnus Newsreader
359 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
360 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@acronym{NNTP}, local
361 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
364 @c Adjust ../Makefile.in if you change the following line:
365 This manual corresponds to No Gnus v0.7.
376 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
377 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
379 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
380 being accused of plagiarism:
382 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
383 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
384 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
385 can even read news with it!
387 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
388 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
389 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
390 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
391 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
397 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
398 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
399 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
400 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
401 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
402 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
403 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
404 * Various:: General purpose settings.
405 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
406 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, @acronym{FAQ}, History, Internals.
407 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
408 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
409 * Key Index:: Key Index.
411 Other related manuals
413 * Message:(message). Composing messages.
414 * Emacs-MIME:(emacs-mime). Composing messages; @acronym{MIME}-specific parts.
415 * Sieve:(sieve). Managing Sieve scripts in Emacs.
416 * PGG:(pgg). @acronym{PGP/MIME} with Gnus.
417 * SASL:(sasl). @acronym{SASL} authentication in Emacs.
420 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
424 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
425 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
426 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
427 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
428 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
429 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
430 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
431 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
432 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
433 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
434 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
438 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
439 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
440 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
444 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
445 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
446 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
447 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
448 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
449 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
450 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
451 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
452 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
453 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
454 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
455 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
456 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
457 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
458 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
459 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
460 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
464 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
465 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
466 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
470 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
471 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
472 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
473 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
474 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
478 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
479 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
480 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
481 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
482 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
486 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
487 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
488 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
489 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
490 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
491 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
492 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
493 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
494 * Threading:: How threads are made.
495 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
496 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
497 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
498 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
499 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
500 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
501 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
502 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
503 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
504 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
505 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
506 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
507 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
508 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
509 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
510 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
511 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
512 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
513 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
514 or reselecting the current group.
515 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
516 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
517 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
518 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
520 Summary Buffer Format
522 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
523 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
524 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
525 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
529 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
530 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
532 Reply, Followup and Post
534 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
535 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
536 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
537 * Canceling and Superseding::
541 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
542 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
543 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
544 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
545 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
546 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
550 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
551 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
553 Customizing Threading
555 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
556 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
557 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
558 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
562 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
563 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
564 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
565 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
566 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
567 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
571 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
572 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
573 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
577 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
578 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
579 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
580 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
581 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
582 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
583 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
584 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
585 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
586 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
587 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
589 Alternative Approaches
591 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
592 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
594 Various Summary Stuff
596 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
597 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
598 * Summary Generation Commands::
599 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
603 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
604 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
605 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
606 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
607 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
611 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
612 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
613 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
614 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
615 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
616 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
617 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
618 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
619 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
623 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
624 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
625 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
626 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
627 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
628 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
629 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
630 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
631 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
635 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
636 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
637 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
638 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
639 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
640 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
641 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
645 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
646 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
650 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
651 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
652 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
653 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
657 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
658 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
659 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
660 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
661 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
662 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
663 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
664 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
665 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
666 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
667 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
668 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
669 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
673 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
674 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
675 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
677 Choosing a Mail Back End
679 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
680 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
681 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
682 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
683 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
684 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
685 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
690 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
691 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
692 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
693 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
694 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
695 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
699 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
700 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
701 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
702 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
703 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
704 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
708 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
709 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
710 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
711 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
712 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
716 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
720 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
721 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
722 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
726 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
727 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
731 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
732 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
733 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
737 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
738 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
739 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
741 The Gnus Diary Library
743 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
744 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
745 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
746 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
750 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
751 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
752 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
753 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
754 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
755 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
756 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
757 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
758 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
759 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
760 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
761 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
762 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
763 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
767 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
768 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
769 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
773 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
774 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
775 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
779 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
780 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
781 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
782 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
783 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
784 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
785 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
786 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
787 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
788 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
789 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
790 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
791 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
792 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
793 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
794 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
798 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
799 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
800 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
804 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
805 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
806 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
807 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
808 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
809 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
810 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
811 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
812 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
813 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
814 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
815 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
816 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
817 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
818 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
819 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
820 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
821 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
822 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
823 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
824 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
828 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
829 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
830 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
831 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
832 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
833 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
834 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
835 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
839 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
840 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
841 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were
843 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
844 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
848 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
849 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
850 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
851 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
855 * Spam Package Introduction::
856 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
857 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
858 * Spam and Ham Processors::
859 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
861 * Extending the Spam package::
862 * Spam Statistics Package::
864 Spam Statistics Package
866 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
867 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
868 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
872 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
873 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
874 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
875 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
876 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
877 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
878 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
879 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
880 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
884 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
885 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
886 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
887 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
888 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
889 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
890 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
891 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
892 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
896 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
897 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
898 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
899 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
900 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
901 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
902 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
906 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
907 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
908 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
909 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
913 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
914 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
915 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
916 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
917 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
918 * Group Info:: The group info format.
919 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
920 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
921 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
925 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
926 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
927 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
928 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
929 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
930 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
934 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
935 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
939 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
940 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
946 @chapter Starting Gnus
949 If you haven't used Emacs much before using Gnus, read @ref{Emacs for
954 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
955 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
956 your Emacs. If not, you should customize the variable
957 @code{gnus-select-method} as described in @ref{Finding the News}. For a
958 minimal setup for posting should also customize the variables
959 @code{user-full-name} and @code{user-mail-address}.
961 @findex gnus-other-frame
962 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
963 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
964 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
966 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
967 variables in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file. This file is similar to
968 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when Gnus starts.
970 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
971 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
974 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
975 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
976 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
977 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
978 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
979 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
980 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
981 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
982 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
983 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
987 @node Finding the News
988 @section Finding the News
991 @vindex gnus-select-method
993 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
994 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
995 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
996 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
999 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @acronym{NNTP} server is where
1000 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
1003 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
1006 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
1009 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
1012 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
1013 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
1014 server is running Leafnode (which is a simple, standalone private news
1015 server); in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
1017 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
1019 @cindex @acronym{NNTP} server
1020 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1021 @env{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1022 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1023 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter.
1024 If that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs
1025 as an @acronym{NNTP} server. That's a long shot, though.
1027 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1028 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1029 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1030 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1032 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1033 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1034 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1035 @acronym{NNTP} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1036 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1037 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1038 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1039 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1040 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1043 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1045 However, if you use one @acronym{NNTP} server regularly and are just
1046 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1047 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1048 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1049 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1050 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1052 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1054 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1055 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1056 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1057 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1058 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1059 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1062 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1063 you would typically set this variable to
1066 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1069 Note: the @acronym{NNTP} back end stores marks in marks files
1070 (@pxref{NNTP marks}). This feature makes it easy to share marks between
1071 several Gnus installations, but may slow down things a bit when fetching
1072 new articles. @xref{NNTP marks}, for more information.
1075 @node The First Time
1076 @section The First Time
1077 @cindex first time usage
1079 If no startup files exist (@pxref{Startup Files}), Gnus will try to
1080 determine what groups should be subscribed by default.
1082 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1083 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1084 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1085 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1088 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1089 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1090 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1092 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1093 help you with most common problems.
1095 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1096 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1100 @node The Server is Down
1101 @section The Server is Down
1102 @cindex server errors
1104 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1105 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1106 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1108 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1109 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1110 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1111 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1112 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1113 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1114 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1116 @findex gnus-no-server
1117 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1119 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1120 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1121 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1122 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1123 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1124 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1125 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1129 @section Slave Gnusae
1132 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1133 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1134 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1135 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1137 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1138 @file{.newsrc} file.
1140 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1141 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1142 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1143 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1144 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1145 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1146 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1149 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1150 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1151 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1152 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1153 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1154 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1155 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1156 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1158 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1159 information in the normal (i.e., master) @file{.newsrc} file.
1161 If the @file{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1162 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1163 file. If you answer ``yes'', the unsaved changes to the master will be
1164 incorporated into the slave. If you answer ``no'', the slave may see some
1165 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1172 @cindex subscription
1174 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1175 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1176 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1177 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1178 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1179 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1180 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1181 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1182 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1185 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1186 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1187 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1191 @node Checking New Groups
1192 @subsection Checking New Groups
1194 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1195 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1196 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1197 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1198 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1199 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1200 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1201 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1202 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1203 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1205 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1206 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1207 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1208 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1209 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1210 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1211 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1212 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1213 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1214 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1215 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1217 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1218 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1219 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1220 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1221 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1222 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1225 @node Subscription Methods
1226 @subsection Subscription Methods
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1229 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1230 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1232 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1233 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1235 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1239 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1241 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1242 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1243 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1245 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1246 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1247 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1248 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1250 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1251 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1252 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1254 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1255 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1256 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1257 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1258 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1259 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1260 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1261 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1262 up. Or something like that.
1264 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1265 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1266 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1267 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1268 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1270 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1271 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1272 Kill all new groups.
1274 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1275 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1276 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1277 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1278 topic parameter that looks like
1284 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1287 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1292 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1293 A closely related variable is
1294 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1295 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1296 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1297 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1300 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1301 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1302 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1303 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1306 @node Filtering New Groups
1307 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1309 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1310 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1311 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1314 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1317 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1318 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1319 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1320 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1321 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1322 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1323 subscribing these groups.
1324 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1325 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1327 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1328 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1329 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1330 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1331 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1332 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1333 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1334 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1336 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1337 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1338 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1339 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous,
1340 but I thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is
1341 more meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is
1342 used more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new
1343 groups that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1344 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1345 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1348 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1349 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1352 @node Changing Servers
1353 @section Changing Servers
1354 @cindex changing servers
1356 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another.
1357 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1358 very flaky and you want to use another.
1360 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1361 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1365 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1366 @acronym{NNTP} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1367 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1368 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1371 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1372 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1373 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1374 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1376 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1377 @findex gnus-change-server
1378 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1379 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1380 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1381 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1382 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1384 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1385 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1386 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1387 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1388 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1390 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1391 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1392 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1393 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1394 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1395 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1397 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1398 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1399 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1400 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1402 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1403 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1404 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1405 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1406 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1407 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1408 cache for all groups).
1412 @section Startup Files
1413 @cindex startup files
1418 Most common Unix news readers use a shared startup file called
1419 @file{.newsrc}. This file contains all the information about what
1420 groups are subscribed, and which articles in these groups have been
1423 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1424 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1425 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1426 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1427 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1428 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1429 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1431 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1432 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1433 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1434 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1435 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1436 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1438 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1439 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1440 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1441 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1442 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1443 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1444 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1445 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1446 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which can be
1447 convenient if you use a different news reader occasionally, and you
1448 want to read a different subset of the available groups with that
1451 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1452 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1453 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1454 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1455 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1456 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1457 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1458 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1459 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1460 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1461 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1462 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1464 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1465 @vindex gnus-backup-startup-file
1466 @vindex version-control
1467 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1468 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1469 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1470 If you want version control for this file, set
1471 @code{gnus-backup-startup-file}. It respects the same values as the
1472 @code{version-control} variable.
1474 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1475 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1476 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1477 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1478 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1479 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1480 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1481 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1482 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1483 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1486 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1487 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1489 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1490 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1493 @vindex gnus-init-file
1494 @vindex gnus-site-init-file
1495 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1496 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus-init} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1497 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1498 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1499 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1500 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1501 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1502 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1503 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order). If Emacs was invoked with
1504 the @option{-q} or @option{--no-init-file} options (@pxref{Initial
1505 Options, ,Initial Options, emacs, The Emacs Manual}), Gnus doesn't read
1506 @code{gnus-init-file}.
1511 @cindex dribble file
1514 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1515 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1516 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1517 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1518 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1521 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1522 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1525 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1526 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1527 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1529 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1530 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1531 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1532 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1533 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1534 file permissions as the @file{.newsrc} file.
1536 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1537 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1538 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1541 @node The Active File
1542 @section The Active File
1544 @cindex ignored groups
1546 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1547 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1548 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1550 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1551 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1552 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1553 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1554 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1555 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1556 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1559 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1560 @c if you set it to anything else.
1562 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1564 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1565 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1566 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1568 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1569 you actually subscribe to.
1571 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1572 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1573 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1574 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1576 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1577 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1578 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1579 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1580 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1581 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1583 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1584 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1585 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1588 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1589 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1590 @acronym{NNTP} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1591 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1592 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1593 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1595 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1596 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1598 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1599 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1601 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1602 secondary select methods.
1605 @node Startup Variables
1606 @section Startup Variables
1610 @item gnus-load-hook
1611 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1612 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1613 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1614 times you start Gnus.
1616 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1617 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1618 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1620 @item gnus-startup-hook
1621 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1622 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1624 @item gnus-started-hook
1625 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1626 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1629 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1630 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1631 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1632 generating the group buffer.
1634 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1635 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1636 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1637 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1638 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1639 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1640 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1641 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1643 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1644 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1645 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1646 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1647 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1648 @file{~/.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @file{.emacs} instead.
1650 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1651 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1652 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1654 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1655 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1656 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1658 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1659 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1660 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1661 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1667 @chapter Group Buffer
1668 @cindex group buffer
1670 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1672 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1673 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1674 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1675 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1676 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1677 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1678 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1679 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1680 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1681 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1682 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1683 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1684 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1685 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1686 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1687 @c human rights at 9...
1690 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1691 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1692 long as Gnus is active.
1696 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1697 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1698 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1699 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1700 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1701 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1702 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1703 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1709 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1710 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1711 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1712 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1713 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1714 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1715 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1716 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1717 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1718 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1719 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1720 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1721 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1722 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1723 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1724 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1725 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1729 @node Group Buffer Format
1730 @section Group Buffer Format
1733 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1734 * Group Mode Line Specification:: The group buffer mode line.
1735 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1738 You can customize the Group Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
1739 customize-apropos RET gnus-group-tool-bar}. This feature is only
1742 The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly depending on the
1743 cursor position. Therefore, moving around in the Group Buffer is
1744 slower. You can disable this via the variable
1745 @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}. Its default value depends on your
1748 @node Group Line Specification
1749 @subsection Group Line Specification
1750 @cindex group buffer format
1752 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1753 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1755 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1758 25: news.announce.newusers
1759 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1764 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1765 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1766 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1767 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1769 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1770 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1771 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1772 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1773 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1774 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1776 @samp{%M%S%5y:%B%(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1778 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1779 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1780 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1781 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1782 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1784 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1785 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1786 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1788 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1793 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1796 Whether the group is subscribed.
1799 Level of subscribedness.
1802 Number of unread articles.
1805 Number of dormant articles.
1808 Number of ticked articles.
1811 Number of read articles.
1814 Number of unseen articles.
1817 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1818 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1820 Gnus uses this estimation because the @acronym{NNTP} protocol provides
1821 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1822 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1823 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1824 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1825 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1826 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job.
1828 The nnml backend (@pxref{Mail Spool}) has a feature called ``group
1829 compaction'' which circumvents this deficiency: the idea is to
1830 renumber all articles from 1, removing all gaps between numbers, hence
1831 getting a correct total count. Other backends may support this in the
1832 future. In order to keep your total article count relatively up to
1833 date, you might want to compact your groups (or even directly your
1834 server) from time to time. @xref{Misc Group Stuff}, @xref{Server Commands}.
1837 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1840 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1849 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1850 comment element in the group parameters.
1853 Newsgroup description. You need to read the group descriptions
1854 before these will appear, and to do that, you either have to set
1855 @code{gnus-read-active-file} or use the group buffer @kbd{M-d}
1859 @samp{m} if moderated.
1862 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1868 If the summary buffer for the group is open or not.
1874 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1878 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1881 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1882 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1883 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1884 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1885 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1888 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1890 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1894 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1897 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1901 The disk space used by the articles fetched by both the cache and
1902 agent. The value is automatically scaled to bytes(B), kilobytes(K),
1903 megabytes(M), or gigabytes(G) to minimize the column width. A format
1904 of %7F is sufficient for a fixed-width column.
1907 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1908 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1909 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1910 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1911 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1912 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1917 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1918 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1919 group, or a bogus native group.
1922 @node Group Mode Line Specification
1923 @subsection Group Mode Line Specification
1924 @cindex group mode line
1926 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1927 The mode line can be changed by setting
1928 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1929 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1933 The native news server.
1935 The native select method.
1939 @node Group Highlighting
1940 @subsection Group Highlighting
1941 @cindex highlighting
1942 @cindex group highlighting
1944 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1945 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1946 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1947 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1948 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1950 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1954 (cond (window-system
1955 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1956 (defface my-group-face-1
1957 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1958 (defface my-group-face-2
1959 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t)))
1960 "Second group face")
1961 (defface my-group-face-3
1962 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1963 (defface my-group-face-4
1964 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1965 (defface my-group-face-5
1966 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1968 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1969 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1970 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1971 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1972 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1973 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1976 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1978 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1985 The number of unread articles in the group.
1989 Whether the group is a mail group.
1991 The level of the group.
1993 The score of the group.
1995 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1997 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather,
1998 @var{max-number} minus @var{min-number} plus one.
2000 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
2001 topic being inserted.
2004 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
2005 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
2006 functions for snarfing info on the group.
2008 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
2009 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
2010 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
2011 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
2012 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
2015 @node Group Maneuvering
2016 @section Group Maneuvering
2017 @cindex group movement
2019 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
2020 expected, hopefully.
2026 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
2027 Go to the next group that has unread articles
2028 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
2034 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
2035 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
2036 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
2040 @findex gnus-group-next-group
2041 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
2045 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
2046 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
2050 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
2051 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
2052 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
2056 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
2057 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
2058 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
2061 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2067 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2068 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2069 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2074 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2075 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2076 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2080 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2081 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2082 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2085 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2086 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2087 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2088 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2091 @vindex gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit
2092 If @code{gnus-summary-next-group-on-exit} is @code{t}, when a summary is
2093 exited, the point in the group buffer is moved to the next unread group.
2094 Otherwise, the point is set to the group just exited. The default is
2097 @node Selecting a Group
2098 @section Selecting a Group
2099 @cindex group selection
2104 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2105 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2106 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2107 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2108 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2109 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2110 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{n}, @var{n}
2111 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{n} is
2112 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{n} newest articles, if @var{n} is
2113 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{n})} oldest articles.
2115 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2116 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2117 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2119 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2120 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2125 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2126 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2127 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2128 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2129 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2133 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2134 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2135 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2136 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2137 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2138 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2139 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2140 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2141 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2142 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2145 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2146 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2147 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2148 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2149 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2152 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2153 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2154 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2155 doing any processing of its contents
2156 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2157 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2158 manner will have no permanent effects.
2162 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2163 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should
2164 consider to be a big group. If it is @code{nil}, no groups are
2165 considered big. The default value is 200. If the group has more
2166 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2167 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many
2168 articles should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a
2169 negative number (@var{-n}), the @var{n} oldest articles will be
2170 fetched. If it is positive, the @var{n} articles that have arrived
2171 most recently will be fetched.
2173 @vindex gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup
2174 @code{gnus-large-ephemeral-newsgroup} is the same as
2175 @code{gnus-large-newsgroup}, but is only used for ephemeral
2178 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2179 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2180 @vindex gnus-auto-select-subject
2181 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2182 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2183 Which article this is is controlled by the
2184 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2190 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2193 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2196 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2198 @item unseen-or-unread
2199 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2200 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2204 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2208 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2209 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2211 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2212 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2213 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2214 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2218 @node Subscription Commands
2219 @section Subscription Commands
2220 @cindex subscription
2228 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2229 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2230 Toggle subscription to the current group
2231 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2237 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2238 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2239 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2240 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2246 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2247 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2248 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2254 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2255 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2258 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2259 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2260 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2261 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2262 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2268 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2269 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2273 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2274 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2277 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2278 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2279 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2280 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2281 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2282 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2283 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2284 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2285 @file{.newsrc} file.
2289 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2299 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2300 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2301 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2302 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2303 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2304 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2309 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2310 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2311 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2315 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2316 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2317 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2319 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2320 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2321 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2322 If you have switched from one @acronym{NNTP} server to another, all your marks
2323 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2324 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2331 @section Group Levels
2335 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2336 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2337 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2338 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2339 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2341 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2347 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2348 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2349 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2350 prompted for a level.
2353 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2354 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2355 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2356 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2357 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2358 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2359 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2360 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2361 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2362 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2363 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2364 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2365 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2366 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2367 reasons of efficiency.
2369 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2370 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2372 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2373 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2374 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2375 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2376 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2377 groups are hidden, in a way.
2379 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2380 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2381 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2382 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2383 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2384 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2386 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2387 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2388 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2389 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2390 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2391 list of killed groups.)
2393 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2394 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2395 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2397 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2398 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2399 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2400 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2401 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2402 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2403 relevant valid ranges.
2405 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2406 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2407 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2408 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2409 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2410 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2413 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2414 one with the best level.
2416 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2417 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2418 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2421 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2422 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2423 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2424 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2427 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2428 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2429 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2430 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2432 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2433 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2434 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2435 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2436 to 5. The default is 6.
2440 @section Group Score
2445 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2446 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2447 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2450 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2451 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2452 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2453 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2454 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2455 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2456 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2457 least significant part.))
2459 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2460 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2461 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2462 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2463 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2464 action after each summary exit, you can add
2465 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2466 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2467 slow things down somewhat.
2470 @node Marking Groups
2471 @section Marking Groups
2472 @cindex marking groups
2474 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2475 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2476 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2477 bidding on those groups.
2479 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2480 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2481 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2489 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2490 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2496 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2497 Remove the mark from the current group
2498 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2502 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2503 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2507 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2508 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2512 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2513 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2517 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2518 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2519 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2522 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2524 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2525 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2526 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2527 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2528 the command to be executed.
2531 @node Foreign Groups
2532 @section Foreign Groups
2533 @cindex foreign groups
2535 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2536 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2537 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2538 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2541 Changes from the group editing commands are stored in
2542 @file{~/.newsrc.eld} (@code{gnus-startup-file}). An alternative is the
2543 variable @code{gnus-parameters}, @xref{Group Parameters}.
2549 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2550 @cindex making groups
2551 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2552 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2553 to subscribe to @acronym{NNTP} groups (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
2557 @findex gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group
2558 Make an ephemeral group (@code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group}). Gnus
2559 will prompt you for a name, a method and an @dfn{address}.
2563 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2564 @cindex renaming groups
2565 Rename the current group to something else
2566 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2567 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2573 @findex gnus-group-customize
2574 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2578 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2579 @cindex renaming groups
2580 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2581 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2585 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2586 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2587 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2591 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2592 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2593 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2597 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2599 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2600 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2605 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2606 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2610 @cindex (ding) archive
2611 @cindex archive group
2612 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2613 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2614 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2615 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2616 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2617 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2618 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2622 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2624 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2625 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2626 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2627 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2631 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2633 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2634 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2635 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2639 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2640 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2642 Make a group based on some file or other
2643 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2644 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2645 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2646 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2647 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2648 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2649 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2650 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2651 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2655 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2656 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2657 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2658 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2662 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2666 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2667 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2668 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2669 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2670 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2671 @xref{Web Searches}.
2673 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2674 to a particular group by using a match string like
2675 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2679 @findex gnus-group-make-rss-group
2680 Make a group based on an @acronym{RSS} feed
2681 (@code{gnus-group-make-rss-group}). You will be prompted for an URL.
2685 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2686 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2687 This function will delete the current group
2688 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2689 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2690 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2691 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2692 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} groups), though.
2696 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2697 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2698 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2702 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2703 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2704 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2707 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2710 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2711 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2712 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2713 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2714 groups from different @acronym{NNTP} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2715 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2719 @node Group Parameters
2720 @section Group Parameters
2721 @cindex group parameters
2723 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2724 Here's an example group parameter list:
2727 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2731 We see that each element consists of a ``dotted pair''---the thing before
2732 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2733 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2734 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2736 Some parameters have correspondent customizable variables, each of which
2737 is an alist of regexps and values.
2739 The following group parameters can be used:
2744 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2747 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2750 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2751 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2752 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2753 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2754 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2756 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2757 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2758 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2759 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2760 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2761 list address instead.
2763 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2767 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2770 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2773 It is totally ignored
2774 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2775 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2777 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2778 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2779 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2780 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2781 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2783 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2784 @cindex mail list groups
2785 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2786 entering summary buffer.
2788 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2793 @cindex Mail-Followup-To
2794 @findex gnus-find-subscribed-addresses
2795 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2796 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2797 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2798 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2799 headers for your posts to these lists. The second step is to put the
2800 following in your @file{.gnus.el}
2803 (setq message-subscribed-address-functions
2804 '(gnus-find-subscribed-addresses))
2807 @xref{Mailing Lists, ,Mailing Lists, message, The Message Manual}, for
2808 a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2812 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2813 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2814 of whether it has any unread articles.
2816 This parameter cannot be set via @code{gnus-parameters}. See
2817 @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.
2819 @item broken-reply-to
2820 @cindex broken-reply-to
2821 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2822 headers in this group are to be ignored, and for the header to be hidden
2823 if @code{reply-to} is part of @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}. This
2824 can be useful if you're reading a mailing list group where the listserv
2825 has inserted @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv
2826 itself. That is broken behavior. So there!
2830 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2831 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2835 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2836 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2837 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2842 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2843 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2844 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2845 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2846 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2847 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2848 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2850 @strong{Caveat}: Adding @code{(gcc-self . t)} to the parameter list of
2851 @code{nntp} groups (or the like) isn't valid. An @code{nntp} server
2852 doesn't accept articles.
2856 @cindex expiring mail
2857 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2858 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2859 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2861 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2864 @cindex total-expire
2865 @cindex expiring mail
2866 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2867 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2868 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2869 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2872 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2876 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2877 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2878 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2879 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2880 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2881 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2882 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2885 @cindex expiry-target
2886 Where expired messages end up. This parameter overrides
2887 @code{nnmail-expiry-target}.
2890 @cindex score file group parameter
2891 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2892 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2893 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2896 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2897 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2898 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2899 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2902 @cindex admin-address
2903 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2904 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2905 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2906 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2910 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2911 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2915 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2918 Display the last @var{integer} articles in the group. This is the same as
2919 entering the group with @kbd{C-u @var{integer}}.
2922 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2926 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2928 Here are some examples:
2932 Display only unread articles.
2935 Display everything except expirable articles.
2937 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2938 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2942 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2943 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2944 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2945 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2946 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2950 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2951 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2952 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2956 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2957 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2958 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2962 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2963 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2964 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2966 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2968 @item ignored-charsets
2969 @cindex ignored-charset
2970 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2971 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2972 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2974 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2977 @cindex posting-style
2978 You can store additional posting style information for this group
2979 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2980 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2981 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2982 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2984 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2985 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2986 like this in the group parameters:
2991 ("X-My-Header" "Funky Value")
2992 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2995 If you're using topics to organize your group buffer
2996 (@pxref{Group Topics}), note that posting styles can also be set in
2997 the topics parameters. Posting styles in topic parameters apply to all
2998 groups in this topic. More precisely, the posting-style settings for a
2999 group result from the hierarchical merging of all posting-style
3000 entries in the parameters of this group and all the topics it belongs
3006 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
3007 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
3011 An item like @code{(banner . @var{regexp})} causes any part of an article
3012 that matches the regular expression @var{regexp} to be stripped. Instead of
3013 @var{regexp}, you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
3014 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
3015 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
3019 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
3020 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
3021 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
3022 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
3024 For example, if the @samp{INBOX.list.sieve} group has the @code{(sieve
3025 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
3026 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
3027 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
3030 if address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com" @{
3031 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3035 To generate tests for multiple email-addresses use a group parameter
3036 like @code{(sieve address "sender" ("name@@one.org" else@@two.org"))}.
3037 When generating a sieve script (@pxref{Sieve Commands}) Sieve code
3038 like the following is generated:
3041 if address "sender" ["name@@one.org", "else@@two.org"] @{
3042 fileinto "INBOX.list.sieve";
3046 See @pxref{Sieve Commands} for commands and variables that might be of
3047 interest in relation to the sieve parameter.
3049 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve,
3050 Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
3052 @item (agent parameters)
3053 If the agent has been enabled, you can set any of the its parameters
3054 to control the behavior of the agent in individual groups. See Agent
3055 Parameters in @ref{Category Syntax}. Most users will choose to set
3056 agent parameters in either an agent category or group topic to
3057 minimize the configuration effort.
3059 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
3060 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
3061 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
3062 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
3063 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
3064 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
3065 @code{eval}ed there.
3067 Note that this feature sets the variable locally to the summary buffer.
3068 But some variables are evaluated in the article buffer, or in the
3069 message buffer (of a reply or followup or otherwise newly created
3070 message). As a workaround, it might help to add the variable in
3071 question to @code{gnus-newsgroup-variables}. @xref{Various Summary
3072 Stuff}. So if you want to set @code{message-from-style} via the group
3073 parameters, then you may need the following statement elsewhere in your
3074 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3077 (add-to-list 'gnus-newsgroup-variables 'message-from-style)
3080 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
3081 A use for this feature is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
3082 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
3085 nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps
3088 has the tag @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this
3089 tag can be removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for
3090 the group by putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")}
3091 into the group parameters for the group.
3093 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function. If you want to
3094 hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put something like
3095 @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that group.
3096 @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the (meaningless) result of the
3099 Alternatively, since the VARIABLE becomes local to the group, this
3100 pattern can be used to temporarily change a hook. For example, if the
3101 following is added to a group parameter
3104 (gnus-summary-prepared-hook
3105 '(lambda nil (local-set-key "d" (local-key-binding "n"))))
3108 when the group is entered, the 'd' key will not mark the article as
3113 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
3114 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
3115 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
3116 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
3117 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
3119 @vindex gnus-parameters
3120 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
3121 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect (For this
3122 case see @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} as an alternative.).
3126 (setq gnus-parameters
3128 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3129 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
3130 (gnus-summary-line-format
3131 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
3135 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
3139 (gnus-use-scoring t))
3143 (broken-reply-to . t))))
3146 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
3147 the @code{to-group} example shows.
3149 @vindex gnus-parameters-case-fold-search
3150 By default, whether comparing the group name and one of those regexps
3151 specified in @code{gnus-parameters} is done in a case-sensitive manner
3152 or a case-insensitive manner depends on the value of
3153 @code{case-fold-search} at the time when the comparison is done. The
3154 value of @code{case-fold-search} is typically @code{t}; it means, for
3155 example, the element @code{("INBOX\\.FOO" (total-expire . t))} might be
3156 applied to both the @samp{INBOX.FOO} group and the @samp{INBOX.foo}
3157 group. If you want to make those regexps always case-sensitive, set the
3158 value of the @code{gnus-parameters-case-fold-search} variable to
3159 @code{nil}. Otherwise, set it to @code{t} if you want to compare them
3160 always in a case-insensitive manner.
3162 You can define different sorting to different groups via
3163 @code{gnus-parameters}. Here is an example to sort an @acronym{NNTP}
3164 group by reverse date to see the latest news at the top and an
3165 @acronym{RSS} group by subject. In this example, the first group is the
3166 Debian daily news group @code{gmane.linux.debian.user.news} from
3167 news.gmane.org. The @acronym{RSS} group corresponds to the Debian
3168 weekly news RSS feed
3169 @url{http://packages.debian.org/unstable/newpkg_main.en.rdf},
3175 '(("nntp.*gmane\\.debian\\.user\\.news"
3176 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3177 (gnus-article-sort-functions '((not gnus-article-sort-by-date)))
3178 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3179 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
3181 (gnus-show-threads nil)
3182 (gnus-article-sort-functions 'gnus-article-sort-by-subject)
3183 (gnus-use-adaptive-scoring nil)
3184 (gnus-use-scoring t)
3185 (gnus-score-find-score-files-function 'gnus-score-find-single)
3186 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%d %I%(%[ %s %]%)\n"))))
3190 @node Listing Groups
3191 @section Listing Groups
3192 @cindex group listing
3194 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
3202 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
3203 List all groups that have unread articles
3204 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
3205 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
3206 only lists groups of level five (i.e.,
3207 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3214 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3215 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3216 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3217 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3218 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3219 unsubscribed groups).
3223 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3224 List all unread groups on a specific level
3225 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3226 with no unread articles.
3230 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3231 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3232 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3233 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3238 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3239 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3243 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3244 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3245 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3249 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3250 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3254 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3255 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3256 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3257 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3258 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3259 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3260 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3261 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3265 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3266 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3267 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3271 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3272 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3273 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3277 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3278 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3282 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3283 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3287 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3288 List groups limited within the current selection
3289 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3293 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3294 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3298 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3299 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3303 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3304 @cindex visible group parameter
3305 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3306 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3307 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3308 get the same effect.
3310 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3311 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3312 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3313 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3314 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3317 @node Sorting Groups
3318 @section Sorting Groups
3319 @cindex sorting groups
3321 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3322 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3323 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3324 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3325 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3326 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3331 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3332 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3333 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3335 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3336 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3337 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3339 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3340 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3341 Sort by group level.
3343 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3344 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3345 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3347 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3348 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3349 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3350 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3352 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3353 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3354 Sort by number of unread articles.
3356 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3357 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3358 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3360 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3361 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3362 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3367 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3368 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3372 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3373 some sorting criteria:
3377 @kindex G S a (Group)
3378 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3379 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3380 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3383 @kindex G S u (Group)
3384 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3385 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3386 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3389 @kindex G S l (Group)
3390 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3391 Sort the group buffer by group level
3392 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3395 @kindex G S v (Group)
3396 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3397 Sort the group buffer by group score
3398 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3401 @kindex G S r (Group)
3402 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3403 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3404 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3407 @kindex G S m (Group)
3408 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3409 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name@*
3410 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3413 @kindex G S n (Group)
3414 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3415 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3416 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3420 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3421 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3423 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3424 commands will sort in reverse order.
3426 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3430 @kindex G P a (Group)
3431 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3432 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3433 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3436 @kindex G P u (Group)
3437 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3438 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3439 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3442 @kindex G P l (Group)
3443 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3444 Sort the groups by group level
3445 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3448 @kindex G P v (Group)
3449 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3450 Sort the groups by group score
3451 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3454 @kindex G P r (Group)
3455 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3456 Sort the groups by group rank
3457 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3460 @kindex G P m (Group)
3461 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3462 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name@*
3463 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3466 @kindex G P n (Group)
3467 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3468 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3469 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3472 @kindex G P s (Group)
3473 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3474 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3478 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3482 @node Group Maintenance
3483 @section Group Maintenance
3484 @cindex bogus groups
3489 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3490 Find bogus groups and delete them
3491 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3495 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3496 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3497 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3498 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3499 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3503 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3504 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3505 @cindex expiring mail
3506 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3507 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3508 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3509 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3512 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3513 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3514 @cindex expiring mail
3515 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3516 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3521 @node Browse Foreign Server
3522 @section Browse Foreign Server
3523 @cindex foreign servers
3524 @cindex browsing servers
3529 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3530 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3531 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3532 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3535 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3536 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3537 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3538 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3540 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3545 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3546 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3550 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3551 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3554 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3555 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3556 Enter the current group and display the first article
3557 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3560 @kindex RET (Browse)
3561 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3562 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3566 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3567 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3568 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3574 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3575 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3579 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3580 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3584 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3585 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3586 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3591 @section Exiting Gnus
3592 @cindex exiting Gnus
3594 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3599 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3600 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3601 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3602 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3606 @findex gnus-group-exit
3607 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3608 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3612 @findex gnus-group-quit
3613 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3614 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3617 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3618 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3619 @vindex gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook
3620 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3621 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3622 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3628 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3629 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3630 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3636 @section Group Topics
3639 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3640 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3641 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3642 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3643 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3644 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3648 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3649 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3660 2: alt.religion.emacs
3663 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3665 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3666 13: comp.sources.unix
3669 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3671 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3672 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3673 is a toggling command.)
3675 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3676 dum@dots{} Nice tune, that@dots{} la la la@dots{} What, you're back?
3677 Yes, and now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed
3678 under @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
3681 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3682 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3683 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
3686 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3690 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3691 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3692 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3693 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3694 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3698 @node Topic Commands
3699 @subsection Topic Commands
3700 @cindex topic commands
3702 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3703 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3704 definitions slightly.
3706 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3707 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3708 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3709 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3710 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3711 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3713 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3720 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3721 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3722 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3726 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3728 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3729 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3730 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3731 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3734 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3735 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3736 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3737 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3741 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3742 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3743 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3744 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3750 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3751 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3752 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3756 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3757 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3758 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3761 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3762 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the ``cut'' part of cut and paste. Then,
3763 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the ``Gnus''
3764 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the ``paste'' part of cut and
3765 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3767 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3768 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3772 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3773 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3780 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3782 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3783 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3784 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3785 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3786 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3787 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3791 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3797 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3798 Move the current group to some other topic
3799 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3800 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3804 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3805 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3809 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3810 Copy the current group to some other topic
3811 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3812 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3816 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3817 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3818 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3822 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3823 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3824 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3828 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3829 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3830 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3831 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3832 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3833 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3834 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3837 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3838 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3842 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3843 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3844 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3848 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3849 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3850 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3854 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3855 Toggle hiding empty topics
3856 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3860 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3861 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3862 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3863 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3866 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3867 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3868 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3869 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}). This command works recursively on
3870 sub-topics unless given a prefix.
3873 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3874 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3875 @cindex expiring mail
3876 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3877 expiry process (if any)
3878 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3882 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3883 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3886 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3887 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3888 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3892 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3893 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3894 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3897 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3898 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3899 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3902 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3903 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3904 Go to the previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3908 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3909 @cindex group parameters
3910 @cindex topic parameters
3912 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3913 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3918 @node Topic Variables
3919 @subsection Topic Variables
3920 @cindex topic variables
3922 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3923 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3925 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3926 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3927 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3940 Number of groups in the topic.
3942 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3944 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3947 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3948 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3949 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3952 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3953 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3955 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3956 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3957 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3961 @subsection Topic Sorting
3962 @cindex topic sorting
3964 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3970 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3971 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3972 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3973 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3976 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3977 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3978 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3979 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3982 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3983 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3984 Sort the current topic by group level
3985 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3988 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3989 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3990 Sort the current topic by group score
3991 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3994 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3995 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3996 Sort the current topic by group rank
3997 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
4000 @kindex T S m (Topic)
4001 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
4002 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
4003 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
4006 @kindex T S e (Topic)
4007 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
4008 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
4009 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
4012 @kindex T S s (Topic)
4013 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
4014 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
4015 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
4016 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
4020 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
4021 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
4025 @node Topic Topology
4026 @subsection Topic Topology
4027 @cindex topic topology
4030 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
4037 2: alt.religion.emacs
4040 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4042 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4043 13: comp.sources.unix
4047 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
4048 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
4049 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
4054 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
4055 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
4059 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
4060 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
4061 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
4062 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
4063 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
4064 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
4066 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
4067 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
4068 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
4071 @node Topic Parameters
4072 @subsection Topic Parameters
4073 @cindex topic parameters
4075 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent
4076 (and ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid
4077 topic parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}). When the agent is
4078 enabled, all agent parameters (See Agent Parameters in @ref{Category
4079 Syntax}) are also valid topic parameters.
4081 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
4086 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
4087 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
4088 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
4091 @item subscribe-level
4092 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
4093 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
4094 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
4098 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
4099 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
4100 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
4101 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
4108 2: alt.religion.emacs
4112 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
4114 8: comp.binaries.fractals
4115 13: comp.sources.unix
4120 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
4121 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
4122 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
4123 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
4124 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
4125 . "religion.SCORE")}.
4127 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
4128 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
4129 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
4130 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
4131 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
4133 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
4134 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
4135 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
4136 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
4137 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
4138 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
4139 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
4140 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
4143 @node Misc Group Stuff
4144 @section Misc Group Stuff
4147 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
4148 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
4149 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
4150 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
4151 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
4158 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Group)
4159 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4160 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4163 (define-key gnus-group-mode-map (kbd "v j d")
4166 (gnus-group-jump-to-group "nndraft:drafts")))
4169 On keys reserved for users in Emacs and on keybindings in general
4170 @xref{Keymaps, Keymaps, , emacs, The Emacs Editor}.
4174 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
4175 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
4176 @xref{Server Buffer}.
4180 @findex gnus-group-post-news
4181 Start composing a message (a news by default)
4182 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
4183 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
4184 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
4185 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
4186 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4190 @findex gnus-group-mail
4191 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
4192 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
4193 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
4194 @xref{Composing Messages}.
4198 @findex gnus-group-news
4199 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
4200 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
4201 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
4203 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
4204 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
4205 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
4206 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
4207 for this to work though.
4211 @findex gnus-group-compact-group
4213 Compact the group under point (@code{gnus-group-compact-group}).
4214 Currently implemented only in nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes
4215 gaps between article numbers, hence getting a correct total article
4220 Variables for the group buffer:
4224 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
4225 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
4226 is called after the group buffer has been
4229 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
4230 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4231 is called after the group buffer is
4232 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
4235 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
4236 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
4237 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
4238 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4240 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4241 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4242 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4243 whether they are empty or not.
4245 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4246 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4247 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4248 non-@acronym{ASCII} group names.
4252 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4253 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4256 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4257 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4258 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4259 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4260 is used to show non-@acronym{ASCII} group names. @code{((".*"
4261 utf-8))} is the default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the
4262 default is @code{nil}.
4266 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4267 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4272 @node Scanning New Messages
4273 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4274 @cindex new messages
4275 @cindex scanning new news
4281 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4282 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4283 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4284 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4285 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4286 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4291 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4292 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4293 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4294 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4295 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4296 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4297 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4299 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4300 @cindex activating groups
4302 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4303 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4308 @findex gnus-group-restart
4309 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4310 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4311 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4315 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4316 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4318 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4319 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4323 @node Group Information
4324 @subsection Group Information
4325 @cindex group information
4326 @cindex information on groups
4333 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4334 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4337 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} for the current group
4338 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the @acronym{FAQ}
4339 from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on
4340 a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
4341 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4342 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be
4343 used for fetching the file.
4345 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4346 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4350 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4351 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4353 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4354 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4357 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4358 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4359 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4363 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4364 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4365 @cindex control message
4366 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4367 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4368 group if given a prefix argument.
4370 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-@code{nil},
4371 Gnus will open the control messages in a browser using
4372 @code{browse-url}. Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp}
4373 and displayed in an ephemeral group.
4375 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4376 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed
4377 Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
4381 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4383 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4384 @cindex describing groups
4385 @cindex group description
4386 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4387 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4388 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4392 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4393 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4394 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4401 @findex gnus-version
4402 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4406 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4407 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4410 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4413 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4414 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4418 @node Group Timestamp
4419 @subsection Group Timestamp
4421 @cindex group timestamps
4423 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4424 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4425 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4428 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4431 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4433 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4434 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4437 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4438 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4441 This will result in lines looking like:
4444 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4445 0: custom 19961002T012713
4448 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4449 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4453 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4454 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4457 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4458 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4462 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4463 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4464 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4465 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4467 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4473 @subsection File Commands
4474 @cindex file commands
4480 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4481 @vindex gnus-init-file
4482 @cindex reading init file
4483 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4484 @file{~/.gnus.el}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4488 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4489 @cindex saving .newsrc
4490 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4491 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4492 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4495 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4496 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4497 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4502 @node Sieve Commands
4503 @subsection Sieve Commands
4504 @cindex group sieve commands
4506 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4507 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4508 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4509 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4510 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4512 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4513 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4514 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4515 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4516 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4517 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4518 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4519 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4520 regenerate the Sieve script.
4522 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4523 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4524 is generated. If it is non-@code{nil} (the default) articles is
4525 placed in all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article
4526 is only placed in the group with the first matching rule. For
4527 example, the group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4528 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4529 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is @code{nil}. (When
4530 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-@code{nil}, it looks the same
4531 except that the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4534 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4535 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4540 @xref{Top, Emacs Sieve, Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4546 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4547 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4548 @cindex generating sieve script
4549 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4550 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4554 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4555 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4556 @cindex updating sieve script
4557 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4558 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4559 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4564 @node Summary Buffer
4565 @chapter Summary Buffer
4566 @cindex summary buffer
4568 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4569 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4571 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4572 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4574 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4576 You can customize the Summary Mode tool bar, see @kbd{M-x
4577 customize-apropos RET gnus-summary-tool-bar}. This feature is only
4581 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Summary)
4582 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
4583 command or better use it as a prefix key. For example:
4585 (define-key gnus-summary-mode-map (kbd "v -") "LrS") ;; lower subthread
4589 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4590 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4591 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4592 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4593 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4594 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4595 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4596 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4597 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4598 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4599 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4600 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4601 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4602 * Sticky Articles:: Article buffers that are not reused.
4603 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4604 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4605 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4606 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4607 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4608 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4609 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4610 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4611 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4612 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4613 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4614 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4615 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4616 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4617 or reselecting the current group.
4618 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4619 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4620 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4621 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4625 @node Summary Buffer Format
4626 @section Summary Buffer Format
4627 @cindex summary buffer format
4631 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4632 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4633 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4639 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4640 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4641 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4642 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4645 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4646 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4647 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4648 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4649 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4650 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4651 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4652 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4653 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4654 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4655 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4658 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4659 'mail-extract-address-components)
4662 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4663 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4664 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4665 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4668 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4669 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4671 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4672 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4673 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4674 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4675 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4677 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4678 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4679 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4680 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4681 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4682 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4684 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4686 The following format specification characters and extended format
4687 specification(s) are understood:
4693 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4694 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4696 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4697 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4698 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4700 Full @code{From} header.
4702 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4704 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4707 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4708 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4709 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4710 may be more thorough.
4712 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4715 Number of lines in the article.
4717 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4718 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4720 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4721 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4723 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4725 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4726 lines. A thread could be drawn like this:
4739 You can customize the appearance with the following options. Note
4740 that it is possible to make the thread display look really neat by
4741 replacing the default @acronym{ASCII} characters with graphic
4742 line-drawing glyphs.
4744 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4745 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-root
4746 Used for the root of a thread. If @code{nil}, use subject
4747 instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4749 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4750 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-false-root
4751 Used for the false root of a thread (@pxref{Loose Threads}). If
4752 @code{nil}, use subject instead. The default is @samp{> }.
4754 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4755 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-indent
4756 Used for a thread with just one message. If @code{nil}, use subject
4757 instead. The default is @samp{}.
4759 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4760 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-vertical
4761 Used for drawing a vertical line. The default is @samp{| }.
4763 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4764 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-indent
4765 Used for indenting. The default is @samp{ }.
4767 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4768 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-leaf-with-other
4769 Used for a leaf with brothers. The default is @samp{+-> }.
4771 @item gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4772 @vindex gnus-sum-thread-tree-single-leaf
4773 Used for a leaf without brothers. The default is @samp{\-> }
4778 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4779 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4781 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4782 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4784 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4785 for adopted articles.
4787 One space for each thread level.
4789 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4791 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4794 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4795 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4796 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4799 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4801 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4802 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4803 default level. If the difference between
4804 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4805 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4813 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4815 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4821 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4822 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4824 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4825 article has any children.
4831 Desired cursor position (instead of after first colon).
4833 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4834 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4836 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4837 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4838 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{x}}, where @var{x} is the letter
4839 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4840 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4841 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4844 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4845 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4846 There can only be one such area.
4848 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4849 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4850 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4851 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4852 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4853 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4855 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4856 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4858 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4861 @node To From Newsgroups
4862 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4866 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4867 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4868 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4869 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4870 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4874 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4875 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4876 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4880 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4881 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4884 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4885 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4888 @findex gnus-extra-header
4889 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4890 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4891 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4894 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4898 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4899 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4900 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4901 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4902 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4903 headers are used instead.
4905 To distinguish regular articles from those where the @code{From} field
4906 has been swapped, a string is prefixed to the @code{To} or
4907 @code{Newsgroups} header in the summary line. By default the string is
4908 @samp{-> } for @code{To} and @samp{=> } for @code{Newsgroups}, you can
4909 customize these strings with @code{gnus-summary-to-prefix} and
4910 @code{gnus-summary-newsgroup-prefix}.
4914 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4915 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4916 to include extra headers when generating overview (@acronym{NOV}) files.
4917 If you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after
4918 changing this variable, by entering the server buffer using @kbd{^},
4919 and then @kbd{g} on the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause
4922 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4923 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4924 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4925 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4927 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4931 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4933 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4934 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4935 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4936 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4940 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4943 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4944 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4947 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4948 the @acronym{NOV} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4949 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4955 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4956 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4959 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4960 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4962 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4963 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4964 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4965 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4967 Here are the elements you can play with:
4973 Unprefixed group name.
4975 Current article number.
4977 Current article score.
4981 Number of unread articles in this group.
4983 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4986 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4987 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4988 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4989 and no unselected ones.
4991 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4992 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4994 Subject of the current article.
4996 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4998 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
5000 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5002 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
5004 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
5006 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
5010 @node Summary Highlighting
5011 @subsection Summary Highlighting
5015 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5016 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
5017 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
5018 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
5019 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5021 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
5022 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
5023 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
5024 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
5026 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
5027 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
5028 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
5029 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
5031 @item gnus-summary-highlight
5032 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
5033 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
5034 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
5035 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
5036 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
5039 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
5040 ((> score default) . bold))
5042 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
5043 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
5047 @node Summary Maneuvering
5048 @section Summary Maneuvering
5049 @cindex summary movement
5051 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
5052 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
5054 None of these commands select articles.
5059 @kindex M-n (Summary)
5060 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
5061 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
5062 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
5063 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
5067 @kindex M-p (Summary)
5068 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
5069 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
5070 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
5071 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
5074 @kindex G g (Summary)
5075 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
5076 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
5077 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
5080 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
5081 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
5082 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
5083 to the group buffer.
5085 Variables related to summary movement:
5089 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
5090 @item gnus-auto-select-next
5091 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
5092 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
5093 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
5094 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
5095 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
5096 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
5097 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
5098 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
5099 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
5100 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
5101 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
5102 @pxref{Group Levels}.
5104 @item gnus-auto-select-same
5105 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
5106 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
5107 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
5108 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
5109 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
5110 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
5112 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
5114 @item gnus-summary-check-current
5115 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
5116 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
5117 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
5118 Instead, they will choose the current article.
5120 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
5121 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
5122 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
5123 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
5124 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
5125 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
5126 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
5127 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
5130 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
5131 the given number of lines from the top.
5136 @node Choosing Articles
5137 @section Choosing Articles
5138 @cindex selecting articles
5141 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
5142 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
5146 @node Choosing Commands
5147 @subsection Choosing Commands
5149 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
5150 and they all select and display an article.
5152 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
5153 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
5157 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5158 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5159 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
5160 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5162 If you have an article window open already and you press @kbd{SPACE}
5163 again, the article will be scrolled. This lets you conveniently
5164 @kbd{SPACE} through an entire newsgroup. @xref{Paging the Article}.
5169 @kindex G n (Summary)
5170 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
5171 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
5172 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
5177 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
5178 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
5179 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
5184 @kindex G N (Summary)
5185 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
5186 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
5191 @kindex G P (Summary)
5192 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
5193 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
5196 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
5197 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
5198 Go to the next article with the same subject
5199 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
5202 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
5203 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
5204 Go to the previous article with the same subject
5205 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
5209 @kindex G f (Summary)
5211 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
5212 Go to the first unread article
5213 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
5217 @kindex G b (Summary)
5219 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
5220 Go to the unread article with the highest score
5221 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
5222 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
5227 @kindex G l (Summary)
5228 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
5229 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
5232 @kindex G o (Summary)
5233 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
5235 @cindex article history
5236 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
5237 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
5238 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
5239 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
5240 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
5241 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
5246 @kindex G j (Summary)
5247 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
5248 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
5249 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
5254 @node Choosing Variables
5255 @subsection Choosing Variables
5257 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
5260 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5261 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
5262 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
5263 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
5264 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
5265 the server and display it in the article buffer.
5267 @item gnus-select-article-hook
5268 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
5269 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. The default is
5270 @code{nil}. If you would like each article to be saved in the Agent as
5271 you read it, putting @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} on this
5274 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
5275 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
5276 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
5277 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
5278 @findex gnus-unread-mark
5279 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
5280 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
5281 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
5282 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-read-mark}. The only
5283 articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
5284 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
5285 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
5286 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
5287 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
5292 @node Paging the Article
5293 @section Scrolling the Article
5294 @cindex article scrolling
5299 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
5301 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
5302 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
5303 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
5305 @vindex gnus-article-boring-faces
5306 @vindex gnus-article-skip-boring
5307 If @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} is non-@code{nil} and the rest of
5308 the article consists only of citations and signature, then it will be
5309 skipped; the next article will be shown instead. You can customize
5310 what is considered uninteresting with
5311 @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}. You can manually view the article's
5312 pages, no matter how boring, using @kbd{C-M-v}.
5315 @kindex DEL (Summary)
5316 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
5317 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
5320 @kindex RET (Summary)
5321 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
5322 Scroll the current article one line forward
5323 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
5326 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
5327 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5328 Scroll the current article one line backward
5329 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5333 @kindex A g (Summary)
5335 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5336 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5337 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5338 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5339 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5340 the way it came from the server.
5342 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5343 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5344 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5347 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5352 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5357 @kindex A < (Summary)
5358 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5359 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5360 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5365 @kindex A > (Summary)
5366 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5367 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5371 @kindex A s (Summary)
5373 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5374 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5375 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5379 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5380 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5385 @node Reply Followup and Post
5386 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5389 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5390 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5391 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5392 * Canceling and Superseding::
5396 @node Summary Mail Commands
5397 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5399 @cindex composing mail
5401 Commands for composing a mail message:
5407 @kindex S r (Summary)
5409 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5410 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5411 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5412 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5413 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5418 @kindex S R (Summary)
5419 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5420 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5421 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5422 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5423 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5426 @kindex S w (Summary)
5427 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5428 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5429 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5430 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5431 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers. If @code{Mail-Followup-To} is
5432 present, that's used instead.
5435 @kindex S W (Summary)
5436 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5437 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5438 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5439 the process/prefix convention.
5442 @kindex S v (Summary)
5443 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5444 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5445 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5446 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5447 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5448 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5451 @kindex S V (Summary)
5452 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5453 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5454 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5455 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5458 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5459 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5460 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5461 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5462 If you need this because a mailing list incorrectly sets a
5463 @code{Reply-To} header pointing to the list, you probably want to set
5464 the @code{broken-reply-to} group parameter instead, so things will work
5465 correctly. @xref{Group Parameters}.
5468 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5469 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5470 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5471 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5472 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5476 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5477 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5478 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5479 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5480 Forward the current article to some other person
5481 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5482 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5483 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5484 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5485 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5486 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5487 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5488 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5489 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME}
5495 @kindex S m (Summary)
5496 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5497 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5498 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5499 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5500 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5505 @kindex S i (Summary)
5506 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5507 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5508 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5509 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5511 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5512 This is useful for ``posting'' messages to mail groups without actually
5513 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5514 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5515 for this to work though.
5518 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5519 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5520 @cindex bouncing mail
5521 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5522 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5523 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5524 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5525 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5526 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5527 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5528 very well fail, though.
5531 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5532 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5533 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5534 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5535 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5536 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5537 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5538 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5539 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5540 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5542 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5543 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5544 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5545 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5546 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5548 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5549 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5552 @kindex S D e (Summary)
5553 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message-edit
5555 Like the previous command, but will allow you to edit the message as
5556 if it were a new message before resending.
5559 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5560 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5561 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5562 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5563 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5566 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5567 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5568 @cindex crossposting
5569 @cindex excessive crossposting
5570 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5571 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5573 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5574 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5575 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5576 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5577 command understands the process/prefix convention
5578 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5582 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5583 Manual}, for more information.
5586 @node Summary Post Commands
5587 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5589 @cindex composing news
5591 Commands for posting a news article:
5597 @kindex S p (Summary)
5598 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5599 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5600 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5601 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5602 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5607 @kindex S f (Summary)
5608 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5609 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5610 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5614 @kindex S F (Summary)
5616 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5617 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5618 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5619 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5620 process/prefix convention.
5623 @kindex S n (Summary)
5624 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5625 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5626 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5629 @kindex S N (Summary)
5630 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5631 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5632 message through mail and include the original message
5633 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5634 the process/prefix convention.
5637 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5638 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5639 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5640 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5641 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5642 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5643 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5644 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5645 as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5646 forward as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5647 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5648 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5649 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @acronym{MIME} section.
5652 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5653 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5655 @cindex making digests
5656 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5657 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-post-forward}). This command uses the
5658 process/prefix convention.
5661 @kindex S u (Summary)
5662 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5663 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5664 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5665 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5668 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5669 Manual}, for more information.
5672 @node Summary Message Commands
5673 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5677 @kindex S y (Summary)
5678 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5679 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5680 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5681 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5682 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5687 @node Canceling and Superseding
5688 @subsection Canceling Articles
5689 @cindex canceling articles
5690 @cindex superseding articles
5692 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5693 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5695 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5697 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5699 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5700 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5701 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5702 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5703 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5704 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5706 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5707 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5710 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5711 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5712 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5714 Gnus ensures that only you can cancel your own messages using a
5715 @code{Cancel-Lock} header (@pxref{Canceling News, Canceling News, ,
5716 message, Message Manual}).
5718 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5719 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5720 your original article.
5722 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5724 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5725 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5726 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5729 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5730 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5731 have posted almost the same article twice.
5733 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5734 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5735 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5736 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5737 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5738 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5739 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5740 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5741 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5742 canceled/superseded.
5744 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5746 @node Delayed Articles
5747 @section Delayed Articles
5748 @cindex delayed sending
5749 @cindex send delayed
5751 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5752 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5753 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5754 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5757 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5760 @findex gnus-delay-article
5761 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5762 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5763 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5764 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5768 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5769 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5770 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5771 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5774 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5775 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5776 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5779 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5780 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5781 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5782 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5783 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5784 that means a time tomorrow.
5787 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5788 couple of variables:
5791 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5792 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5793 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5794 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5796 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5797 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5798 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5799 formats described above.
5801 @item gnus-delay-group
5802 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5803 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5804 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5805 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5807 @item gnus-delay-header
5808 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5809 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5810 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5811 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5814 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5815 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5816 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5817 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5818 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5820 @findex gnus-delay-send-queue
5821 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5822 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5823 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5824 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5825 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5826 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5829 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5830 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5831 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5832 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5833 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-@code{nil},
5834 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5835 argument is ignored.
5837 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5838 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5839 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5843 @node Marking Articles
5844 @section Marking Articles
5845 @cindex article marking
5846 @cindex article ticking
5849 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5851 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5852 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5853 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5855 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5858 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks.
5862 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5863 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5864 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5865 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5866 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5867 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5871 @node Unread Articles
5872 @subsection Unread Articles
5874 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5879 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5880 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5882 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5883 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5884 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5885 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5886 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5887 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5888 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5891 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5892 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5894 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5895 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5896 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5897 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5901 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5902 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5904 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5909 @subsection Read Articles
5910 @cindex expirable mark
5912 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5917 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5918 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5919 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5922 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5923 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5926 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5927 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5928 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5931 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5932 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5935 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5936 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5939 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5940 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5943 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5944 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5947 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5948 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5951 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5952 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5955 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5956 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5960 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5961 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5962 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5966 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5967 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5969 One more special mark, though:
5973 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5974 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5976 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5977 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5978 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5979 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5985 @subsection Other Marks
5986 @cindex process mark
5989 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5995 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5996 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5997 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5998 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5999 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
6002 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
6003 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
6004 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
6005 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
6008 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
6009 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
6010 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
6013 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
6014 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
6015 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6018 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
6019 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
6020 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
6021 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
6024 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
6025 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
6026 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
6027 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
6028 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
6029 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
6032 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
6033 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
6034 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
6035 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
6038 @vindex gnus-downloaded-mark
6039 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), articles may be
6040 downloaded for unplugged (offline) viewing. If you are using the
6041 @samp{%O} spec, these articles get the @samp{+} mark in that spec.
6042 (The variable @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} controls which character to
6046 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
6047 When using the Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}), some articles might
6048 not have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you
6049 are unplugged (offline). If you are using the @samp{%O} spec, these
6050 articles get the @samp{-} mark in that spec. (The variable
6051 @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls which character to use.)
6054 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
6055 The Gnus agent (@pxref{Agent Basics}) downloads some articles
6056 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
6057 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
6058 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
6059 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
6063 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
6064 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
6065 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
6066 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
6067 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
6070 @vindex gnus-process-mark
6071 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
6072 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
6073 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
6074 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
6075 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
6079 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
6080 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
6081 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
6083 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
6084 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
6085 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
6089 @subsection Setting Marks
6090 @cindex setting marks
6092 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
6097 @kindex M c (Summary)
6098 @kindex M-u (Summary)
6099 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
6100 @cindex mark as unread
6101 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
6102 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
6108 @kindex M t (Summary)
6109 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
6110 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
6111 @xref{Article Caching}.
6116 @kindex M ? (Summary)
6117 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
6118 Mark the current article as dormant
6119 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
6123 @kindex M d (Summary)
6125 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
6126 Mark the current article as read
6127 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
6131 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
6132 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
6133 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
6138 @kindex M k (Summary)
6139 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
6140 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
6141 and then select the next unread article
6142 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
6146 @kindex M K (Summary)
6147 @kindex C-k (Summary)
6148 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
6149 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
6150 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
6153 @kindex M C (Summary)
6154 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
6155 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
6156 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
6159 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
6160 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
6161 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
6162 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
6165 @kindex M H (Summary)
6166 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
6167 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
6168 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
6171 @kindex M h (Summary)
6172 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
6173 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
6174 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
6177 @kindex C-w (Summary)
6178 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
6179 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
6180 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
6183 @kindex M V k (Summary)
6184 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
6185 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
6186 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
6190 @kindex M e (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
6193 Mark the current article as expirable
6194 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
6197 @kindex M b (Summary)
6198 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
6199 Set a bookmark in the current article
6200 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
6203 @kindex M B (Summary)
6204 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
6205 Remove the bookmark from the current article
6206 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
6209 @kindex M V c (Summary)
6210 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
6211 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
6212 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6215 @kindex M V u (Summary)
6216 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
6217 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
6218 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
6221 @kindex M V m (Summary)
6222 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
6223 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
6224 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
6225 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
6228 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
6229 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
6230 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
6231 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
6232 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
6233 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
6234 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
6235 The default is @code{t}.
6238 @node Generic Marking Commands
6239 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
6241 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
6242 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
6243 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
6244 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
6245 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
6248 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
6249 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
6252 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
6253 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
6254 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
6255 to list in this manual.
6257 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
6258 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
6259 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
6260 article, you could say something like:
6264 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
6265 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6266 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
6274 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
6275 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
6279 @node Setting Process Marks
6280 @subsection Setting Process Marks
6281 @cindex setting process marks
6283 Process marks are displayed as @code{#} in the summary buffer, and are
6284 used for marking articles in such a way that other commands will
6285 process these articles. For instance, if you process mark four
6286 articles and then use the @kbd{*} command, Gnus will enter these four
6287 articles into the cache. For more information,
6288 @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
6295 @kindex M P p (Summary)
6296 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
6297 Mark the current article with the process mark
6298 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
6299 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
6303 @kindex M P u (Summary)
6304 @kindex M-# (Summary)
6305 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
6306 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
6309 @kindex M P U (Summary)
6310 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
6311 Remove the process mark from all articles
6312 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
6315 @kindex M P i (Summary)
6316 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
6317 Invert the list of process marked articles
6318 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
6321 @kindex M P R (Summary)
6322 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
6323 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6324 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
6327 @kindex M P G (Summary)
6328 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
6329 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
6330 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
6333 @kindex M P r (Summary)
6334 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
6335 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
6338 @kindex M P g (Summary)
6339 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
6340 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
6343 @kindex M P t (Summary)
6344 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6345 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6346 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6349 @kindex M P T (Summary)
6350 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6351 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
6352 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6355 @kindex M P v (Summary)
6356 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
6357 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
6358 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6361 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6362 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6363 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6366 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6367 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6368 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6369 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6372 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6373 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6374 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}).
6377 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6378 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6379 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6380 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6383 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6384 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6385 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6386 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6389 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6390 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6391 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6392 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6395 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6396 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6397 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6398 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6402 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @ref{Searching for Articles}, for how to
6403 set process marks based on article body contents.
6410 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6411 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6412 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6415 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6416 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6417 additional articles.
6423 @kindex / / (Summary)
6424 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6425 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6426 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6430 @kindex / a (Summary)
6431 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6432 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6433 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6437 @kindex / R (Summary)
6438 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient
6439 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some recipient
6440 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-recipient}). If given a prefix, exclude
6444 @kindex / A (Summary)
6445 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-address
6446 Limit the summary buffer to articles in which contents of From, To or Cc
6447 header match a given address (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-address}). If
6448 given a prefix, exclude matching articles.
6451 @kindex / S (Summary)
6452 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons
6453 Limit the summary buffer to articles that aren't part of any displayed
6454 threads (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-singletons}). If given a prefix,
6455 limit to articles that are part of displayed threads.
6458 @kindex / x (Summary)
6459 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6460 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6461 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6462 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6467 @kindex / u (Summary)
6469 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6470 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6471 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6472 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6473 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6476 @kindex / m (Summary)
6477 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6478 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6479 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6482 @kindex / t (Summary)
6483 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6484 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6485 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6486 articles younger than that number of days.
6489 @kindex / n (Summary)
6490 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6491 With prefix @samp{n}, limit the summary buffer to the next @samp{n}
6492 articles. If not given a prefix, use the process marked articles
6493 instead. (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}).
6496 @kindex / w (Summary)
6497 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6498 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6499 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6503 @kindex / . (Summary)
6504 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6505 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6506 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6509 @kindex / v (Summary)
6510 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6511 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6512 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6515 @kindex / p (Summary)
6516 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6517 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6518 group parameter predicate
6519 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). @xref{Group
6520 Parameters}, for more on this predicate.
6523 @kindex / r (Summary)
6524 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-replied
6525 Limit the summary buffer to replied articles
6526 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-replied}). If given a prefix, exclude
6531 @kindex M S (Summary)
6532 @kindex / E (Summary)
6533 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6534 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6535 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6538 @kindex / D (Summary)
6539 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6540 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6541 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6544 @kindex / * (Summary)
6545 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6546 Include all cached articles in the limit
6547 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6550 @kindex / d (Summary)
6551 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6552 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6553 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6556 @kindex / M (Summary)
6557 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6558 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6561 @kindex / T (Summary)
6562 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6563 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6566 @kindex / c (Summary)
6567 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6568 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit@*
6569 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6572 @kindex / C (Summary)
6573 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6574 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6575 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6576 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6579 @kindex / N (Summary)
6580 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6581 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6582 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6585 @kindex / o (Summary)
6586 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6587 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6588 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6591 @kindex / b (Summary)
6592 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies
6593 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have bodies that match a
6594 certain regexp (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-bodies}). If given a
6595 prefix, reverse the limit. This command is quite slow since it
6596 requires selecting each article to find the matches.
6599 @kindex / h (Summary)
6600 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-headers
6601 Like the previous command, only limit to headers instead
6602 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-headers}).
6610 @cindex article threading
6612 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6613 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6614 hierarchical fashion.
6616 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6617 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6618 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6619 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6620 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6621 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6622 @ref{Customizing Threading}.
6624 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6628 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6631 A tree-like article structure.
6634 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6637 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6638 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6639 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6640 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6641 called loose threads.
6643 @item thread gathering
6644 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6646 @item sparse threads
6647 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6648 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6654 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6655 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6659 @node Customizing Threading
6660 @subsection Customizing Threading
6661 @cindex customizing threading
6664 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6665 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6666 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6667 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over@dots{} but you were wrong!
6672 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6675 @cindex loose threads
6678 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6679 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6680 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6681 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6682 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6683 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6685 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6686 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6687 There are four possible values:
6691 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6692 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6693 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6694 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6695 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6700 @cindex adopting articles
6705 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6706 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6707 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6708 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6711 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6712 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6713 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6714 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6715 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6716 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6717 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6718 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6719 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6720 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to @code{t}.
6723 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6724 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6725 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6729 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6730 display them after one another.
6733 Don't gather loose threads.
6736 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6737 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6738 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6739 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6740 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6741 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6742 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6743 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6744 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6745 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6746 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6748 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6749 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6750 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6753 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6754 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6755 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6756 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6757 simplification is used.
6759 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6760 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6761 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6762 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6764 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6766 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6772 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6773 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6774 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6775 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6780 (mapconcat 'identity
6781 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6783 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6786 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6789 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6790 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6791 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6792 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6793 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6794 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6796 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6799 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6800 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6801 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6803 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6804 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6807 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6808 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6809 Remove excessive whitespace.
6811 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6812 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6813 Remove all whitespace.
6816 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6819 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6820 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6821 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6822 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6823 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6824 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6825 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6826 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6828 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6829 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6830 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6831 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6832 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6833 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6834 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6835 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6836 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6840 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6841 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6842 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6843 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6845 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6846 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6847 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6850 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6854 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6855 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6861 @node Filling In Threads
6862 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6865 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6866 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6867 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6868 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you would
6869 like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still connect as
6870 many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable to
6871 @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than that
6872 number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case, fetching
6873 old headers only works if the back end you are using carries overview
6874 files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6875 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6876 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can
6879 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6880 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6881 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6883 @item gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6884 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-ephemeral-headers
6885 Same as @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}, but only used for ephemeral
6888 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6889 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6890 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6891 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6892 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6893 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6894 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6895 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6896 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6897 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6898 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6899 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6900 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6901 @code{nil} by default.
6903 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6904 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6905 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6906 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6907 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6908 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6909 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6911 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6912 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6913 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6918 @node More Threading
6919 @subsubsection More Threading
6922 @item gnus-show-threads
6923 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6924 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6925 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6926 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6927 slower and more awkward.
6929 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6930 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6931 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6934 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6935 Available predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6936 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}.
6941 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6942 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6943 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6946 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6947 unread, but you get my drift.)
6950 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6951 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6952 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6953 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6954 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6955 threads are expunged.
6957 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6958 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6959 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6962 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6963 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6964 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6965 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6966 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6967 result in a new thread.
6969 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6970 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6971 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6974 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6975 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6976 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6977 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6978 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6979 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6980 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6981 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6982 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6983 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6984 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6989 @node Low-Level Threading
6990 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6994 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6995 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6996 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6998 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6999 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
7000 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
7001 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
7002 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
7003 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
7004 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
7005 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
7006 meaningful. Here's one example:
7009 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
7011 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
7012 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
7014 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
7016 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
7023 @node Thread Commands
7024 @subsection Thread Commands
7025 @cindex thread commands
7031 @kindex T k (Summary)
7032 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
7033 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
7034 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
7035 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
7036 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
7041 @kindex T l (Summary)
7042 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
7043 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
7044 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
7045 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
7048 @kindex T i (Summary)
7049 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
7050 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
7051 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
7054 @kindex T # (Summary)
7055 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
7056 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
7057 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
7060 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
7061 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
7062 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
7063 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
7066 @kindex T T (Summary)
7067 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
7068 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
7071 @kindex T s (Summary)
7072 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
7073 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any@*
7074 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
7077 @kindex T h (Summary)
7078 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
7079 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
7082 @kindex T S (Summary)
7083 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
7084 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
7087 @kindex T H (Summary)
7088 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
7089 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
7092 @kindex T t (Summary)
7093 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
7094 Re-thread the current article's thread
7095 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
7096 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
7099 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
7100 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
7101 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
7102 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
7105 @kindex T M-^ (Summary)
7106 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-children
7107 Make the current article the parent of the marked articles
7108 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-children}).
7112 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
7113 understand the numeric prefix.
7118 @kindex T n (Summary)
7120 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
7122 @kindex M-down (Summary)
7123 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
7124 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
7127 @kindex T p (Summary)
7129 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
7131 @kindex M-up (Summary)
7132 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
7133 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
7136 @kindex T d (Summary)
7137 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
7138 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
7141 @kindex T u (Summary)
7142 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
7143 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
7146 @kindex T o (Summary)
7147 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
7148 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
7151 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
7152 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
7153 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
7154 a command like @kbd{T k} (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
7155 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
7156 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
7157 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
7158 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
7159 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
7160 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
7161 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
7162 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
7166 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
7167 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
7169 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
7170 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
7171 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse
7172 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
7173 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7174 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
7175 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient
7176 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7177 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
7178 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
7179 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number
7180 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date
7181 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
7182 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
7183 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
7184 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
7186 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
7187 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
7188 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-recipient},
7189 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
7190 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date-reverse},
7191 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
7192 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
7193 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
7194 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
7195 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
7197 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
7198 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
7199 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
7201 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
7202 last function in the list. You should probably always include
7203 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
7204 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
7205 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
7206 ascending article order.
7208 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
7209 by number, you could do something like:
7212 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7213 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
7214 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
7215 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
7218 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
7219 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
7220 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
7221 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
7222 which the articles arrived.
7224 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
7228 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
7229 '((not gnus-thread-sort-by-number)
7230 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
7233 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
7234 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
7235 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
7236 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
7239 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
7240 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
7241 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
7242 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
7243 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
7244 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
7245 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
7246 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
7247 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
7248 variable. It is very similar to the
7249 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
7250 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
7251 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
7252 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
7253 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
7254 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
7255 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
7257 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
7261 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
7262 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
7263 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
7266 You can define group specific sorting via @code{gnus-parameters},
7267 @xref{Group Parameters}.
7270 @node Asynchronous Fetching
7271 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
7272 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
7273 @cindex article pre-fetch
7276 If you read your news from an @acronym{NNTP} server that's far away, the
7277 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
7278 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
7279 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
7280 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
7282 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
7283 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
7285 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
7286 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
7287 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
7288 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
7289 connection is blocked.
7291 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
7292 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
7293 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
7294 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
7296 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
7297 the link between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server will become more
7298 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
7299 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
7302 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing@dots{} unless
7305 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
7306 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
7307 happen automatically.
7309 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
7310 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
7311 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
7312 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
7313 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
7314 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
7315 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
7317 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
7318 @findex gnus-async-unread-p
7319 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
7320 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p}
7321 variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This
7322 function should return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is
7323 to be pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-unread-p}, which
7324 returns @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an
7325 article data structure as the only parameter.
7327 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter
7328 than 100 lines, you could say something like:
7331 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
7332 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
7333 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
7334 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
7337 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
7340 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
7341 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
7342 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
7344 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
7345 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
7346 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
7347 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
7351 Remove articles when they are read.
7354 Remove articles when exiting the group.
7357 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
7359 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
7360 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
7361 @c from the next group.
7364 @node Article Caching
7365 @section Article Caching
7366 @cindex article caching
7369 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @acronym{NNTP} connection, you may
7370 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
7371 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
7372 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
7373 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
7375 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
7377 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7378 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
7379 @vindex gnus-use-cache
7380 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
7381 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
7382 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
7383 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
7384 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
7386 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
7387 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
7388 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
7389 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
7390 as dormant, and don't worry.
7392 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
7394 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
7395 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
7396 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
7397 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
7398 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
7399 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
7400 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
7401 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
7402 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
7403 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
7405 @findex gnus-jog-cache
7406 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
7407 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
7408 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
7409 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
7410 command if 1) your connection to the @acronym{NNTP} server is really, really,
7411 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
7412 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
7413 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
7414 not then be downloaded by this command.
7416 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
7417 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
7418 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
7419 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
7420 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7421 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7423 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7424 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7425 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7426 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7427 variables, the group is not cached.
7429 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7430 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7431 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7432 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7433 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7434 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7435 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7436 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @acronym{NOV}
7437 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7440 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7441 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7442 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7443 where, isn't that cool?
7445 @node Persistent Articles
7446 @section Persistent Articles
7447 @cindex persistent articles
7449 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7450 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7451 useful in my opinion.
7453 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7454 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7455 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7456 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7457 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7458 the expiry going on at the news server.
7460 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7461 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7462 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7468 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7469 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7472 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7473 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7474 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7475 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7479 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7481 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7482 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7483 interested in persistent articles:
7486 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7489 @node Sticky Articles
7490 @section Sticky Articles
7491 @cindex sticky articles
7493 When you select an article the current article buffer will be reused
7494 according to the value of the variable
7495 @code{gnus-single-article-buffer}. If its value is non-@code{nil} (the
7496 default) all articles reuse the same article buffer. Else each group
7497 has its own article buffer.
7499 This implies that it's not possible to have more than one article buffer
7500 in a group at a time. But sometimes you might want to display all the
7501 latest emails from your mother, your father, your aunt, your uncle and
7502 your 17 cousins to coordinate the next christmas party.
7504 That's where sticky articles come in handy. A sticky article buffer
7505 basically is a normal article buffer, but it won't be reused when you
7506 select another article. You can make an article sticky with:
7510 @kindex A S (Summary)
7511 @findex gnus-sticky-article
7512 Make the current article sticky. If a prefix arg is given, ask for a
7513 name for this sticky article buffer.
7516 To close a sticky article buffer you can use these commands:
7522 Puts this sticky article buffer at the end of the list of all buffers.
7526 @findex gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffer
7527 Kills this sticky article buffer.
7530 To kill all sticky article buffers you can use:
7532 @defun gnus-kill-sticky-article-buffers ARG
7533 Kill all sticky article buffers.
7534 If a prefix ARG is given, ask for confirmation.
7537 @node Article Backlog
7538 @section Article Backlog
7540 @cindex article backlog
7542 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7543 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7544 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7545 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7546 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7547 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7548 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7549 increase memory usage some.
7551 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7552 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7553 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7554 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7555 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7556 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7557 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7559 The default value is 20.
7562 @node Saving Articles
7563 @section Saving Articles
7564 @cindex saving articles
7566 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7567 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7568 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7569 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7570 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7572 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7573 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7574 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7576 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7577 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7578 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7580 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7581 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7582 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7583 deleted before saving.
7589 @kindex O o (Summary)
7591 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7592 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7593 Save the current article using the default article saver
7594 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7597 @kindex O m (Summary)
7598 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7599 Save the current article in a Unix mail box (mbox) file
7600 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7603 @kindex O r (Summary)
7604 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7605 Save the current article in Rmail format
7606 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7609 @kindex O f (Summary)
7610 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7611 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7612 Save the current article in plain file format
7613 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7616 @kindex O F (Summary)
7617 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7618 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7619 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7622 @kindex O b (Summary)
7623 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7624 Save the current article body in plain file format
7625 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7628 @kindex O h (Summary)
7629 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7630 Save the current article in mh folder format
7631 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7634 @kindex O v (Summary)
7635 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7636 Save the current article in a VM folder
7637 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7641 @kindex O p (Summary)
7643 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7644 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7645 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7646 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7647 complete headers in the piped output.
7650 @kindex O P (Summary)
7651 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7652 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7653 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7654 external program @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/,
7655 Muttprint}. The program name and options to use is controlled by the
7656 variable @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}.
7657 (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7661 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7662 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7663 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7664 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7665 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7666 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7667 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7668 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7669 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7670 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7671 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7672 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7676 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7677 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7678 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the eight ready-made
7679 functions below, or you can create your own.
7683 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7684 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7685 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7686 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7687 This is the default format, @dfn{Babyl}. Uses the function in the
7688 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7689 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7691 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7692 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7693 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7694 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7695 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7696 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7698 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7699 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7700 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7701 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7702 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7703 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7704 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7706 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7707 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7708 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7709 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7710 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7711 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7713 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7714 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7715 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7716 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7717 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7719 @item gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7720 @findex gnus-summary-write-body-to-file
7721 Write the article body straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7722 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7723 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7724 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7726 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7727 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7728 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7729 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7730 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7733 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7734 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7735 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7736 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7737 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7739 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7740 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7741 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7742 reader to use this setting.
7745 The symbol of each function may have the following properties:
7749 The value non-@code{nil} means save decoded articles. This is
7750 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-save-in-file},
7751 @code{gnus-summary-save-body-in-file},
7752 @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file}, and
7753 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7756 The value specifies an alternative function which appends, not
7757 overwrites, articles to a file. This implies that when saving many
7758 articles at a time, @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} is bound to
7759 @code{t} and all articles are saved in a single file. This is
7760 meaningful only with @code{gnus-summary-write-to-file} and
7761 @code{gnus-summary-write-body-to-file}.
7764 The value specifies the symbol of a variable of which the value
7765 specifies headers to be saved. If it is omitted,
7766 @code{gnus-save-all-headers} and @code{gnus-saved-headers} control what
7767 headers should be saved.
7770 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7771 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7772 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7773 @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7776 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7777 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7778 available functions that generate names:
7782 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7783 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7784 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7786 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7787 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7788 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7790 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7791 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7792 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7794 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7795 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7796 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7798 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7799 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7800 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7803 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7804 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7805 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7806 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7807 related to VM in @file{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7811 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7812 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7813 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7814 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7817 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7818 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7819 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7820 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7821 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7822 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7823 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7824 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7825 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7827 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7828 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7829 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7830 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7832 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7833 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7834 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7837 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7838 lots of mail groups called things like
7839 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7840 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7841 following will do just that:
7844 (defun my-save-name (group)
7845 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7846 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7848 (setq gnus-split-methods
7849 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7854 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7855 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7856 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7857 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7858 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7859 all the files in the top level directory
7860 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7861 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7862 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7863 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7865 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7866 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7867 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7868 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7869 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7872 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7876 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; @r{to get a hierarchy}
7877 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7878 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; @r{no encoding}
7881 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7882 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7883 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7884 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7887 @node Decoding Articles
7888 @section Decoding Articles
7889 @cindex decoding articles
7891 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7892 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7895 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7896 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7897 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7898 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7899 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7900 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7904 @cindex article series
7905 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7906 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7907 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7908 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7909 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7911 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7912 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7913 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7915 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7916 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7917 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7919 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7920 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7921 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7924 @node Uuencoded Articles
7925 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7927 @cindex uuencoded articles
7932 @kindex X u (Summary)
7933 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7934 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7935 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7938 @kindex X U (Summary)
7939 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7940 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7941 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7944 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7945 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7946 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7949 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7950 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7951 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7952 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7956 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7957 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7958 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7959 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7960 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7962 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7963 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7964 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7965 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7968 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7969 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7970 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7971 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7972 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7973 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7977 @node Shell Archives
7978 @subsection Shell Archives
7980 @cindex shell archives
7981 @cindex shared articles
7983 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7984 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7985 some commands to deal with these:
7990 @kindex X s (Summary)
7991 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7992 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7995 @kindex X S (Summary)
7996 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7997 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
8000 @kindex X v s (Summary)
8001 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
8002 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
8005 @kindex X v S (Summary)
8006 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
8007 Unshars, views and saves the current series
8008 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
8012 @node PostScript Files
8013 @subsection PostScript Files
8019 @kindex X p (Summary)
8020 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
8021 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
8024 @kindex X P (Summary)
8025 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
8026 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
8027 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
8030 @kindex X v p (Summary)
8031 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
8032 View the current PostScript series
8033 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
8036 @kindex X v P (Summary)
8037 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
8038 View and save the current PostScript series
8039 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
8044 @subsection Other Files
8048 @kindex X o (Summary)
8049 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
8050 Save the current series
8051 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
8054 @kindex X b (Summary)
8055 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
8056 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
8057 doesn't really work yet.
8061 @node Decoding Variables
8062 @subsection Decoding Variables
8064 Adjective, not verb.
8067 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
8068 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
8069 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
8073 @node Rule Variables
8074 @subsubsection Rule Variables
8075 @cindex rule variables
8077 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
8078 variables are of the form
8081 (list '(regexp1 command2)
8088 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8089 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8091 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
8092 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @file{.au} sound file, you could
8095 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
8096 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
8099 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8100 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
8101 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
8102 user and default view rules.
8104 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8105 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
8106 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
8111 @node Other Decode Variables
8112 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
8115 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8117 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
8118 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
8119 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
8120 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
8121 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
8125 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
8126 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
8129 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
8130 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
8131 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
8134 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8135 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
8136 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
8137 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
8138 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
8141 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8142 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
8143 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
8145 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8146 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
8147 Files with a @acronym{MIME} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
8148 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
8149 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @acronym{MIME} package (yet), so this is slightly
8152 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8153 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
8154 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
8156 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8157 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
8158 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
8159 looking for files to display.
8161 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
8162 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
8163 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
8166 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8167 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
8168 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
8171 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8172 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
8173 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
8176 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8177 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
8178 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
8181 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8182 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
8183 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
8184 decoded articles as unread.
8186 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8187 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
8188 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
8189 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
8191 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8192 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
8193 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
8195 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8196 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
8198 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
8199 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @acronym{MIME}
8200 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
8201 @code{metamail} for viewing.
8203 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8204 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
8205 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
8206 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
8207 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
8208 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
8209 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
8210 simply dropped them.
8215 @node Uuencoding and Posting
8216 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
8220 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8221 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
8222 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
8223 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
8224 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
8225 for you when you post the article.
8227 @item gnus-uu-post-length
8228 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
8229 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
8230 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
8232 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
8233 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
8234 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
8235 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
8236 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
8237 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
8238 think that counts@dots{}) Default is @code{nil}.
8240 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8241 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
8242 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
8243 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
8244 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
8245 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
8246 Default is @code{t}.
8252 @subsection Viewing Files
8253 @cindex viewing files
8254 @cindex pseudo-articles
8256 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
8257 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
8258 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
8259 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
8260 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
8261 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
8262 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
8264 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
8265 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
8266 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
8267 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
8269 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
8270 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
8271 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
8273 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
8274 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
8275 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
8276 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
8277 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
8279 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
8280 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
8281 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
8282 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
8283 a list of parameters to that command.
8285 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
8286 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
8287 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
8289 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
8290 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
8291 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
8294 @node Article Treatment
8295 @section Article Treatment
8297 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
8298 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
8299 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
8300 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
8301 these articles easier.
8304 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
8305 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
8306 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
8307 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
8308 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
8309 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
8310 * Article Button Levels:: Controlling appearance of buttons.
8311 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
8312 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
8313 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
8314 * Article Miscellanea:: Various other stuff.
8318 @node Article Highlighting
8319 @subsection Article Highlighting
8320 @cindex highlighting
8322 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
8323 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
8328 @kindex W H a (Summary)
8329 @findex gnus-article-highlight
8330 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
8331 Do much highlighting of the current article
8332 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
8333 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
8336 @kindex W H h (Summary)
8337 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
8338 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
8339 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
8340 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
8341 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
8342 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
8343 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
8344 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
8345 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
8346 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
8347 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
8350 @kindex W H c (Summary)
8351 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
8352 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
8354 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
8357 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8359 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
8360 If the article size in bytes is bigger than this variable (which is
8361 25000 by default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
8363 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
8364 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
8365 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
8367 @item gnus-cite-face-list
8368 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
8369 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
8370 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
8371 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
8372 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
8374 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
8375 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
8376 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
8378 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8379 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
8380 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
8382 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8383 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
8384 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
8385 that it's a citation.
8387 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8388 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
8389 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
8391 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8392 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
8393 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
8395 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
8396 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
8397 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
8398 cited text belonging to the attribution.
8400 @item gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8401 @vindex gnus-cite-ignore-quoted-from
8402 If non-@code{nil}, no citation highlighting will be performed on lines
8403 beginning with @samp{>From }. Those lines may have been quoted by MTAs
8404 in order not to mix up with the envelope From line. The default value
8411 @kindex W H s (Summary)
8412 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8413 @vindex gnus-signature-face
8414 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
8415 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
8416 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
8417 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
8418 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
8423 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
8426 @node Article Fontisizing
8427 @subsection Article Fontisizing
8429 @cindex article emphasis
8431 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
8432 @kindex W e (Summary)
8433 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
8434 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
8435 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
8436 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
8438 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
8439 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
8440 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
8441 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
8442 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
8443 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
8444 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
8445 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
8449 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
8450 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
8451 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
8460 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
8461 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
8462 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
8463 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
8464 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
8465 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
8466 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
8467 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
8468 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
8469 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
8470 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
8471 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
8472 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
8474 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
8475 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
8476 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
8480 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
8483 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
8485 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
8486 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
8487 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
8488 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
8490 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
8493 @node Article Hiding
8494 @subsection Article Hiding
8495 @cindex article hiding
8497 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
8498 too much cruft in most articles.
8503 @kindex W W a (Summary)
8504 @findex gnus-article-hide
8505 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
8506 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
8507 headers, @acronym{PGP}, cited text and the signature.
8510 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8511 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8512 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8516 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8517 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8518 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8519 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8522 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8523 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8524 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8528 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8529 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8530 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8531 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8532 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8533 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8534 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8535 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8539 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8540 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8541 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8542 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8547 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8548 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8549 Hide @acronym{PEM} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8550 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8553 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8554 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8555 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8556 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8559 @cindex stripping advertisements
8560 @cindex advertisements
8561 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8562 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8563 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8564 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8565 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8566 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8567 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8568 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8569 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8570 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8573 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8574 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8575 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8579 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8580 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8581 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8582 @code{(@var{address} . @var{banner})}, where @var{address} is a regexp
8583 matching a mail address in the From header, @var{banner} is one of a
8584 symbol @code{signature}, an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist},
8585 a regexp and @code{nil}. If @var{address} matches author's mail
8586 address, it will remove things like advertisements. For example, if a
8587 sender has the mail address @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a
8588 banner something like @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he
8589 sends, you can use the following element to remove them:
8592 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" .
8593 "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8599 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8600 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8601 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8602 customizing the hiding:
8606 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8607 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8608 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8609 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8610 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8611 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8612 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8617 Starting point of the hidden text.
8619 Ending point of the hidden text.
8621 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8623 Number of lines of hidden text.
8626 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8627 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8628 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8629 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8630 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8635 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8636 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8638 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8639 following two variables:
8642 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8643 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8644 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8645 50), hide the cited text.
8647 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8648 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8649 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8654 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8655 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8656 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8657 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8658 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8659 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8663 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8664 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8665 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8667 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8668 citation customization.
8670 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8674 @node Article Washing
8675 @subsection Article Washing
8677 @cindex article washing
8679 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8680 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8682 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8683 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8686 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8687 articles by default.
8692 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8693 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8697 Force redisplaying of the current article
8698 (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). This is also not really washing.
8699 If you type this, you see the article without any previously applied
8700 interactive Washing functions but with all default treatments
8701 (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8704 @kindex W l (Summary)
8705 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8706 Remove page breaks from the current article
8707 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8711 @kindex W r (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8713 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8714 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8715 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8716 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8717 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8719 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8720 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8721 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8722 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8725 @kindex W m (Summary)
8726 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8727 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8730 @kindex W i (Summary)
8731 @findex gnus-summary-idna-message
8732 Decode IDNA encoded domain names in the current articles. IDNA
8733 encoded domain names looks like @samp{xn--bar}. If a string remain
8734 unencoded after running invoking this, it is likely an invalid IDNA
8735 string (@samp{xn--bar} is invalid). You must have GNU Libidn
8736 (@url{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/}) installed for this command
8741 @kindex W t (Summary)
8743 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8744 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8745 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8748 @kindex W v (Summary)
8749 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8750 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8751 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8754 @kindex W o (Summary)
8755 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8756 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8759 @kindex W d (Summary)
8760 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8761 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8763 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8765 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8766 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8767 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8768 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8771 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8772 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8773 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8774 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8777 @kindex W Y f (Summary)
8778 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8779 @cindex Outlook Express
8780 Full deuglify of broken Outlook (Express) articles: Treat dumbquotes,
8781 unwrap lines, repair attribution and rearrange citation.
8782 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8785 @kindex W Y u (Summary)
8786 @findex gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines
8787 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min
8788 @vindex gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max
8789 Unwrap lines that appear to be wrapped citation lines. You can control
8790 what lines will be unwrapped by frobbing
8791 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-min} and
8792 @code{gnus-outlook-deuglify-unwrap-max}, indicating the minimum and
8793 maximum length of an unwrapped citation line.
8794 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-unwrap-lines}).
8797 @kindex W Y a (Summary)
8798 @findex gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution
8799 Repair a broken attribution line.@*
8800 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-repair-attribution}).
8803 @kindex W Y c (Summary)
8804 @findex gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation
8805 Repair broken citations by rearranging the text.
8806 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-rearrange-citation}).
8809 @kindex W w (Summary)
8810 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8811 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8813 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8817 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8818 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8819 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8822 @kindex W C (Summary)
8823 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8824 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8825 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8828 @kindex W c (Summary)
8829 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8830 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8831 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8832 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8833 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8836 @kindex W q (Summary)
8837 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8838 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8839 Quoted-Printable is one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when
8840 sending non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. It typically
8841 makes strings like @samp{d@'ej@`a vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu},
8842 which doesn't look very readable to me. Note that this is usually
8843 done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8844 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8845 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8848 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8849 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8850 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}). Base64 is
8851 one common @acronym{MIME} encoding employed when sending
8852 non-@acronym{ASCII} (i.e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is
8853 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8854 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding
8855 has been done. If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8858 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8859 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8860 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8861 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8862 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8865 @kindex W A (Summary)
8866 @findex gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences
8867 @cindex @acronym{ANSI} control sequences
8868 Translate @acronym{ANSI} SGR control sequences into overlays or
8869 extents (@code{gnus-article-treat-ansi-sequences}). @acronym{ANSI}
8870 sequences are used in some Chinese hierarchies for highlighting.
8873 @kindex W u (Summary)
8874 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8875 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8876 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8877 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8878 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8881 @kindex W h (Summary)
8882 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8883 Treat @acronym{HTML} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8884 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8885 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @acronym{HTML}.
8887 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for. If it is a number,
8888 the charset defined in @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist}
8889 (@pxref{Paging the Article}) will be used.
8891 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8892 The default is to use the function specified by
8893 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display
8894 Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) to convert the
8895 @acronym{HTML}, but this is controlled by the
8896 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8904 Use @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/, emacs-w3m}.
8906 @item w3m-standalone
8907 Use @uref{http://w3m.sourceforge.net/, w3m}.
8910 Use @uref{http://links.sf.net/, Links}.
8913 Use @uref{http://lynx.isc.org/, Lynx}.
8916 Use html2text---a simple @acronym{HTML} converter included with Gnus.
8921 @kindex W b (Summary)
8922 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8923 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8924 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8927 @kindex W B (Summary)
8928 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8929 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8930 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8933 @kindex W p (Summary)
8934 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8935 Verify a signed control message
8936 (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}). Control messages such as
8937 @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are usually signed by the
8938 hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the @acronym{PGP} public key of
8939 the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8940 message.@footnote{@acronym{PGP} keys for many hierarchies are
8941 available at @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8944 @kindex W s (Summary)
8945 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8946 Verify a signed (@acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME} or
8947 @acronym{S/MIME}) message
8948 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8951 @kindex W a (Summary)
8952 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8953 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8954 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8957 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8958 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8959 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8960 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8963 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8964 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8965 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8966 lines with a single empty line.
8967 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8970 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8971 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8972 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8973 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8976 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8977 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8978 Do all the three commands above
8979 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8982 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8983 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8984 Remove all blank lines
8985 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8988 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8989 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8990 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8991 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8994 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8995 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8996 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8997 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
9001 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
9004 @node Article Header
9005 @subsection Article Header
9007 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
9012 @kindex W G u (Summary)
9013 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
9014 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
9017 @kindex W G n (Summary)
9018 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
9019 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
9020 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
9023 @kindex W G f (Summary)
9024 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
9025 Fold all the message headers
9026 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
9029 @kindex W E w (Summary)
9030 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
9031 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
9032 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
9037 @node Article Buttons
9038 @subsection Article Buttons
9041 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
9042 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
9043 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
9044 button on these references.
9046 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9047 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
9048 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man pages and
9049 Emacs or Gnus related references. This is controlled by two variables,
9050 one that handles article bodies and one that handles article heads:
9054 @item gnus-button-alist
9055 @vindex gnus-button-alist
9056 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
9059 (@var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9065 All text that match this regular expression (case insensitive) will be
9066 considered an external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches
9067 embedded URLs: @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a
9068 variable containing a regexp, useful variables to use include
9069 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp} and @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp}.
9072 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
9073 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
9074 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
9077 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
9078 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
9079 avoid false matches. Often variables named
9080 @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} are used here, @xref{Article Button
9081 Levels}, but any other form may be used too.
9083 @c @code{use-p} is @code{eval}ed only if @code{regexp} matches.
9086 This function will be called when you click on this button.
9089 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
9090 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
9094 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
9097 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
9100 @item gnus-header-button-alist
9101 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
9102 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
9103 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
9104 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
9107 (@var{header} @var{regexp} @var{button-par} @var{use-p} @var{function} @var{data-par})
9110 @var{header} is a regular expression.
9113 @subsubsection Related variables and functions
9116 @item gnus-button-@var{*}-level
9117 @xref{Article Button Levels}.
9119 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-browse-level
9121 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
9122 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
9123 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
9124 default values of the variables above.
9126 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-man-level
9128 @item gnus-button-man-handler
9129 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
9130 The function to use for displaying man pages. It must take at least one
9131 argument with a string naming the man page.
9133 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-message-level
9135 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9136 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp
9137 Regular expression that matches a message ID or a mail address.
9139 @item gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9140 @vindex gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail
9141 This variable determines what to do when the button on a string as
9142 @samp{foo123@@bar.invalid} is pushed. Strings like this can be either a
9143 message ID or a mail address. If it is one of the symbols @code{mid} or
9144 @code{mail}, Gnus will always assume that the string is a message ID or
9145 a mail address, respectively. If this variable is set to the symbol
9146 @code{ask}, always query the user what to do. If it is a function, this
9147 function will be called with the string as its only argument. The
9148 function must return @code{mid}, @code{mail}, @code{invalid} or
9149 @code{ask}. The default value is the function
9150 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9152 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9153 @findex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic
9154 Function that guesses whether its argument is a message ID or a mail
9155 address. Returns @code{mid} if it's a message IDs, @code{mail} if
9156 it's a mail address, @code{ask} if unsure and @code{invalid} if the
9159 @item gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9160 @vindex gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist
9161 An alist of @code{(RATE . REGEXP)} pairs used by the function
9162 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}.
9164 @c Stuff related to gnus-button-tex-level
9166 @item gnus-button-ctan-handler
9167 @findex gnus-button-ctan-handler
9168 The function to use for displaying CTAN links. It must take one
9169 argument, the string naming the URL.
9172 @vindex gnus-ctan-url
9173 Top directory of a CTAN (Comprehensive TeX Archive Network) archive used
9174 by @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler}.
9178 @item gnus-article-button-face
9179 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
9180 Face used on buttons.
9182 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
9183 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
9184 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
9188 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
9191 @node Article Button Levels
9192 @subsection Article button levels
9193 @cindex button levels
9194 The higher the value of the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level},
9195 the more buttons will appear. If the level is zero, no corresponding
9196 buttons are displayed. With the default value (which is 5) you should
9197 already see quite a lot of buttons. With higher levels, you will see
9198 more buttons, but you may also get more false positives. To avoid them,
9199 you can set the variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} local to
9200 specific groups (@pxref{Group Parameters}). Here's an example for the
9201 variable @code{gnus-parameters}:
9204 ;; @r{increase @code{gnus-button-*-level} in some groups:}
9205 (setq gnus-parameters
9206 '(("\\<\\(emacs\\|gnus\\)\\>" (gnus-button-emacs-level 10))
9207 ("\\<unix\\>" (gnus-button-man-level 10))
9208 ("\\<tex\\>" (gnus-button-tex-level 10))))
9213 @item gnus-button-browse-level
9214 @vindex gnus-button-browse-level
9215 Controls the display of references to message IDs, mail addresses and
9216 news URLs. Related variables and functions include
9217 @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}, @code{browse-url}, and
9218 @code{browse-url-browser-function}.
9220 @item gnus-button-emacs-level
9221 @vindex gnus-button-emacs-level
9222 Controls the display of Emacs or Gnus references. Related functions are
9223 @code{gnus-button-handle-custom},
9224 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-function},
9225 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-variable},
9226 @code{gnus-button-handle-symbol},
9227 @code{gnus-button-handle-describe-key},
9228 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos},
9229 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-command},
9230 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-variable},
9231 @code{gnus-button-handle-apropos-documentation}, and
9232 @code{gnus-button-handle-library}.
9234 @item gnus-button-man-level
9235 @vindex gnus-button-man-level
9236 Controls the display of references to (Unix) man pages.
9237 See @code{gnus-button-man-handler}.
9239 @item gnus-button-message-level
9240 @vindex gnus-button-message-level
9241 Controls the display of message IDs, mail addresses and news URLs.
9242 Related variables and functions include
9243 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-regexp},
9244 @code{gnus-button-prefer-mid-or-mail},
9245 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic}, and
9246 @code{gnus-button-mid-or-mail-heuristic-alist}.
9248 @item gnus-button-tex-level
9249 @vindex gnus-button-tex-level
9250 Controls the display of references to @TeX{} or LaTeX stuff, e.g. for CTAN
9251 URLs. See the variables @code{gnus-ctan-url},
9252 @code{gnus-button-ctan-handler},
9253 @code{gnus-button-ctan-directory-regexp}, and
9254 @code{gnus-button-handle-ctan-bogus-regexp}.
9260 @subsection Article Date
9262 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
9263 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
9264 when the article was sent.
9269 @kindex W T u (Summary)
9270 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
9271 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
9272 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
9275 @kindex W T i (Summary)
9276 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
9278 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
9279 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
9282 @kindex W T l (Summary)
9283 @findex gnus-article-date-local
9284 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
9287 @kindex W T p (Summary)
9288 @findex gnus-article-date-english
9289 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
9290 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
9293 @kindex W T s (Summary)
9294 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
9295 @findex gnus-article-date-user
9296 @findex format-time-string
9297 Display the date using a user-defined format
9298 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
9299 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
9300 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
9301 for a list of possible format specs.
9304 @kindex W T e (Summary)
9305 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
9306 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
9307 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
9308 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
9309 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
9312 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
9315 @vindex gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header
9316 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
9317 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
9320 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
9321 into wonderful absurdities.
9323 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
9326 (gnus-start-date-timer)
9329 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
9330 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
9334 @kindex W T o (Summary)
9335 @findex gnus-article-date-original
9336 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
9337 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
9338 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
9339 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
9340 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
9344 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
9345 preferred format automatically.
9348 @node Article Display
9349 @subsection Article Display
9354 These commands add various frivolous display gimmicks to the article
9355 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
9357 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
9358 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
9360 @code{Face} headers are small colored images supplied by the message
9361 headers (@pxref{Face}).
9363 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
9364 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
9366 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
9367 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
9369 All these functions are toggles---if the elements already exist,
9374 @kindex W D x (Summary)
9375 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
9376 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
9377 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
9380 @kindex W D d (Summary)
9381 @findex gnus-article-display-face
9382 Display a @code{Face} in the @code{From} header.
9383 (@code{gnus-article-display-face}).
9386 @kindex W D s (Summary)
9387 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
9388 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
9391 @kindex W D f (Summary)
9392 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
9393 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
9396 @kindex W D m (Summary)
9397 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
9398 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
9399 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
9402 @kindex W D n (Summary)
9403 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
9404 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
9405 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
9408 @kindex W D D (Summary)
9409 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
9410 Remove all images from the article buffer
9411 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
9417 @node Article Signature
9418 @subsection Article Signature
9420 @cindex article signature
9422 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
9423 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
9424 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
9425 that says what is to be considered a signature is
9426 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
9427 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
9428 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
9429 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
9430 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
9433 (setq gnus-signature-separator
9434 '("^-- $" ; @r{The standard}
9435 "^-- *$" ; @r{A common mangling}
9436 "^-------*$" ; @r{Many people just use a looong}
9437 ; @r{line of dashes. Shame!}
9438 "^ *--------*$" ; @r{Double-shame!}
9439 "^________*$" ; @r{Underscores are also popular}
9440 "^========*$")) ; @r{Pervert!}
9443 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
9446 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
9447 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
9448 signature when displaying articles.
9452 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
9455 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
9458 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
9459 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
9461 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
9462 in question is not a signature.
9465 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
9466 listed above. Here's an example:
9469 (setq gnus-signature-limit
9470 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
9473 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
9474 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
9475 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
9476 signature after all.
9479 @node Article Miscellanea
9480 @subsection Article Miscellanea
9484 @kindex A t (Summary)
9485 @findex gnus-article-babel
9486 Translate the article from one language to another
9487 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
9493 @section MIME Commands
9494 @cindex MIME decoding
9496 @cindex viewing attachments
9498 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
9499 instance, @kbd{3 K v} means ``view the third @acronym{MIME} part''.
9505 @kindex K v (Summary)
9506 View the @acronym{MIME} part.
9509 @kindex K o (Summary)
9510 Save the @acronym{MIME} part.
9513 @kindex K O (Summary)
9514 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} part and strip it
9515 from the article. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred
9516 via the message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
9519 @kindex K r (Summary)
9520 Replace the @acronym{MIME} part with an external body.
9523 @kindex K d (Summary)
9524 Delete the @acronym{MIME} part and add some information about the
9528 @kindex K c (Summary)
9529 Copy the @acronym{MIME} part.
9532 @kindex K e (Summary)
9533 View the @acronym{MIME} part externally.
9536 @kindex K i (Summary)
9537 View the @acronym{MIME} part internally.
9540 @kindex K | (Summary)
9541 Pipe the @acronym{MIME} part to an external command.
9544 The rest of these @acronym{MIME} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
9549 @kindex K b (Summary)
9550 Make all the @acronym{MIME} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
9551 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
9555 @kindex K m (Summary)
9556 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
9557 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
9558 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
9559 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
9560 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
9563 @kindex X m (Summary)
9564 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
9565 Save all parts matching a @acronym{MIME} type to a directory
9566 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
9567 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9570 @kindex M-t (Summary)
9571 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
9572 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
9573 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
9576 @kindex W M w (Summary)
9577 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
9578 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
9579 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
9582 @kindex W M c (Summary)
9583 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
9584 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
9585 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
9587 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
9588 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
9589 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
9590 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
9591 include @acronym{MIME} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
9592 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
9595 @kindex W M v (Summary)
9596 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
9597 View all the @acronym{MIME} parts in the current article
9598 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
9605 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
9606 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
9607 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9608 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
9611 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
9614 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
9618 @item gnus-article-loose-mime
9619 @vindex gnus-article-loose-mime
9620 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus won't require the @samp{MIME-Version} header
9621 before interpreting the message as a @acronym{MIME} message. This helps
9622 when reading messages from certain broken mail user agents. The
9623 default is @code{nil}.
9625 @item gnus-article-emulate-mime
9626 @vindex gnus-article-emulate-mime
9629 There are other, non-@acronym{MIME} encoding methods used. The most common
9630 is @samp{uuencode}, but yEncode is also getting to be popular. If
9631 this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will look in message bodies to
9632 see if it finds these encodings, and if so, it'll run them through the
9633 Gnus @acronym{MIME} machinery. The default is @code{t}. Only
9634 single-part yEnc encoded attachments can be decoded. There's no support
9635 for encoding in Gnus.
9637 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9638 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
9639 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9640 this list won't have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9641 displayed or this variable is overridden by
9642 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
9643 @code{(".*/.*")}. This variable is only used when
9644 @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing} is @code{nil}.
9646 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9647 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
9648 This is a list of regexps. @acronym{MIME} types that match a regexp from
9649 this list will have @acronym{MIME} buttons inserted unless they aren't
9650 displayed. This variable overrides
9651 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
9652 This variable is only used when @code{gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing}
9655 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
9656 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
9657 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
9659 You could also add @code{"multipart/alternative"} to this list to
9660 display radio buttons that allow you to choose one of two media types
9661 those mails include. See also @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}
9662 (@pxref{Display Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The
9663 Emacs MIME Manual}).
9665 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9666 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
9667 If this is non-@code{nil}, then all @acronym{MIME} parts get buttons. The
9668 default value is @code{nil}.
9670 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
9671 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
9672 For each @acronym{MIME} part, this function will be called with the @acronym{MIME}
9673 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
9674 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
9675 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
9676 save all jpegs into some directory).
9678 Here's an example function the does the latter:
9681 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
9682 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
9684 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
9685 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
9686 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
9687 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
9688 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
9691 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9692 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
9693 Alist of @acronym{MIME} multipart types and functions to handle them.
9695 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9696 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed
9697 Display "multipart/alternative" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9699 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9700 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed
9701 Display "multipart/related" parts as "multipart/mixed".
9703 If displaying "text/html" is discouraged, see
9704 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}, images or other material inside a
9705 "multipart/related" part might be overlooked when this variable is
9706 @code{nil}. @ref{Display Customization, Display Customization, ,
9707 emacs-mime, Emacs-Mime Manual}.
9709 @vindex gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9710 @item gnus-mime-display-multipart-as-mixed
9711 Display "multipart" parts as "multipart/mixed". If @code{t}, it
9712 overrides @code{nil} values of
9713 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-alternative-as-mixed} and
9714 @code{gnus-mime-display-multipart-related-as-mixed}.
9716 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9717 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9718 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @acronym{MIME} parts.
9719 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
9721 Ready-made functions include@*
9722 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
9723 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
9724 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
9725 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
9726 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
9727 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
9728 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
9729 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
9730 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9731 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9732 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9733 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
9735 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
9736 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
9738 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
9739 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
9740 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
9743 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
9744 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
9745 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
9746 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9750 to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
9759 People use different charsets, and we have @acronym{MIME} to let us know what
9760 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9761 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @acronym{MIME}, and
9762 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9763 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9764 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9765 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp}.
9767 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9768 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9769 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9770 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9772 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets
9773 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @acronym{MIME}-aware agents that
9774 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9775 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9776 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9777 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9778 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9779 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9780 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9782 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9783 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9784 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @acronym{MIME}
9785 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9786 quoted-printable header encoding.
9788 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9789 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9790 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9794 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9797 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9798 means encode all charsets),
9800 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9801 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9802 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9809 @cindex coding system aliases
9810 @cindex preferred charset
9812 @xref{Encoding Customization, , Encoding Customization, emacs-mime,
9813 The Emacs MIME Manual}, for additional variables that control which
9814 MIME charsets are used when sending messages.
9816 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9818 If there are several @acronym{MIME} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9819 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9822 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9823 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9826 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9827 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @acronym{MIME} charset.
9829 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9832 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9835 This will almost do the right thing.
9837 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9841 (codepage-setup 1251)
9842 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9846 @node Article Commands
9847 @section Article Commands
9854 @kindex A P (Summary)
9855 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9856 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9857 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9858 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9859 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9860 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9865 @node Summary Sorting
9866 @section Summary Sorting
9867 @cindex summary sorting
9869 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9870 can't really see why you'd want that.
9875 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9876 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9877 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9880 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9881 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9882 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9885 @kindex C-c C-s C-t (Summary)
9886 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient
9887 Sort by recipient (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-recipient}).
9890 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9891 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9892 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9895 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9896 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9897 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9900 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9901 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9902 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9905 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9906 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9907 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9910 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9911 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9912 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9915 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9916 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9917 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9920 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9921 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9922 Sort using the default sorting method
9923 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9926 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9927 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9928 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9929 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9930 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9934 @node Finding the Parent
9935 @section Finding the Parent
9936 @cindex parent articles
9937 @cindex referring articles
9942 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9943 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9944 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9945 if the current group is fetched by @acronym{NNTP}, the parent hasn't expired
9946 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9947 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9948 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9949 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9950 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9952 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9953 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9954 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9955 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9956 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9960 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9961 @kindex A R (Summary)
9962 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9963 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9966 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9967 @kindex A T (Summary)
9968 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9969 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9970 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9971 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9972 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9973 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9974 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9976 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9977 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9978 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9979 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9980 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9981 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9984 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9985 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9987 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9988 You can also ask Gnus for an arbitrary article, no matter what group it
9989 belongs to. @kbd{M-^} (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you
9990 for a @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read
9991 thingies that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}.
9992 You have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9994 Gnus looks for the @code{Message-ID} in the headers that have already
9995 been fetched, but also tries all the select methods specified by
9996 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} if it is not found.
9999 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
10000 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
10001 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
10002 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @acronym{NNTP} method. It
10003 would, perhaps, be best if the @acronym{NNTP} server you consult is the one
10004 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
10007 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
10008 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
10009 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
10012 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
10013 then ask Google if that fails:
10016 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
10018 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
10021 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
10022 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
10023 @code{nnbabyl}, @code{nnmaildir}, @code{nnml}, are able to locate
10024 articles from any groups, while @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
10025 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current
10026 group. (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does
10027 not support this at all.
10030 @node Alternative Approaches
10031 @section Alternative Approaches
10033 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
10034 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
10037 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
10038 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
10042 @node Pick and Read
10043 @subsection Pick and Read
10044 @cindex pick and read
10046 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
10047 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
10048 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
10049 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
10051 @findex gnus-pick-mode
10052 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
10053 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
10054 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
10055 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
10056 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
10058 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
10063 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
10064 Pick the article or thread on the current line
10065 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10066 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
10067 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
10068 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
10069 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
10070 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
10073 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
10074 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
10075 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
10076 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
10080 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
10081 Unpick the thread or article
10082 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
10083 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
10084 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
10085 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
10086 the thread or article at that line.
10090 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
10091 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
10092 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
10093 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
10094 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
10095 will still be visible when you are reading.
10099 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
10100 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
10101 which is mapped to the same function
10102 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
10104 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
10107 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
10110 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
10111 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
10113 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
10114 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
10115 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
10117 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
10118 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
10119 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
10120 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
10121 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
10122 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
10123 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
10126 @node Binary Groups
10127 @subsection Binary Groups
10128 @cindex binary groups
10130 @findex gnus-binary-mode
10131 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
10132 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
10133 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
10134 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
10135 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
10136 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
10139 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
10140 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
10141 command, when you have turned on this mode
10142 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
10144 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
10145 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
10149 @section Tree Display
10152 @vindex gnus-use-trees
10153 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
10154 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
10155 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
10156 in the tree buffer.
10158 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
10161 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
10162 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
10163 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
10165 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10166 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
10167 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
10168 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
10169 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
10171 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
10172 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
10173 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
10174 default is @code{modeline}.
10176 @item gnus-tree-line-format
10177 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
10178 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
10179 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
10180 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
10181 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
10182 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
10188 The name of the poster.
10190 The @code{From} header.
10192 The number of the article.
10194 The opening bracket.
10196 The closing bracket.
10201 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
10203 Variables related to the display are:
10206 @item gnus-tree-brackets
10207 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
10208 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
10209 ``sparse'' articles. The format is
10211 ((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
10212 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close})
10213 (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))
10215 and the default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
10217 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10218 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
10219 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
10220 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
10224 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
10225 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
10226 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
10227 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
10228 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
10229 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
10230 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
10231 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
10232 other windows displayed next to it.
10234 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
10238 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
10239 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
10242 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
10243 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
10244 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10245 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
10246 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
10247 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
10248 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
10252 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
10255 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
10265 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
10270 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
10271 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
10273 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
10275 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
10281 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
10282 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
10283 following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
10286 (setq gnus-use-trees t
10287 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
10288 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
10289 (gnus-add-configuration
10293 (summary 0.75 point)
10298 @xref{Window Layout}.
10301 @node Mail Group Commands
10302 @section Mail Group Commands
10303 @cindex mail group commands
10305 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
10306 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
10308 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
10309 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10314 @kindex B e (Summary)
10315 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
10316 @cindex expiring mail
10317 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
10318 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
10319 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
10320 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
10323 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
10324 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
10325 @cindex expiring mail
10326 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
10327 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
10328 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
10329 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
10332 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
10333 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
10334 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
10335 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
10336 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
10337 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
10340 @kindex B m (Summary)
10342 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
10343 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
10344 Move the article from one mail group to another
10345 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10346 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10349 @kindex B c (Summary)
10351 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
10352 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
10353 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
10354 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
10355 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
10358 @kindex B B (Summary)
10359 @cindex crosspost mail
10360 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
10361 Crosspost the current article to some other group
10362 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
10363 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
10364 be properly updated.
10367 @kindex B i (Summary)
10368 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
10369 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
10370 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
10371 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10374 @kindex B I (Summary)
10375 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
10376 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
10377 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
10378 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
10381 @kindex B r (Summary)
10382 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
10383 @vindex gnus-summary-respool-default-method
10384 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
10385 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
10386 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
10387 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
10388 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
10389 (which is the default).
10393 @kindex B w (Summary)
10394 @kindex e (Summary)
10395 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
10396 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
10397 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
10398 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
10399 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
10400 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
10401 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
10404 @kindex B q (Summary)
10405 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
10406 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
10407 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
10408 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
10411 @kindex B t (Summary)
10412 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
10413 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
10414 when respooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
10417 @kindex B p (Summary)
10418 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
10419 Some people have a tendency to send you ``courtesy'' copies when they
10420 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
10421 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
10422 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
10423 article from your news server (or rather, from
10424 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
10425 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
10426 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
10427 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
10428 just not have arrived yet.
10431 @kindex K E (Summary)
10432 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
10433 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
10434 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
10435 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
10436 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
10440 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
10441 @cindex moving articles
10442 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
10443 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
10444 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
10445 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
10446 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
10447 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
10448 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
10451 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
10452 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
10453 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
10454 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
10458 @node Various Summary Stuff
10459 @section Various Summary Stuff
10462 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
10463 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
10464 * Summary Generation Commands::
10465 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
10469 @vindex gnus-summary-display-while-building
10470 @item gnus-summary-display-while-building
10471 If non-@code{nil}, show and update the summary buffer as it's being
10472 built. If @code{t}, update the buffer after every line is inserted.
10473 If the value is an integer, @var{n}, update the display every @var{n}
10474 lines. The default is @code{nil}.
10476 @vindex gnus-summary-display-arrow
10477 @item gnus-summary-display-arrow
10478 If non-@code{nil}, display an arrow in the fringe to indicate the
10481 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
10482 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
10483 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
10485 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
10486 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
10487 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
10488 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
10489 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
10490 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
10493 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10494 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
10495 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
10496 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
10497 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
10499 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10500 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
10501 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
10504 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10505 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
10506 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
10507 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
10508 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
10509 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
10510 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
10511 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
10512 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
10513 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
10515 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10516 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
10517 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
10518 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
10519 list of articles to be selected.
10521 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
10522 the list in one particular group:
10525 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
10526 (if (string= group "some.group")
10527 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
10531 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
10532 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
10533 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
10534 variables and their default expressions to be evalled (when the default
10535 values are not @code{nil}), that should be made global while the summary
10538 Note: The default expressions will be evaluated (using function
10539 @code{eval}) before assignment to the local variable rather than just
10540 assigned to it. If the default expression is the symbol @code{global},
10541 that symbol will not be evaluated but the global value of the local
10542 variable will be used instead.
10544 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
10545 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
10546 buffers. For example:
10549 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
10550 '(message-use-followup-to
10551 (gnus-visible-headers .
10552 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
10555 Also @pxref{Group Parameters}.
10559 @node Summary Group Information
10560 @subsection Summary Group Information
10565 @kindex H f (Summary)
10566 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
10567 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
10568 Try to fetch the @acronym{FAQ} (list of frequently asked questions)
10569 for the current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try
10570 to get the @acronym{FAQ} from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which
10571 is usually a directory on a remote machine. This variable can also be
10572 a list of directories. In that case, giving a prefix to this command
10573 will allow you to choose between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp}
10574 or @code{efs} will probably be used for fetching the file.
10577 @kindex H d (Summary)
10578 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
10579 Give a brief description of the current group
10580 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
10581 rereading the description from the server.
10584 @kindex H h (Summary)
10585 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
10586 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
10587 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
10590 @kindex H i (Summary)
10591 @findex gnus-info-find-node
10592 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
10596 @node Searching for Articles
10597 @subsection Searching for Articles
10602 @kindex M-s (Summary)
10603 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
10604 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
10605 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
10608 @kindex M-r (Summary)
10609 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
10610 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
10611 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
10614 @kindex M-S (Summary)
10615 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward
10616 Repeat the previous search forwards
10617 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-forward}).
10620 @kindex M-R (Summary)
10621 @findex gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward
10622 Repeat the previous search backwards
10623 (@code{gnus-summary-repeat-search-article-backward}).
10626 @kindex & (Summary)
10627 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
10628 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
10629 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
10630 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
10631 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
10632 search backward instead.
10634 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string RET #} will put the process mark on
10635 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
10638 @kindex M-& (Summary)
10639 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
10640 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
10641 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
10644 @node Summary Generation Commands
10645 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
10650 @kindex Y g (Summary)
10651 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
10652 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
10655 @kindex Y c (Summary)
10656 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
10657 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10658 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
10661 @kindex Y d (Summary)
10662 @findex gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles
10663 Pull all dormant articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10664 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-dormant-articles}).
10667 @kindex Y t (Summary)
10668 @findex gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles
10669 Pull all ticked articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
10670 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-ticked-articles}).
10675 @node Really Various Summary Commands
10676 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
10682 @kindex C-d (Summary)
10683 @kindex A D (Summary)
10684 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
10685 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
10686 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
10687 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
10688 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
10689 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
10690 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
10691 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
10694 @vindex gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit
10695 The variable @code{gnus-auto-select-on-ephemeral-exit} controls what
10696 article should be selected after exiting a digest group. Valid values
10701 Select the next article.
10704 Select the next unread article.
10706 @item next-noselect
10707 Move the cursor to the next article. This is the default.
10709 @item next-unread-noselect
10710 Move the cursor to the next unread article.
10713 If it has any other value or there is no next (unread) article, the
10714 article selected before entering to the digest group will appear.
10717 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
10718 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
10719 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
10720 several documents into one biiig group
10721 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
10722 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
10723 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
10724 command understands the process/prefix convention
10725 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
10728 @kindex C-t (Summary)
10729 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
10730 Toggle truncation of summary lines
10731 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
10732 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
10733 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
10736 @kindex = (Summary)
10737 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
10738 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
10739 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
10742 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
10743 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
10744 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10745 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
10748 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
10749 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
10750 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
10751 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
10756 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
10757 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
10758 @cindex summary exit
10759 @cindex exiting groups
10761 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
10762 group and return you to the group buffer.
10769 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
10770 @kindex Z Q (Summary)
10771 @kindex q (Summary)
10772 @findex gnus-summary-exit
10773 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
10774 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
10775 @vindex gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook
10776 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
10777 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
10778 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
10779 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
10780 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
10781 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
10782 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
10783 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
10787 @kindex Z E (Summary)
10788 @kindex Q (Summary)
10789 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
10790 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
10791 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
10795 @kindex Z c (Summary)
10796 @kindex c (Summary)
10797 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
10798 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
10799 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
10800 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
10803 @kindex Z C (Summary)
10804 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
10805 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
10806 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
10809 @kindex Z n (Summary)
10810 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
10811 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
10812 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
10815 @kindex Z p (Summary)
10816 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group
10817 Mark all articles as read and go to the previous group
10818 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-prev-group}).
10822 @kindex Z R (Summary)
10823 @kindex C-x C-s (Summary)
10824 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
10825 Exit this group, and then enter it again
10826 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
10827 all articles, both read and unread.
10831 @kindex Z G (Summary)
10832 @kindex M-g (Summary)
10833 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
10834 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
10835 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
10836 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
10837 articles, both read and unread.
10840 @kindex Z N (Summary)
10841 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
10842 Exit the group and go to the next group
10843 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10846 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10847 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10848 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10849 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10852 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10853 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10854 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10855 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10856 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10857 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10860 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10861 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10862 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10863 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10865 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10866 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10867 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10868 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10869 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10870 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10871 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10872 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10873 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10874 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10875 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10876 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10878 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10880 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10881 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10882 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10883 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10884 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10885 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10886 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10887 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10888 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10891 @node Crosspost Handling
10892 @section Crosspost Handling
10896 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10897 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10898 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10899 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10900 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10901 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10904 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10905 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10906 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10907 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10908 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10910 @cindex cross-posting
10912 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
10913 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10914 correctly is if you use an @acronym{NNTP} server that supports @sc{xover}
10915 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10916 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @acronym{NOV} lines. This is
10917 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10918 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10919 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10920 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10921 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10922 the cross reference mechanism.
10924 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10925 @cindex overview.fmt
10926 To check whether your @acronym{NNTP} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10927 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10928 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10929 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10930 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10931 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10934 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10935 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10936 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10941 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10944 @node Duplicate Suppression
10945 @section Duplicate Suppression
10947 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10948 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10949 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10950 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10955 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10956 is evil and not very common.
10959 The @acronym{NNTP} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10960 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10963 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10964 different @acronym{NNTP} servers.
10967 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10970 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10971 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10973 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10974 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10975 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10976 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10977 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10978 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10979 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10982 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10983 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10984 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10985 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10986 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10987 saw the article in.
10990 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10991 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10992 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10994 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10995 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10996 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10997 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10998 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10999 session are suppressed.
11001 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
11002 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
11003 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
11004 suppression list. The default is 10000.
11006 @item gnus-duplicate-file
11007 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
11008 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
11009 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
11012 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
11013 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
11014 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
11015 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
11016 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
11017 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
11018 to you to figure out, I think.
11023 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
11024 The formats that are supported are @acronym{PGP}, @acronym{PGP/MIME}
11025 and @acronym{S/MIME}, however you need some external programs to get
11030 To handle @acronym{PGP} and @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages, you have to
11031 install an OpenPGP implementation such as GnuPG. The Lisp interface
11032 to GnuPG included with Gnus is called PGG (@pxref{Top, ,PGG, pgg, PGG
11033 Manual}), but Mailcrypt and gpg.el are also supported.
11036 To handle @acronym{S/MIME} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
11037 or newer is recommended.
11041 The variables that control security functionality on reading messages
11045 @item mm-verify-option
11046 @vindex mm-verify-option
11047 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
11048 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
11049 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11051 @item mm-decrypt-option
11052 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
11053 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
11054 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
11055 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
11058 @vindex mml1991-use
11059 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11060 @acronym{PGP} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
11061 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
11065 @vindex mml2015-use
11066 Symbol indicating elisp interface to OpenPGP implementation for
11067 @acronym{PGP/MIME} messages. The default is @code{pgg}, but
11068 @code{mailcrypt} and @code{gpg} are also supported although
11073 By default the buttons that display security information are not
11074 shown, because they clutter reading the actual e-mail. You can type
11075 @kbd{K b} manually to display the information. Use the
11076 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types} and
11077 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} variables to control this
11078 permanently. @ref{MIME Commands} for further details, and hints on
11079 how to customize these variables to always display security
11082 @cindex snarfing keys
11083 @cindex importing PGP keys
11084 @cindex PGP key ring import
11085 Snarfing OpenPGP keys (i.e., importing keys from articles into your
11086 key ring) is not supported explicitly through a menu item or command,
11087 rather Gnus do detect and label keys as @samp{application/pgp-keys},
11088 allowing you to specify whatever action you think is appropriate
11089 through the usual @acronym{MIME} infrastructure. You can use a
11090 @file{~/.mailcap} entry (@pxref{mailcap, , mailcap, emacs-mime, The
11091 Emacs MIME Manual}) such as the following to import keys using GNU
11092 Privacy Guard when you click on the @acronym{MIME} button
11093 (@pxref{Using MIME}).
11096 application/pgp-keys; gpg --import --interactive --verbose; needsterminal
11099 This happens to also be the default action defined in
11100 @code{mailcap-mime-data}.
11102 More information on how to set things for sending outgoing signed and
11103 encrypted messages up can be found in the message manual
11104 (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
11107 @section Mailing List
11108 @cindex mailing list
11111 @kindex A M (summary)
11112 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
11113 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
11114 add a @code{to-list} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
11115 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
11118 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
11123 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
11124 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
11125 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
11128 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
11129 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
11130 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
11133 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
11134 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
11135 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
11139 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
11140 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
11141 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
11144 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
11145 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
11146 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
11149 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
11150 @findex gnus-mailing-list-archive
11151 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
11156 @node Article Buffer
11157 @chapter Article Buffer
11158 @cindex article buffer
11160 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
11161 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
11162 tell Gnus otherwise.
11165 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
11166 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @acronym{MIME} before reading them.
11167 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
11168 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
11169 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
11173 @node Hiding Headers
11174 @section Hiding Headers
11175 @cindex hiding headers
11176 @cindex deleting headers
11178 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
11179 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
11181 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
11182 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
11183 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
11184 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
11185 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
11186 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
11187 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseam---and you'll probably want to get rid
11188 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
11189 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
11191 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
11195 @item gnus-visible-headers
11196 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
11197 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
11198 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
11199 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
11201 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
11202 the article and the subject, you'd say:
11205 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
11208 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11211 @item gnus-ignored-headers
11212 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
11213 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
11214 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
11215 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
11216 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
11218 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
11219 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
11222 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
11225 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
11228 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
11229 variable will have no effect.
11233 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
11234 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
11235 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
11236 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
11237 the headers are to be displayed.
11239 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
11240 and then the subject, you might say something like:
11243 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
11246 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
11247 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
11249 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
11250 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
11251 You can hide further boring headers by setting
11252 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
11253 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
11254 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead it
11255 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
11258 These conditions are:
11261 Remove all empty headers.
11263 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
11264 @code{Newsgroups} header.
11266 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same addresses as
11267 the @code{From} header, or if the @code{broken-reply-to} group
11270 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
11273 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11274 the current group's @code{to-address} parameter.
11276 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
11277 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11279 Remove the @code{Cc} header if it only contains the address identical to
11280 the current group's @code{to-list} parameter.
11282 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
11285 Remove the @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} header if it is very long.
11287 Remove all @code{To} and/or @code{Cc} headers if there are more than one.
11290 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
11293 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
11294 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
11297 This is also the default value for this variable.
11301 @section Using MIME
11302 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11304 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
11305 while people stand around yawning.
11307 @acronym{MIME}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
11308 while all newsreaders die of fear.
11310 @acronym{MIME} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
11311 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
11312 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
11314 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
11315 @findex gnus-display-mime
11316 Gnus pushes @acronym{MIME} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
11317 to display the @acronym{MIME} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
11318 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
11319 display, save and manipulate the @acronym{MIME} objects.
11321 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
11322 @acronym{MIME} button:
11325 @findex gnus-article-press-button
11326 @item RET (Article)
11327 @kindex RET (Article)
11328 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
11329 Toggle displaying of the @acronym{MIME} object
11330 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If built-in viewers can not display
11331 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
11332 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
11333 object is displayed inline.
11335 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
11336 @item M-RET (Article)
11337 @kindex M-RET (Article)
11339 Prompt for a method, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11340 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
11342 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
11344 @kindex t (Article)
11345 View the @acronym{MIME} object as if it were a different @acronym{MIME} media type
11346 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
11348 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
11350 @kindex C (Article)
11351 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @acronym{MIME} object using this
11352 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
11354 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
11356 @kindex o (Article)
11357 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @acronym{MIME} object
11358 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
11360 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
11361 @item C-o (Article)
11362 @kindex C-o (Article)
11363 Prompt for a file name, then save the @acronym{MIME} object and strip it from
11364 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
11365 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
11366 like. The stripped @acronym{MIME} object will be referred via the
11367 message/external-body @acronym{MIME} type.
11368 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
11370 @findex gnus-mime-replace-part
11372 @kindex r (Article)
11373 Prompt for a file name, replace the @acronym{MIME} object with an
11374 external body refering to the file via the message/external-body
11375 @acronym{MIME} type. (@code{gnus-mime-replace-part}).
11377 @findex gnus-mime-delete-part
11379 @kindex d (Article)
11380 Delete the @acronym{MIME} object from the article and replace it with some
11381 information about the removed @acronym{MIME} object
11382 (@code{gnus-mime-delete-part}).
11384 @c FIXME: gnus-auto-select-part should be documented here
11386 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
11388 @kindex c (Article)
11389 Copy the @acronym{MIME} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
11390 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}). If given a prefix, copy the raw contents
11391 without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual
11392 charset stuff (see @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in
11393 @ref{Paging the Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and
11394 @file{.bz2} are automatically decompressed if
11395 @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled (@pxref{Compressed Files,,
11396 Accessing Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11398 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
11400 @kindex p (Article)
11401 Print the @acronym{MIME} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
11402 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
11403 @file{.mailcap} file.
11405 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
11407 @kindex i (Article)
11408 Insert the contents of the @acronym{MIME} object into the buffer
11409 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
11410 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
11411 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
11412 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @ref{Paging the
11413 Article}). Compressed files like @file{.gz} and @file{.bz2} are
11414 automatically decompressed depending on @code{jka-compr} regardless of
11415 @code{auto-compression-mode} (@pxref{Compressed Files,, Accessing
11416 Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Editor}).
11418 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
11420 @kindex E (Article)
11421 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
11422 viewer is available, use an external viewer
11423 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
11425 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
11427 @kindex e (Article)
11428 View the @acronym{MIME} object with an external viewer.
11429 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
11431 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
11433 @kindex | (Article)
11434 Output the @acronym{MIME} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
11436 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
11438 @kindex . (Article)
11439 Interactively run an action on the @acronym{MIME} object
11440 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
11444 Gnus will display some @acronym{MIME} objects automatically. The way Gnus
11445 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
11446 @acronym{MIME} manual.
11448 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
11449 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
11450 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @acronym{MIME} has
11451 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
11452 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
11453 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
11454 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
11455 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
11456 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
11458 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
11460 Also @pxref{MIME Commands}.
11463 @node Customizing Articles
11464 @section Customizing Articles
11465 @cindex article customization
11467 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
11468 exist. You can call these functions interactively
11469 (@pxref{Article Washing}), or you can have them
11470 called automatically when you select the articles.
11472 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
11473 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
11474 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
11475 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
11477 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
11478 for sensible values.
11482 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
11485 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
11488 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
11491 @code{first}: Do this treatment on the first body part.
11494 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last body part.
11497 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
11501 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
11502 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
11503 regexps in the list.
11506 A list where the first element is not a string:
11508 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
11509 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
11510 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
11514 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
11519 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
11520 to the fact that some messages are @acronym{MIME} multipart articles that may
11521 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
11522 considered to contain just a single part.
11524 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
11525 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
11526 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
11527 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
11528 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
11529 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
11530 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
11533 @c Avoid sort of redundant entries in the same section for the printed
11534 @c manual, but add them in info to allow `i gnus-treat-foo-bar RET' or
11536 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize
11537 @vindex gnus-treat-buttonize-head
11538 @vindex gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences
11539 @vindex gnus-treat-overstrike
11540 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-cr
11541 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body
11542 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines
11543 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines
11544 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-pem
11545 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines
11546 @vindex gnus-treat-unsplit-urls
11547 @vindex gnus-treat-wash-html
11548 @vindex gnus-treat-date-english
11549 @vindex gnus-treat-date-iso8601
11550 @vindex gnus-treat-date-lapsed
11551 @vindex gnus-treat-date-local
11552 @vindex gnus-treat-date-original
11553 @vindex gnus-treat-date-user-defined
11554 @vindex gnus-treat-date-ut
11555 @vindex gnus-treat-from-picon
11556 @vindex gnus-treat-mail-picon
11557 @vindex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
11558 @vindex gnus-treat-display-smileys
11559 @vindex gnus-treat-body-boundary
11560 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
11561 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
11562 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
11563 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
11564 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
11565 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
11566 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
11567 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
11568 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
11569 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
11570 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
11571 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
11572 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
11573 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
11574 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
11575 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
11576 @vindex gnus-treat-translate
11577 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
11578 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
11579 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
11580 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
11581 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
11584 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
11585 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
11586 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
11587 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
11590 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
11591 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
11593 @xref{Article Buttons}.
11595 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
11596 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
11597 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
11598 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
11599 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, first, integer)
11600 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
11601 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
11602 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
11603 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
11604 @item gnus-treat-wash-html (t, integer)
11606 @xref{Article Washing}.
11608 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
11609 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
11610 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
11611 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
11612 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
11613 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
11614 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
11616 @xref{Article Date}.
11618 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
11619 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
11620 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
11624 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
11626 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
11628 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
11629 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
11630 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
11634 @vindex gnus-treat-display-x-face
11635 @item gnus-treat-display-x-face (head)
11639 @vindex gnus-treat-display-face
11640 @item gnus-treat-display-face (head)
11644 @vindex gnus-treat-emphasize
11645 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
11646 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-article
11647 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
11648 @vindex gnus-treat-fill-long-lines
11649 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
11650 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers
11651 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
11652 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation
11653 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
11654 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe
11655 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
11656 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-headers
11657 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
11658 @vindex gnus-treat-hide-signature
11659 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
11660 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-banner
11661 @item gnus-treat-strip-banner (t, last)
11662 @vindex gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers
11663 @item gnus-treat-strip-list-identifiers (head)
11665 @xref{Article Hiding}.
11667 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-citation
11668 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
11669 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-headers
11670 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
11671 @vindex gnus-treat-highlight-signature
11672 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
11674 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
11676 @vindex gnus-treat-play-sounds
11677 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
11678 @vindex gnus-treat-translate
11679 @item gnus-treat-translate
11680 @item gnus-treat-ansi-sequences (t)
11681 @vindex gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig
11682 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
11684 @vindex gnus-treat-unfold-headers
11685 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
11686 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-headers
11687 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
11688 @vindex gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups
11689 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
11690 @vindex gnus-treat-leading-whitespace
11691 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
11693 @xref{Article Header}.
11698 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
11699 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
11700 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
11701 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
11702 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
11706 @node Article Keymap
11707 @section Article Keymap
11709 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
11710 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
11711 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
11712 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
11715 @kindex v (Article)
11716 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Article)
11717 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
11718 command or better use it as a prefix key.
11720 A few additional keystrokes are available:
11725 @kindex SPACE (Article)
11726 @findex gnus-article-next-page
11727 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
11728 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h SPACE h}.
11731 @kindex DEL (Article)
11732 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
11733 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
11734 This is exactly the same as @kbd{h DEL h}.
11737 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
11738 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
11739 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
11740 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
11741 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
11744 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
11745 @findex gnus-article-mail
11746 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
11747 given a prefix, include the mail.
11750 @kindex s (Article)
11751 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
11752 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
11753 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
11756 @kindex ? (Article)
11757 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
11758 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
11759 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
11762 @kindex TAB (Article)
11763 @findex gnus-article-next-button
11764 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
11765 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
11768 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
11769 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
11770 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
11773 @kindex R (Article)
11774 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
11775 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
11776 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
11777 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11781 @kindex F (Article)
11782 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
11783 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
11784 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
11785 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
11793 @section Misc Article
11797 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
11798 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
11799 @cindex article buffers, several
11800 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
11801 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
11804 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
11805 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
11806 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
11807 Hook used to decode @acronym{MIME} articles. The default value is
11808 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
11810 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
11811 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
11812 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
11813 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
11814 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
11815 the contents of the article buffer.
11817 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
11818 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
11819 Hook called in article mode buffers.
11821 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11822 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
11823 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
11824 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
11826 @vindex gnus-article-over-scroll
11827 @item gnus-article-over-scroll
11828 If non-@code{nil}, allow scrolling the article buffer even when there
11829 no more new text to scroll in. The default is @code{nil}.
11831 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
11832 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
11833 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
11834 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Summary Buffer Mode
11835 Line}). It accepts the same format specifications as that variable,
11836 with two extensions:
11841 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
11842 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
11843 performed. The characters and their meaning:
11848 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
11851 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
11854 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
11855 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
11856 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
11859 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
11862 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
11865 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
11870 The number of @acronym{MIME} parts in the article.
11874 @vindex gnus-break-pages
11876 @item gnus-break-pages
11877 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
11878 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
11879 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
11880 paging will not be done.
11882 @item gnus-page-delimiter
11883 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
11884 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
11888 @cindex internationalized domain names
11889 @vindex gnus-use-idna
11890 @item gnus-use-idna
11891 This variable controls whether Gnus performs IDNA decoding of
11892 internationalized domain names inside @samp{From}, @samp{To} and
11893 @samp{Cc} headers. @xref{IDNA, ,IDNA,message, The Message Manual},
11894 for how to compose such messages. This requires
11895 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/libidn/, GNU Libidn}, and this
11896 variable is only enabled if you have installed it.
11901 @node Composing Messages
11902 @chapter Composing Messages
11903 @cindex composing messages
11906 @cindex sending mail
11911 @cindex using s/mime
11912 @cindex using smime
11914 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
11915 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
11916 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
11917 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
11918 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
11919 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
11922 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
11923 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
11924 * POP before SMTP:: You cannot send a mail unless you read a mail.
11925 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
11926 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
11927 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
11928 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
11929 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
11930 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
11933 Also @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
11934 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
11940 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
11943 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
11944 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
11945 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
11946 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
11947 @code{nil} include all headers.
11949 @item gnus-add-to-list
11950 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
11951 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
11952 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
11954 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11955 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
11956 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you for a confirmation when you are
11957 about to reply to news articles by mail. If it is @code{nil}, nothing
11958 interferes in what you want to do. This can also be a function
11959 receiving the group name as the only parameter which should return
11960 non-@code{nil} if a confirmation is needed, or a regular expression
11961 matching group names, where confirmation should be asked for.
11963 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
11964 press @kbd{R} anyway, this variable might be for you.
11966 @item gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11967 @vindex gnus-confirm-treat-mail-like-news
11968 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus also requests confirmation according to
11969 @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} when replying to mail. This is
11970 useful for treating mailing lists like newsgroups.
11975 @node Posting Server
11976 @section Posting Server
11978 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
11979 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
11981 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
11983 It can be quite complicated.
11985 @vindex gnus-post-method
11986 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
11987 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
11988 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
11989 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
11990 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
11991 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
11992 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
11993 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
11994 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
11997 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
12000 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
12001 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
12002 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
12003 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
12005 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
12006 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
12008 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
12009 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
12012 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
12013 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
12015 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
12016 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
12017 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
12018 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
12019 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @acronym{SMTP}
12020 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
12021 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
12022 package correctly. An example:
12025 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
12026 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
12029 To the thing similar to this, there is
12030 @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}. It is useful if your @acronym{ISP}
12031 requires the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication.
12032 @xref{POP before SMTP}.
12034 Other possible choices for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
12035 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
12036 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
12038 @node POP before SMTP
12039 @section POP before SMTP
12040 @cindex pop before smtp
12041 @findex message-smtpmail-send-it
12042 @findex mail-source-touch-pop
12044 Does your @acronym{ISP} require the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP}
12045 authentication? It is whether you need to connect to the @acronym{POP}
12046 mail server within a certain time before sending mails. If so, there is
12047 a convenient way. To do that, put the following lines in your
12048 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
12051 (setq message-send-mail-function 'message-smtpmail-send-it)
12052 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook 'mail-source-touch-pop)
12056 It means to let Gnus connect to the @acronym{POP} mail server in advance
12057 whenever you send a mail. The @code{mail-source-touch-pop} function
12058 does only a @acronym{POP} authentication according to the value of
12059 @code{mail-sources} without fetching mails, just before sending a mail.
12060 Note that you have to use @code{message-smtpmail-send-it} which runs
12061 @code{message-send-mail-hook} rather than @code{smtpmail-send-it} and
12062 set the value of @code{mail-sources} for a @acronym{POP} connection
12063 correctly. @xref{Mail Sources}.
12065 If you have two or more @acronym{POP} mail servers set in
12066 @code{mail-sources}, you may want to specify one of them to
12067 @code{mail-source-primary-source} as the @acronym{POP} mail server to be
12068 used for the @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication. If it
12069 is your primary @acronym{POP} mail server (i.e., you are fetching mails
12070 mainly from that server), you can set it permanently as follows:
12073 (setq mail-source-primary-source
12074 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12075 :password "secret"))
12079 Otherwise, bind it dynamically only when performing the
12080 @acronym{POP}-before-@acronym{SMTP} authentication as follows:
12083 (add-hook 'message-send-mail-hook
12085 (let ((mail-source-primary-source
12086 '(pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12087 :password "secret")))
12088 (mail-source-touch-pop))))
12091 @node Mail and Post
12092 @section Mail and Post
12094 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
12098 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
12099 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
12100 @cindex mailing lists
12102 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
12103 gatewayed to the @acronym{NNTP} server, you can read those groups without
12104 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
12105 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
12106 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
12107 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
12108 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
12109 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
12110 still a pain, though.
12112 @item gnus-user-agent
12113 @vindex gnus-user-agent
12116 This variable controls which information should be exposed in the
12117 User-Agent header. It can be a list of symbols or a string. Valid
12118 symbols are @code{gnus} (show Gnus version) and @code{emacs} (show Emacs
12119 version). In addition to the Emacs version, you can add @code{codename}
12120 (show (S)XEmacs codename) or either @code{config} (show system
12121 configuration) or @code{type} (show system type). If you set it to a
12122 string, be sure to use a valid format, see RFC 2616.
12126 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
12127 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
12128 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
12131 @findex ispell-message
12133 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
12136 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
12137 you're in, you could say something like the following:
12140 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
12144 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
12145 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
12147 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
12150 Modify to suit your needs.
12152 @vindex gnus-message-highlight-citation
12153 If @code{gnus-message-highlight-citation} is t, different levels of
12154 citations are highlighted like in Gnus article buffers also in message
12157 @node Archived Messages
12158 @section Archived Messages
12159 @cindex archived messages
12160 @cindex sent messages
12162 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
12163 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
12164 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
12165 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
12168 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
12169 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
12172 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
12173 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
12174 use to store sent messages. The default is @code{"archive"}, and when
12175 actually being used it is expanded into:
12178 (nnfolder "archive"
12179 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
12180 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
12181 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
12182 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
12186 @vindex gnus-update-message-archive-method
12187 Note: a server like this is saved in the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file first
12188 so that it may be used as a real method of the server which is named
12189 @code{"archive"} (that is, for the case where
12190 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} is set to @code{"archive"}) ever
12191 since. If it once has been saved, it will never be updated by default
12192 even if you change the value of @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12193 afterward. Therefore, the server @code{"archive"} doesn't necessarily
12194 mean the @code{nnfolder} server like this at all times. If you want the
12195 saved method to reflect always the value of
12196 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, set the
12197 @code{gnus-update-message-archive-method} variable to a non-@code{nil}
12198 value. The default value of this variable is @code{nil}.
12201 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
12202 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
12203 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
12204 directory chosen, you could say something like:
12207 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
12208 '(nnfolder "archive"
12209 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
12210 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
12211 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
12214 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
12216 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
12217 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
12218 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
12220 This variable can be used to do the following:
12224 Messages will be saved in that group.
12226 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
12227 message will not be stored in the select method given by
12228 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
12229 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
12230 has the default value shown above. Then setting
12231 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
12232 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
12233 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
12236 @item a list of strings
12237 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
12239 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
12240 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
12243 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
12248 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
12250 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
12253 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
12255 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
12258 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
12260 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12261 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
12262 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
12263 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
12266 More complex stuff:
12268 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12269 '((if (message-news-p)
12274 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
12275 messages in one file per month:
12278 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
12279 '((if (message-news-p)
12281 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
12284 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
12285 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
12287 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
12288 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
12289 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
12290 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
12291 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
12292 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
12293 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
12294 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
12295 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
12296 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
12298 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
12299 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
12300 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
12301 this will disable archiving.
12304 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
12305 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
12306 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
12307 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
12308 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
12311 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
12312 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
12313 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
12316 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
12317 but the latter is the preferred method.
12319 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12320 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
12321 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
12323 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12324 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
12325 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
12326 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
12327 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
12328 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
12329 changed in the future.
12334 @node Posting Styles
12335 @section Posting Styles
12336 @cindex posting styles
12339 All them variables, they make my head swim.
12341 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
12342 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
12343 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
12346 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
12347 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
12348 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
12349 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
12350 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
12355 (signature "Peace and happiness")
12356 (organization "What me?"))
12358 (signature "Death to everybody"))
12359 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
12360 (organization "Emacs is it")))
12363 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
12364 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
12365 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
12366 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
12367 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
12368 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
12369 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
12370 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
12372 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
12373 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
12374 If it is the form @code{(header @var{match} @var{regexp})}, then Gnus
12375 will look in the original article for a header whose name is
12376 @var{match} and compare that @var{regexp}. @var{match} and
12377 @var{regexp} are strings. (The original article is the one you are
12378 replying or following up to. If you are not composing a reply or a
12379 followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
12380 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with
12381 no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
12382 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
12383 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is
12384 said to @dfn{match}.
12386 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
12387 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. In
12388 addition, you can also use the @code{(@var{name} :file @var{value})}
12389 form or the @code{(@var{name} :value @var{value})} form. Where
12390 @code{:file} signifies @var{value} represents a file name and its
12391 contents should be used as the attribute value, @code{:value} signifies
12392 @var{value} does not represent a file name explicitly. The attribute
12393 name can be one of:
12396 @item @code{signature}
12397 @item @code{signature-file}
12398 @item @code{x-face-file}
12399 @item @code{address}, overriding @code{user-mail-address}
12400 @item @code{name}, overriding @code{(user-full-name)}
12404 Note that the @code{signature-file} attribute honors the variable
12405 @code{message-signature-directory}.
12407 The attribute name can also be a string or a symbol. In that case,
12408 this will be used as a header name, and the value will be inserted in
12409 the headers of the article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header
12410 name will be removed. If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form
12411 is evaluated, and the result is thrown away.
12413 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
12414 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
12415 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
12416 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
12417 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
12418 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
12419 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
12420 references chars lines xref extra.
12422 @vindex message-reply-headers
12424 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
12425 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
12426 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
12428 @findex message-mail-p
12429 @findex message-news-p
12431 So here's a new example:
12434 (setq gnus-posting-styles
12436 (signature-file "~/.signature")
12438 (x-face-file "~/.xface")
12439 (x-url (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
12440 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
12442 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
12443 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; @r{A form}
12444 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
12445 (message-news-p ;; @r{A function symbol}
12446 (signature my-news-signature))
12447 (window-system ;; @r{A value symbol}
12448 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
12449 ;; @r{If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.}
12450 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
12451 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
12452 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; @r{A user defined function}
12453 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
12454 (address "user@@bar.foo")
12455 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
12456 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
12458 (From (save-excursion
12459 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
12460 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
12462 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
12465 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
12466 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
12467 if you fill many roles.
12468 You may also use @code{message-alternative-emails} instead.
12469 @xref{Message Headers, ,Message Headers, message, Message Manual}.
12475 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
12476 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
12477 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
12478 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
12479 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
12481 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
12482 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
12483 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
12484 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
12485 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
12489 @vindex nndraft-directory
12490 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
12491 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
12492 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
12493 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
12494 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
12495 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
12497 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
12498 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
12499 unsubscribe it. The special properties of the draft group comes from
12500 a group property (@pxref{Group Parameters}), and if lost the group
12501 behaves like any other group. This means the commands below will not
12502 be available. To restore the special properties of the group, the
12503 simplest way is to kill the group, using @kbd{C-k}, and restart
12504 Gnus. The group is automatically created again with the
12505 correct parameters. The content of the group is not lost.
12507 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
12508 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
12509 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
12510 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
12511 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
12512 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
12513 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
12514 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
12515 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
12516 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
12517 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
12518 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
12519 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
12520 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
12522 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
12523 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
12524 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
12526 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
12527 @kindex D e (Draft)
12528 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
12529 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
12530 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
12532 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
12535 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
12536 @kindex D s (Draft)
12537 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
12538 @kindex D S (Draft)
12539 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
12540 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
12541 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
12542 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
12543 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
12546 @findex gnus-draft-toggle-sending
12547 @kindex D t (Draft)
12548 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
12549 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
12550 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
12553 @node Rejected Articles
12554 @section Rejected Articles
12555 @cindex rejected articles
12557 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
12558 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
12559 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
12560 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
12562 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
12563 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
12564 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
12565 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
12566 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
12568 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
12569 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
12570 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
12572 @node Signing and encrypting
12573 @section Signing and encrypting
12575 @cindex using s/mime
12576 @cindex using smime
12578 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla
12579 @acronym{PGP} format or @acronym{PGP/MIME} or @acronym{S/MIME}. For
12580 decoding such messages, see the @code{mm-verify-option} and
12581 @code{mm-decrypt-option} options (@pxref{Security}).
12583 @vindex gnus-message-replysign
12584 @vindex gnus-message-replyencrypt
12585 @vindex gnus-message-replysignencrypted
12586 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
12587 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
12588 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
12589 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
12590 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
12591 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
12592 automatically encrypted messages.
12594 Instructing @acronym{MML} to perform security operations on a
12595 @acronym{MIME} part is done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for
12596 signing and the @kbd{C-c C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
12601 @kindex C-c C-m s s (Message)
12602 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
12604 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12607 @kindex C-c C-m s o (Message)
12608 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12610 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12613 @kindex C-c C-m s p (Message)
12614 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
12616 Digitally sign current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12619 @kindex C-c C-m c s (Message)
12620 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
12622 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{S/MIME}.
12625 @kindex C-c C-m c o (Message)
12626 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
12628 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP}.
12631 @kindex C-c C-m c p (Message)
12632 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
12634 Digitally encrypt current message using @acronym{PGP/MIME}.
12637 @kindex C-c C-m C-n (Message)
12638 @findex mml-unsecure-message
12639 Remove security related @acronym{MML} tags from message.
12643 @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}, for more information.
12645 @node Select Methods
12646 @chapter Select Methods
12647 @cindex foreign groups
12648 @cindex select methods
12650 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
12651 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
12652 @acronym{NNTP} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
12653 personal mail group.
12655 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
12656 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
12657 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
12658 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
12659 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
12660 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
12662 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
12663 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
12665 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
12668 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @acronym{NNTP} server
12669 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
12670 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
12671 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
12672 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
12674 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
12677 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
12678 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
12679 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
12680 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
12681 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @acronym{IMAP} client.
12682 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
12683 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
12684 * Email Based Diary:: Using mails to manage diary events in Gnus.
12685 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
12689 @node Server Buffer
12690 @section Server Buffer
12692 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
12693 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
12694 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
12695 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
12696 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
12697 back end represents a virtual server.
12699 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
12700 different actual @acronym{NNTP} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
12701 on the same actual @acronym{NNTP} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
12702 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
12704 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
12705 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
12706 @acronym{NNTP} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
12707 hangs if queried for @acronym{NOV} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
12708 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
12709 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
12710 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
12712 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
12713 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
12716 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
12717 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
12718 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
12719 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
12720 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
12721 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
12722 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
12725 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
12726 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
12729 @node Server Buffer Format
12730 @subsection Server Buffer Format
12731 @cindex server buffer format
12733 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
12734 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
12735 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
12736 variable, with some simple extensions:
12741 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
12744 The name of this server.
12747 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
12750 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
12753 Whether this server is agentized.
12756 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
12757 The mode line can also be customized by using the
12758 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
12759 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
12769 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
12772 @node Server Commands
12773 @subsection Server Commands
12774 @cindex server commands
12780 @cindex keys, reserved for users (Server)
12781 The key @kbd{v} is reserved for users. You can bind it to some
12782 command or better use it as a prefix key.
12786 @findex gnus-server-add-server
12787 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
12791 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
12792 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
12795 @kindex SPACE (Server)
12796 @findex gnus-server-read-server
12797 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
12801 @findex gnus-server-exit
12802 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
12806 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
12807 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
12811 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
12812 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
12816 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
12817 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
12821 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
12822 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
12826 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
12827 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
12828 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
12833 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
12834 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
12835 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
12836 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
12840 @findex gnus-server-compact-server
12842 Compact all groups in the server under point
12843 (@code{gnus-server-compact-server}). Currently implemented only in
12844 nnml (@pxref{Mail Spool}). This removes gaps between article numbers,
12845 hence getting a correct total article count.
12850 @node Example Methods
12851 @subsection Example Methods
12853 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
12856 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
12859 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
12865 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
12866 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
12869 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
12870 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
12872 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
12873 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
12877 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
12880 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
12881 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
12883 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
12884 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
12885 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
12889 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
12892 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
12895 Here's the method for a public spool:
12899 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
12900 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
12906 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @acronym{NNTP}
12907 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
12908 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
12909 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
12910 should probably look something like this:
12914 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
12915 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
12916 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
12917 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12920 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
12921 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
12922 configuration to the example above:
12925 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12928 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}. Here's an example for
12929 an indirect connection:
12931 (setq gnus-select-method
12933 (nntp-address "news.server.example")
12934 (nntp-via-user-name "intermediate_user_name")
12935 (nntp-via-address "intermediate.host.example")
12936 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
12937 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
12938 (nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches ("-C" "-t" "-e" "none"))
12939 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)))
12942 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
12943 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
12944 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
12948 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12949 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
12950 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
12951 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
12954 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
12955 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
12956 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
12957 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
12960 @node Creating a Virtual Server
12961 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
12963 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
12964 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
12966 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
12967 would probably be best to use @code{nnml} to read the cache. You
12968 could also use @code{nnspool} or @code{nnmh}, though.
12970 Type @kbd{a nnml RET cache RET}.
12972 You should now have a brand new @code{nnml} virtual server called
12973 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
12974 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
12975 will contain the following:
12985 (nnml-directory "~/News/cache/")
12986 (nnml-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
12989 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
12990 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
12991 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
12994 @node Server Variables
12995 @subsection Server Variables
12996 @cindex server variables
12997 @cindex server parameters
12999 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
13000 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
13001 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
13002 change the ``base'' variable after the variables have been loaded, you
13003 won't change the ``derived'' variables.
13005 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
13006 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
13007 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
13008 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
13009 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
13010 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
13011 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
13012 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
13013 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
13017 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
13018 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
13019 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
13022 Server variables are often called @dfn{server parameters}.
13024 @node Servers and Methods
13025 @subsection Servers and Methods
13027 Wherever you would normally use a select method
13028 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
13029 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
13030 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
13034 @node Unavailable Servers
13035 @subsection Unavailable Servers
13037 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
13038 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
13039 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
13040 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
13041 actually the case or not.
13043 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
13044 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
13045 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
13046 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
13047 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
13048 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
13049 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
13050 it will regard that server as ``down''.
13052 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
13053 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
13055 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
13056 with the following commands:
13062 @findex gnus-server-open-server
13063 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
13064 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
13068 @findex gnus-server-close-server
13069 Close the connection (if any) to the server
13070 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
13074 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
13075 Mark the current server as unreachable
13076 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
13079 @kindex M-o (Server)
13080 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
13081 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
13082 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
13085 @kindex M-c (Server)
13086 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
13087 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
13088 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
13092 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
13093 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
13094 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
13098 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
13099 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
13105 @section Getting News
13106 @cindex reading news
13107 @cindex news back ends
13109 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
13110 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @acronym{NNTP} server,
13111 or it can read from a local spool.
13114 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13115 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
13123 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @acronym{NNTP} server is rather easy.
13124 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @acronym{NNTP}
13125 server as the, uhm, address.
13127 If the @acronym{NNTP} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
13128 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
13129 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
13130 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13132 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
13133 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
13134 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
13136 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
13141 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
13142 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
13143 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
13145 @cindex authentication
13146 @cindex nntp authentication
13147 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13148 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
13149 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
13150 commands to the @acronym{NNTP} server after it has been contacted. By
13151 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
13152 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
13153 present in this hook.
13155 @item nntp-authinfo-function
13156 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
13157 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
13158 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
13159 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @acronym{NNTP}
13160 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
13161 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
13162 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
13163 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
13164 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
13165 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
13166 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
13170 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
13173 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
13175 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
13176 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
13177 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
13178 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
13179 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
13180 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
13181 @samp{force} is explained below.
13185 Here's an example file:
13188 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
13189 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
13192 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
13193 have to be first, for instance.
13195 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
13196 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
13197 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
13198 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
13199 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
13200 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
13201 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
13203 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
13204 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
13210 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
13211 previously mentioned.
13213 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
13215 @item nntp-server-action-alist
13216 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
13217 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
13218 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
13219 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
13222 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
13223 '(("innd" (ding))))
13226 You probably don't want to do that, though.
13228 The default value is
13231 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
13232 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
13233 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
13236 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
13237 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
13239 @item nntp-maximum-request
13240 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
13241 If the @acronym{NNTP} server doesn't support @acronym{NOV} headers, this back end
13242 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
13243 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
13244 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
13245 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
13246 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
13248 @item nntp-connection-timeout
13249 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
13250 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
13251 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @acronym{NNTP} servers not
13252 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
13253 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
13254 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
13255 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
13256 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
13257 no timeouts are done.
13259 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
13260 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
13261 If the @acronym{NNTP} server does not support @acronym{NOV}, you could set this
13262 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @acronym{NOV}
13265 @item nntp-xover-commands
13266 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
13267 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
13269 List of strings used as commands to fetch @acronym{NOV} lines from a
13270 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
13274 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
13275 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @acronym{NOV} lines to
13276 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
13277 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
13278 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @acronym{NOV}
13279 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
13280 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
13281 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
13282 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
13283 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
13284 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
13286 @item nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13287 @vindex nntp-xref-number-is-evil
13288 When Gnus refers to an article having the @code{Message-ID} that a user
13289 specifies or having the @code{Message-ID} of the parent article of the
13290 current one (@pxref{Finding the Parent}), Gnus sends a @code{HEAD}
13291 command to the @acronym{NNTP} server to know where it is, and the server
13292 returns the data containing the pairs of a group and an article number
13293 in the @code{Xref} header. Gnus normally uses the article number to
13294 refer to the article if the data shows that that article is in the
13295 current group, while it uses the @code{Message-ID} otherwise. However,
13296 some news servers, e.g., ones running Diablo, run multiple engines
13297 having the same articles but article numbers are not kept synchronized
13298 between them. In that case, the article number that appears in the
13299 @code{Xref} header varies by which engine is chosen, so you cannot refer
13300 to the parent article that is in the current group, for instance. If
13301 you connect to such a server, set this variable to a non-@code{nil}
13302 value, and Gnus never uses article numbers. For example:
13305 (setq gnus-select-method
13307 (nntp-address "newszilla.example.com")
13308 (nntp-xref-number-is-evil t)
13312 The default value of this server variable is @code{nil}.
13314 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
13315 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
13316 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @acronym{NNTP} server.
13318 @item nntp-record-commands
13319 @vindex nntp-record-commands
13320 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
13321 @acronym{NNTP} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
13322 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@acronym{NNTP} connection
13323 that doesn't seem to work.
13325 @item nntp-open-connection-function
13326 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
13327 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
13328 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
13329 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
13330 Seven pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped
13331 in two categories: direct connection functions (four pre-made), and
13332 indirect ones (three pre-made).
13334 @item nntp-never-echoes-commands
13335 @vindex nntp-never-echoes-commands
13336 Non-@code{nil} means the nntp server never echoes commands. It is
13337 reported that some nntps server doesn't echo commands. So, you may want
13338 to set this to non-@code{nil} in the method for such a server setting
13339 @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream} for
13340 example. The default value is @code{nil}. Note that the
13341 @code{nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands} variable
13342 overrides the @code{nil} value of this variable.
13344 @item nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13345 @vindex nntp-open-connection-functions-never-echo-commands
13346 List of functions that never echo commands. Add or set a function which
13347 you set to @code{nntp-open-connection-function} to this list if it does
13348 not echo commands. Note that a non-@code{nil} value of the
13349 @code{nntp-never-echoes-commands} variable overrides this variable. The
13350 default value is @code{(nntp-open-network-stream)}.
13352 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
13353 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
13354 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
13355 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
13356 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
13357 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
13358 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
13361 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
13364 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
13365 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
13370 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
13371 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
13372 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
13373 * NNTP marks:: Storing marks for @acronym{NNTP} servers.
13377 @node Direct Functions
13378 @subsubsection Direct Functions
13379 @cindex direct connection functions
13381 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
13382 between your machine and the @acronym{NNTP} server. The behavior of these
13383 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
13384 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13387 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
13388 @item nntp-open-network-stream
13389 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
13392 @findex nntp-open-tls-stream
13393 @item nntp-open-tls-stream
13394 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13395 this you must have @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/, GNUTLS}
13396 installed. You then define a server as follows:
13399 ;; @r{"nntps" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13400 ;; @r{however, @samp{gnutls-cli -p} doesn't like named ports.}
13402 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13403 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-tls-stream)
13404 (nntp-port-number )
13405 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13408 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
13409 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
13410 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
13411 this you must have @uref{http://www.openssl.org, OpenSSL} or
13412 @uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL, SSLeay} installed. You
13413 then define a server as follows:
13416 ;; @r{"snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our @file{/etc/services}}
13417 ;; @r{however, @samp{openssl s_client -port} doesn't like named ports.}
13419 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
13420 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
13421 (nntp-port-number 563)
13422 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
13425 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
13426 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
13427 Opens a connection to an @acronym{NNTP} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
13428 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
13429 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
13430 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
13431 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
13432 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
13436 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
13437 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
13438 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
13441 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
13442 session, which is not a good idea.
13446 @node Indirect Functions
13447 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
13448 @cindex indirect connection functions
13450 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
13451 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13452 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
13453 the ``via'' family of connection: they're all prefixed with ``via'' to make
13454 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
13455 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13458 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13459 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
13460 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
13461 to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from there. This is useful for instance if
13462 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
13464 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13467 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13468 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13469 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13470 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13472 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13473 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13474 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13475 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
13476 @samp{ssh} for @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}, you may set this to
13477 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
13478 this to @samp{("-t" "-e" "none")} or @samp{("-C" "-t" "-e" "none")} if
13479 the telnet command requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate
13483 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13484 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13486 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13487 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat
13488 Does essentially the same, but uses
13489 @uref{http://netcat.sourceforge.net/, netcat} instead of @samp{telnet}
13490 to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the intermediate host.
13492 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-netcat}-specific variables:
13495 @item nntp-via-netcat-command
13496 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-command
13497 Command used to connect to the real @acronym{NNTP} server from the
13498 intermediate host. The default is @samp{nc}. You can also use other
13499 programs like @uref{http://www.imasy.or.jp/~gotoh/ssh/connect.html,
13502 @item nntp-via-netcat-switches
13503 @vindex nntp-via-netcat-switches
13504 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13505 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @code{nil}.
13507 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
13508 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
13509 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
13510 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
13512 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13513 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
13514 List of strings to be used as the switches to
13515 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}.
13518 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13519 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
13520 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
13521 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
13523 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
13526 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
13527 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
13528 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
13531 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
13532 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
13533 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
13534 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
13536 @item nntp-via-user-password
13537 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
13538 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
13540 @item nntp-via-envuser
13541 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
13542 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
13543 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
13544 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
13546 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
13547 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
13548 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
13549 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
13553 Note that you may want to change the value for @code{nntp-end-of-line}
13554 to @samp{\n} (@pxref{Common Variables}).
13558 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
13563 @item nntp-via-user-name
13564 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
13565 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
13567 @item nntp-via-address
13568 @vindex nntp-via-address
13569 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
13574 @node Common Variables
13575 @subsubsection Common Variables
13577 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
13578 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
13579 affected (the values of the following variables will be used as the
13580 default if each virtual @code{nntp} server doesn't specify those server
13581 variables individually).
13585 @item nntp-pre-command
13586 @vindex nntp-pre-command
13587 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native
13588 connection function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream},
13589 @code{nntp-open-tls-stream}, and @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}). This is
13590 where you would put a @samp{SOCKS} wrapper for instance.
13593 @vindex nntp-address
13594 The address of the @acronym{NNTP} server.
13596 @item nntp-port-number
13597 @vindex nntp-port-number
13598 Port number to connect to the @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13599 @samp{nntp}. If you use @acronym{NNTP} over
13600 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you may want to use integer ports rather
13601 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews} or
13602 @samp{nntps}), because external @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} tools may
13603 not work with named ports.
13605 @item nntp-end-of-line
13606 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
13607 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @acronym{NNTP}
13608 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
13609 using a non native telnet connection function.
13611 @item nntp-telnet-command
13612 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
13613 Command to use when connecting to the @acronym{NNTP} server through
13614 @samp{telnet}. This is @emph{not} for an intermediate host. This is
13615 just for the real @acronym{NNTP} server. The default is
13618 @item nntp-telnet-switches
13619 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
13620 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
13626 @subsubsection NNTP marks
13627 @cindex storing NNTP marks
13629 Gnus stores marks (@pxref{Marking Articles}) for @acronym{NNTP}
13630 servers in marks files. A marks file records what marks you have set
13631 in a group and each file is specific to the corresponding server.
13632 Marks files are stored in @file{~/News/marks}
13633 (@code{nntp-marks-directory}) under a classic hierarchy resembling
13634 that of a news server, for example marks for the group
13635 @samp{gmane.discuss} on the news.gmane.org server will be stored in
13636 the file @file{~/News/marks/news.gmane.org/gmane/discuss/.marks}.
13638 Marks files are useful because you can copy the @file{~/News/marks}
13639 directory (using rsync, scp or whatever) to another Gnus installation,
13640 and it will realize what articles you have read and marked. The data
13641 in @file{~/News/marks} has priority over the same data in
13642 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13644 Note that marks files are very much server-specific: Gnus remembers
13645 the article numbers so if you don't use the same servers on both
13646 installations things are most likely to break (most @acronym{NNTP}
13647 servers do not use the same article numbers as any other server).
13648 However, if you use servers A, B, C on one installation and servers A,
13649 D, E on the other, you can sync the marks files for A and then you'll
13650 get synchronization for that server between the two installations.
13652 Using @acronym{NNTP} marks can possibly incur a performance penalty so
13653 if Gnus feels sluggish, try setting the @code{nntp-marks-is-evil}
13654 variable to @code{t}. Marks will then be stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
13660 @item nntp-marks-is-evil
13661 @vindex nntp-marks-is-evil
13662 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any marks files. The
13663 default is @code{nil}.
13665 @item nntp-marks-directory
13666 @vindex nntp-marks-directory
13667 The directory where marks for nntp groups will be stored.
13673 @subsection News Spool
13677 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
13678 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
13679 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
13682 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
13683 anything else) as the address.
13685 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
13686 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
13687 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
13688 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
13692 @item nnspool-inews-program
13693 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
13694 Program used to post an article.
13696 @item nnspool-inews-switches
13697 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
13698 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
13700 @item nnspool-spool-directory
13701 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
13702 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
13703 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
13705 @item nnspool-nov-directory
13706 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
13707 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @acronym{NOV} files. This is normally@*
13708 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
13710 @item nnspool-lib-dir
13711 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
13712 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
13714 @item nnspool-active-file
13715 @vindex nnspool-active-file
13716 The name of the active file.
13718 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
13719 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
13720 The name of the group descriptions file.
13722 @item nnspool-history-file
13723 @vindex nnspool-history-file
13724 The name of the news history file.
13726 @item nnspool-active-times-file
13727 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
13728 The name of the active date file.
13730 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
13731 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
13732 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @acronym{NOV} files
13735 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13736 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
13738 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
13739 relevant portion from the overview file. If @code{nil},
13740 @code{nnspool} will load the entire file into a buffer and process it
13747 @section Getting Mail
13748 @cindex reading mail
13751 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
13755 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
13756 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
13757 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
13758 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
13759 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
13760 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
13761 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
13762 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
13763 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
13764 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
13765 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
13766 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
13767 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
13771 @node Mail in a Newsreader
13772 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
13774 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
13775 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
13776 of a culture shock.
13778 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
13779 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
13781 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
13782 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
13783 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
13784 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
13786 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
13788 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
13789 deleted? How awful!
13791 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
13792 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
13793 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
13794 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @ref{Expiring
13797 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
13798 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
13799 they want to treat a message.
13801 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
13802 via @acronym{SMTP}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
13803 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
13804 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
13805 archived somewhere else.
13807 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
13808 These are transported via @acronym{NNTP}, and are therefore news. But we may need
13809 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
13810 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
13811 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
13813 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
13814 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
13815 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
13817 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
13818 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
13821 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
13822 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
13823 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
13824 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
13825 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
13827 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
13828 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
13829 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
13830 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
13831 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
13832 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
13836 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
13837 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
13839 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
13840 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
13841 and things will happen automatically.
13843 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a ``one file per
13844 mail'' back end), you could put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
13847 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
13850 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
13851 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
13852 directory, which is @file{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
13853 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
13854 like any other group.
13856 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
13859 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13860 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13861 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13865 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
13866 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
13867 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
13870 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
13871 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
13872 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
13875 @node Splitting Mail
13876 @subsection Splitting Mail
13877 @cindex splitting mail
13878 @cindex mail splitting
13879 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
13881 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
13882 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
13883 to be split into groups.
13886 (setq nnmail-split-methods
13887 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
13888 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
13889 ("mail.other" "")))
13892 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
13893 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
13894 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
13895 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
13896 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
13897 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
13898 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
13901 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
13905 In that case, @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether
13906 the inserted text should be made lowercase. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
13908 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
13909 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
13910 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
13911 mail belongs in that group.
13913 @cindex @samp{bogus} group
13914 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
13915 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{""} so that it matches any mails
13916 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
13917 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first rule
13918 to make a match will ``win'', unless you have crossposting enabled. In
13919 that case, all matching rules will ``win''.) If no rule matched, the mail
13920 will end up in the @samp{bogus} group. When new groups are created by
13921 splitting mail, you may want to run @code{gnus-group-find-new-groups} to
13922 see the new groups. This also applies to the @samp{bogus} group.
13924 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
13925 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
13926 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
13927 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
13928 thinks should carry this mail message.
13930 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
13931 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
13932 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
13933 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
13935 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
13936 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
13937 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
13938 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
13939 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{""}) group.
13941 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
13944 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
13945 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
13946 links. If that's the case for you, set
13947 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
13948 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
13950 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
13951 @findex nnmail-split-history
13952 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
13953 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
13954 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
13955 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
13958 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
13959 Header lines longer than the value of
13960 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
13963 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
13964 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
13965 By default, splitting does not decode headers, so you can not match on
13966 non-@acronym{ASCII} strings. But it is useful if you want to match
13967 articles based on the raw header data. To enable it, set the
13968 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} variable to a non-@code{nil} value.
13969 In addition, the value of the @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
13970 variable is used for decoding non-@acronym{MIME} encoded string when
13971 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} is non-@code{nil}. The default
13972 value is @code{nil} which means not to decode non-@acronym{MIME} encoded
13973 string. A suitable value for you will be @code{undecided} or be the
13974 charset used normally in mails you are interested in.
13976 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
13977 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If you
13978 specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable @code{mail-sources}
13979 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}), however, then splitting does
13980 @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
13981 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-@code{nil} value to make
13982 splitting happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on
13983 other kinds of entries.)
13985 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
13986 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
13987 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
13988 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
13989 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
13990 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
13991 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
13992 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
13993 month's rent money.
13997 @subsection Mail Sources
13999 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from
14000 a @acronym{POP} mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a
14001 maildir, for instance.
14004 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
14005 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
14006 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
14010 @node Mail Source Specifiers
14011 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
14013 @cindex mail server
14016 @cindex mail source
14018 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
14019 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
14024 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
14027 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
14028 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
14029 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
14032 The following mail source types are available:
14036 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
14042 The file name. Defaults to the value of the @env{MAIL}
14043 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
14044 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
14048 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14051 An example file mail source:
14054 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
14057 Or using the default file name:
14063 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best
14064 to use @acronym{POP} or @acronym{IMAP} or the like to fetch the mail.
14065 You can not use ange-ftp file names here---it has no way to lock the
14066 mail spool while moving the mail.
14068 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
14072 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
14075 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
14079 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
14082 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
14084 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
14087 Alter this script to fit the @samp{movemail} and temporary
14088 file you want to use.
14092 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
14093 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used
14094 when you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files.
14095 That is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that
14096 directory and groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool}
14097 will be put in the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix
14098 to be used instead of @code{.spool}.) Setting
14099 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-@code{nil} forces
14100 Gnus to scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful
14101 if you want to scan mail groups at a specified level.
14103 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
14104 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
14105 that to a non-@code{nil} value, then the normal splitting process is
14106 applied to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
14112 The name of the directory where the files are. There is no default
14116 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
14120 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
14121 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
14122 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
14123 predicate are considered.
14127 Script run before/after fetching mail.
14131 An example directory mail source:
14134 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
14139 Get mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14145 The name of the @acronym{POP} server. The default is taken from the
14146 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14149 The port number of the @acronym{POP} server. This can be a number (eg,
14150 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
14151 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
14152 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
14153 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
14156 The user name to give to the @acronym{POP} server. The default is the login
14160 The password to give to the @acronym{POP} server. If not specified,
14161 the user is prompted.
14164 The program to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. This
14165 should be a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
14168 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
14171 The valid format specifier characters are:
14175 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
14176 included in this string.
14179 The name of the server.
14182 The port number of the server.
14185 The user name to use.
14188 The password to use.
14191 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14192 corresponding keywords.
14195 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14196 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14199 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
14200 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
14203 The function to use to fetch mail from the @acronym{POP} server. The
14204 function is called with one parameter---the name of the file where the
14205 mail should be moved to.
14207 @item :authentication
14208 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
14209 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
14214 @vindex pop3-movemail
14215 @vindex pop3-leave-mail-on-server
14216 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
14217 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used. If @code{pop3-leave-mail-on-server}
14218 is non-@code{nil} the mail is to be left on the @acronym{POP} server
14219 after fetching when using @code{pop3-movemail}. Note that POP servers
14220 maintain no state information between sessions, so what the client
14221 believes is there and what is actually there may not match up. If they
14222 do not, then you may get duplicate mails or the whole thing can fall
14223 apart and leave you with a corrupt mailbox.
14225 Here are some examples for getting mail from a @acronym{POP} server.
14226 Fetch from the default @acronym{POP} server, using the default user
14227 name, and default fetcher:
14233 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
14236 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
14237 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
14240 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
14243 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
14247 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
14248 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
14249 contains exactly one mail.
14255 The name of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
14256 taken from the @env{MAILDIR} environment variable or
14259 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
14260 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
14262 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
14263 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
14264 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
14267 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
14268 from locking problems).
14272 Two example maildir mail sources:
14275 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
14276 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
14280 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
14285 Get mail from a @acronym{IMAP} server. If you don't want to use
14286 @acronym{IMAP} as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie
14287 with nnimap), for some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar
14288 to a @acronym{POP} server and fetches articles from a given
14289 @acronym{IMAP} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for more information.
14291 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} and STARTTLS support you
14292 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
14298 The name of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is taken from the
14299 @env{MAILHOST} environment variable.
14302 The port number of the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
14303 @samp{993} for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} connections.
14306 The user name to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. The default is the login
14310 The password to give to the @acronym{IMAP} server. If not specified, the user is
14314 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
14315 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
14316 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{tls},
14317 @samp{ssl}, @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
14319 @item :authentication
14320 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
14321 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
14322 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
14323 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
14326 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
14327 mapped into the @code{imap-shell-program} variable. This should be a
14328 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
14334 The valid format specifier characters are:
14338 The name of the server.
14341 User name from @code{imap-default-user}.
14344 The port number of the server.
14347 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
14348 corresponding keywords.
14351 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
14352 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
14355 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
14356 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
14357 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @acronym{IMAP} client and mark some
14358 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
14359 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
14360 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
14363 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
14364 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
14365 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
14366 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
14369 If non-@code{nil}, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the
14370 mailbox after finishing the fetch.
14374 An example @acronym{IMAP} mail source:
14377 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
14379 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
14383 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{http://www.hotmail.com/},
14384 @uref{http://webmail.netscape.com/}, @uref{http://www.netaddress.com/},
14385 @uref{http://mail.yahoo.com/}.
14387 NOTE: Webmail largely depends on cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
14388 required for url "4.0pre.46".
14390 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
14396 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
14397 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
14400 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
14404 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
14408 If non-@code{nil}, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to
14409 trash folder after finishing the fetch.
14413 An example webmail source:
14416 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
14418 :password "secret")
14423 @item Common Keywords
14424 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
14430 If non-@code{nil}, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you
14431 use directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this
14436 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
14441 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
14442 useful when you use local mail and news.
14447 @subsubsection Function Interface
14449 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
14450 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
14451 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
14452 consider the following mail-source setting:
14455 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
14456 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
14459 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
14460 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
14461 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
14462 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
14463 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
14465 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
14468 @node Mail Source Customization
14469 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
14471 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
14472 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
14476 @item mail-source-crash-box
14477 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
14478 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is@*
14479 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
14481 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
14482 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
14483 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them. If
14484 @code{t}, delete the files immediately, if @code{nil}, never delete any
14485 files. If a positive number, delete files older than number of days
14486 (This will only happen, when receiving new mail). You may also set
14487 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} to @code{nil} and call
14488 @code{mail-source-delete-old-incoming} from a hook or interactively.
14490 @item mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14491 @vindex mail-source-delete-old-incoming-confirm
14492 If non-@code{nil}, ask for confirmation before deleting old incoming
14493 files. This variable only applies when
14494 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is a positive number.
14496 @item mail-source-ignore-errors
14497 @vindex mail-source-ignore-errors
14498 If non-@code{nil}, ignore errors when reading mail from a mail source.
14500 @item mail-source-directory
14501 @vindex mail-source-directory
14502 Directory where incoming mail source files (if any) will be stored. The
14503 default is @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for
14504 is to say where the incoming files will be stored if the variable
14505 @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a number.
14507 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14508 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
14509 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
14510 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
14511 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
14512 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil} or a
14515 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
14516 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
14517 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
14519 @item mail-source-movemail-program
14520 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
14521 If non-@code{nil}, name of program for fetching new mail. If
14522 @code{nil}, @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
14527 @node Fetching Mail
14528 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
14530 @vindex mail-sources
14531 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
14532 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
14533 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
14534 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
14536 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
14537 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
14540 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a
14541 @acronym{POP} mail server, you'd say something like:
14546 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14547 :password "secret")))
14550 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
14554 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
14555 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
14558 :password "secret")))
14562 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
14563 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
14564 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
14565 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
14566 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
14567 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
14571 @node Mail Back End Variables
14572 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
14574 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
14578 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14579 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
14580 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
14581 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
14583 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
14584 @item nnmail-split-hook
14585 @findex gnus-article-decode-encoded-words
14586 @cindex RFC 1522 decoding
14587 @cindex RFC 2047 decoding
14588 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
14589 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
14590 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
14591 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
14592 in the buffer will show up in any files.
14593 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
14596 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14597 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14598 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14599 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14600 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
14601 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
14602 starting to handle the new mail) and
14603 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
14604 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
14605 default file modes the new mail files get:
14608 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
14609 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
14611 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
14612 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
14615 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
14616 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
14617 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
14618 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
14619 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
14620 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
14621 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
14623 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
14624 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
14625 @findex delete-file
14626 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
14628 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14629 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14630 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
14631 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
14632 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
14634 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14635 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
14636 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
14637 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
14638 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
14640 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
14641 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
14642 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
14647 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
14648 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
14649 @cindex mail splitting
14650 @cindex fancy mail splitting
14652 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
14653 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
14654 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
14655 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
14656 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
14657 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
14659 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
14662 ;; @r{Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of}
14663 ;; @r{the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group}
14664 ;; @r{from real errors.}
14665 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
14667 ;; @r{Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant}
14668 ;; @r{groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the}
14669 ;; @r{(ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.}
14670 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
14671 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
14672 ;; @r{Other mailing lists@dots{}}
14673 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
14674 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
14675 ;; @r{Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent}
14676 ;; @r{cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to}
14677 ;; @r{the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the}
14678 ;; @r{message was really cross-posted.}
14679 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
14680 (any "mypackage@@somewhere" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
14681 ;; @r{People@dots{}}
14682 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
14683 ;; @r{Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.}
14687 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a
14688 (possibly) recursive structure where each split may contain other
14689 splits. Here are the possible split syntaxes:
14694 If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group name. Normal
14695 regexp match expansion will be done. See below for examples.
14697 @c Don't fold this line.
14698 @item (@var{field} @var{value} [- @var{restrict} [@dots{}] ] @var{split} [@var{invert-partial}])
14699 The split can be a list containing at least three elements. If the
14700 first element @var{field} (a regexp matching a header) contains
14701 @var{value} (also a regexp) then store the message as specified by
14704 If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp) matches some string after
14705 @var{field} and before the end of the matched @var{value}, the
14706 @var{split} is ignored. If none of the @var{restrict} clauses match,
14707 @var{split} is processed.
14709 The last element @var{invert-partial} is optional. If it is
14710 non-@code{nil}, the match-partial-words behavior controlled by the
14711 variable @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} (see below) is
14712 be inverted. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14714 @item (| @var{split} @dots{})
14715 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{|} (vertical
14716 bar), then process each @var{split} until one of them matches. A
14717 @var{split} is said to match if it will cause the mail message to be
14718 stored in one or more groups.
14720 @item (& @var{split} @dots{})
14721 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{&}, then
14722 process all @var{split}s in the list.
14725 If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save (i.e., delete)
14726 this message. Use with extreme caution.
14728 @item (: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})
14729 If the split is a list, and the first element is @samp{:}, then the
14730 second element will be called as a function with @var{args} given as
14731 arguments. The function should return a @var{split}.
14734 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
14735 body of the messages:
14738 (defun split-on-body ()
14742 (goto-char (point-min))
14743 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
14747 The buffer is narrowed to the message in question when @var{function}
14748 is run. That's why @code{(widen)} needs to be called after
14749 @code{save-excursion} and @code{save-restriction} in the example
14750 above. Also note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will
14751 not be downloaded by default. You need to set
14752 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
14753 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
14755 @item (! @var{func} @var{split})
14756 If the split is a list, and the first element is @code{!}, then
14757 @var{split} will be processed, and @var{func} will be called as a
14758 function with the result of @var{split} as argument. @var{func}
14759 should return a split.
14762 If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
14766 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
14768 Normally, @var{value} in these splits must match a complete @emph{word}
14769 according to the fundamental mode syntax table. In other words, all
14770 @var{value}'s will be implicitly surrounded by @code{\<...\>} markers,
14771 which are word delimiters. Therefore, if you use the following split,
14775 (any "joe" "joemail")
14779 messages sent from @samp{joedavis@@foo.org} will normally not be filed
14780 in @samp{joemail}. If you want to alter this behavior, you can use any
14781 of the following three ways:
14785 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words
14786 You can set the @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} variable
14787 to non-@code{nil} in order to ignore word boundaries and instead the
14788 match becomes more like a grep. This variable controls whether partial
14789 words are matched during fancy splitting. The default value is
14792 Note that it influences all @var{value}'s in your split rules.
14795 @var{value} beginning with @code{.*} ignores word boundaries in front of
14796 a word. Similarly, if @var{value} ends with @code{.*}, word boundaries
14797 in the rear of a word will be ignored. For example, the @var{value}
14798 @code{"@@example\\.com"} does not match @samp{foo@@example.com} but
14799 @code{".*@@example\\.com"} does.
14802 You can set the @var{invert-partial} flag in your split rules of the
14803 @samp{(@var{field} @var{value} @dots{})} types, aforementioned in this
14804 section. If the flag is set, word boundaries on both sides of a word
14805 are ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14806 @code{nil}. Contrarily, if the flag is set, word boundaries are not
14807 ignored even if @code{nnmail-split-fancy-match-partial-words} is
14808 non-@code{nil}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
14811 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
14812 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be Lisp symbols, in that case
14813 they are expanded as specified by the variable
14814 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells,
14815 where the @sc{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @sc{cdr}
14816 contains the associated value. Predefined entries in
14817 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist} include:
14821 Matches the @samp{From}, @samp{Sender} and @samp{Resent-From} fields.
14823 Matches the @samp{To}, @samp{Cc}, @samp{Apparently-To},
14824 @samp{Resent-To} and @samp{Resent-Cc} fields.
14826 Is the union of the @code{from} and @code{to} entries.
14829 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
14830 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
14831 when all this splitting is performed.
14833 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
14834 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
14835 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
14838 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
14841 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
14842 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
14844 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
14845 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
14846 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
14847 groupings 1 through 9.
14849 @vindex nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded
14850 Where @code{nnmail-split-lowercase-expanded} controls whether the
14851 lowercase of the matched string should be used for the substitution.
14852 Setting it as non-@code{nil} is useful to avoid the creation of multiple
14853 groups when users send to an address using different case
14854 (i.e. mailing-list@@domain vs Mailing-List@@Domain). The default value
14857 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
14858 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
14859 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
14860 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
14861 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
14862 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
14863 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
14864 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
14865 it once per thread.
14867 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates}
14868 and @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-@code{nil}
14869 value. And then you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}
14870 using the colon feature, like so:
14872 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; @r{or @code{delete}}
14873 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
14875 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
14876 ;; @r{other splits go here}
14880 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
14881 non-@code{nil}, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees
14882 in the file specified by the variable
14883 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, together with the group it is in
14884 (the group is omitted for non-mail messages). When mail splitting is
14885 invoked, the function @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks
14886 at the References (and In-Reply-To) header of each message to split
14887 and searches the file specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}
14888 for the message ids. When it has found a parent, it returns the
14889 corresponding group name unless the group name matches the regexp
14890 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is
14891 recommended that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a
14892 somewhat higher number than the default so that the message ids are
14893 still in the cache. (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some
14894 300 kBytes in size.)
14895 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
14896 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
14897 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
14898 messages goes into the new group.
14900 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
14901 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
14902 outgoing messages are written to an ``outgoing'' group, you could set
14903 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
14904 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
14905 ``outgoing'' group.
14908 @node Group Mail Splitting
14909 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
14910 @cindex mail splitting
14911 @cindex group mail splitting
14913 @findex gnus-group-split
14914 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
14915 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
14916 You just have to set @code{to-list} and/or @code{to-address} in group
14917 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
14918 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
14919 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
14920 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @code{to-list} or
14921 @code{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
14923 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
14924 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @code{extra-aliases} group
14925 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
14926 rather use a regular expression, set @code{split-regexp}.
14928 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
14929 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
14930 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
14931 @code{to-list}, @code{to-address}, all of @code{extra-aliases} and all
14932 matches of @code{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
14933 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
14934 @code{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
14936 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
14937 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
14938 parameter @code{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
14939 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
14940 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @code{split-spec} may be set to
14941 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
14942 @code{gnus-group-split}.
14944 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
14945 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
14946 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
14947 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
14948 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
14949 some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
14950 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
14951 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
14952 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
14953 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
14954 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
14955 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
14956 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
14958 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
14963 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
14964 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
14966 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
14967 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
14968 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
14969 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
14971 ((split-spec . catch-all))
14974 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
14975 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
14976 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
14979 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
14980 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
14981 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
14985 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
14986 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
14987 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
14991 (: gnus-group-split-fancy @var{groups} @var{no-crosspost} @var{catch-all})
14994 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
14995 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
14996 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
14997 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fall back
14998 fancy split, used like @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
14999 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @code{split-regexp} matches the
15000 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
15001 Otherwise, if some group has @code{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
15002 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
15004 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
15005 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
15006 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
15007 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
15008 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
15009 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
15010 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
15011 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
15012 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
15014 @findex gnus-group-split-update
15015 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
15016 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
15017 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
15018 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
15019 you. For example, add to your @file{~/.gnus.el}:
15022 (gnus-group-split-setup @var{auto-update} @var{catch-all})
15025 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
15026 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
15027 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
15028 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
15029 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
15032 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
15033 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
15034 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
15035 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
15037 @node Incorporating Old Mail
15038 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
15039 @cindex incorporating old mail
15040 @cindex import old mail
15042 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
15043 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
15044 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
15047 Doing so can be quite easy.
15049 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
15050 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
15051 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
15052 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
15053 your @code{nnml} groups.
15059 Go to the group buffer.
15062 Type @kbd{G f} and give the file name to the mbox file when prompted to create an
15063 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
15066 Type @kbd{SPACE} to enter the newly created group.
15069 Type @kbd{M P b} to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
15070 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
15073 Type @kbd{B r} to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
15074 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
15077 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
15078 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
15079 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
15080 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
15081 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
15083 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
15084 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
15085 using the new mail back end.
15088 @node Expiring Mail
15089 @subsection Expiring Mail
15090 @cindex article expiry
15091 @cindex expiring mail
15093 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
15094 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
15095 different approach to mail reading.
15097 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
15098 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
15099 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
15100 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
15101 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
15102 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
15105 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
15106 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default key bindings, this means
15107 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
15108 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
15109 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
15110 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
15111 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
15112 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
15113 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
15115 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
15116 two features, called ``auto-expire'' and ``total-expire'', that can help you
15117 with this. In a nutshell, ``auto-expire'' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
15118 for you when you select an article. And ``total-expire'' means that Gnus
15119 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
15120 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
15121 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
15124 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
15125 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
15126 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
15127 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
15128 into its own group.)
15130 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
15131 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
15132 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
15133 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
15134 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
15135 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
15136 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive
15137 Scoring}). Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
15140 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15141 Groups that match the regular expression
15142 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
15143 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
15144 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
15146 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
15147 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
15148 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
15149 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
15150 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
15152 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
15154 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
15155 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
15156 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
15159 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
15160 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
15161 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
15162 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
15163 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
15165 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
15166 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
15169 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
15170 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
15173 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
15174 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
15176 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
15177 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
15178 don't really mix very well.
15180 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
15181 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
15182 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
15183 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
15186 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
15187 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
15188 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
15189 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
15192 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15194 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15196 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
15198 ((string= group "mail.junk")
15200 ((string= group "important")
15206 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
15207 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
15209 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
15210 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
15211 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
15214 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
15215 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
15217 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
15218 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
15219 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
15220 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
15221 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
15222 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
15223 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
15224 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
15225 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
15226 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
15227 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
15228 from as its parameter) which should return a target---either a group
15229 name or @code{delete}.
15231 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
15233 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
15236 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15237 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15238 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
15239 expire mail to groups according to the variable
15240 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
15243 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
15244 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
15245 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
15246 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
15247 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
15250 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
15251 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
15252 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
15253 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
15254 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
15255 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
15257 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
15258 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
15259 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
15260 easier for procmail users.
15262 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
15263 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
15264 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
15265 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
15266 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
15267 caution. Even more dangerous is the
15268 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
15269 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
15270 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
15271 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
15272 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
15273 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
15274 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
15277 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
15279 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
15280 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
15281 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
15282 auto-expire turned on.
15286 @subsection Washing Mail
15287 @cindex mail washing
15288 @cindex list server brain damage
15289 @cindex incoming mail treatment
15291 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
15292 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
15293 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
15294 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
15295 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
15296 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
15298 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
15299 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
15300 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
15303 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
15304 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
15305 storing the mail to disk. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
15306 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
15309 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15310 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
15311 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
15312 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
15313 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
15316 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15317 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
15318 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
15319 Emacs running on MS machines.
15323 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15324 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
15325 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
15326 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
15329 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15330 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
15331 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
15332 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
15334 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
15335 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
15336 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
15337 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
15338 into a feature by documenting it.)
15340 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15341 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
15342 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
15343 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
15344 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
15345 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
15346 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
15349 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
15350 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
15353 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
15354 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
15357 This can also be done non-destructively with
15358 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
15360 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
15361 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
15362 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
15364 @item nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15365 @findex nnmail-ignore-broken-references
15366 @c @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
15369 Some mail user agents (e.g. Eudora and Pegasus) produce broken
15370 @code{References} headers, but correct @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This
15371 function will get rid of the @code{References} header if the headers
15372 contain a line matching the regular expression
15373 @code{nnmail-broken-references-mailers}.
15377 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15378 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
15379 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
15383 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
15384 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
15385 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
15392 @subsection Duplicates
15394 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
15395 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
15396 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
15397 @cindex duplicate mails
15398 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
15399 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
15400 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
15401 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
15402 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
15403 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
15404 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
15405 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
15406 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
15407 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
15408 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
15409 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
15410 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
15412 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
15413 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
15414 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
15415 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
15417 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
15420 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
15421 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
15425 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
15426 '(| ;; @r{Messages duplicates go to a separate group.}
15427 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
15428 ;; @r{Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.}
15429 (any mail "mail.misc")
15430 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15436 (setq nnmail-split-methods
15437 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
15438 ;; @r{Other rules.}
15442 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
15443 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
15444 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
15445 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
15446 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
15449 @node Not Reading Mail
15450 @subsection Not Reading Mail
15452 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
15453 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
15454 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
15456 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
15457 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
15458 mail, which should help.
15460 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15461 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15462 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15463 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15464 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
15465 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
15466 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old Rmail
15467 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
15468 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
15469 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
15470 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
15472 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
15473 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
15477 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
15478 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
15480 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
15481 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
15482 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
15484 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
15485 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
15486 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
15490 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
15491 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the Rmail Babyl format.
15492 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
15493 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
15494 * Maildir:: Another one-file-per-message format.
15495 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
15496 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
15500 @node Unix Mail Box
15501 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
15503 @cindex unix mail box
15505 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15506 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15507 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
15508 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
15509 which group it belongs in.
15511 Virtual server settings:
15514 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
15515 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
15516 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
15519 @item nnmbox-active-file
15520 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
15521 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
15522 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
15524 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
15525 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
15526 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
15527 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
15532 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
15536 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15537 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15538 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a Babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{Rmail
15539 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
15540 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
15542 Virtual server settings:
15545 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
15546 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
15547 The name of the Rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
15549 @item nnbabyl-active-file
15550 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
15551 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
15552 @file{~/.rmail-active}
15554 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15555 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
15556 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
15562 @subsubsection Mail Spool
15564 @cindex mail @acronym{NOV} spool
15566 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
15567 format. It should be used with some caution.
15569 @vindex nnml-directory
15570 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
15571 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
15572 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
15573 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
15575 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
15578 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
15579 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
15580 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
15581 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
15582 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
15583 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
15584 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
15585 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
15587 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
15588 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
15589 @acronym{NOV} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
15590 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
15592 @cindex self contained nnml servers
15594 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
15595 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15596 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15597 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
15598 for a group are usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
15599 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
15600 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
15601 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
15604 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
15605 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
15606 them next time it starts.
15608 Virtual server settings:
15611 @item nnml-directory
15612 @vindex nnml-directory
15613 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory. The
15614 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default value
15617 @item nnml-active-file
15618 @vindex nnml-active-file
15619 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
15620 @file{~/Mail/active}.
15622 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
15623 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
15624 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
15625 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}.
15627 @item nnml-get-new-mail
15628 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
15629 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
15632 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
15633 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
15634 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
15635 default is @code{nil}.
15637 @item nnml-nov-file-name
15638 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
15639 The name of the @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
15641 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15642 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
15643 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
15645 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
15646 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
15647 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
15648 default is @code{nil}.
15650 @item nnml-marks-file-name
15651 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
15652 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
15654 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
15655 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
15656 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
15657 files. This requires @code{auto-compression-mode} to be enabled
15658 (@pxref{Compressed Files, ,Compressed Files, emacs, The Emacs Manual}).
15659 If the value of @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is a string, it is used
15660 as the file extension specifying the compression program. You can set it
15661 to @samp{.bz2} if your Emacs supports it. A value of @code{t} is
15662 equivalent to @samp{.gz}.
15664 @item nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15665 @vindex nnml-compressed-files-size-threshold
15666 Default size threshold for compressed message files. Message files with
15667 bodies larger than that many characters will be automatically compressed
15668 if @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil}.
15672 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
15673 If your @code{nnml} groups and @acronym{NOV} files get totally out of
15674 whack, you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
15675 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
15676 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
15677 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
15678 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
15683 @subsubsection MH Spool
15685 @cindex mh-e mail spool
15687 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
15688 @acronym{NOV} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks
15689 file. This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than
15690 @code{nnml}, but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts
15693 Virtual server settings:
15696 @item nnmh-directory
15697 @vindex nnmh-directory
15698 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
15699 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
15702 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
15703 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
15704 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
15708 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
15709 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
15710 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks
15711 they are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
15712 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
15713 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not
15714 have to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
15719 @subsubsection Maildir
15723 @code{nnmaildir} stores mail in the maildir format, with each maildir
15724 corresponding to a group in Gnus. This format is documented here:
15725 @uref{http://cr.yp.to/proto/maildir.html} and here:
15726 @uref{http://www.qmail.org/man/man5/maildir.html}. @code{nnmaildir}
15727 also stores extra information in the @file{.nnmaildir/} directory
15730 Maildir format was designed to allow concurrent deliveries and
15731 reading, without needing locks. With other back ends, you would have
15732 your mail delivered to a spool of some kind, and then you would
15733 configure Gnus to split mail from that spool into your groups. You
15734 can still do that with @code{nnmaildir}, but the more common
15735 configuration is to have your mail delivered directly to the maildirs
15736 that appear as group in Gnus.
15738 @code{nnmaildir} is designed to be perfectly reliable: @kbd{C-g} will
15739 never corrupt its data in memory, and @code{SIGKILL} will never
15740 corrupt its data in the filesystem.
15742 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks and @acronym{NOV} data in each
15743 maildir. So you can copy a whole maildir from one Gnus setup to
15744 another, and you will keep your marks.
15746 Virtual server settings:
15750 For each of your @code{nnmaildir} servers (it's very unlikely that
15751 you'd need more than one), you need to create a directory and populate
15752 it with maildirs or symlinks to maildirs (and nothing else; do not
15753 choose a directory already used for other purposes). Each maildir
15754 will be represented in Gnus as a newsgroup on that server; the
15755 filename of the symlink will be the name of the group. Any filenames
15756 in the directory starting with @samp{.} are ignored. The directory is
15757 scanned when you first start Gnus, and each time you type @kbd{g} in
15758 the group buffer; if any maildirs have been removed or added,
15759 @code{nnmaildir} notices at these times.
15761 The value of the @code{directory} parameter should be a Lisp form
15762 which is processed by @code{eval} and @code{expand-file-name} to get
15763 the path of the directory for this server. The form is @code{eval}ed
15764 only when the server is opened; the resulting string is used until the
15765 server is closed. (If you don't know about forms and @code{eval},
15766 don't worry---a simple string will work.) This parameter is not
15767 optional; you must specify it. I don't recommend using
15768 @code{"~/Mail"} or a subdirectory of it; several other parts of Gnus
15769 use that directory by default for various things, and may get confused
15770 if @code{nnmaildir} uses it too. @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} is a typical
15773 @item target-prefix
15774 This should be a Lisp form which is processed by @code{eval} and
15775 @code{expand-file-name}. The form is @code{eval}ed only when the
15776 server is opened; the resulting string is used until the server is
15779 When you create a group on an @code{nnmaildir} server, the maildir is
15780 created with @code{target-prefix} prepended to its name, and a symlink
15781 pointing to that maildir is created, named with the plain group name.
15782 So if @code{directory} is @code{"~/.nnmaildir"} and
15783 @code{target-prefix} is @code{"../maildirs/"}, then when you create
15784 the group @code{foo}, @code{nnmaildir} will create
15785 @file{~/.nnmaildir/../maildirs/foo} as a maildir, and will create
15786 @file{~/.nnmaildir/foo} as a symlink pointing to
15787 @file{../maildirs/foo}.
15789 You can set @code{target-prefix} to a string without any slashes to
15790 create both maildirs and symlinks in the same @code{directory}; in
15791 this case, any maildirs found in @code{directory} whose names start
15792 with @code{target-prefix} will not be listed as groups (but the
15793 symlinks pointing to them will be).
15795 As a special case, if @code{target-prefix} is @code{""} (the default),
15796 then when you create a group, the maildir will be created in
15797 @code{directory} without a corresponding symlink. Beware that you
15798 cannot use @code{gnus-group-delete-group} on such groups without the
15799 @code{force} argument.
15801 @item directory-files
15802 This should be a function with the same interface as
15803 @code{directory-files} (such as @code{directory-files} itself). It is
15804 used to scan the server's @code{directory} for maildirs. This
15805 parameter is optional; the default is
15806 @code{nnheader-directory-files-safe} if
15807 @code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is @code{nil}, and
15808 @code{directory-files} otherwise.
15809 (@code{nnheader-directory-files-is-safe} is checked only once when the
15810 server is opened; if you want to check it each time the directory is
15811 scanned, you'll have to provide your own function that does that.)
15814 If non-@code{nil}, then after scanning for new mail in the group
15815 maildirs themselves as usual, this server will also incorporate mail
15816 the conventional Gnus way, from @code{mail-sources} according to
15817 @code{nnmail-split-methods} or @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. The default
15818 value is @code{nil}.
15820 Do @emph{not} use the same maildir both in @code{mail-sources} and as
15821 an @code{nnmaildir} group. The results might happen to be useful, but
15822 that would be by chance, not by design, and the results might be
15823 different in the future. If your split rules create new groups,
15824 remember to supply a @code{create-directory} server parameter.
15827 @subsubsection Group parameters
15829 @code{nnmaildir} uses several group parameters. It's safe to ignore
15830 all this; the default behavior for @code{nnmaildir} is the same as the
15831 default behavior for other mail back ends: articles are deleted after
15832 one week, etc. Except for the expiry parameters, all this
15833 functionality is unique to @code{nnmaildir}, so you can ignore it if
15834 you're just trying to duplicate the behavior you already have with
15837 If the value of any of these parameters is a vector, the first element
15838 is evaluated as a Lisp form and the result is used, rather than the
15839 original value. If the value is not a vector, the value itself is
15840 evaluated as a Lisp form. (This is why these parameters use names
15841 different from those of other, similar parameters supported by other
15842 back ends: they have different, though similar, meanings.) (For
15843 numbers, strings, @code{nil}, and @code{t}, you can ignore the
15844 @code{eval} business again; for other values, remember to use an extra
15845 quote and wrap the value in a vector when appropriate.)
15849 An integer specifying the minimum age, in seconds, of an article
15850 before it will be expired, or the symbol @code{never} to specify that
15851 articles should never be expired. If this parameter is not set,
15852 @code{nnmaildir} falls back to the usual
15853 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}(@code{-function}) variables (the
15854 @code{expiry-wait} group parameter overrides @code{nnmail-expiry-wait}
15855 and makes @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} ineffective). If you
15856 wanted a value of 3 days, you could use something like @code{[(* 3 24
15857 60 60)]}; @code{nnmaildir} will evaluate the form and use the result.
15858 An article's age is measured starting from the article file's
15859 modification time. Normally, this is the same as the article's
15860 delivery time, but editing an article makes it younger. Moving an
15861 article (other than via expiry) may also make an article younger.
15864 If this is set to a string such as a full Gnus group name, like
15866 "backend+server.address.string:group.name"
15868 and if it is not the name of the same group that the parameter belongs
15869 to, then articles will be moved to the specified group during expiry
15870 before being deleted. @emph{If this is set to an @code{nnmaildir}
15871 group, the article will be just as old in the destination group as it
15872 was in the source group.} So be careful with @code{expire-age} in the
15873 destination group. If this is set to the name of the same group that
15874 the parameter belongs to, then the article is not expired at all. If
15875 you use the vector form, the first element is evaluated once for each
15876 article. So that form can refer to
15877 @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name}, etc., to decide where to put the
15878 article. @emph{Even if this parameter is not set, @code{nnmaildir}
15879 does not fall back to the @code{expiry-target} group parameter or the
15880 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} variable.}
15883 If this is set to @code{t}, @code{nnmaildir} will treat the articles
15884 in this maildir as read-only. This means: articles are not renamed
15885 from @file{new/} into @file{cur/}; articles are only found in
15886 @file{new/}, not @file{cur/}; articles are never deleted; articles
15887 cannot be edited. @file{new/} is expected to be a symlink to the
15888 @file{new/} directory of another maildir---e.g., a system-wide mailbox
15889 containing a mailing list of common interest. Everything in the
15890 maildir outside @file{new/} is @emph{not} treated as read-only, so for
15891 a shared mailbox, you do still need to set up your own maildir (or
15892 have write permission to the shared mailbox); your maildir just won't
15893 contain extra copies of the articles.
15895 @item directory-files
15896 A function with the same interface as @code{directory-files}. It is
15897 used to scan the directories in the maildir corresponding to this
15898 group to find articles. The default is the function specified by the
15899 server's @code{directory-files} parameter.
15901 @item distrust-Lines:
15902 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmaildir} will always count the lines of an
15903 article, rather than use the @code{Lines:} header field. If
15904 @code{nil}, the header field will be used if present.
15907 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(read expire)]}. Whenever
15908 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15909 say that all articles have these marks, regardless of whether the
15910 marks stored in the filesystem say so. This is a proof-of-concept
15911 feature that will probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done
15912 in Gnus proper, or abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15915 A list of mark symbols, such as @code{['(tick expire)]}. Whenever
15916 Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for article marks, @code{nnmaildir} will
15917 say that no articles have these marks, regardless of whether the marks
15918 stored in the filesystem say so. @code{never-marks} overrides
15919 @code{always-marks}. This is a proof-of-concept feature that will
15920 probably be removed eventually; it ought to be done in Gnus proper, or
15921 abandoned if it's not worthwhile.
15923 @item nov-cache-size
15924 An integer specifying the size of the @acronym{NOV} memory cache. To
15925 speed things up, @code{nnmaildir} keeps @acronym{NOV} data in memory
15926 for a limited number of articles in each group. (This is probably not
15927 worthwhile, and will probably be removed in the future.) This
15928 parameter's value is noticed only the first time a group is seen after
15929 the server is opened---i.e., when you first start Gnus, typically.
15930 The @acronym{NOV} cache is never resized until the server is closed
15931 and reopened. The default is an estimate of the number of articles
15932 that would be displayed in the summary buffer: a count of articles
15933 that are either marked with @code{tick} or not marked with
15934 @code{read}, plus a little extra.
15937 @subsubsection Article identification
15938 Articles are stored in the @file{cur/} subdirectory of each maildir.
15939 Each article file is named like @code{uniq:info}, where @code{uniq}
15940 contains no colons. @code{nnmaildir} ignores, but preserves, the
15941 @code{:info} part. (Other maildir readers typically use this part of
15942 the filename to store marks.) The @code{uniq} part uniquely
15943 identifies the article, and is used in various places in the
15944 @file{.nnmaildir/} subdirectory of the maildir to store information
15945 about the corresponding article. The full pathname of an article is
15946 available in the variable @code{nnmaildir-article-file-name} after you
15947 request the article in the summary buffer.
15949 @subsubsection NOV data
15950 An article identified by @code{uniq} has its @acronym{NOV} data (used
15951 to generate lines in the summary buffer) stored in
15952 @code{.nnmaildir/nov/uniq}. There is no
15953 @code{nnmaildir-generate-nov-databases} function. (There isn't much
15954 need for it---an article's @acronym{NOV} data is updated automatically
15955 when the article or @code{nnmail-extra-headers} has changed.) You can
15956 force @code{nnmaildir} to regenerate the @acronym{NOV} data for a
15957 single article simply by deleting the corresponding @acronym{NOV}
15958 file, but @emph{beware}: this will also cause @code{nnmaildir} to
15959 assign a new article number for this article, which may cause trouble
15960 with @code{seen} marks, the Agent, and the cache.
15962 @subsubsection Article marks
15963 An article identified by @code{uniq} is considered to have the mark
15964 @code{flag} when the file @file{.nnmaildir/marks/flag/uniq} exists.
15965 When Gnus asks @code{nnmaildir} for a group's marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15966 looks for such files and reports the set of marks it finds. When Gnus
15967 asks @code{nnmaildir} to store a new set of marks, @code{nnmaildir}
15968 creates and deletes the corresponding files as needed. (Actually,
15969 rather than create a new file for each mark, it just creates hard
15970 links to @file{.nnmaildir/markfile}, to save inodes.)
15972 You can invent new marks by creating a new directory in
15973 @file{.nnmaildir/marks/}. You can tar up a maildir and remove it from
15974 your server, untar it later, and keep your marks. You can add and
15975 remove marks yourself by creating and deleting mark files. If you do
15976 this while Gnus is running and your @code{nnmaildir} server is open,
15977 it's best to exit all summary buffers for @code{nnmaildir} groups and
15978 type @kbd{s} in the group buffer first, and to type @kbd{g} or
15979 @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer afterwards. Otherwise, Gnus might not
15980 pick up the changes, and might undo them.
15984 @subsubsection Mail Folders
15986 @cindex mbox folders
15987 @cindex mail folders
15989 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a
15990 separate file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format.
15991 @code{nnfolder} will add extra headers to keep track of article
15992 numbers and arrival dates.
15994 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
15996 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
15997 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
15998 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
15999 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
16000 Marks for a group are usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
16001 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
16002 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder}
16003 directory. Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to
16004 backup, use @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup
16005 into the @code{nnfolder} directory).
16007 Virtual server settings:
16010 @item nnfolder-directory
16011 @vindex nnfolder-directory
16012 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this
16013 directory. The default is the value of @code{message-directory}
16014 (whose default is @file{~/Mail})
16016 @item nnfolder-active-file
16017 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
16018 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
16020 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16021 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
16022 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
16023 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups}
16025 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
16026 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
16027 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The
16028 default is @code{t}
16030 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16031 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
16032 @cindex backup files
16033 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
16034 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If
16035 you wish to switch this off, you could say something like the
16036 following in your @file{.emacs} file:
16039 (defun turn-off-backup ()
16040 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
16042 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
16045 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16046 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
16047 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
16048 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
16049 extract some information from it before removing it.
16051 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16052 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
16053 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @acronym{NOV} files. The
16054 default is @code{nil}.
16056 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16057 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
16058 The extension for @acronym{NOV} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
16060 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
16061 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
16062 The directory where the @acronym{NOV} files should be stored. If
16063 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16065 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
16066 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
16067 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
16068 default is @code{nil}.
16070 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
16071 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
16072 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
16074 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
16075 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
16076 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If
16077 @code{nil}, @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
16082 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
16083 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
16084 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
16085 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
16086 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
16087 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
16090 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
16091 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
16093 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
16094 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
16095 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
16096 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
16097 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
16099 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
16100 typically done by @acronym{NNTP} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
16101 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
16102 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @acronym{NNTP} server), and
16103 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
16104 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
16105 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
16106 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
16109 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
16110 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
16111 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
16112 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
16117 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
16118 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
16119 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
16120 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
16121 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
16122 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
16123 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
16124 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
16125 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
16126 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
16127 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
16128 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
16129 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
16134 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
16135 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
16136 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
16137 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
16138 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
16139 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
16140 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
16141 Rmail was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
16142 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote Rmail
16143 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
16144 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
16145 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
16146 headers/status bits stuff. Rmail itself still exists as well, of
16147 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
16149 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
16150 file system, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
16155 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
16156 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
16157 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
16158 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
16159 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
16160 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
16161 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
16162 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
16163 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
16164 @acronym{NNTP} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
16165 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
16166 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
16167 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
16168 provided by the active file and overviews.
16170 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
16171 resource which defines available places in the file system to put new
16172 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
16173 tight, shared file systems. But if you live on a personal machine where
16174 the file system is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
16177 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
16178 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
16183 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
16184 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
16185 individual files, but with little or no indexing support---@code{nnmh}
16186 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
16187 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
16188 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
16189 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
16193 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
16194 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
16195 itself puts @emph{all} one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
16196 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
16197 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
16198 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
16199 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
16200 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
16201 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
16203 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
16204 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
16205 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
16206 friendly mail back end all over.
16210 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses
16211 incompatible group parameters, slightly different from those of other
16214 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
16215 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
16216 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
16217 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
16218 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
16219 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
16220 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to
16221 @uref{http://www.namesys.com/, ReiserFS} or another non-block-structured
16224 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
16225 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
16226 This means you can skip Gnus' mail splitting if your mail is already
16227 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
16228 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
16229 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
16230 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
16231 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
16232 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
16233 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will not
16234 undergo treatment such as duplicate checking.
16236 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
16237 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
16238 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
16239 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
16240 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
16243 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
16244 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
16245 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
16246 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
16247 parameter to something small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
16248 would) to make it use less memory. This caching will probably be
16249 removed in the future.
16251 Startup is likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than with other
16252 back ends. Everything else is likely to be faster, depending in part
16253 on your file system.
16255 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
16256 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
16261 @node Browsing the Web
16262 @section Browsing the Web
16264 @cindex browsing the web
16268 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
16269 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
16270 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
16271 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
16272 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
16273 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
16274 even know what a news group is.
16276 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
16277 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
16278 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
16279 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
16280 you mad in the end.
16282 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
16285 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
16286 interfaces to these sources.
16290 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
16291 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
16292 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
16293 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
16294 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
16295 * Customizing W3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/W3 from Gnus.
16298 All the web sources require Emacs/W3 and the url library or those
16299 alternatives to work.
16301 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
16302 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @acronym{HTML} data
16303 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
16304 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
16305 though, you should be ok.
16307 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
16308 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
16309 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
16310 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
16311 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
16313 @node Archiving Mail
16314 @subsection Archiving Mail
16315 @cindex archiving mail
16316 @cindex backup of mail
16318 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
16319 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
16320 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
16321 marks is fairly simple.
16323 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
16324 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
16327 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
16328 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
16329 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
16330 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
16331 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
16332 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
16333 might interfere with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
16334 before you restore the data.
16336 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
16337 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
16338 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
16339 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
16340 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
16341 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
16342 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
16343 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
16344 is unnecessary in that case.
16347 @subsection Web Searches
16352 @cindex Usenet searches
16353 @cindex searching the Usenet
16355 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
16356 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
16357 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
16358 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
16359 searches without having to use a browser.
16361 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
16362 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
16363 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
16364 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
16365 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
16367 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
16368 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
16369 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
16370 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
16371 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
16372 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
16373 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
16374 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
16375 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
16376 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
16379 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
16380 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
16381 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'@^etre} is to
16382 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
16383 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
16384 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
16386 You must have the @code{url} and @code{W3} package or those alternatives
16387 (try @code{customize-group} on the @samp{mm-url} variable group)
16388 installed to be able to use @code{nnweb}.
16390 Virtual server variables:
16395 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
16396 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
16397 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
16400 @vindex nnweb-search
16401 The search string to feed to the search engine.
16403 @item nnweb-max-hits
16404 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
16405 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
16408 @item nnweb-type-definition
16409 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
16410 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
16411 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
16416 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
16420 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
16423 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
16426 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
16430 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
16437 @subsection Slashdot
16441 @uref{http://slashdot.org/, Slashdot} is a popular news site, with
16442 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
16443 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
16445 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
16446 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
16449 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16450 '((nnslashdot "")))
16453 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
16454 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
16455 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
16456 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
16457 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
16460 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
16461 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
16463 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
16464 comments), some light @acronym{HTML}izations will be performed. In
16465 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
16466 @samp{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @samp{br} added to
16467 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @acronym{HTML}
16468 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
16469 @acronym{HTML} forms.
16471 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
16474 @item nnslashdot-threaded
16475 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
16476 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
16477 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
16478 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
16479 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
16480 but much, much slower than unthreaded.
16482 @item nnslashdot-login-name
16483 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
16484 The login name to use when posting.
16486 @item nnslashdot-password
16487 @vindex nnslashdot-password
16488 The password to use when posting.
16490 @item nnslashdot-directory
16491 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
16492 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
16493 @file{~/News/slashdot/}.
16495 @item nnslashdot-active-url
16496 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
16497 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the
16498 information on news articles and comments. The default is@*
16499 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
16501 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
16502 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
16503 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch comments.
16505 @item nnslashdot-article-url
16506 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
16507 The @acronym{URL} format string that will be used to fetch the news
16508 article. The default is
16509 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
16511 @item nnslashdot-threshold
16512 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
16513 The score threshold. The default is -1.
16515 @item nnslashdot-group-number
16516 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
16517 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
16518 updated. The default is 0.
16525 @subsection Ultimate
16527 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
16529 @uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/, The Ultimate Bulletin Board} is
16530 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
16531 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
16532 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16534 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
16535 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
16536 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @acronym{URL}
16537 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
16538 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
16539 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
16540 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
16542 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
16545 @item nnultimate-directory
16546 @vindex nnultimate-directory
16547 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is@*
16548 @file{~/News/ultimate/}.
16553 @subsection Web Archive
16555 @cindex Web Archive
16557 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
16558 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
16559 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
16560 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
16563 @findex gnus-group-make-warchive-group
16564 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
16565 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
16566 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET @var{an_egroup} RET egroups RET
16567 www.egroups.com RET @var{your@@email.address} RET}. (Substitute the
16568 @var{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
16569 @var{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
16570 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
16572 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
16575 @item nnwarchive-directory
16576 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
16577 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is@*
16578 @file{~/News/warchive/}.
16580 @item nnwarchive-login
16581 @vindex nnwarchive-login
16582 The account name on the web server.
16584 @item nnwarchive-passwd
16585 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
16586 The password for your account on the web server.
16594 Some web sites have an RDF Site Summary (@acronym{RSS}).
16595 @acronym{RSS} is a format for summarizing headlines from news related
16596 sites (such as BBC or CNN). But basically anything list-like can be
16597 presented as an @acronym{RSS} feed: weblogs, changelogs or recent
16598 changes to a wiki (e.g. @url{http://cliki.net/recent-changes.rdf}).
16600 @acronym{RSS} has a quite regular and nice interface, and it's
16601 possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
16603 Note: you had better use Emacs which supports the @code{utf-8} coding
16604 system because @acronym{RSS} uses UTF-8 for encoding non-@acronym{ASCII}
16605 text by default. It is also used by default for non-@acronym{ASCII}
16608 @kindex G R (Group)
16609 Use @kbd{G R} from the group buffer to subscribe to a feed---you will be
16610 prompted for the location, the title and the description of the feed.
16611 The title, which allows any characters, will be used for the group name
16612 and the name of the group data file. The description can be omitted.
16614 An easy way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something like
16615 the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET y}, then
16616 subscribe to groups.
16618 The @code{nnrss} back end saves the group data file in
16619 @code{nnrss-directory} (see below) for each @code{nnrss} group. File
16620 names containing non-@acronym{ASCII} characters will be encoded by the
16621 coding system specified with the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system}
16622 variable. If it is @code{nil}, in Emacs the coding system defaults to
16623 the value of @code{default-file-name-coding-system}. If you are using
16624 XEmacs and want to use non-@acronym{ASCII} group names, you should set
16625 the value for the @code{nnmail-pathname-coding-system} variable properly.
16627 The @code{nnrss} back end generates @samp{multipart/alternative}
16628 @acronym{MIME} articles in which each contains a @samp{text/plain} part
16629 and a @samp{text/html} part.
16632 You can also use the following commands to import and export your
16633 subscriptions from a file in @acronym{OPML} format (Outline Processor
16636 @defun nnrss-opml-import file
16637 Prompt for an @acronym{OPML} file, and subscribe to each feed in the
16641 @defun nnrss-opml-export
16642 Write your current @acronym{RSS} subscriptions to a buffer in
16643 @acronym{OPML} format.
16646 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
16649 @item nnrss-directory
16650 @vindex nnrss-directory
16651 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
16652 @file{~/News/rss/}.
16654 @item nnrss-file-coding-system
16655 @vindex nnrss-file-coding-system
16656 The coding system used when reading and writing the @code{nnrss} groups
16657 data files. The default is the value of
16658 @code{mm-universal-coding-system} (which defaults to @code{emacs-mule}
16659 in Emacs or @code{escape-quoted} in XEmacs).
16661 @item nnrss-ignore-article-fields
16662 @vindex nnrss-ignore-article-fields
16663 Some feeds update constantly article fields during their publications,
16664 e.g. to indicate the number of comments. However, if there is
16665 a difference between the local article and the distant one, the latter
16666 is considered to be new. To avoid this and discard some fields, set this
16667 variable to the list of fields to be ignored. The default is
16668 @code{'(slash:comments)}.
16670 @item nnrss-use-local
16671 @vindex nnrss-use-local
16672 @findex nnrss-generate-download-script
16673 If you set @code{nnrss-use-local} to @code{t}, @code{nnrss} will read
16674 the feeds from local files in @code{nnrss-directory}. You can use
16675 the command @code{nnrss-generate-download-script} to generate a
16676 download script using @command{wget}.
16678 @item nnrss-wash-html-in-text-plain-parts
16679 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{nnrss} renders text in @samp{text/plain}
16680 parts as @acronym{HTML}. The function specified by the
16681 @code{mm-text-html-renderer} variable (@pxref{Display Customization,
16682 ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}) will be used
16683 to render text. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default, text will
16684 simply be folded. Leave it @code{nil} if you prefer to see
16685 @samp{text/html} parts.
16688 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
16689 the summary buffer.
16692 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
16693 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
16695 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
16697 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
16698 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
16701 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
16705 (require 'browse-url)
16707 (defun browse-nnrss-url (arg)
16709 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
16712 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
16713 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
16716 (browse-url (cdr url))
16717 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
16718 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
16720 (eval-after-load "gnus"
16721 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
16722 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
16723 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
16726 Even if you have added @code{"text/html"} to the
16727 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} variable (@pxref{Display
16728 Customization, ,Display Customization, emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME
16729 Manual}) since you don't want to see @acronym{HTML} parts, it might be
16730 more useful especially in @code{nnrss} groups to display
16731 @samp{text/html} parts. Here's an example of setting
16732 @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives} as a group parameter (@pxref{Group
16733 Parameters}) in order to display @samp{text/html} parts only in
16734 @code{nnrss} groups:
16737 ;; @r{Set the default value of @code{mm-discouraged-alternatives}.}
16738 (eval-after-load "gnus-sum"
16740 'gnus-newsgroup-variables
16741 '(mm-discouraged-alternatives
16742 . '("text/html" "image/.*"))))
16744 ;; @r{Display @samp{text/html} parts in @code{nnrss} groups.}
16747 '("\\`nnrss:" (mm-discouraged-alternatives nil)))
16751 @node Customizing W3
16752 @subsection Customizing W3
16758 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/W3 (or those
16759 alternatives) to display web pages. Emacs/W3 is documented in its own
16760 manual, but there are some things that may be more relevant for Gnus
16763 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/W3 follow links
16764 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
16765 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
16768 (eval-after-load "w3"
16770 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
16771 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
16772 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
16773 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
16775 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
16778 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in W3-rendered
16779 @acronym{HTML} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
16786 @cindex @acronym{IMAP}
16788 @acronym{IMAP} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or @dots{}),
16789 think of it as a modernized @acronym{NNTP}. Connecting to a @acronym{IMAP}
16790 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
16791 specify the network address of the server.
16793 @acronym{IMAP} has two properties. First, @acronym{IMAP} can do
16794 everything that @acronym{POP} can, it can hence be viewed as a
16795 @acronym{POP++}. Secondly, @acronym{IMAP} is a mail storage protocol,
16796 similar to @acronym{NNTP} being a news storage protocol---however,
16797 @acronym{IMAP} offers more features than @acronym{NNTP} because news
16798 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
16800 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a @acronym{POP++}, use an imap
16801 entry in @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from
16802 the @acronym{IMAP} server and store them on the local disk. This is
16803 not the usage described in this section---@xref{Mail Sources}.
16805 If you want to use @acronym{IMAP} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
16806 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
16807 manipulate mails stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server. This is the kind of
16808 usage explained in this section.
16810 A server configuration in @file{~/.gnus.el} with a few @acronym{IMAP}
16811 servers might look something like the following. (Note that for
16812 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}, you need external programs and libraries,
16816 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
16817 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; @r{no special configuration}
16818 ; @r{perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:}
16820 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16821 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
16822 ; @r{a UW server running on localhost}
16824 (nnimap-server-port 143)
16825 (nnimap-address "localhost")
16826 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
16827 ; @r{anonymous public cyrus server:}
16828 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
16829 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
16830 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
16831 (nnimap-stream network))
16832 ; @r{a ssl server on a non-standard port:}
16834 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
16835 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
16836 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
16839 After defining the new server, you can subscribe to groups on the
16840 server using normal Gnus commands such as @kbd{U} in the Group Buffer
16841 (@pxref{Subscription Commands}) or via the Server Buffer
16842 (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
16844 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
16849 @item nnimap-address
16850 @vindex nnimap-address
16852 The address of the remote @acronym{IMAP} server. Defaults to the virtual
16853 server name if not specified.
16855 @item nnimap-server-port
16856 @vindex nnimap-server-port
16857 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}.
16859 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
16862 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16863 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
16866 @item nnimap-list-pattern
16867 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
16868 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
16869 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
16870 interested in a few---some servers export your home directory via
16871 @acronym{IMAP}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
16872 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
16874 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
16875 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
16876 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
16879 Example server specification:
16882 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16883 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
16884 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
16887 @item nnimap-stream
16888 @vindex nnimap-stream
16889 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
16890 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
16891 of @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}. (@acronym{IMAP} over
16892 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can
16893 be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
16895 Example server specification:
16898 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16899 (nnimap-stream ssl))
16902 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
16906 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
16907 @samp{gsasl} or @samp{imtest} program.
16909 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
16911 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
16912 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL}). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
16915 @dfn{tls:} Connect through @acronym{TLS}. Requires GNUTLS (the program
16916 @samp{gnutls-cli}).
16918 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through @acronym{SSL}. Requires OpenSSL (the program
16919 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
16921 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @acronym{IMAP} connection.
16923 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
16926 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
16927 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
16928 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
16929 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
16930 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
16931 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
16932 restrictions on @acronym{IMAP} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
16933 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
16934 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
16937 For @acronym{TLS} connection, the @code{gnutls-cli} program from GNUTLS is
16938 needed. It is available from
16939 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnutls/}.
16941 @vindex imap-gssapi-program
16942 This parameter specifies a list of command lines that invoke a GSSAPI
16943 authenticated @acronym{IMAP} stream in a subshell. They are tried
16944 sequentially until a connection is made, or the list has been
16945 exhausted. By default, @samp{gsasl} from GNU SASL, available from
16946 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gsasl/}, and the @samp{imtest}
16947 program from Cyrus IMAPD (see @code{imap-kerberos4-program}), are
16950 @vindex imap-ssl-program
16951 For @acronym{SSL} connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
16952 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
16953 and nnimap support it too---although the most recent versions of
16954 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
16955 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
16956 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
16959 @vindex imap-shell-program
16960 @vindex imap-shell-host
16961 For @acronym{IMAP} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
16962 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
16964 @item nnimap-authenticator
16965 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
16967 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
16968 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
16970 Example server specification:
16973 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
16974 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
16977 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
16981 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
16982 external program @code{gsasl} or @code{imtest}.
16984 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
16987 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
16988 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
16990 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
16992 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
16994 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as ``anonymous'', supplying your email address as password.
16997 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
16999 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
17000 Unlike Parmenides the @acronym{IMAP} designers have decided things that
17001 don't exist actually do exist. More specifically, @acronym{IMAP} has
17002 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
17003 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
17004 nnimap does when you delete an article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
17007 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
17008 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
17009 running in circles yet?
17011 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
17012 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
17015 The possible options are:
17020 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as ``Deleted'' when
17023 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
17024 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @acronym{IMAP} clients
17025 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
17026 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
17028 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
17033 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
17034 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
17036 If non-@code{nil} (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as
17037 well), for other @acronym{IMAP} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
17038 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
17039 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @acronym{IMAP}
17040 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @acronym{IMAP}
17043 Probably the only reason for frobbing this would be if you're trying
17044 enable per-user persistent dormant flags, using something like:
17047 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
17048 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
17049 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
17050 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
17053 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
17054 as ticked for other users.
17056 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
17058 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
17059 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
17061 This variable contain the @acronym{IMAP} search command sent to server when
17062 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
17063 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
17064 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
17066 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
17067 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
17068 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
17069 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
17071 However, if @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}
17072 is true, this variable has no effect since the search logic
17073 is reversed, as described below.
17075 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
17076 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
17078 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
17079 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
17080 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
17081 @ref{NNTP}. An example of an .authinfo line for an IMAP server, is:
17084 machine students.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis port imap
17087 Note that it should be @code{port imap}, or @code{port 143}, if you
17088 use a @code{nnimap-stream} of @code{tls} or @code{ssl}, even if the
17089 actual port number used is port 993 for secured IMAP. For
17090 convenience, Gnus will accept @code{port imaps} as a synonym of
17093 @item nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
17094 @vindex nnimap-need-unselect-to-notice-new-mail
17096 Unselect mailboxes before looking for new mail in them. Some servers
17097 seem to need this under some circumstances; it was reported that
17100 @item nnimap-nov-is-evil
17101 @vindex nnimap-nov-is-evil
17102 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
17103 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
17105 Never generate or use a local @acronym{NOV} database. Defaults to the
17106 value of @code{gnus-agent}.
17108 Using a @acronym{NOV} database usually makes header fetching much
17109 faster, but it uses the @code{UID SEARCH UID} command, which is very
17110 slow on some servers (notably some versions of Courier). Since the Gnus
17111 Agent caches the information in the @acronym{NOV} database without using
17112 the slow command, this variable defaults to true if the Agent is in use,
17113 and false otherwise.
17115 @item nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
17116 @vindex nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil
17117 @cindex Courier @acronym{IMAP} server
17118 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
17120 Avoid the @code{UID SEARCH UID @var{message numbers} NOT SINCE
17121 @var{date}} command, which is slow on some @acronym{IMAP} servers
17122 (notably, some versions of Courier). Instead, use @code{UID SEARCH SINCE
17123 @var{date}} and prune the list of expirable articles within Gnus.
17125 When Gnus expires your mail (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), it starts with a
17126 list of expirable articles and asks the IMAP server questions like ``Of
17127 these articles, which ones are older than a week?'' While this seems
17128 like a perfectly reasonable question, some IMAP servers take a long time
17129 to answer it, since they seemingly go looking into every old article to
17130 see if it is one of the expirable ones. Curiously, the question ``Of
17131 @emph{all} articles, which ones are newer than a week?'' seems to be
17132 much faster to answer, so setting this variable causes Gnus to ask this
17133 question and figure out the answer to the real question itself.
17135 This problem can really sneak up on you: when you first configure Gnus,
17136 everything works fine, but once you accumulate a couple thousand
17137 messages, you start cursing Gnus for being so slow. On the other hand,
17138 if you get a lot of email within a week, setting this variable will
17139 cause a lot of network traffic between Gnus and the IMAP server.
17144 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
17145 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
17146 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
17147 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a ``compress mailbox'' button.
17148 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use @acronym{IMAP} namespace in Gnus.
17149 * Debugging IMAP:: What to do when things don't work.
17154 @node Splitting in IMAP
17155 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
17156 @cindex splitting imap mail
17158 Splitting is something Gnus users have loved and used for years, and now
17159 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
17160 @acronym{IMAP} servers have server side splitting and those that have
17161 splitting seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that
17162 @acronym{IMAP} support for Gnus has to do its own splitting.
17166 (Incidentally, people seem to have been dreaming on, and Sieve has
17167 gaining a market share and is supported by several IMAP servers.
17168 Fortunately, Gnus support it too, @xref{Sieve Commands}.)
17170 Here are the variables of interest:
17174 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
17175 @cindex splitting, crosspost
17177 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
17179 If non-@code{nil}, do crossposting if several split methods match the
17180 mail. If @code{nil}, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule}
17181 found will be used.
17183 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
17185 @item nnimap-split-inbox
17186 @cindex splitting, inbox
17188 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
17190 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @acronym{IMAP}
17191 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to @code{nil}, which means that
17192 splitting is disabled!
17195 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
17196 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
17199 No nnmail equivalent.
17201 @item nnimap-split-rule
17202 @cindex splitting, rules
17203 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
17205 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
17208 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
17209 sublist gives the name of the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox to move articles
17210 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
17211 Neither did I, we need examples.
17214 (setq nnimap-split-rule
17216 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
17217 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
17218 ("INBOX.private" "")))
17221 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
17222 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
17223 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
17225 The first string may contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by
17226 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
17230 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
17233 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
17234 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
17236 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
17237 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
17238 containing the headers of the article. It should return a
17239 non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
17241 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
17242 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
17243 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
17244 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
17245 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
17246 them every time you fetch new mail.)
17248 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
17249 end. The first rule to make a match will ``win'', unless you have
17250 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will ``win''.
17252 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
17253 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
17254 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
17256 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
17258 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
17259 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
17260 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
17263 (setq nnimap-split-rule
17264 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
17265 ("junk" "From:.*Simon"))))
17266 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
17267 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
17268 ("junk" my-junk-func))))))
17271 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
17272 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
17273 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
17274 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
17275 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
17276 group/function elements.
17278 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
17280 @item nnimap-split-predicate
17282 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
17284 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
17285 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
17287 This might be useful if you use another @acronym{IMAP} client to read mail in
17288 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
17289 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
17292 @item nnimap-split-fancy
17293 @cindex splitting, fancy
17294 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
17295 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
17297 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
17298 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
17299 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
17301 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
17302 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
17303 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
17304 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
17309 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
17310 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
17313 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
17315 @item nnimap-split-download-body
17316 @findex nnimap-split-download-body
17317 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
17319 Set to non-@code{nil} to download entire articles during splitting.
17320 This is generally not required, and will slow things down
17321 considerably. You may need it if you want to use an advanced
17322 splitting function that analyzes the body to split the article.
17326 @node Expiring in IMAP
17327 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
17328 @cindex expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail
17330 Even though @code{nnimap} is not a proper @code{nnmail} derived back
17331 end, it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring
17332 Mail}). Unlike splitting in @acronym{IMAP} (@pxref{Splitting in
17333 IMAP}) it does not clone the @code{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating
17334 @var{nnimap-expiry-wait}) but reuse the @code{nnmail} variables. What
17335 follows below are the variables used by the @code{nnimap} expiry
17338 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @acronym{IMAP} server is
17339 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
17340 @code{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
17341 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
17342 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
17343 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
17344 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
17345 messages. Most do, fortunately.
17347 If expiring @acronym{IMAP} mail seems very slow, try setting the server
17348 variable @code{nnimap-search-uids-not-since-is-evil}.
17352 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
17353 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
17355 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
17356 number, the symbol @code{immediate} or @code{never}.
17358 @item nnmail-expiry-target
17360 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
17361 @code{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
17362 that if the destination is a @acronym{IMAP} group on the same server, the
17363 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
17367 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
17368 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
17369 @cindex editing imap acls
17370 @cindex Access Control Lists
17371 @cindex Editing @acronym{IMAP} ACLs
17372 @kindex G l (Group)
17373 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
17375 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @acronym{IMAP} for
17376 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
17377 @acronym{IMAP} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
17380 To edit an ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
17381 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with an ACL
17382 editing window with detailed instructions.
17384 Some possible uses:
17388 Giving ``anyone'' the ``lrs'' rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
17389 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
17390 follow the list without subscribing to it.
17392 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
17393 ``anyone'' posting ("p") capabilities to have ``plussing'' work (that is,
17394 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @acronym{IMAP} mailbox
17398 @node Expunging mailboxes
17399 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
17403 @cindex manual expunging
17404 @kindex G x (Group)
17405 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
17407 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
17408 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
17409 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
17411 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
17414 @node A note on namespaces
17415 @subsection A note on namespaces
17416 @cindex IMAP namespace
17419 The @acronym{IMAP} protocol has a concept called namespaces, described
17420 by the following text in the RFC2060:
17423 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
17425 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
17426 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
17427 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
17428 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
17430 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
17431 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
17432 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
17433 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
17434 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
17435 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
17438 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the
17439 @acronym{IMAP} implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace
17440 prefixes in a way that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
17442 Specifically, University of Washington's @acronym{IMAP} server uses
17443 mailbox names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only
17444 in the @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is
17445 created (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed
17446 without the namespace prefix, i.e. @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do
17447 not make it possible for the user to guarantee that user entered
17448 mailbox names will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands,
17449 you should simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in
17452 See the UoW IMAPD documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
17453 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
17454 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
17456 @node Debugging IMAP
17457 @subsection Debugging IMAP
17458 @cindex IMAP debugging
17459 @cindex protocol dump (IMAP)
17461 @acronym{IMAP} is a complex protocol, more so than @acronym{NNTP} or
17462 @acronym{POP3}. Implementation bugs are not unlikely, and we do our
17463 best to fix them right away. If you encounter odd behavior, chances
17464 are that either the server or Gnus is buggy.
17466 If you are familiar with network protocols in general, you will
17467 probably be able to extract some clues from the protocol dump of the
17468 exchanges between Gnus and the server. Even if you are not familiar
17469 with network protocols, when you include the protocol dump in
17470 @acronym{IMAP}-related bug reports you are helping us with data
17471 critical to solving the problem. Therefore, we strongly encourage you
17472 to include the protocol dump when reporting IMAP bugs in Gnus.
17476 Because the protocol dump, when enabled, generates lots of data, it is
17477 disabled by default. You can enable it by setting @code{imap-log} as
17484 This instructs the @code{imap.el} package to log any exchanges with
17485 the server. The log is stored in the buffer @samp{*imap-log*}. Look
17486 for error messages, which sometimes are tagged with the keyword
17487 @code{BAD}---but when submitting a bug, make sure to include all the
17490 @node Other Sources
17491 @section Other Sources
17493 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
17494 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
17498 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
17499 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
17500 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
17501 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
17502 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
17506 @node Directory Groups
17507 @subsection Directory Groups
17509 @cindex directory groups
17511 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
17512 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
17515 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
17516 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
17517 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
17518 back end to read directories. Big deal.
17520 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
17521 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
17522 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
17523 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
17524 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
17526 @code{nndir} will use @acronym{NOV} files if they are present.
17528 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
17529 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
17530 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
17531 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
17534 @node Anything Groups
17535 @subsection Anything Groups
17538 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
17539 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
17540 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
17543 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
17544 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
17545 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
17546 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
17547 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
17548 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
17549 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
17550 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
17551 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
17552 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
17555 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
17556 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
17557 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
17558 in the article buffer, just as usual.
17560 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
17561 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
17562 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
17563 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
17565 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
17566 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
17567 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
17568 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
17569 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
17570 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
17571 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
17572 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
17577 @item nneething-map-file-directory
17578 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
17579 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
17580 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
17582 @item nneething-exclude-files
17583 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
17584 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
17585 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
17587 @item nneething-include-files
17588 @vindex nneething-include-files
17589 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
17590 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
17592 @item nneething-map-file
17593 @vindex nneething-map-file
17594 Name of the map files.
17598 @node Document Groups
17599 @subsection Document Groups
17601 @cindex documentation group
17604 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
17605 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
17611 The Babyl (Rmail) mail box.
17616 The standard Unix mbox file.
17618 @cindex MMDF mail box
17620 The MMDF mail box format.
17623 Several news articles appended into a file.
17625 @cindex rnews batch files
17627 The rnews batch transport format.
17630 Netscape mail boxes.
17633 @acronym{MIME} multipart messages.
17635 @item standard-digest
17636 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
17639 A @acronym{MIME} digest of messages.
17641 @item lanl-gov-announce
17642 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
17644 @cindex forwarded messages
17645 @item rfc822-forward
17646 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
17649 The Outlook mail box.
17652 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
17655 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
17658 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
17661 An RFC934-forwarded message.
17667 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
17670 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
17676 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
17677 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
17678 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
17681 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
17682 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
17683 group. And that's it.
17685 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
17686 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
17687 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
17688 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
17689 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
17690 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
17691 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
17692 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
17693 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
17694 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
17696 Virtual server variables:
17699 @item nndoc-article-type
17700 @vindex nndoc-article-type
17701 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
17702 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
17703 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
17704 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
17705 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
17707 @item nndoc-post-type
17708 @vindex nndoc-post-type
17709 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
17710 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
17715 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
17719 @node Document Server Internals
17720 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
17722 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
17723 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
17724 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
17725 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
17727 First, here's an example document type definition:
17731 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
17732 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
17735 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
17736 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
17737 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
17738 types can be defined with very few settings:
17741 @item first-article
17742 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
17743 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
17746 @item article-begin
17747 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
17748 says what the beginning of each article looks like. To do more
17749 complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you can
17750 use @code{article-begin-function} instead of this.
17752 @item article-begin-function
17753 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the beginning
17754 of each article. This setting overrides @code{article-begin}.
17757 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
17758 article. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a
17759 simple regexp, you can use @code{head-begin-function} instead of this.
17761 @item head-begin-function
17762 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
17763 the article. This setting overrides @code{head-begin}.
17766 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
17767 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
17770 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
17771 to @samp{^\n}. To do more complicated things that cannot be dealt with
17772 a simple regexp, you can use @code{body-begin-function} instead of this.
17774 @item body-begin-function
17775 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
17776 of the article. This setting overrides @code{body-begin}.
17779 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article. To do
17780 more complicated things that cannot be dealt with a simple regexp, you
17781 can use @code{body-end-function} instead of this.
17783 @item body-end-function
17784 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
17785 the article. This setting overrides @code{body-end}.
17788 If present, this should match the beginning of the file. All text
17789 before this regexp will be totally ignored.
17792 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
17793 regexp will be totally ignored.
17797 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
17798 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
17799 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
17800 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
17801 something that's palatable for Gnus:
17804 @item prepare-body-function
17805 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
17806 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
17807 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
17809 @item article-transform-function
17810 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
17811 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
17812 body of the article.
17814 @item generate-head-function
17815 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
17816 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
17817 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
17818 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
17820 @item generate-article-function
17821 If present, this function is called to generate an entire article that
17822 Gnus can understand. It is called with the article number as a
17823 parameter when requesting all articles.
17825 @item dissection-function
17826 If present, this function is called to dissect a document by itself,
17827 overriding @code{first-article}, @code{article-begin},
17828 @code{article-begin-function}, @code{head-begin},
17829 @code{head-begin-function}, @code{head-end}, @code{body-begin},
17830 @code{body-begin-function}, @code{body-end}, @code{body-end-function},
17831 @code{file-begin}, and @code{file-end}.
17835 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
17840 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17841 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
17842 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
17843 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
17844 (head-end . "^ ?$")
17845 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
17846 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
17847 (subtype digest guess))
17850 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
17851 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
17852 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
17853 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
17854 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
17856 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
17857 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first
17858 is the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says
17859 where in the document type definition alist to put this definition.
17860 The alist is traversed sequentially, and
17861 @code{nndoc-@var{type}-type-p} is called for a given type @var{type}.
17862 So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document is of
17863 @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
17864 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it
17865 is of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
17866 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number
17867 means low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
17875 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
17876 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
17877 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
17879 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
17880 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
17881 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
17884 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
17885 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
17886 that interested in doing things properly.
17888 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
17889 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
17892 First some terminology:
17897 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
17898 get news and/or mail from.
17901 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
17902 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
17905 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
17909 @item message packets
17910 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
17911 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
17912 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17914 @item response packets
17915 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
17916 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
17917 default, where @var{x} is a number.
17927 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
17928 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
17929 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
17930 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
17933 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
17936 You put the packet in your home directory.
17939 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
17940 the native or secondary server.
17943 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
17944 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
17947 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
17951 You transfer this packet to the server.
17954 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
17957 You then repeat until you die.
17961 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
17962 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
17965 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
17966 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
17967 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
17971 @node SOUP Commands
17972 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
17974 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
17978 @kindex G s b (Group)
17979 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
17980 Pack all unread articles in the current group
17981 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
17982 process/prefix convention.
17985 @kindex G s w (Group)
17986 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
17987 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
17990 @kindex G s s (Group)
17991 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
17992 Send all replies from the replies packet
17993 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
17996 @kindex G s p (Group)
17997 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
17998 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
18001 @kindex G s r (Group)
18002 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
18003 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
18006 @kindex O s (Summary)
18007 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
18008 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
18009 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
18010 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
18015 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
18020 @item gnus-soup-directory
18021 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
18022 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
18023 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
18025 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
18026 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
18027 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
18028 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
18030 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
18031 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
18032 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
18033 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
18035 @item gnus-soup-packer
18036 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
18037 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
18038 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
18040 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
18041 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
18042 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
18043 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
18045 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
18046 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
18047 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
18049 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
18050 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
18051 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
18052 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
18058 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
18061 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
18062 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
18063 you can read them at leisure.
18065 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
18069 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
18070 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
18071 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
18072 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
18074 @item nnsoup-directory
18075 @vindex nnsoup-directory
18076 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
18077 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
18079 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
18080 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
18081 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
18082 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/}.
18084 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
18085 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
18086 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
18087 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
18088 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
18090 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
18091 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
18092 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
18093 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
18095 @item nnsoup-active-file
18096 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
18097 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
18098 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
18099 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
18100 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
18102 @item nnsoup-packer
18103 @vindex nnsoup-packer
18104 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
18105 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
18107 @item nnsoup-unpacker
18108 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
18109 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
18110 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
18112 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
18113 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
18114 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
18117 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
18118 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
18119 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
18122 @item nnsoup-always-save
18123 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
18124 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
18130 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
18132 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
18133 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
18134 more for that to happen.
18136 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
18137 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
18138 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
18141 In specific, this is what it does:
18144 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
18145 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
18148 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
18149 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
18150 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
18153 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
18154 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
18155 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
18158 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
18159 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
18160 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
18162 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
18168 @item nngateway-address
18169 @vindex nngateway-address
18170 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
18172 @item nngateway-header-transformation
18173 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
18174 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
18175 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
18176 transformation should be called, and defaults to
18177 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
18178 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
18181 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
18182 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
18183 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
18186 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
18189 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
18192 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
18195 The following pre-defined functions exist:
18197 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18200 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
18201 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18202 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
18204 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18206 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
18207 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
18208 @code{nngateway-address}.
18216 (setq gnus-post-method
18218 "mail2news@@replay.com"
18219 (nngateway-header-transformation
18220 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
18223 So, to use this, simply say something like:
18226 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
18231 @node Combined Groups
18232 @section Combined Groups
18234 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
18238 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
18239 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
18243 @node Virtual Groups
18244 @subsection Virtual Groups
18246 @cindex virtual groups
18247 @cindex merging groups
18249 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
18252 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
18253 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
18254 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
18256 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
18257 regexp to match component groups.
18259 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
18260 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
18261 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
18262 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
18263 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
18264 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
18265 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
18266 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
18268 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
18269 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
18272 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
18275 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
18276 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
18278 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
18279 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
18280 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
18281 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
18284 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
18287 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
18288 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
18289 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
18291 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
18292 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
18293 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
18294 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
18295 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
18297 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
18298 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
18299 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
18301 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
18302 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} variable is non-@code{nil} (which
18303 is the default), @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread
18304 articles when entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil}
18305 and you read articles in a component group after the virtual group has
18306 been activated, the read articles from the component group will show up
18307 when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this effect if you
18308 have two virtual groups that have a component group in common. If
18309 that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}. Or you can
18310 just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before you enter
18311 it---it'll have much the same effect.
18313 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
18314 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
18315 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
18316 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
18317 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
18318 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
18319 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
18321 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
18322 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
18324 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
18325 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
18329 @node Kibozed Groups
18330 @subsection Kibozed Groups
18334 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by the @acronym{OED} as ``grepping through
18335 (parts of) the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will
18336 do this for you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @acronym{NNTP} server
18337 down to a halt with useless requests! Oh happiness!
18339 @kindex G k (Group)
18340 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
18343 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
18344 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
18345 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between
18346 @code{nnkiboze} and @code{nnvirtual} end.
18348 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an
18349 @code{nnkiboze} group must have a score file to say what articles are
18350 to be included in the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
18352 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
18353 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
18354 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
18355 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time.
18356 Lots of time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the
18357 headers from all the articles in all the component groups and run them
18358 through the scoring process to determine if there are any articles in
18359 the groups that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
18361 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
18362 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
18363 @acronym{NNTP} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
18364 Stranger things have happened.
18366 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
18367 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
18369 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
18370 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
18371 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/kiboze/} by default.
18372 One contains the @acronym{NOV} header lines for all the articles in
18373 the group, and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store
18374 information on what groups have been searched through to find
18375 component articles.
18377 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
18378 their @acronym{NOV} lines removed from the @acronym{NOV} file.
18381 @node Email Based Diary
18382 @section Email Based Diary
18384 @cindex email based diary
18387 This section describes a special mail back end called @code{nndiary},
18388 and its companion library @code{gnus-diary}. It is ``special'' in the
18389 sense that it is not meant to be one of the standard alternatives for
18390 reading mail with Gnus. See @ref{Choosing a Mail Back End} for that.
18391 Instead, it is used to treat @emph{some} of your mails in a special way,
18392 namely, as event reminders.
18394 Here is a typical scenario:
18398 You've got a date with Andy Mc Dowell or Bruce Willis (select according
18399 to your sexual preference) in one month. You don't want to forget it.
18401 So you send a ``reminder'' message (actually, a diary one) to yourself.
18403 You forget all about it and keep on getting and reading new mail, as usual.
18405 From time to time, as you type `g' in the group buffer and as the date
18406 is getting closer, the message will pop up again to remind you of your
18407 appointment, just as if it were new and unread.
18409 Read your ``new'' messages, this one included, and start dreaming again
18410 of the night you're gonna have.
18412 Once the date is over (you actually fell asleep just after dinner), the
18413 message will be automatically deleted if it is marked as expirable.
18416 The Gnus Diary back end has the ability to handle regular appointments
18417 (that wouldn't ever be deleted) as well as punctual ones, operates as a
18418 real mail back end and is configurable in many ways. All of this is
18419 explained in the sections below.
18422 * The NNDiary Back End:: Basic setup and usage.
18423 * The Gnus Diary Library:: Utility toolkit on top of nndiary.
18424 * Sending or Not Sending:: A final note on sending diary messages.
18428 @node The NNDiary Back End
18429 @subsection The NNDiary Back End
18431 @cindex the nndiary back end
18433 @code{nndiary} is a back end very similar to @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
18434 Spool}). Actually, it could appear as a mix of @code{nnml} and
18435 @code{nndraft}. If you know @code{nnml}, you're already familiar with
18436 the message storing scheme of @code{nndiary}: one file per message, one
18437 directory per group.
18439 Before anything, there is one requirement to be able to run
18440 @code{nndiary} properly: you @emph{must} use the group timestamp feature
18441 of Gnus. This adds a timestamp to each group's parameters. @ref{Group
18442 Timestamp} to see how it's done.
18445 * Diary Messages:: What makes a message valid for nndiary.
18446 * Running NNDiary:: NNDiary has two modes of operation.
18447 * Customizing NNDiary:: Bells and whistles.
18450 @node Diary Messages
18451 @subsubsection Diary Messages
18452 @cindex nndiary messages
18453 @cindex nndiary mails
18455 @code{nndiary} messages are just normal ones, except for the mandatory
18456 presence of 7 special headers. These headers are of the form
18457 @code{X-Diary-<something>}, @code{<something>} being one of
18458 @code{Minute}, @code{Hour}, @code{Dom}, @code{Month}, @code{Year},
18459 @code{Time-Zone} and @code{Dow}. @code{Dom} means ``Day of Month'', and
18460 @code{dow} means ``Day of Week''. These headers actually behave like
18461 crontab specifications and define the event date(s):
18465 For all headers except the @code{Time-Zone} one, a header value is
18466 either a star (meaning all possible values), or a list of fields
18467 (separated by a comma).
18469 A field is either an integer, or a range.
18471 A range is two integers separated by a dash.
18473 Possible integer values are 0--59 for @code{Minute}, 0--23 for
18474 @code{Hour}, 1--31 for @code{Dom}, 1--12 for @code{Month}, above 1971
18475 for @code{Year} and 0--6 for @code{Dow} (0 meaning Sunday).
18477 As a special case, a star in either @code{Dom} or @code{Dow} doesn't
18478 mean ``all possible values'', but ``use only the other field''. Note
18479 that if both are star'ed, the use of either one gives the same result.
18481 The @code{Time-Zone} header is special in that it can only have one
18482 value (@code{GMT}, for instance). A star doesn't mean ``all possible
18483 values'' (because it makes no sense), but ``the current local time
18484 zone''. Most of the time, you'll be using a star here. However, for a
18485 list of available time zone values, see the variable
18486 @code{nndiary-headers}.
18489 As a concrete example, here are the diary headers to add to your message
18490 for specifying ``Each Monday and each 1st of month, at 12:00, 20:00,
18491 21:00, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00, from 1999 to 2010'' (I'll let you find
18496 X-Diary-Hour: 12, 20-24
18499 X-Diary-Year: 1999-2010
18501 X-Diary-Time-Zone: *
18504 @node Running NNDiary
18505 @subsubsection Running NNDiary
18506 @cindex running nndiary
18507 @cindex nndiary operation modes
18509 @code{nndiary} has two modes of operation: ``traditional'' (the default)
18510 and ``autonomous''. In traditional mode, @code{nndiary} does not get new
18511 mail by itself. You have to move (@kbd{B m}) or copy (@kbd{B c}) mails
18512 from your primary mail back end to nndiary groups in order to handle them
18513 as diary messages. In autonomous mode, @code{nndiary} retrieves its own
18514 mail and handles it independently from your primary mail back end.
18516 One should note that Gnus is not inherently designed to allow several
18517 ``master'' mail back ends at the same time. However, this does make
18518 sense with @code{nndiary}: you really want to send and receive diary
18519 messages to your diary groups directly. So, @code{nndiary} supports
18520 being sort of a ``second primary mail back end'' (to my knowledge, it is
18521 the only back end offering this feature). However, there is a limitation
18522 (which I hope to fix some day): respooling doesn't work in autonomous
18525 In order to use @code{nndiary} in autonomous mode, you have several
18530 Allow @code{nndiary} to retrieve new mail by itself. Put the following
18531 line in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18534 (setq nndiary-get-new-mail t)
18537 You must arrange for diary messages (those containing @code{X-Diary-*}
18538 headers) to be split in a private folder @emph{before} Gnus treat them.
18539 Again, this is needed because Gnus cannot (yet ?) properly handle
18540 multiple primary mail back ends. Getting those messages from a separate
18541 source will compensate this misfeature to some extent.
18543 As an example, here's my procmailrc entry to store diary files in
18544 @file{~/.nndiary} (the default @code{nndiary} mail source file):
18553 Once this is done, you might want to customize the following two options
18554 that affect the diary mail retrieval and splitting processes:
18556 @defvar nndiary-mail-sources
18557 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18558 @code{mail-sources} variable. It obeys the same syntax, and defaults to
18559 @code{(file :path "~/.nndiary")}.
18562 @defvar nndiary-split-methods
18563 This is the diary-specific replacement for the standard
18564 @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable. It obeys the same syntax.
18567 Finally, you may add a permanent @code{nndiary} virtual server
18568 (something like @code{(nndiary "diary")} should do) to your
18569 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}.
18571 Hopefully, almost everything (see the TODO section in
18572 @file{nndiary.el}) will work as expected when you restart Gnus: in
18573 autonomous mode, typing @kbd{g} and @kbd{M-g} in the group buffer, will
18574 also get your new diary mails and split them according to your
18575 diary-specific rules, @kbd{F} will find your new diary groups etc.
18577 @node Customizing NNDiary
18578 @subsubsection Customizing NNDiary
18579 @cindex customizing nndiary
18580 @cindex nndiary customization
18582 Now that @code{nndiary} is up and running, it's time to customize it.
18583 The custom group is called @code{nndiary} (no, really ?!). You should
18584 browse it to figure out which options you'd like to tweak. The following
18585 two variables are probably the only ones you will want to change:
18587 @defvar nndiary-reminders
18588 This is the list of times when you want to be reminded of your
18589 appointments (e.g. 3 weeks before, then 2 days before, then 1 hour
18590 before and that's it). Remember that ``being reminded'' means that the
18591 diary message will pop up as brand new and unread again when you get new
18595 @defvar nndiary-week-starts-on-monday
18596 Rather self-explanatory. Otherwise, Sunday is assumed (this is the
18601 @node The Gnus Diary Library
18602 @subsection The Gnus Diary Library
18604 @cindex the gnus diary library
18606 Using @code{nndiary} manually (I mean, writing the headers by hand and
18607 so on) would be rather boring. Fortunately, there is a library called
18608 @code{gnus-diary} written on top of @code{nndiary}, that does many
18609 useful things for you.
18611 In order to use it, add the following line to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
18614 (require 'gnus-diary)
18617 Also, you shouldn't use any @code{gnus-user-format-function-[d|D]}
18618 (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} provides both of these
18619 (sorry if you used them before).
18623 * Diary Summary Line Format:: A nicer summary buffer line format.
18624 * Diary Articles Sorting:: A nicer way to sort messages.
18625 * Diary Headers Generation:: Not doing it manually.
18626 * Diary Group Parameters:: Not handling them manually.
18629 @node Diary Summary Line Format
18630 @subsubsection Diary Summary Line Format
18631 @cindex diary summary buffer line
18632 @cindex diary summary line format
18634 Displaying diary messages in standard summary line format (usually
18635 something like @samp{From Joe: Subject}) is pretty useless. Most of
18636 the time, you're the one who wrote the message, and you mostly want to
18637 see the event's date.
18639 @code{gnus-diary} provides two supplemental user formats to be used in
18640 summary line formats. @code{D} corresponds to a formatted time string
18641 for the next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00''),
18642 while @code{d} corresponds to an approximative remaining time until the
18643 next occurrence of the event (e.g. ``in 6 months, 1 week'').
18645 For example, here's how Joe's birthday is displayed in my
18646 @code{nndiary+diary:birthdays} summary buffer (note that the message is
18647 expirable, but will never be deleted, as it specifies a periodic event):
18650 E Sat, Sep 22 01, 12:00: Joe's birthday (in 6 months, 1 week)
18653 In order to get something like the above, you would normally add the
18654 following line to your diary groups'parameters:
18657 (gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z %uD: %(%s%) (%ud)\n")
18660 However, @code{gnus-diary} does it automatically (@pxref{Diary Group
18661 Parameters}). You can however customize the provided summary line format
18662 with the following user options:
18664 @defvar gnus-diary-summary-line-format
18665 Defines the summary line format used for diary groups (@pxref{Summary
18666 Buffer Lines}). @code{gnus-diary} uses it to automatically update the
18667 diary groups'parameters.
18670 @defvar gnus-diary-time-format
18671 Defines the format to display dates in diary summary buffers. This is
18672 used by the @code{D} user format. See the docstring for details.
18675 @defvar gnus-diary-delay-format-function
18676 Defines the format function to use for displaying delays (remaining
18677 times) in diary summary buffers. This is used by the @code{d} user
18678 format. There are currently built-in functions for English and French;
18679 you can also define your own. See the docstring for details.
18682 @node Diary Articles Sorting
18683 @subsubsection Diary Articles Sorting
18684 @cindex diary articles sorting
18685 @cindex diary summary lines sorting
18686 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule
18687 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule
18688 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-schedule
18690 @code{gnus-diary} provides new sorting functions (@pxref{Sorting the
18691 Summary Buffer} ) called @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule},
18692 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-schedule} and
18693 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-schedule}. These functions let you organize
18694 your diary summary buffers from the closest event to the farthest one.
18696 @code{gnus-diary} automatically installs
18697 @code{gnus-summary-sort-by-schedule} as a menu item in the summary
18698 buffer's ``sort'' menu, and the two others as the primary (hence
18699 default) sorting functions in the group parameters (@pxref{Diary Group
18702 @node Diary Headers Generation
18703 @subsubsection Diary Headers Generation
18704 @cindex diary headers generation
18705 @findex gnus-diary-check-message
18707 @code{gnus-diary} provides a function called
18708 @code{gnus-diary-check-message} to help you handle the @code{X-Diary-*}
18709 headers. This function ensures that the current message contains all the
18710 required diary headers, and prompts you for values or corrections if
18713 This function is hooked into the @code{nndiary} back end, so that
18714 moving or copying an article to a diary group will trigger it
18715 automatically. It is also bound to @kbd{C-c D c} in @code{message-mode}
18716 and @code{article-edit-mode} in order to ease the process of converting
18717 a usual mail to a diary one.
18719 This function takes a prefix argument which will force prompting of
18720 all diary headers, regardless of their presence or validity. That way,
18721 you can very easily reschedule an already valid diary message, for
18724 @node Diary Group Parameters
18725 @subsubsection Diary Group Parameters
18726 @cindex diary group parameters
18728 When you create a new diary group, or visit one, @code{gnus-diary}
18729 automatically checks your group parameters and if needed, sets the
18730 summary line format to the diary-specific value, installs the
18731 diary-specific sorting functions, and also adds the different
18732 @code{X-Diary-*} headers to the group's posting-style. It is then easier
18733 to send a diary message, because if you use @kbd{C-u a} or @kbd{C-u m}
18734 on a diary group to prepare a message, these headers will be inserted
18735 automatically (although not filled with proper values yet).
18737 @node Sending or Not Sending
18738 @subsection Sending or Not Sending
18740 Well, assuming you've read all of the above, here are two final notes on
18741 mail sending with @code{nndiary}:
18745 @code{nndiary} is a @emph{real} mail back end. You really send real diary
18746 messsages for real. This means for instance that you can give
18747 appointments to anybody (provided they use Gnus and @code{nndiary}) by
18748 sending the diary message to them as well.
18750 However, since @code{nndiary} also has a @code{request-post} method, you
18751 can also use @kbd{C-u a} instead of @kbd{C-u m} on a diary group and the
18752 message won't actually be sent; just stored locally in the group. This
18753 comes in very handy for private appointments.
18756 @node Gnus Unplugged
18757 @section Gnus Unplugged
18762 @cindex Gnus unplugged
18764 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
18765 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
18766 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
18767 read news. Believe it or not.
18769 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
18770 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
18771 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
18772 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
18773 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
18775 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
18776 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
18777 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
18778 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
18779 reading news on a machine.
18781 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
18782 fact, you don't have to configure anything as the agent is now enabled
18783 by default (@pxref{Agent Variables, gnus-agent}).
18785 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
18788 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
18789 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
18790 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
18791 * Agent Visuals:: Ways that the agent may effect your summary buffer.
18792 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
18793 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
18794 * Agent Regeneration:: How to recover from lost connections and other accidents.
18795 * Agent and flags:: How the Agent maintains flags.
18796 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with @acronym{IMAP}.
18797 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
18798 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
18799 * Example Setup:: An example @file{~/.gnus.el} file for offline people.
18800 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
18801 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
18806 @subsection Agent Basics
18808 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
18810 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
18811 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
18812 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
18813 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
18815 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
18816 connected to the net continuously.
18818 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
18819 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
18821 You know that Gnus gives you all the opportunity you'd ever want for
18822 shooting yourself in the foot. Some people call it flexibility. Gnus
18823 is also customizable to a great extent, which means that the user has a
18824 say on how Gnus behaves. Other newsreaders might unconditionally shoot
18825 you in your foot, but with Gnus, you have a choice!
18827 Gnus is never really in plugged or unplugged state. Rather, it applies
18828 that state to each server individually. This means that some servers
18829 can be plugged while others can be unplugged. Additionally, some
18830 servers can be ignored by the Agent altogether (which means that
18831 they're kinda like plugged always).
18833 So when you unplug the Agent and then wonder why is Gnus opening a
18834 connection to the Net, the next step to do is to look whether all
18835 servers are agentized. If there is an unagentized server, you found
18838 Another thing is the @dfn{offline} state. Sometimes, servers aren't
18839 reachable. When Gnus notices this, it asks you whether you want the
18840 server to be switched to offline state. If you say yes, then the
18841 server will behave somewhat as if it was unplugged, except that Gnus
18842 will ask you whether you want to switch it back online again.
18844 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
18849 @findex gnus-unplugged
18850 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
18851 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
18852 already fetched while in this mode.
18855 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
18856 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
18857 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
18858 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode (@pxref{Mail
18859 Source Specifiers}).
18862 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the
18863 news onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press
18864 @kbd{g} to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J s} to fetch
18865 all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus know which
18866 articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}).
18869 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
18870 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
18871 then you read the news offline.
18874 And then you go to step 2.
18877 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
18883 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
18884 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
18885 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
18886 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
18887 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
18888 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
18889 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} servers in @code{gnus-select-method} and
18890 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
18893 Decide on download policy. It's fairly simple once you decide whether
18894 you are going to use agent categories, topic parameters, and/or group
18895 parameters to implement your policy. If you're new to gnus, it
18896 is probably best to start with a category, @xref{Agent Categories}.
18898 Both topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) and agent categories
18899 (@pxref{Agent Categories}) provide for setting a policy that applies
18900 to multiple groups. Which you use is entirely up to you. Topic
18901 parameters do override categories so, if you mix the two, you'll have
18902 to take that into account. If you have a few groups that deviate from
18903 your policy, you can use group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to
18907 Uhm@dots{} that's it.
18911 @node Agent Categories
18912 @subsection Agent Categories
18914 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
18915 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
18916 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
18917 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
18918 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
18919 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
18920 you're interested in the articles anyway.
18922 One of the more effective methods for controlling what is to be
18923 downloaded is to create a @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all)
18924 groups to this category. Groups that do not belong in any other
18925 category belong to the @code{default} category. Gnus has its own
18926 buffer for creating and managing categories.
18928 If you prefer, you can also use group parameters (@pxref{Group
18929 Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}) for an
18930 alternative approach to controlling the agent. The only real
18931 difference is that categories are specific to the agent (so there is
18932 less to learn) while group and topic parameters include the kitchen
18935 Since you can set agent parameters in several different places we have
18936 a rule to decide which source to believe. This rule specifies that
18937 the parameter sources are checked in the following order: group
18938 parameters, topic parameters, agent category, and finally customizable
18939 variables. So you can mix all of these sources to produce a wide range
18940 of behavior, just don't blame me if you don't remember where you put
18944 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
18945 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
18946 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
18950 @node Category Syntax
18951 @subsubsection Category Syntax
18953 A category consists of a name, the list of groups belonging to the
18954 category, and a number of optional parameters that override the
18955 customizable variables. The complete list of agent parameters are
18958 @cindex Agent Parameters
18961 The list of groups that are in this category.
18963 @item agent-predicate
18964 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
18965 are eligible for downloading; and
18968 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
18969 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
18970 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
18972 @item agent-enable-expiration
18973 a boolean indicating whether the agent should expire old articles in
18974 this group. Most groups should be expired to conserve disk space. In
18975 fact, its probably safe to say that the gnus.* hierarchy contains the
18976 only groups that should not be expired.
18978 @item agent-days-until-old
18979 an integer indicating the number of days that the agent should wait
18980 before deciding that a read article is safe to expire.
18982 @item agent-low-score
18983 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-low-score}.
18985 @item agent-high-score
18986 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-high-score}.
18988 @item agent-short-article
18989 an integer that overrides the value of
18990 @code{gnus-agent-short-article}.
18992 @item agent-long-article
18993 an integer that overrides the value of @code{gnus-agent-long-article}.
18995 @item agent-enable-undownloaded-faces
18996 a symbol indicating whether the summary buffer should display
18997 undownloaded articles using the @code{gnus-summary-*-undownloaded-face}
18998 faces. Any symbol other than @code{nil} will enable the use of
18999 undownloaded faces.
19002 The name of a category can not be changed once the category has been
19005 Each category maintains a list of groups that are exclusive members of
19006 that category. The exclusivity rule is automatically enforced, add a
19007 group to a new category and it is automatically removed from its old
19010 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
19011 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
19012 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
19013 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
19015 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
19016 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
19017 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
19019 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
19020 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
19021 operators sprinkled in between.
19023 Perhaps some examples are in order.
19025 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
19026 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
19032 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
19033 short (for some value of ``short'').
19035 Here's a more complex predicate:
19044 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
19045 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
19048 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
19049 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
19050 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
19052 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
19053 you want to do, you can write your own.
19055 When evaluating each of these predicates, the named constant will be
19056 bound to the value determined by calling
19057 @code{gnus-agent-find-parameter} on the appropriate parameter. For
19058 example, gnus-agent-short-article will be bound to
19059 @code{(gnus-agent-find-parameter group 'agent-short-article)}. This
19060 means that you can specify a predicate in your category then tune that
19061 predicate to individual groups.
19065 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
19066 lines; default 100.
19069 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
19070 lines; default 200.
19073 True iff the article has a download score less than
19074 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
19077 True iff the article has a download score greater than
19078 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
19081 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
19082 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
19083 checksum and sees whether articles match.
19092 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
19093 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
19094 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
19097 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
19098 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
19099 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
19100 something along the lines of the following:
19103 (defun my-article-old-p ()
19104 "Say whether an article is old."
19105 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
19106 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
19109 with the predicate then defined as:
19112 (not my-article-old-p)
19115 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
19116 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
19120 (require 'gnus-agent)
19121 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
19122 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
19123 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
19126 and simply specify your predicate as:
19132 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
19133 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
19134 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
19135 just don't give a damn.
19137 The above predicates apply to @emph{all} the groups which belong to the
19138 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
19139 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
19140 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in its group
19141 parameters like so:
19144 (agent-predicate . short)
19147 This is the group/topic parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
19148 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
19149 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
19151 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
19154 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
19157 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
19158 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
19159 predicate is assumed to be a list.
19162 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
19163 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
19164 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
19165 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
19166 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
19167 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
19169 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
19170 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
19171 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
19172 if it's to be specific to that group.
19174 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
19181 This has the same syntax as a normal Gnus score file except only a
19182 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
19188 Category specification
19192 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19198 Group/Topic Parameter specification
19201 (agent-score ("from"
19202 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
19207 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
19213 These score files must @emph{only} contain the permitted scoring
19214 keywords stated above.
19220 Category specification
19223 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
19229 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
19233 Group Parameter specification
19236 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
19239 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
19244 Use @code{normal} score files
19246 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
19247 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
19248 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
19249 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
19251 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
19252 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
19253 files for a group, @emph{filtering out} those sections that do not
19254 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
19258 Category Specification
19265 Group Parameter specification
19268 (agent-score . file)
19273 @node Category Buffer
19274 @subsubsection Category Buffer
19276 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
19277 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
19278 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
19280 The following commands are available in this buffer:
19284 @kindex q (Category)
19285 @findex gnus-category-exit
19286 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
19289 @kindex e (Category)
19290 @findex gnus-category-customize-category
19291 Use a customization buffer to set all of the selected category's
19292 parameters at one time (@code{gnus-category-customize-category}).
19295 @kindex k (Category)
19296 @findex gnus-category-kill
19297 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
19300 @kindex c (Category)
19301 @findex gnus-category-copy
19302 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
19305 @kindex a (Category)
19306 @findex gnus-category-add
19307 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
19310 @kindex p (Category)
19311 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
19312 Edit the predicate of the current category
19313 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
19316 @kindex g (Category)
19317 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
19318 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
19319 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
19322 @kindex s (Category)
19323 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
19324 Edit the download score rule of the current category
19325 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
19328 @kindex l (Category)
19329 @findex gnus-category-list
19330 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
19334 @node Category Variables
19335 @subsubsection Category Variables
19338 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
19339 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
19340 Hook run in category buffers.
19342 @item gnus-category-line-format
19343 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
19344 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
19345 Variables}). Valid elements are:
19349 The name of the category.
19352 The number of groups in the category.
19355 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
19356 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
19357 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
19359 @item gnus-agent-short-article
19360 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
19361 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
19363 @item gnus-agent-long-article
19364 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
19365 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
19367 @item gnus-agent-low-score
19368 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
19369 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
19372 @item gnus-agent-high-score
19373 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
19374 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
19377 @item gnus-agent-expire-days
19378 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19379 The number of days that a @samp{read} article must stay in the agent's
19380 local disk before becoming eligible for expiration (While the name is
19381 the same, this doesn't mean expiring the article on the server. It
19382 just means deleting the local copy of the article). What is also
19383 important to understand is that the counter starts with the time the
19384 article was written to the local disk and not the time the article was
19388 @item gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19389 @vindex gnus-agent-enable-expiration
19390 Determines whether articles in a group are, by default, expired or
19391 retained indefinitely. The default is @code{ENABLE} which means that
19392 you'll have to disable expiration when desired. On the other hand,
19393 you could set this to @code{DISABLE}. In that case, you would then
19394 have to enable expiration in selected groups.
19399 @node Agent Commands
19400 @subsection Agent Commands
19401 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-plugged
19402 @kindex J j (Agent)
19404 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
19405 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
19406 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
19410 * Group Agent Commands:: Configure groups and fetch their contents.
19411 * Summary Agent Commands:: Manually select then fetch specific articles.
19412 * Server Agent Commands:: Select the servers that are supported by the agent.
19418 @node Group Agent Commands
19419 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
19423 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
19424 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
19425 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
19426 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
19429 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
19430 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
19431 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
19434 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
19435 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
19436 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
19437 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
19440 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
19441 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
19442 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
19443 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
19446 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
19447 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
19448 Add the current group to an Agent category
19449 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
19450 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19453 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
19454 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
19455 Remove the current group from its category, if any
19456 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
19457 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
19460 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
19461 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19462 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
19468 @node Summary Agent Commands
19469 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
19473 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
19474 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
19475 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
19478 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
19479 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
19480 Remove the downloading mark from the article
19481 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
19485 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
19486 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
19487 Toggle whether to download the article
19488 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}). The download mark is @samp{%} by
19492 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
19493 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
19494 Mark all articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}) that are neither cached, downloaded, nor downloadable.
19497 @kindex J S (Agent Summary)
19498 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-group
19499 Download all eligible (@pxref{Agent Categories}) articles in this group.
19500 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-group}).
19503 @kindex J s (Agent Summary)
19504 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series
19505 Download all processable articles in this group.
19506 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-series}).
19509 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
19510 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
19511 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
19512 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
19517 @node Server Agent Commands
19518 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
19522 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
19523 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
19524 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
19525 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
19528 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
19529 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
19530 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
19531 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
19536 @node Agent Visuals
19537 @subsection Agent Visuals
19539 If you open a summary while unplugged and, Gnus knows from the group's
19540 active range that there are more articles than the headers currently
19541 stored in the Agent, you may see some articles whose subject looks
19542 something like @samp{[Undownloaded article #####]}. These are
19543 placeholders for the missing headers. Aside from setting a mark,
19544 there is not much that can be done with one of these placeholders.
19545 When Gnus finally gets a chance to fetch the group's headers, the
19546 placeholders will automatically be replaced by the actual headers.
19547 You can configure the summary buffer's maneuvering to skip over the
19548 placeholders if you care (See @code{gnus-auto-goto-ignores}).
19550 While it may be obvious to all, the only headers and articles
19551 available while unplugged are those headers and articles that were
19552 fetched into the Agent while previously plugged. To put it another
19553 way, ``If you forget to fetch something while plugged, you might have a
19554 less than satisfying unplugged session''. For this reason, the Agent
19555 adds two visual effects to your summary buffer. These effects display
19556 the download status of each article so that you always know which
19557 articles will be available when unplugged.
19559 The first visual effect is the @samp{%O} spec. If you customize
19560 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} to include this specifier, you will add
19561 a single character field that indicates an article's download status.
19562 Articles that have been fetched into either the Agent or the Cache,
19563 will display @code{gnus-downloaded-mark} (defaults to @samp{+}). All
19564 other articles will display @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} (defaults to
19565 @samp{-}). If you open a group that has not been agentized, a space
19566 (@samp{ }) will be displayed.
19568 The second visual effect are the undownloaded faces. The faces, there
19569 are three indicating the article's score (low, normal, high), seem to
19570 result in a love/hate response from many Gnus users. The problem is
19571 that the face selection is controlled by a list of condition tests and
19572 face names (See @code{gnus-summary-highlight}). Each condition is
19573 tested in the order in which it appears in the list so early
19574 conditions have precedence over later conditions. All of this means
19575 that, if you tick an undownloaded article, the article will continue
19576 to be displayed in the undownloaded face rather than the ticked face.
19578 If you use the Agent as a cache (to avoid downloading the same article
19579 each time you visit it or to minimize your connection time), the
19580 undownloaded face will probably seem like a good idea. The reason
19581 being that you do all of our work (marking, reading, deleting) with
19582 downloaded articles so the normal faces always appear. For those
19583 users using the agent to improve online performance by caching the NOV
19584 database (most users since 5.10.2), the undownloaded faces may appear
19585 to be an absolutely horrible idea. The issue being that, since none
19586 of their articles have been fetched into the Agent, all of the
19587 normal faces will be obscured by the undownloaded faces.
19589 If you would like to use the undownloaded faces, you must enable the
19590 undownloaded faces by setting the @code{agent-enable-undownloaded-faces}
19591 group parameter to @code{t}. This parameter, like all other agent
19592 parameters, may be set on an Agent Category (@pxref{Agent Categories}),
19593 a Group Topic (@pxref{Topic Parameters}), or an individual group
19594 (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
19596 The one problem common to all users using the agent is how quickly it
19597 can consume disk space. If you using the agent on many groups, it is
19598 even more difficult to effectively recover disk space. One solution
19599 is the @samp{%F} format available in @code{gnus-group-line-format}.
19600 This format will display the actual disk space used by articles
19601 fetched into both the agent and cache. By knowing which groups use
19602 the most space, users know where to focus their efforts when ``agent
19603 expiring'' articles.
19605 @node Agent as Cache
19606 @subsection Agent as Cache
19608 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
19609 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
19610 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
19611 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
19612 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
19613 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
19614 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
19615 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
19616 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
19618 If you so desire, you can configure the agent (see @code{gnus-agent-cache}
19619 @pxref{Agent Variables}) to always download headers and articles while
19620 plugged. Gnus will almost certainly be slower, but it will be kept
19621 synchronized with the server. That last point probably won't make any
19622 sense if you are using a nntp or nnimap back end.
19625 @subsection Agent Expiry
19627 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
19628 @findex gnus-agent-expire
19629 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
19630 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire-group
19631 @findex gnus-agent-expire-group
19632 @cindex agent expiry
19633 @cindex Gnus agent expiry
19634 @cindex expiry, in Gnus agent
19636 The Agent back end, @code{nnagent}, doesn't handle expiry. Well, at
19637 least it doesn't handle it like other back ends. Instead, there are
19638 special @code{gnus-agent-expire} and @code{gnus-agent-expire-group}
19639 commands that will expire all read articles that are older than
19640 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. They can be run whenever you feel
19641 that you're running out of space. Neither are particularly fast or
19642 efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to interrupt them (with
19643 @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started one of them.
19645 Note that other functions, e.g. @code{gnus-request-expire-articles},
19646 might run @code{gnus-agent-expire} for you to keep the agent
19647 synchronized with the group.
19649 The agent parameter @code{agent-enable-expiration} may be used to
19650 prevent expiration in selected groups.
19652 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
19653 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, the agent
19654 expiration commands will expire all articles---unread, read, ticked
19655 and dormant. If @code{nil} (which is the default), only read articles
19656 are eligible for expiry, and unread, ticked and dormant articles will
19657 be kept indefinitely.
19659 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
19660 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's are special
19661 commands, @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} and
19662 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group}, to fix possible problems.
19664 @node Agent Regeneration
19665 @subsection Agent Regeneration
19667 @cindex agent regeneration
19668 @cindex Gnus agent regeneration
19669 @cindex regeneration
19671 The local data structures used by @code{nnagent} may become corrupted
19672 due to certain exceptional conditions. When this happens,
19673 @code{nnagent} functionality may degrade or even fail. The solution
19674 to this problem is to repair the local data structures by removing all
19675 internal inconsistencies.
19677 For example, if your connection to your server is lost while
19678 downloaded articles into the agent, the local data structures will not
19679 know about articles successfully downloaded prior to the connection
19680 failure. Running @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} or
19681 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} will update the data structures
19682 such that you don't need to download these articles a second time.
19684 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
19685 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate
19686 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} will perform
19687 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} on every agentized group. While
19688 you can run @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} in any buffer, it is strongly
19689 recommended that you first close all summary buffers.
19691 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19692 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-regenerate-group
19693 The command @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} uses the local copies
19694 of individual articles to repair the local @acronym{NOV}(header) database. It
19695 then updates the internal data structures that document which articles
19696 are stored locally. An optional argument will mark articles in the
19699 @node Agent and flags
19700 @subsection Agent and flags
19702 The Agent works with any Gnus back end including those, such as
19703 nnimap, that store flags (read, ticked, etc) on the server. Sadly,
19704 the Agent does not actually know which backends keep their flags in
19705 the backend server rather than in @file{.newsrc}. This means that the
19706 Agent, while unplugged or disconnected, will always record all changes
19707 to the flags in its own files.
19709 When you plug back in, Gnus will then check to see if you have any
19710 changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the
19711 server. This behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
19713 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19714 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19715 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19716 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19717 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19718 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19720 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
19721 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
19722 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
19723 in the group buffer.
19725 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by ``pushing''
19726 all local flags to the server, but rather by incrementally updated the
19727 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
19728 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on an article, quit the group then
19729 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
19730 removed from the server when you ``synchronize''. The queued flag
19731 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
19732 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
19734 @node Agent and IMAP
19735 @subsection Agent and IMAP
19737 The Agent works with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
19738 since there are some conceptual differences between @acronym{NNTP} and
19739 @acronym{IMAP}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
19740 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @acronym{IMAP} Disconnected Mode client.
19742 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
19743 expect from a disconnected @acronym{IMAP} client, including:
19748 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
19751 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
19755 @node Outgoing Messages
19756 @subsection Outgoing Messages
19758 By default, when Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail
19759 and news) are stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}).
19760 You can view them there after posting, and edit them at will.
19762 You can control the circumstances under which outgoing mail is queued
19763 (see @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail}, @pxref{Agent Variables}). Outgoing
19764 news is always queued when Gnus is unplugged, and never otherwise.
19766 You can send the messages either from the draft group with the special
19767 commands available there, or you can use the @kbd{J S} command in the
19768 group buffer to send all the sendable messages in the draft group.
19769 Posting news will only work when Gnus is plugged, but you can send
19772 If sending mail while unplugged does not work for you and you worry
19773 about hitting @kbd{J S} by accident when unplugged, you can have Gnus
19774 ask you to confirm your action (see
19775 @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue}, @pxref{Agent Variables}).
19777 @node Agent Variables
19778 @subsection Agent Variables
19783 Is the agent enabled? The default is @code{t}. When first enabled,
19784 the agent will use @code{gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods} to
19785 automatically mark some back ends as agentized. You may change which
19786 back ends are agentized using the agent commands in the server buffer.
19788 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
19789 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
19792 @item gnus-agent-directory
19793 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
19794 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
19795 @file{~/News/agent/}.
19797 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
19798 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
19799 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
19800 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
19801 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
19804 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19805 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
19806 Hook run when connecting to the network.
19808 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19809 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
19810 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
19812 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19813 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
19814 Hook run when finished fetching articles.
19816 @item gnus-agent-cache
19817 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
19818 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @acronym{NOV} and
19819 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
19820 The default is non-@code{nil}, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
19822 @item gnus-agent-go-online
19823 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
19824 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
19825 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
19826 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
19827 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
19828 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
19831 @item gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19832 @vindex gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded
19833 If @code{gnus-agent-mark-unread-after-downloaded} is non-@code{nil},
19834 mark articles as unread after downloading. This is usually a safe
19835 thing to do as the newly downloaded article has obviously not been
19836 read. The default is @code{t}.
19838 @item gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19839 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
19840 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
19841 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
19842 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
19843 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
19844 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
19846 @item gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19847 @vindex gnus-agent-consider-all-articles
19848 If @code{gnus-agent-consider-all-articles} is non-@code{nil}, the
19849 agent will let the agent predicate decide whether articles need to be
19850 downloaded or not, for all articles. When @code{nil}, the default,
19851 the agent will only let the predicate decide whether unread articles
19852 are downloaded or not. If you enable this, you may also want to look
19853 into the agent expiry settings (@pxref{Category Variables}), so that
19854 the agent doesn't download articles which the agent will later expire,
19855 over and over again.
19857 @item gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19858 @vindex gnus-agent-max-fetch-size
19859 The agent fetches articles into a temporary buffer prior to parsing
19860 them into individual files. To avoid exceeding the max. buffer size,
19861 the agent alternates between fetching and parsing until all articles
19862 have been fetched. @code{gnus-agent-max-fetch-size} provides a size
19863 limit to control how often the cycling occurs. A large value improves
19864 performance. A small value minimizes the time lost should the
19865 connection be lost while fetching (You may need to run
19866 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate-group} to update the group's state.
19867 However, all articles parsed prior to loosing the connection will be
19868 available while unplugged). The default is 10M so it is unusual to
19871 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
19872 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
19873 Perhaps not an Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
19874 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
19875 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
19876 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
19877 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
19878 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
19879 is only valid if the Agent is used.
19881 @item gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19882 @vindex gnus-auto-goto-ignores
19883 Another variable that isn't an Agent variable, yet so closely related
19884 that most will look for it here, this variable tells the summary
19885 buffer how to maneuver around undownloaded (only headers stored in the
19886 agent) and unfetched (neither article nor headers stored) articles.
19888 The valid values are @code{nil} (maneuver to any article),
19889 @code{undownloaded} (maneuvering while unplugged ignores articles that
19890 have not been fetched), @code{always-undownloaded} (maneuvering always
19891 ignores articles that have not been fetched), @code{unfetched}
19892 (maneuvering ignores articles whose headers have not been fetched).
19894 @item gnus-agent-queue-mail
19895 @vindex gnus-agent-queue-mail
19896 When @code{gnus-agent-queue-mail} is @code{always}, Gnus will always
19897 queue mail rather than sending it straight away. When @code{t}, Gnus
19898 will queue mail when unplugged only. When @code{nil}, never queue
19899 mail. The default is @code{t}.
19901 @item gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19902 @vindex gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue
19903 When @code{gnus-agent-prompt-send-queue} is non-@code{nil} Gnus will
19904 prompt you to confirm that you really wish to proceed if you hit
19905 @kbd{J S} while unplugged. The default is @code{nil}.
19907 @item gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19908 @vindex gnus-agent-auto-agentize-methods
19909 If you have never used the Agent before (or more technically, if
19910 @file{~/News/agent/lib/servers} does not exist), Gnus will
19911 automatically agentize a few servers for you. This variable control
19912 which back ends should be auto-agentized. It is typically only useful
19913 to agentize remote back ends. The auto-agentizing has the same effect
19914 as running @kbd{J a} on the servers (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}).
19915 If the file exist, you must manage the servers manually by adding or
19916 removing them, this variable is only applicable the first time you
19917 start Gnus. The default is @samp{(nntp nnimap)}.
19922 @node Example Setup
19923 @subsection Example Setup
19925 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
19926 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
19927 @file{~/.gnus.el} file to get started.
19930 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @acronym{NNTP}}
19931 ;; @r{from your ISP's server.}
19932 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
19934 ;; @r{Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from}
19935 ;; @r{your ISP's @acronym{POP} server.}
19936 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
19938 ;; @r{Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.}
19939 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
19941 ;; @r{Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.}
19942 ;; (gnus-agentize) ; @r{The obsolete setting.}
19943 ;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; @r{Now the default.}
19946 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
19947 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
19950 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
19951 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
19952 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
19953 @acronym{NNTP} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
19954 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
19957 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
19958 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
19959 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
19960 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
19961 back all the killed groups.)
19963 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
19964 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
19965 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
19968 @node Batching Agents
19969 @subsection Batching Agents
19970 @findex gnus-agent-batch
19972 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
19973 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
19974 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
19976 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
19977 following incantation:
19981 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null 2>&1
19985 @node Agent Caveats
19986 @subsection Agent Caveats
19988 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
19989 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
19993 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
19995 @strong{No}. If you want this behavior, add
19996 @code{gnus-agent-fetch-selected-article} to
19997 @code{gnus-select-article-hook}.
19999 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in
20000 the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
20002 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is @code{nil}.
20006 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
20007 articles; when it's plugged, it talks to your ISP and may also use the
20008 locally stored articles.
20015 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
20016 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
20017 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
20020 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
20021 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
20022 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
20023 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
20024 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
20026 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
20027 before generating the summary buffer.
20029 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
20030 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
20031 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
20033 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
20034 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
20035 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
20036 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
20039 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
20040 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
20041 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
20042 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
20043 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
20044 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
20045 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
20046 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
20047 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
20048 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
20049 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
20050 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
20051 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
20052 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
20053 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
20054 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
20058 @node Summary Score Commands
20059 @section Summary Score Commands
20060 @cindex score commands
20062 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
20063 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
20064 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
20065 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
20066 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
20068 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
20069 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
20070 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
20071 score file the current one.
20073 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
20078 @kindex V s (Summary)
20079 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
20080 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
20083 @kindex V S (Summary)
20084 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
20085 Display the score of the current article
20086 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
20089 @kindex V t (Summary)
20090 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
20091 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
20092 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}). In the @code{*Score Trace*} buffer, you
20093 may type @kbd{e} to edit score file corresponding to the score rule on
20094 current line and @kbd{f} to format (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) the
20095 score file and edit it.
20098 @kindex V w (Summary)
20099 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
20100 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
20103 @kindex V R (Summary)
20104 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
20105 Run the current summary through the scoring process
20106 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
20107 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
20108 effect you're having.
20111 @kindex V c (Summary)
20112 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
20113 Make a different score file the current
20114 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
20117 @kindex V e (Summary)
20118 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
20119 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
20120 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
20124 @kindex V f (Summary)
20125 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
20126 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
20127 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
20130 @kindex V F (Summary)
20131 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20132 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
20133 after editing score files.
20136 @kindex V C (Summary)
20137 @findex gnus-score-customize
20138 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
20139 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
20143 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
20148 @kindex V m (Summary)
20149 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
20150 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
20151 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
20154 @kindex V x (Summary)
20155 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
20156 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
20157 expunge all articles below this score
20158 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
20161 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
20162 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
20165 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
20166 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
20170 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
20171 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
20173 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
20174 keys are available:
20178 Score on the author name.
20181 Score on the subject line.
20184 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
20187 Score on the @code{References} line.
20193 Score on the number of lines.
20196 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
20199 Score on an ``extra'' header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
20200 if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
20203 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
20204 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
20205 @file{ADAPT} files.)
20214 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
20220 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
20221 what headers you are scoring on.
20233 Substring matching.
20236 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
20265 Greater than number.
20270 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
20271 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
20272 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
20277 Temporary score entry.
20280 Permanent score entry.
20283 Immediately scoring.
20287 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
20288 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
20289 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
20293 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
20294 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
20295 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
20296 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
20298 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
20299 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
20300 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
20301 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
20302 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
20304 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
20305 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
20306 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
20307 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
20308 current score file.
20310 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
20311 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
20312 pretend they are keymaps or not.
20315 @node Group Score Commands
20316 @section Group Score Commands
20317 @cindex group score commands
20319 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
20324 @kindex W e (Group)
20325 @findex gnus-score-edit-all-score
20326 Edit the apply-to-all-groups all.SCORE file. You will be popped into
20327 a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score File Editing}).
20330 @kindex W f (Group)
20331 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
20332 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
20333 all the time. This command will flush the cache
20334 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
20338 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
20340 @findex gnus-batch-score
20341 @cindex batch scoring
20343 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
20347 @node Score Variables
20348 @section Score Variables
20349 @cindex score variables
20353 @item gnus-use-scoring
20354 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
20355 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
20356 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
20358 @item gnus-kill-killed
20359 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
20360 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
20361 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
20362 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
20363 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
20364 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
20365 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
20367 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
20368 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
20369 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
20370 initialized from the @env{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
20371 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
20373 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
20374 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
20375 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
20376 (@file{SCORE} by default.)
20378 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20379 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
20380 @cindex score cache
20381 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
20382 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
20383 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely
20384 to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
20385 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
20386 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
20387 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
20390 @item gnus-save-score
20391 @vindex gnus-save-score
20392 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
20393 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
20394 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
20396 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
20397 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
20398 across group visits.
20400 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20401 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
20402 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
20403 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
20404 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
20405 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
20406 manually entered data.
20408 @item gnus-summary-default-score
20409 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
20410 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
20412 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
20413 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
20414 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
20415 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
20416 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
20417 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
20419 @item gnus-score-over-mark
20420 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
20421 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
20422 default. Default is @samp{+}.
20424 @item gnus-score-below-mark
20425 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
20426 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
20427 default. Default is @samp{-}.
20429 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20430 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
20431 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
20432 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
20434 Predefined functions available are:
20437 @item gnus-score-find-single
20438 @findex gnus-score-find-single
20439 Only apply the group's own score file.
20441 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
20442 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
20443 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
20444 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
20445 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
20446 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
20447 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
20448 then a regexp match is done.
20450 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
20451 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
20453 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
20454 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
20455 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
20456 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
20458 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20459 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
20460 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
20461 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
20462 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
20466 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
20467 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
20468 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
20469 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
20470 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
20471 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
20472 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
20475 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
20476 overall score file, you could use the value
20478 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
20479 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
20482 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
20483 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
20484 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
20485 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
20486 are expired. It's 7 by default.
20488 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20489 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
20490 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
20491 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
20492 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
20493 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
20494 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
20495 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
20497 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20498 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
20499 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
20501 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
20502 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
20503 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be
20504 simplified for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
20505 threading---according to the current value of
20506 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions}. If the scoring entry uses
20507 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
20508 simplified in this manner.
20513 @node Score File Format
20514 @section Score File Format
20515 @cindex score file format
20517 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
20518 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
20519 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
20521 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
20525 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
20527 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
20529 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
20531 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
20536 (mark-and-expunge -10)
20540 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
20541 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
20542 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
20543 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
20547 This example demonstrates most score file elements. @xref{Advanced
20548 Scoring}, for a different approach.
20550 Even though this looks much like Lisp code, nothing here is actually
20551 @code{eval}ed. The Lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
20552 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
20554 Six keys are supported by this alist:
20559 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
20560 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
20561 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
20562 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
20563 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
20564 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
20565 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
20566 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
20567 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
20568 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
20569 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
20570 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
20571 to articles that matches these score entries.
20573 Following this key is an arbitrary number of score entries, where each
20574 score entry has one to four elements.
20578 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
20579 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
20583 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
20584 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
20585 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
20586 is successful. If this element is not present, the
20587 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
20588 instead. This is 1000 by default.
20591 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
20592 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
20593 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
20594 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
20595 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
20598 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
20599 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
20600 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
20601 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
20604 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
20605 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
20606 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
20607 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
20608 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
20609 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
20610 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
20611 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
20612 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
20613 instead, if you feel like.
20616 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
20617 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
20618 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
20619 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
20620 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin
20621 host, if your @acronym{NNTP} server tracks @samp{NNTP-Posting-Host} in
20625 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s
20626 "NNTP-Posting-Host")
20630 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
20631 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
20633 These predicates are true if
20636 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
20639 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
20640 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
20647 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
20648 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
20649 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
20650 it's not. I think.)
20652 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
20653 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
20654 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
20655 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
20658 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
20659 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
20660 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
20661 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
20662 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
20663 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
20664 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
20668 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
20669 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
20670 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
20671 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
20672 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
20673 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
20674 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
20675 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
20678 @item Head, Body, All
20679 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
20683 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
20684 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
20685 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
20686 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
20687 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
20688 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
20689 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
20693 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
20694 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
20695 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
20696 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
20697 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
20698 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
20699 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
20700 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
20701 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
20702 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
20703 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
20707 @cindex score file atoms
20709 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20710 lower than this number will be marked as read.
20713 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20714 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
20716 @item mark-and-expunge
20717 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
20718 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
20721 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
20722 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
20723 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
20724 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
20725 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
20728 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
20729 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
20732 @item exclude-files
20733 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
20734 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
20738 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
20739 ignored when handling global score files.
20742 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
20743 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
20744 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
20745 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
20748 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
20749 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
20750 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
20751 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
20753 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
20757 (mark-and-expunge -100)
20760 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
20761 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
20762 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
20763 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
20764 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
20766 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
20767 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
20768 scoring rules exist.
20771 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
20772 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
20773 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
20774 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
20775 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
20776 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
20777 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20778 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
20779 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
20780 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
20781 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
20785 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
20786 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
20787 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
20788 file for a number of groups.
20791 @cindex local variables
20792 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(@var{var}
20793 @var{value})} pairs. Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the
20794 current summary buffer, and set to the value specified. This is a
20795 convenient, if somewhat strange, way of setting variables in some
20796 groups if you don't like hooks much. Note that the @var{value} won't
20801 @node Score File Editing
20802 @section Score File Editing
20804 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
20805 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
20806 with a mode for that.
20808 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
20809 additional commands:
20814 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
20815 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
20816 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
20817 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
20820 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
20821 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
20822 Insert the current date in numerical format
20823 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
20824 you were wondering.
20827 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
20828 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
20829 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
20830 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
20831 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
20836 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
20838 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
20839 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
20841 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f}, @kbd{V e} and
20842 @kbd{V t} to begin editing score files.
20845 @node Adaptive Scoring
20846 @section Adaptive Scoring
20847 @cindex adaptive scoring
20849 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
20850 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
20851 stupidity, to be precise.
20853 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
20854 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
20855 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
20856 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
20857 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
20858 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
20859 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
20860 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
20861 variable to @code{(word line)}.
20863 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20864 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
20865 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
20866 might look something like this:
20869 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
20870 '((gnus-unread-mark)
20871 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
20872 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
20873 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
20874 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
20875 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
20876 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
20877 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
20878 (gnus-ancient-mark)
20879 (gnus-low-score-mark)
20880 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
20883 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
20884 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
20885 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
20886 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
20887 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
20888 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
20891 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
20892 will be applied to each article.
20894 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
20895 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{e}) will have a
20896 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
20897 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
20899 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
20900 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
20901 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
20902 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
20904 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
20905 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
20906 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
20907 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
20909 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
20910 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
20911 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
20912 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
20913 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
20914 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
20916 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
20917 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
20918 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
20920 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
20921 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
20922 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
20924 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
20925 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
20926 let you use different rules in different groups.
20928 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
20929 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
20930 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
20933 @vindex gnus-adaptive-pretty-print
20934 Adaptive score files can get huge and are not meant to be edited by
20935 human hands. If @code{gnus-adaptive-pretty-print} is @code{nil} (the
20936 deafult) those files will not be written in a human readable way.
20938 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
20939 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
20940 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
20941 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
20942 the length of the match is less than
20943 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
20944 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
20947 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20948 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
20949 headers. If you adapt on words, the
20950 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
20951 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
20954 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
20955 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
20956 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
20957 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
20958 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
20961 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
20962 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
20963 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
20964 score with 30 points.
20966 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
20967 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
20968 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
20969 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
20970 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
20972 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
20973 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
20974 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
20975 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
20976 variable defaults to @code{nil}.
20978 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
20979 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
20980 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
20981 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
20983 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
20984 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
20985 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
20986 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
20988 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
20989 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
20990 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
20991 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
20992 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
20994 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
20995 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
20996 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
20998 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
20999 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
21000 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
21001 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
21004 @node Home Score File
21005 @section Home Score File
21007 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
21008 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
21009 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
21010 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
21012 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
21013 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
21014 could perhaps use the same home score file.
21016 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
21017 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
21022 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
21026 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
21027 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
21031 A list. The elements in this list can be:
21035 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
21036 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
21039 A function. If the function returns non-@code{nil}, the result will
21040 be used as the home score file. The function will be called with the
21041 name of the group as the parameter.
21044 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
21047 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
21052 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
21055 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21056 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
21059 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
21060 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
21062 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
21064 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21065 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
21068 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
21069 Other functions include
21072 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
21073 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
21074 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
21075 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
21079 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
21080 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
21081 their own home score files:
21084 (setq gnus-home-score-file
21085 ;; @r{All groups that match the regexp @code{"\\.emacs"}}
21086 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
21087 ;; @r{All the comp groups in one score file}
21088 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
21091 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
21092 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
21093 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
21094 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
21095 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
21097 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
21098 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
21099 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
21100 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
21101 precedence over this variable.
21104 @node Followups To Yourself
21105 @section Followups To Yourself
21107 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
21108 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
21109 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
21110 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
21111 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
21112 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
21116 @item gnus-score-followup-article
21117 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
21118 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
21121 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
21122 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
21123 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
21127 @vindex message-sent-hook
21128 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
21129 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
21131 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
21135 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
21136 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
21140 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21141 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
21144 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
21145 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
21150 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
21154 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
21155 is system-dependent.
21158 @node Scoring On Other Headers
21159 @section Scoring On Other Headers
21160 @cindex scoring on other headers
21162 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
21163 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
21164 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
21165 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
21166 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
21168 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
21169 mail groups, you have greater control. In @ref{To From Newsgroups},
21170 it's explained in greater detail what this mechanism does, but here's
21171 a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on how to allow scoring on the
21172 @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
21174 Put the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
21177 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
21178 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
21181 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
21182 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
21183 time if you have much mail.
21185 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
21186 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
21190 @vindex gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring
21191 You can inhibit scoring the slow scoring on headers or body by setting
21192 the variable @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring}. If
21193 @code{gnus-inhibit-slow-scoring} is regexp, slow scoring is inhibited if
21194 the group matches the regexp. If it is t, slow scoring on it is
21195 inhibited for all groups.
21199 @section Scoring Tips
21200 @cindex scoring tips
21206 @cindex scoring crossposts
21207 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
21208 the @code{Xref} header.
21210 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
21213 @item Multiple crossposts
21214 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
21215 more than, say, 3 groups:
21218 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
21222 @item Matching on the body
21223 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
21224 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
21225 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
21226 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
21227 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
21228 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
21229 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
21232 @item Marking as read
21233 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
21234 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
21235 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
21239 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
21241 @item Negated character classes
21242 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
21243 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
21244 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
21248 @node Reverse Scoring
21249 @section Reverse Scoring
21250 @cindex reverse scoring
21252 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
21253 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
21254 like this in your score file:
21258 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
21263 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
21264 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
21267 @node Global Score Files
21268 @section Global Score Files
21269 @cindex global score files
21271 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
21272 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
21273 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
21275 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
21276 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
21277 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
21279 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
21280 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
21281 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
21282 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
21283 files are applicable to which group.
21285 To use the score file
21286 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
21287 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
21291 (setq gnus-global-score-files
21292 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
21293 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
21296 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
21298 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
21299 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
21300 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
21301 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
21303 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
21304 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
21306 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
21307 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
21308 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
21309 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
21310 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
21311 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
21313 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
21319 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
21321 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
21323 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
21325 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
21326 lowered out of existence.
21328 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
21329 articles completely.
21332 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
21333 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
21334 old articles for a long time.
21337 @dots{} I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
21338 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
21339 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
21340 holding our breath yet?
21344 @section Kill Files
21347 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
21348 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
21349 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
21351 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
21352 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
21353 files into score files.
21355 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
21356 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
21357 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
21358 that isn't a very good idea.
21360 Normal kill files look like this:
21363 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21364 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
21368 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
21369 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
21371 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
21372 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
21375 Two summary functions for editing a @sc{gnus} kill file:
21380 @kindex M-k (Summary)
21381 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
21382 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
21385 @kindex M-K (Summary)
21386 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
21387 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
21390 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
21395 @kindex M-k (Group)
21396 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
21397 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
21400 @kindex M-K (Group)
21401 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
21402 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
21405 Kill file variables:
21408 @item gnus-kill-file-name
21409 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
21410 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
21411 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
21412 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
21413 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
21414 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
21416 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21417 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
21418 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
21419 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
21422 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
21423 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
21424 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
21425 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
21426 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
21427 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
21428 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
21429 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
21430 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
21432 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21433 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
21434 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
21439 @node Converting Kill Files
21440 @section Converting Kill Files
21442 @cindex converting kill files
21444 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
21445 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
21446 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
21449 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
21450 You can fetch it from
21451 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
21453 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
21454 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
21455 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
21459 @node Advanced Scoring
21460 @section Advanced Scoring
21462 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
21463 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
21464 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
21465 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
21466 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
21468 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
21472 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
21473 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
21474 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
21478 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
21479 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
21481 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
21482 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
21483 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
21484 non-@code{nil} value.
21486 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
21487 operator, and various match operators.
21494 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21495 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
21496 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
21501 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
21502 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
21503 then this operator will return @code{false}.
21508 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
21509 logical negation of the value of its argument.
21513 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
21514 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
21515 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
21516 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
21517 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
21518 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
21519 the ancestry you want to go.
21521 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
21522 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
21523 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
21524 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
21525 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
21528 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
21529 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
21531 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
21532 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
21535 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
21536 when he's talking about Gnus:
21541 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21542 ("subject" "Gnus"))
21549 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
21553 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21560 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
21561 really don't want to read what he's written:
21565 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
21566 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigil Logge")))
21570 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
21571 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
21572 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
21579 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
21580 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
21581 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
21582 ("body" "white.*socks"))
21586 Suppose you're reading a high volume group and you're only interested
21587 in replies. The plan is to score down all articles that don't have
21588 subject that begin with "Re:", "Fw:" or "Fwd:" and then score up all
21589 parents of articles that have subjects that begin with reply marks.
21592 ((! ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21594 ((1- ("subject" "re:\\|fwd?:" r))
21598 The possibilities are endless.
21600 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
21601 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
21603 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
21604 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
21605 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
21606 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
21607 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
21608 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
21609 @samp{subject}) first.
21611 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
21612 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
21623 Then that means ``score on the from header of the grandparent of the
21624 current article''. An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
21630 ("subject" "Gnus")))
21637 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
21638 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
21643 @section Score Decays
21644 @cindex score decays
21647 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
21648 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
21649 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
21650 use them in any sensible way.
21652 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
21653 @findex gnus-decay-score
21654 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
21655 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
21656 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
21657 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
21658 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
21659 If @code{gnus-decay-scores} is a regexp, only score files matching this
21660 regexp are treated. E.g. you may set it to @samp{\\.ADAPT\\'} if only
21661 @emph{adaptive} score files should be decayed. The decay itself if
21662 performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function} function, which is
21663 @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the definition of that
21667 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
21668 "Decay SCORE according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
21669 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
21671 (* (if (< score 0) -1 1)
21673 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
21675 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
21676 (if (and (featurep 'xemacs)
21677 ;; XEmacs' floor can handle only the floating point
21678 ;; number below the half of the maximum integer.
21679 (> (abs n) (lsh -1 -2)))
21681 (car (split-string (number-to-string n) "\\.")))
21685 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
21686 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
21687 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
21688 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
21692 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
21695 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
21698 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
21702 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
21703 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
21704 the new score, which should be an integer.
21706 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
21707 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
21712 @include message.texi
21713 @chapter Emacs MIME
21714 @include emacs-mime.texi
21716 @include sieve.texi
21728 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
21729 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
21730 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
21731 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
21732 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
21733 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
21734 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
21735 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
21736 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
21737 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
21738 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
21739 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
21740 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
21741 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
21742 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
21743 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
21744 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
21745 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
21746 * Thwarting Email Spam:: Simple ways to avoid unsolicited commercial email.
21747 * Spam Package:: A package for filtering and processing spam.
21748 * Other modes:: Interaction with other modes.
21749 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
21753 @node Process/Prefix
21754 @section Process/Prefix
21755 @cindex process/prefix convention
21757 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
21758 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
21760 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
21761 command to be performed on.
21765 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
21766 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
21767 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
21768 with the current one.
21770 @vindex transient-mark-mode
21771 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
21772 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
21774 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
21775 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
21778 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
21779 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
21781 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
21784 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
21785 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
21786 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
21787 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
21789 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
21790 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
21791 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
21792 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
21793 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
21794 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
21795 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
21796 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
21798 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
21799 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
21800 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
21801 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
21802 expirable, you could say @kbd{M P b M-& E}.
21806 @section Interactive
21807 @cindex interaction
21811 @item gnus-novice-user
21812 @vindex gnus-novice-user
21813 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
21814 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
21815 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
21816 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
21819 @item gnus-expert-user
21820 @vindex gnus-expert-user
21821 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
21822 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
21823 matter how strange.
21825 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
21826 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
21827 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
21828 is @code{t} by default.
21830 @item gnus-interactive-exit
21831 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
21832 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21837 @node Symbolic Prefixes
21838 @section Symbolic Prefixes
21839 @cindex symbolic prefixes
21841 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
21842 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
21843 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
21844 rule of 900 to the current article.
21846 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
21847 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
21848 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
21849 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
21850 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
21851 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
21852 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
21854 @kindex M-i (Summary)
21855 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
21856 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
21857 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
21858 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
21859 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
21860 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
21861 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
21862 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
21864 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
21865 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
21866 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
21868 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
21872 @node Formatting Variables
21873 @section Formatting Variables
21874 @cindex formatting variables
21876 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
21877 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
21878 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
21879 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
21880 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
21883 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
21884 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
21885 lots of percentages everywhere.
21888 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
21889 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
21890 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
21891 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
21892 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
21893 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
21894 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
21895 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
21898 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
21899 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
21900 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
21901 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
21902 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
21903 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
21904 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
21905 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
21907 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
21908 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
21910 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
21911 @findex gnus-update-format
21912 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
21913 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
21914 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
21915 examine the resulting Lisp code to be run to generate the line.
21919 @node Formatting Basics
21920 @subsection Formatting Basics
21922 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
21923 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
21924 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
21926 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
21927 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
21928 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
21929 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
21930 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
21933 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
21934 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
21935 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
21936 less than 4 characters wide.
21938 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
21939 @samp{%&user-date;}.
21942 @node Mode Line Formatting
21943 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
21945 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
21946 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
21947 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
21948 with the following two differences:
21953 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
21956 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
21957 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
21958 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
21959 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
21960 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
21961 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
21962 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
21967 @node Advanced Formatting
21968 @subsection Advanced Formatting
21970 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
21971 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
21972 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
21973 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
21975 These are the valid modifiers:
21980 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
21984 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
21989 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
21992 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
21997 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
22000 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
22003 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
22006 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
22012 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
22017 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
22018 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
22019 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
22020 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
22021 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
22022 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
22023 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
22025 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
22026 last operation, padding.
22028 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
22029 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
22030 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
22031 @xref{Compilation}.
22034 @node User-Defined Specs
22035 @subsection User-Defined Specs
22037 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
22038 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
22039 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
22040 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
22041 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
22042 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
22043 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
22044 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
22045 should protect against that.
22047 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
22048 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
22050 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
22051 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
22052 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
22053 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
22057 @node Formatting Fonts
22058 @subsection Formatting Fonts
22060 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
22061 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
22062 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
22063 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
22066 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
22067 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
22068 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
22069 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
22070 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
22071 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
22073 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
22074 special @code{balloon-help} property set to
22075 @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get
22076 @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*}
22077 variables should be either strings or symbols naming functions that
22078 return a string. When the mouse passes over text with this property
22079 set, a balloon window will appear and display the string. Please
22080 refer to @ref{Tooltips, ,Tooltips, emacs, The Emacs Manual},
22081 (in GNU Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in
22082 XEmacs) for more information on this. (For technical reasons, the
22083 guillemets have been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this
22086 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
22089 ;; @r{Create three face types.}
22090 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
22091 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
22093 ;; @r{We want the article count to be in}
22094 ;; @r{a bold and green face. So we create}
22095 ;; @r{a new face called @code{my-green-bold}.}
22096 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
22097 ;; @r{Set the color.}
22098 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
22099 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
22101 ;; @r{Set the new & fancy format.}
22102 (setq gnus-group-line-format
22103 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
22106 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
22107 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
22109 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
22110 mode-line variables.
22112 @node Positioning Point
22113 @subsection Positioning Point
22115 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
22116 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
22117 line. You can customize this behavior in three different ways.
22119 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
22121 @findex gnus-goto-colon
22122 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
22123 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
22125 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
22126 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%*} specifier. If you
22127 put a @samp{%*} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
22132 @subsection Tabulation
22134 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
22135 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
22136 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
22137 about lining up the following text afterwards.
22139 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs---@samp{%=}. There are two
22140 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
22142 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22143 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
22144 This is the soft tabulator.
22146 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
22147 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
22148 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
22151 @node Wide Characters
22152 @subsection Wide Characters
22154 Fixed width fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
22155 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
22156 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
22158 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
22159 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
22160 these countries, that's not true.
22162 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
22163 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
22164 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
22165 prettier. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
22169 @node Window Layout
22170 @section Window Layout
22171 @cindex window layout
22173 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
22175 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
22176 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
22177 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
22178 @code{t} by default.
22180 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
22181 glitches. Use at your own peril.
22183 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
22184 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
22185 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
22188 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
22189 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
22190 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22194 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
22195 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
22196 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
22197 possible names is listed below.
22199 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
22200 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
22203 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
22207 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
22208 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
22209 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
22210 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
22211 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
22212 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
22213 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
22214 size spec per split.
22216 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
22217 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
22218 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
22219 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
22220 present) gets focus.
22222 Here's a more complicated example:
22225 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
22226 (summary 0.25 point)
22227 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
22231 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
22232 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
22233 occupy, not a percentage.
22235 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
22236 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
22237 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
22238 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
22239 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
22242 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
22245 (article (horizontal 1.0
22250 (summary 0.25 point)
22255 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
22256 @code{horizontal} thingie?
22258 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
22259 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
22260 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
22261 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
22262 the screen is to be given to this strip.
22264 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
22265 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
22266 lines from the splits.
22268 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
22273 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
22274 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
22275 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
22276 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
22277 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
22278 size = number | frame-params
22279 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
22283 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
22284 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
22285 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
22286 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
22288 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
22289 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
22290 @cindex window height
22291 @cindex window width
22292 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
22293 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
22294 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
22295 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
22296 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
22297 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
22299 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
22300 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
22301 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
22302 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
22304 @findex gnus-configure-frame
22305 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
22306 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
22307 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
22308 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
22309 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
22310 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
22311 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
22312 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
22313 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
22314 configuration list.
22317 (gnus-configure-frame
22321 (article 0.3 point))
22329 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
22330 @code{frame} split:
22333 (gnus-configure-frame
22336 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
22338 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
22339 (user-position . t)
22340 (left . -1) (top . 1))
22345 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
22346 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
22347 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
22348 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
22349 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
22350 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
22351 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
22352 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
22354 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
22355 be found in its default value.
22357 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
22358 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
22359 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
22363 (message (horizontal 1.0
22364 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
22366 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
22371 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
22372 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
22373 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
22378 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
22379 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
22380 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
22381 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
22382 (name . "Message"))
22383 (message 1.0 point))))
22386 @findex gnus-add-configuration
22387 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
22388 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
22389 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
22390 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
22393 (gnus-add-configuration
22394 '(article (vertical 1.0
22396 (summary .25 point)
22400 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
22401 @file{~/.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
22402 Gnus has been loaded.
22404 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
22405 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
22406 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
22407 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
22408 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
22410 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
22411 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
22412 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
22415 @subsection Example Window Configurations
22419 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
22420 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
22435 (gnus-add-configuration
22438 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22440 (summary 0.16 point)
22443 (gnus-add-configuration
22446 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
22447 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
22453 @node Faces and Fonts
22454 @section Faces and Fonts
22459 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
22460 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
22461 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
22466 @section Compilation
22467 @cindex compilation
22468 @cindex byte-compilation
22470 @findex gnus-compile
22472 Remember all those line format specification variables?
22473 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
22474 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
22475 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
22476 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
22477 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
22480 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
22481 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
22482 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
22483 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
22484 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
22485 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
22486 them into the @file{~/.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
22490 @section Mode Lines
22493 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
22494 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
22495 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
22496 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
22497 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
22498 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
22499 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
22502 @cindex display-time
22504 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
22505 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
22506 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
22507 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
22508 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
22509 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
22510 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
22511 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
22514 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
22516 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
22517 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
22519 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
22520 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
22521 (length display-time-string)))))
22524 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
22525 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
22526 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
22527 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
22528 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
22531 @node Highlighting and Menus
22532 @section Highlighting and Menus
22534 @cindex highlighting
22537 @vindex gnus-visual
22538 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
22539 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
22540 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
22543 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
22544 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
22547 @item group-highlight
22548 Do highlights in the group buffer.
22549 @item summary-highlight
22550 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
22551 @item article-highlight
22552 Do highlights in the article buffer.
22554 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
22556 Create menus in the group buffer.
22558 Create menus in the summary buffers.
22560 Create menus in the article buffer.
22562 Create menus in the browse buffer.
22564 Create menus in the server buffer.
22566 Create menus in the score buffers.
22568 Create menus in all buffers.
22571 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
22572 buffers, you could say something like:
22575 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
22578 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
22581 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
22584 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
22585 in all Gnus buffers.
22587 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
22590 @item gnus-mouse-face
22591 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
22592 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
22593 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
22597 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
22601 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
22602 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
22603 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
22605 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
22606 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
22607 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
22609 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
22610 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
22611 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
22613 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
22614 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
22615 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
22617 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
22618 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
22619 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
22621 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
22622 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
22623 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
22634 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
22635 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
22636 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
22637 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
22638 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
22642 @vindex gnus-carpal
22643 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
22644 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
22645 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
22650 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22651 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
22652 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
22654 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
22655 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
22656 Face used on buttons.
22658 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
22659 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
22660 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
22662 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22663 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
22664 Buttons in the group buffer.
22666 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22667 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
22668 Buttons in the summary buffer.
22670 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22671 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
22672 Buttons in the server buffer.
22674 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22675 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
22676 Buttons in the browse buffer.
22679 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
22680 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
22681 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
22689 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
22690 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
22691 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
22692 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
22693 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
22695 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
22696 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
22697 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
22699 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
22700 been idle for thirty minutes:
22703 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
22706 Here's a handler that scans for @acronym{PGP} headers every hour when
22710 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
22713 This @var{time} parameter and that @var{idle} parameter work together
22714 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
22715 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22717 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
22718 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
22719 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
22720 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
22722 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
22723 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
22724 @var{idle} minutes.
22726 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
22727 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
22730 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
22731 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
22732 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
22734 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
22735 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
22736 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
22737 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
22739 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
22740 your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
22742 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
22744 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
22747 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
22748 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
22749 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
22750 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
22751 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
22752 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
22753 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
22754 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
22755 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
22756 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
22757 @file{~/.gnus.el} if you want those abilities.
22759 @findex gnus-demon-init
22760 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
22761 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
22762 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
22763 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
22764 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
22766 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
22767 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
22768 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
22777 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
22778 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
22780 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
22781 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
22782 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
22783 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
22786 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
22787 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
22788 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
22789 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
22791 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
22792 this will make spam disappear.
22794 There are some variables to customize, of course:
22797 @item gnus-use-nocem
22798 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
22799 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
22802 You can also set this variable to a positive number as a group level.
22803 In that case, Gnus scans NoCeM messages when checking new news if this
22804 value is not exceeding a group level that you specify as the prefix
22805 argument to some commands, e.g. @code{gnus},
22806 @code{gnus-group-get-new-news}, etc. Otherwise, Gnus does not scan
22807 NoCeM messages if you specify a group level to those commands. For
22808 example, if you use 1 or 2 on the mail groups and the levels on the news
22809 groups remain the default, 3 is the best choice.
22811 @item gnus-nocem-groups
22812 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
22813 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
22816 ("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
22817 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")
22820 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
22821 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
22822 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
22823 people you want to listen to. The default is
22825 ("Automoose-1" "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca"
22826 "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo" "hweede@@snafu.de")
22828 fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
22830 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at@*
22831 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
22833 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
22834 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
22835 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
22836 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
22837 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
22838 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
22839 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
22840 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
22841 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
22842 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
22844 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
22845 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
22848 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
22851 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
22852 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
22855 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
22858 The specs are applied left-to-right.
22861 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
22862 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
22864 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
22865 says she is. The default is @code{pgg-verify}, which returns
22866 non-@code{nil} if the verification is successful, otherwise (including
22867 the case the NoCeM message was not signed) returns @code{nil}. If this
22868 is too slow and you don't care for verification (which may be dangerous),
22869 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
22871 Formerly the default was @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
22872 function. While you can still use it, you can change it into
22873 @code{pgg-verify} running with GnuPG if you are willing to add the
22874 @acronym{PGP} public keys to GnuPG's keyring.
22876 @item gnus-nocem-directory
22877 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
22878 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is@*
22879 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
22881 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22882 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
22883 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
22884 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
22885 might then see old spam.
22887 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
22888 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
22889 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
22890 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
22891 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
22894 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22895 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
22896 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
22897 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
22901 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
22902 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
22903 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
22904 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
22911 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
22912 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
22913 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
22915 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
22916 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
22917 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
22918 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
22919 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
22920 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
22921 @code{undo} function.
22923 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
22924 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
22925 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
22926 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
22927 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
22928 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
22929 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
22930 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
22931 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
22932 never be totally undoable.
22934 @findex gnus-undo-mode
22935 @vindex gnus-use-undo
22937 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
22938 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
22939 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
22940 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
22944 @node Predicate Specifiers
22945 @section Predicate Specifiers
22946 @cindex predicate specifiers
22948 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
22949 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
22950 to type all that much.
22952 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
22957 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
22958 gnus-article-unread-p)
22961 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
22962 functions all take one parameter.
22964 @findex gnus-make-predicate
22965 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
22966 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
22967 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
22972 @section Moderation
22975 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
22976 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
22977 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
22980 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
22984 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
22987 in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file.
22989 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
22994 You split your incoming mail by matching on
22995 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
22996 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
22999 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
23000 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
23003 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
23004 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
23008 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
23011 (setq gnus-moderated-list
23012 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
23016 @node Fetching a Group
23017 @section Fetching a Group
23018 @cindex fetching a group
23020 @findex gnus-fetch-group
23021 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
23022 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
23023 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
23024 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
23025 It takes the group name as a parameter.
23028 @node Image Enhancements
23029 @section Image Enhancements
23031 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21@footnote{Emacs 21 on MS Windows doesn't
23032 support images, Emacs 22 does.} and up, are able to display pictures and
23033 stuff, so Gnus has taken advantage of that.
23036 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
23037 * Face:: Display a funkier, teensier colored image.
23038 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
23039 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
23040 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
23048 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
23049 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
23050 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
23054 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
23055 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
23056 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
23064 Viewing an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
23065 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
23066 have suitable conversion or display programs installed. If your Emacs
23067 has image support the default action is to display the face before the
23068 @code{From} header. If there's no native @code{X-Face} support, Gnus
23069 will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using external programs
23070 from the @code{pbmplus} package and friends, see below. For XEmacs it's
23071 faster if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support. The
23072 default action under Emacs without image support is to fork off the
23073 @code{display} program.
23075 On a GNU/Linux system, the @code{display} program is included in the
23076 ImageMagick package. For external conversion programs look for packages
23077 with names like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.
23078 On Windows, you may use the packages @code{netpbm} and @code{compface}
23079 from @url{http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net}. You need to add the
23080 @code{bin} directory to your @code{PATH} environment variable.
23081 @c In fact only the following DLLs and binaries seem to be required:
23082 @c compface1.dll uncompface.exe libnetpbm10.dll icontopbm.exe
23084 The variable @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} controls which programs
23085 are used to display the @code{X-Face} header. If this variable is a
23086 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
23087 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
23088 If @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches the
23089 @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
23091 (Note: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
23099 @vindex gnus-x-face
23100 Face to show X-Face. The colors from this face are used as the
23101 foreground and background colors of the displayed X-Faces. The
23102 default colors are black and white.
23104 @item gnus-face-properties-alist
23105 @vindex gnus-face-properties-alist
23106 Alist of image types and properties applied to Face (@pxref{Face}) and
23107 X-Face images. The default value is @code{((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face))
23108 (png . nil))} for Emacs or @code{((xface . (:face gnus-x-face)))} for
23109 XEmacs. Here are examples:
23112 ;; Specify the altitude of Face and X-Face images in the From header.
23113 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23114 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :ascent 80))
23115 (png . (:ascent 80))))
23117 ;; Show Face and X-Face images as pressed buttons.
23118 (setq gnus-face-properties-alist
23119 '((pbm . (:face gnus-x-face :relief -2))
23120 (png . (:relief -2))))
23123 @pxref{Image Descriptors, ,Image Descriptors, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
23124 Reference Manual} for the valid properties for various image types.
23125 Currently, @code{pbm} is used for X-Face images and @code{png} is used
23126 for Face images in Emacs. Only the @code{:face} property is effective
23127 on the @code{xface} image type in XEmacs if it is built with the
23128 @samp{libcompface} library.
23131 If you use posting styles, you can use an @code{x-face-file} entry in
23132 @code{gnus-posting-styles}, @xref{Posting Styles}. If you don't, Gnus
23133 provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow easier
23134 insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages. You also need the
23135 above mentioned ImageMagick, netpbm or other image conversion packages
23136 (depending the values of the variables below) for these functions.
23138 @findex gnus-random-x-face
23139 @vindex gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command
23140 @vindex gnus-x-face-directory
23141 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files in
23142 @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
23143 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
23144 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
23145 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big. It returns the X-Face
23146 header data as a string.
23148 @findex gnus-insert-random-x-face-header
23149 @code{gnus-insert-random-x-face-header} calls
23150 @code{gnus-random-x-face} and inserts a @samp{X-Face} header with the
23151 randomly generated data.
23153 @findex gnus-x-face-from-file
23154 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command
23155 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
23156 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
23157 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
23159 Here's how you would typically use the first function. Put something
23160 like the following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23163 (setq message-required-news-headers
23164 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23165 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
23168 Using the last function would be something like this:
23171 (setq message-required-news-headers
23172 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23173 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
23174 (gnus-x-face-from-file
23175 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
23183 @c #### FIXME: faces and x-faces' implementations should really be harmonized.
23185 @code{Face} headers are essentially a funkier version of @code{X-Face}
23186 ones. They describe a 48x48 pixel colored image that's supposed to
23187 represent the author of the message.
23190 @findex gnus-article-display-face
23191 The contents of a @code{Face} header must be a base64 encoded PNG image.
23192 See @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/circus/face/} for the precise
23195 The @code{gnus-face-properties-alist} variable affects the appearance of
23196 displayed Face images. @xref{X-Face}.
23198 Viewing an @code{Face} header requires an Emacs that is able to display
23201 @c (if (featurep 'xemacs)
23203 @c (image-type-available-p 'png))
23205 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
23206 easier insertion of Face headers in outgoing messages.
23208 @findex gnus-convert-png-to-face
23209 @code{gnus-convert-png-to-face} takes a 48x48 PNG image, no longer than
23210 726 bytes long, and converts it to a face.
23212 @findex gnus-face-from-file
23213 @vindex gnus-convert-image-to-face-command
23214 @code{gnus-face-from-file} takes a JPEG file as the parameter, and then
23215 converts the file to Face format by using the
23216 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-face-command} shell command.
23218 Here's how you would typically use this function. Put something like the
23219 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23222 (setq message-required-news-headers
23223 (nconc message-required-news-headers
23224 (list '(Face . (lambda ()
23225 (gnus-face-from-file "~/face.jpg"))))))
23230 @subsection Smileys
23235 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
23240 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
23241 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
23243 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
23244 @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
23247 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
23250 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{8-)}, @samp{:-(} and
23251 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
23252 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
23253 text and maps that to file names.
23255 @vindex smiley-regexp-alist
23256 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist}
23257 variable. The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched;
23258 the second element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by
23259 the picture; and the third element is the name of the file to be
23262 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
23267 @item smiley-data-directory
23268 @vindex smiley-data-directory
23269 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
23271 @item gnus-smiley-file-types
23272 @vindex gnus-smiley-file-types
23273 List of suffixes on smiley file names to try.
23287 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
23288 good way to do so. It's also a great way to impress people staring
23289 over your shoulder as you read news.
23291 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
23300 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
23301 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
23302 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
23303 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
23304 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
23305 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
23306 @code{GIF} formats.
23309 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23310 For instructions on obtaining and installing the picons databases,
23311 point your Web browser at
23312 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}.
23314 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
23315 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
23317 To enable displaying picons, simply make sure that
23318 @code{gnus-picon-databases} points to the directory containing the
23321 @vindex gnus-picon-style
23322 The variable @code{gnus-picon-style} controls how picons are displayed.
23323 If @code{inline}, the textual representation is replaced. If
23324 @code{right}, picons are added right to the textual representation.
23326 The following variables offer control over where things are located.
23330 @item gnus-picon-databases
23331 @vindex gnus-picon-databases
23332 The location of the picons database. This is a list of directories
23333 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
23334 subdirectories. Defaults to @code{("/usr/lib/picon"
23335 "/usr/local/faces")}.
23337 @item gnus-picon-news-directories
23338 @vindex gnus-picon-news-directories
23339 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23340 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
23342 @item gnus-picon-user-directories
23343 @vindex gnus-picon-user-directories
23344 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for user
23345 faces. @code{("users" "usenix" "local" "misc")} is the default.
23347 @item gnus-picon-domain-directories
23348 @vindex gnus-picon-domain-directories
23349 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picon-databases} for
23350 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
23351 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
23353 @item gnus-picon-file-types
23354 @vindex gnus-picon-file-types
23355 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
23356 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not built-in your Emacs.
23362 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
23365 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23366 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
23367 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
23368 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
23369 unusual directory structure.
23371 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23372 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
23373 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
23378 @subsubsection Toolbar
23382 @item gnus-use-toolbar
23383 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
23384 This variable specifies the position to display the toolbar. If
23385 @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If it is non-@code{nil}, it should
23386 be one of the symbols @code{default}, @code{top}, @code{bottom},
23387 @code{right}, and @code{left}. @code{default} means to use the default
23388 toolbar, the rest mean to display the toolbar on the place which those
23389 names show. The default is @code{default}.
23391 @item gnus-toolbar-thickness
23392 @vindex gnus-toolbar-thickness
23393 Cons of the height and the width specifying the thickness of a toolbar.
23394 The height is used for the toolbar displayed on the top or the bottom,
23395 the width is used for the toolbar displayed on the right or the left.
23396 The default is that of the default toolbar.
23398 @item gnus-group-toolbar
23399 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
23400 The toolbar in the group buffer.
23402 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
23403 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
23404 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
23406 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23407 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
23408 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
23419 @node Fuzzy Matching
23420 @section Fuzzy Matching
23421 @cindex fuzzy matching
23423 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
23424 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
23426 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
23427 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
23428 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
23430 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
23431 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
23432 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
23433 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
23434 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
23437 @node Thwarting Email Spam
23438 @section Thwarting Email Spam
23442 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23444 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
23445 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
23446 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
23447 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
23448 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
23449 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
23450 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
23451 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
23454 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
23455 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
23456 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
23457 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
23458 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
23459 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
23461 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
23464 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
23465 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
23466 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
23467 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
23470 @node The problem of spam
23471 @subsection The problem of spam
23473 @cindex spam filtering approaches
23474 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
23476 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23478 First, some background on spam.
23480 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
23481 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it
23482 exists because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail,
23483 so only a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to
23484 make it worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most
23485 common spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for
23486 further spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers},
23487 but terms like @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, @emph{sociopaths}, and
23488 @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
23490 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
23491 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
23492 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
23493 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
23494 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
23495 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
23496 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
23497 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
23498 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
23501 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering, at the mail
23502 server or when you sort through incoming mail. If you get 200 spam
23503 messages per day from @samp{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you block
23504 @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about @samp{VIAGRA}, you
23505 discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the message. If you get
23506 lots of spam from Bulgaria, for example, you try to filter all mail
23507 from Bulgarian IPs.
23509 This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate e-mail. The
23510 risks of blocking a whole country (Bulgaria, Norway, Nigeria, China,
23511 etc.) or even a continent (Asia, Africa, Europe, etc.) from contacting
23512 you should be obvious, so don't do it if you have the choice.
23514 In another instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest has
23515 been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it @strong{contained}
23516 words that were common in spam messages. Nevertheless, in isolated
23517 cases, with great care, direct filtering of mail can be useful.
23519 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
23520 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
23521 @var{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @var{X} in
23522 Ghana, Estonia, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
23523 @var{N} systems enter @var{X} or the spam e-mail from @var{X} into a
23524 database. The criteria for spam detection vary---it may be the number
23525 of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When a user
23526 of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a message is
23527 spam, he consults one of those @var{N} systems.
23529 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
23530 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
23531 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
23532 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
23533 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
23534 sending spam, and their web sites and mailing lists have been shut
23535 down for some time because of the incident.
23537 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
23538 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
23539 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
23540 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
23541 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
23542 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
23543 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
23544 to store the database of spam analysis. Statistical analysis on the
23545 server is gaining popularity. This has the advantage of letting the
23546 user Just Read Mail, but has the disadvantage that it's harder to tell
23547 the server that it has misclassified mail.
23549 Fighting spam is not easy, no matter what anyone says. There is no
23550 magic switch that will distinguish Viagra ads from Mom's e-mails.
23551 Even people are having a hard time telling spam apart from non-spam,
23552 because spammers are actively looking to fool us into thinking they
23553 are Mom, essentially. Spamming is irritating, irresponsible, and
23554 idiotic behavior from a bunch of people who think the world owes them
23555 a favor. We hope the following sections will help you in fighting the
23558 @node Anti-Spam Basics
23559 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
23563 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
23565 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
23566 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
23568 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
23569 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
23570 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
23571 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
23572 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
23573 part of the mail address.)
23576 (setq message-default-news-headers
23577 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
23580 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
23581 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23585 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
23586 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
23587 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
23592 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
23593 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
23594 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
23595 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
23597 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @acronym{SMTP} server
23598 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
23599 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
23600 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
23601 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
23602 your fancy split rule in this way:
23607 (to "larsi" "misc")
23611 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
23612 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
23613 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
23614 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
23615 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
23617 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
23618 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
23619 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
23620 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
23622 Be careful with this approach. Spammers are wise to it.
23626 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
23627 @cindex SpamAssassin
23628 @cindex Vipul's Razor
23631 The days where the hints in the previous section were sufficient in
23632 avoiding spam are coming to an end. There are many tools out there
23633 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
23634 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
23635 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
23636 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
23637 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
23639 Note that this section does not involve the @code{spam.el} package,
23640 which is discussed in the next section. If you don't care for all
23641 the features of @code{spam.el}, you can make do with these simple
23644 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
23645 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
23646 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
23647 Specifiers}) follow.
23651 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
23655 "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
23658 Once you manage to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
23659 the mail contain e.g.@: a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
23660 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
23663 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
23667 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
23670 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
23671 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
23675 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
23676 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
23677 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
23678 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
23681 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
23683 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
23687 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
23688 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
23692 Note that with the nnimap back end, message bodies will not be
23693 downloaded by default. You need to set
23694 @code{nnimap-split-download-body} to @code{t} to do that
23695 (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}).
23697 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
23698 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
23699 spam. And here is the nifty function:
23702 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
23703 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
23705 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
23706 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
23707 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
23711 @subsection Hashcash
23714 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
23715 costly and demonstrably unique for each message they send. This has
23716 the obvious drawback that you cannot rely on everyone in the world
23717 using this technique, since it is not part of the Internet standards,
23718 but it may be useful in smaller communities.
23720 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
23721 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
23722 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
23723 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
23724 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
23725 instead prefers that everyone you contact through e-mail supports the
23726 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
23727 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
23728 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
23729 one of them separately.
23732 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
23733 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
23734 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:} header.
23735 For more details, and for the external application @code{hashcash} you
23736 need to install to use this feature, see
23737 @uref{http://www.hashcash.org/}. Even more information can be found
23738 at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
23740 If you wish to generate hashcash for each message you send, you can
23741 customize @code{message-generate-hashcash} (@pxref{Mail Headers, ,Mail
23742 Headers,message, The Message Manual}), as in:
23745 (setq message-generate-hashcash t)
23748 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
23752 @item hashcash-default-payment
23753 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
23754 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
23755 should consist of. By default this is 20. Suggested useful values
23758 @item hashcash-payment-alist
23759 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
23760 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
23761 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(@var{addr}
23762 @var{amount})} cells, where @var{addr} is the receiver (email address
23763 or newsgroup) and @var{amount} is the number of bits in the collision
23764 that is needed. It can also contain @samp{(@var{addr} @var{string}
23765 @var{amount})} cells, where the @var{string} is the string to use
23766 (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
23768 @item hashcash-path
23769 @vindex hashcash-path
23770 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed. This variable should
23771 be automatically set by @code{executable-find}, but if it's @code{nil}
23772 (usually because the @code{hashcash} binary is not in your path)
23773 you'll get a warning when you check hashcash payments and an error
23774 when you generate hashcash payments.
23778 Gnus can verify hashcash cookies, although this can also be done by
23779 hand customized mail filtering scripts. To verify a hashcash cookie
23780 in a message, use the @code{mail-check-payment} function in the
23781 @code{hashcash.el} library. You can also use the @code{spam.el}
23782 package with the @code{spam-use-hashcash} back end to validate hashcash
23783 cookies in incoming mail and filter mail accordingly (@pxref{Anti-spam
23784 Hashcash Payments}).
23787 @section Spam Package
23788 @cindex spam filtering
23791 The Spam package provides Gnus with a centralized mechanism for
23792 detecting and filtering spam. It filters new mail, and processes
23793 messages according to whether they are spam or ham. (@dfn{Ham} is the
23794 name used throughout this manual to indicate non-spam messages.)
23797 * Spam Package Introduction::
23798 * Filtering Incoming Mail::
23799 * Detecting Spam in Groups::
23800 * Spam and Ham Processors::
23801 * Spam Package Configuration Examples::
23803 * Extending the Spam package::
23804 * Spam Statistics Package::
23807 @node Spam Package Introduction
23808 @subsection Spam Package Introduction
23809 @cindex spam filtering
23810 @cindex spam filtering sequence of events
23813 You must read this section to understand how the Spam package works.
23814 Do not skip, speed-read, or glance through this section.
23816 Make sure you read the section on the @code{spam.el} sequence of
23817 events. See @xref{Extending the Spam package}.
23819 @cindex spam-initialize
23820 @vindex spam-use-stat
23821 To use the Spam package, you @strong{must} first run the function
23822 @code{spam-initialize}:
23828 This autoloads @code{spam.el} and installs the various hooks necessary
23829 to let the Spam package do its job. In order to make use of the Spam
23830 package, you have to set up certain group parameters and variables,
23831 which we will describe below. All of the variables controlling the
23832 Spam package can be found in the @samp{spam} customization group.
23834 There are two ``contact points'' between the Spam package and the rest
23835 of Gnus: checking new mail for spam, and leaving a group.
23837 Checking new mail for spam is done in one of two ways: while splitting
23838 incoming mail, or when you enter a group.
23840 The first way, checking for spam while splitting incoming mail, is
23841 suited to mail back ends such as @code{nnml} or @code{nnimap}, where
23842 new mail appears in a single spool file. The Spam package processes
23843 incoming mail, and sends mail considered to be spam to a designated
23844 ``spam'' group. @xref{Filtering Incoming Mail}.
23846 The second way is suited to back ends such as @code{nntp}, which have
23847 no incoming mail spool, or back ends where the server is in charge of
23848 splitting incoming mail. In this case, when you enter a Gnus group,
23849 the unseen or unread messages in that group are checked for spam.
23850 Detected spam messages are marked as spam. @xref{Detecting Spam in
23853 @cindex spam back ends
23854 In either case, you have to tell the Spam package what method to use
23855 to detect spam messages. There are several methods, or @dfn{spam back
23856 ends} (not to be confused with Gnus back ends!) to choose from: spam
23857 ``blacklists'' and ``whitelists'', dictionary-based filters, and so
23858 forth. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
23860 In the Gnus summary buffer, messages that have been identified as spam
23861 always appear with a @samp{$} symbol.
23863 The Spam package divides Gnus groups into three categories: ham
23864 groups, spam groups, and unclassified groups. You should mark each of
23865 the groups you subscribe to as either a ham group or a spam group,
23866 using the @code{spam-contents} group parameter (@pxref{Group
23867 Parameters}). Spam groups have a special property: when you enter a
23868 spam group, all unseen articles are marked as spam. Thus, mail split
23869 into a spam group is automatically marked as spam.
23871 Identifying spam messages is only half of the Spam package's job. The
23872 second half comes into play whenever you exit a group buffer. At this
23873 point, the Spam package does several things:
23875 First, it calls @dfn{spam and ham processors} to process the articles
23876 according to whether they are spam or ham. There is a pair of spam
23877 and ham processors associated with each spam back end, and what the
23878 processors do depends on the back end. At present, the main role of
23879 spam and ham processors is for dictionary-based spam filters: they add
23880 the contents of the messages in the group to the filter's dictionary,
23881 to improve its ability to detect future spam. The @code{spam-process}
23882 group parameter specifies what spam processors to use. @xref{Spam and
23885 If the spam filter failed to mark a spam message, you can mark it
23886 yourself, so that the message is processed as spam when you exit the
23896 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23897 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
23898 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{$} mark
23899 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}).
23903 Similarly, you can unmark an article if it has been erroneously marked
23904 as spam. @xref{Setting Marks}.
23906 Normally, a ham message found in a non-ham group is not processed as
23907 ham---the rationale is that it should be moved into a ham group for
23908 further processing (see below). However, you can force these articles
23909 to be processed as ham by setting
23910 @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} and
23911 @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups}.
23913 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
23914 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
23915 The second thing that the Spam package does when you exit a group is
23916 to move ham articles out of spam groups, and spam articles out of ham
23917 groups. Ham in a spam group is moved to the group specified by the
23918 variable @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}, or the group parameter
23919 @code{ham-process-destination}. Spam in a ham group is moved to the
23920 group specified by the variable @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations},
23921 or the group parameter @code{spam-process-destination}. If these
23922 variables are not set, the articles are left in their current group.
23923 If an article cannot be moved (e.g., with a read-only backend such
23924 as @acronym{NNTP}), it is copied.
23926 If an article is moved to another group, it is processed again when
23927 you visit the new group. Normally, this is not a problem, but if you
23928 want each article to be processed only once, load the
23929 @code{gnus-registry.el} package and set the variable
23930 @code{spam-log-to-registry} to @code{t}. @xref{Spam Package
23931 Configuration Examples}.
23933 Normally, spam groups ignore @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations}.
23934 However, if you set @code{spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only} to
23935 @code{nil}, spam will also be moved out of spam groups, depending on
23936 the @code{spam-process-destination} parameter.
23938 The final thing the Spam package does is to mark spam articles as
23939 expired, which is usually the right thing to do.
23941 If all this seems confusing, don't worry. Soon it will be as natural
23942 as typing Lisp one-liners on a neural interface@dots{} err, sorry, that's
23943 50 years in the future yet. Just trust us, it's not so bad.
23945 @node Filtering Incoming Mail
23946 @subsection Filtering Incoming Mail
23947 @cindex spam filtering
23948 @cindex spam filtering incoming mail
23951 To use the Spam package to filter incoming mail, you must first set up
23952 fancy mail splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}. The Spam package
23953 defines a special splitting function that you can add to your fancy
23954 split variable (either @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
23955 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on your mail back end):
23961 @vindex spam-split-group
23963 The @code{spam-split} function scans incoming mail according to your
23964 chosen spam back end(s), and sends messages identified as spam to a
23965 spam group. By default, the spam group is a group named @samp{spam},
23966 but you can change this by customizing @code{spam-split-group}. Make
23967 sure the contents of @code{spam-split-group} are an unqualified group
23968 name. For instance, in an @code{nnimap} server @samp{your-server},
23969 the value @samp{spam} means @samp{nnimap+your-server:spam}. The value
23970 @samp{nnimap+server:spam} is therefore wrong---it gives the group
23971 @samp{nnimap+your-server:nnimap+server:spam}.
23973 @code{spam-split} does not modify the contents of messages in any way.
23975 @vindex nnimap-split-download-body
23976 Note for IMAP users: if you use the @code{spam-check-bogofilter},
23977 @code{spam-check-ifile}, and @code{spam-check-stat} spam back ends,
23978 you should also set set the variable @code{nnimap-split-download-body}
23979 to @code{t}. These spam back ends are most useful when they can
23980 ``scan'' the full message body. By default, the nnimap back end only
23981 retrieves the message headers; @code{nnimap-split-download-body} tells
23982 it to retrieve the message bodies as well. We don't set this by
23983 default because it will slow @acronym{IMAP} down, and that is not an
23984 appropriate decision to make on behalf of the user. @xref{Splitting
23987 You have to specify one or more spam back ends for @code{spam-split}
23988 to use, by setting the @code{spam-use-*} variables. @xref{Spam Back
23989 Ends}. Normally, @code{spam-split} simply uses all the spam back ends
23990 you enabled in this way. However, you can tell @code{spam-split} to
23991 use only some of them. Why this is useful? Suppose you are using the
23992 @code{spam-use-regex-headers} and @code{spam-use-blackholes} spam back
23993 ends, and the following split rule:
23996 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
23997 (any "ding" "ding")
23999 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24004 The problem is that you want all ding messages to make it to the ding
24005 folder. But that will let obvious spam (for example, spam detected by
24006 SpamAssassin, and @code{spam-use-regex-headers}) through, when it's
24007 sent to the ding list. On the other hand, some messages to the ding
24008 list are from a mail server in the blackhole list, so the invocation
24009 of @code{spam-split} can't be before the ding rule.
24011 The solution is to let SpamAssassin headers supersede ding rules, and
24012 perform the other @code{spam-split} rules (including a second
24013 invocation of the regex-headers check) after the ding rule. This is
24014 done by passing a parameter to @code{spam-split}:
24019 ;; @r{spam detected by @code{spam-use-regex-headers} goes to @samp{regex-spam}}
24020 (: spam-split "regex-spam" 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24021 (any "ding" "ding")
24022 ;; @r{all other spam detected by spam-split goes to @code{spam-split-group}}
24024 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24029 This lets you invoke specific @code{spam-split} checks depending on
24030 your particular needs, and target the results of those checks to a
24031 particular spam group. You don't have to throw all mail into all the
24032 spam tests. Another reason why this is nice is that messages to
24033 mailing lists you have rules for don't have to have resource-intensive
24034 blackhole checks performed on them. You could also specify different
24035 spam checks for your nnmail split vs. your nnimap split. Go crazy.
24037 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24038 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24039 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24040 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set. @xref{Spam Back Ends}.
24042 @c @emph{TODO: spam.el needs to provide a uniform way of training all the
24043 @c statistical databases. Some have that functionality built-in, others
24046 @node Detecting Spam in Groups
24047 @subsection Detecting Spam in Groups
24049 To detect spam when visiting a group, set the group's
24050 @code{spam-autodetect} and @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group
24051 parameters. These are accessible with @kbd{G c} or @kbd{G p}, as
24052 usual (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
24054 You should set the @code{spam-use-*} variables for whatever spam back
24055 ends you intend to use. The reason is that when loading
24056 @file{spam.el}, some conditional loading is done depending on what
24057 @code{spam-use-xyz} variables you have set.
24059 By default, only unseen articles are processed for spam. You can
24060 force Gnus to recheck all messages in the group by setting the
24061 variable @code{spam-autodetect-recheck-messages} to @code{t}.
24063 If you use the @code{spam-autodetect} method of checking for spam, you
24064 can specify different spam detection methods for different groups.
24065 For instance, the @samp{ding} group may have @code{spam-use-BBDB} as
24066 the autodetection method, while the @samp{suspect} group may have the
24067 @code{spam-use-blacklist} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter} methods
24068 enabled. Unlike with @code{spam-split}, you don't have any control
24069 over the @emph{sequence} of checks, but this is probably unimportant.
24071 @node Spam and Ham Processors
24072 @subsection Spam and Ham Processors
24073 @cindex spam filtering
24074 @cindex spam filtering variables
24075 @cindex spam variables
24078 @vindex gnus-spam-process-newsgroups
24079 Spam and ham processors specify special actions to take when you exit
24080 a group buffer. Spam processors act on spam messages, and ham
24081 processors on ham messages. At present, the main role of these
24082 processors is to update the dictionaries of dictionary-based spam back
24083 ends such as Bogofilter (@pxref{Bogofilter}) and the Spam Statistics
24084 package (@pxref{Spam Statistics Filtering}).
24086 The spam and ham processors that apply to each group are determined by
24087 the group's@code{spam-process} group parameter. If this group
24088 parameter is not defined, they are determined by the variable
24089 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups}.
24091 @vindex gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24092 Gnus learns from the spam you get. You have to collect your spam in
24093 one or more spam groups, and set or customize the variable
24094 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. You can also declare
24095 groups to contain spam by setting their group parameter
24096 @code{spam-contents} to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam}, or
24097 by customizing the corresponding variable
24098 @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}. The @code{spam-contents} group
24099 parameter and the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} variable can
24100 also be used to declare groups as @emph{ham} groups if you set their
24101 classification to @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-ham}. If
24102 groups are not classified by means of @code{spam-junk-mailgroups},
24103 @code{spam-contents}, or @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents}, they are
24104 considered @emph{unclassified}. All groups are unclassified by
24107 @vindex gnus-spam-mark
24109 In spam groups, all messages are considered to be spam by default:
24110 they get the @samp{$} mark (@code{gnus-spam-mark}) when you enter the
24111 group. If you have seen a message, had it marked as spam, then
24112 unmarked it, it won't be marked as spam when you enter the group
24113 thereafter. You can disable that behavior, so all unread messages
24114 will get the @samp{$} mark, if you set the
24115 @code{spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam} parameter to @code{nil}. You
24116 should remove the @samp{$} mark when you are in the group summary
24117 buffer for every message that is not spam after all. To remove the
24118 @samp{$} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to ``unread'' the article, or
24119 @kbd{d} for declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a
24120 group, all spam-marked (@samp{$}) articles are sent to a spam
24121 processor which will study them as spam samples.
24123 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
24124 @code{ham-marks} group parameter gets overridden below, marks @samp{R}
24125 and @samp{r} for default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and
24126 @samp{K} for automatic or explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for
24127 low scores, are all considered to be associated with articles which
24128 are not spam. This assumption might be false, in particular if you
24129 use kill files or score files as means for detecting genuine spam, you
24130 should then adjust the @code{ham-marks} group parameter.
24133 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24134 marks you want to consider ham. By default, the list contains the
24135 deleted, read, killed, kill-filed, and low-score marks (the idea is
24136 that these articles have been read, but are not spam). It can be
24137 useful to also include the tick mark in the ham marks. It is not
24138 recommended to make the unread mark a ham mark, because it normally
24139 indicates a lack of classification. But you can do it, and we'll be
24144 You can customize this group or topic parameter to be the list of
24145 marks you want to consider spam. By default, the list contains only
24146 the spam mark. It is not recommended to change that, but you can if
24147 you really want to.
24150 When you leave @emph{any} group, regardless of its
24151 @code{spam-contents} classification, all spam-marked articles are sent
24152 to a spam processor, which will study these as spam samples. If you
24153 explicit kill a lot, you might sometimes end up with articles marked
24154 @samp{K} which you never saw, and which might accidentally contain
24155 spam. Best is to make sure that real spam is marked with @samp{$},
24158 @vindex gnus-ham-process-destinations
24159 When you leave a @emph{spam} group, all spam-marked articles are
24160 marked as expired after processing with the spam processor. This is
24161 not done for @emph{unclassified} or @emph{ham} groups. Also, any
24162 @strong{ham} articles in a spam group will be moved to a location
24163 determined by either the @code{ham-process-destination} group
24164 parameter or a match in the @code{gnus-ham-process-destinations}
24165 variable, which is a list of regular expressions matched with group
24166 names (it's easiest to customize this variable with @kbd{M-x
24167 customize-variable @key{RET} gnus-ham-process-destinations}). Each
24168 group name list is a standard Lisp list, if you prefer to customize
24169 the variable manually. If the @code{ham-process-destination}
24170 parameter is not set, ham articles are left in place. If the
24171 @code{spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group} parameter is
24172 set, the ham articles are marked as unread before being moved.
24174 If ham can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24175 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24177 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24178 expression! This enables you to send your ham to a regular mail
24179 group and to a @emph{ham training} group.
24181 When you leave a @emph{ham} group, all ham-marked articles are sent to
24182 a ham processor, which will study these as non-spam samples.
24184 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups
24185 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-spam-groups} is
24186 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in spam groups
24187 to be processed. Normally this is not done, you are expected instead
24188 to send your ham to a ham group and process it there.
24190 @vindex spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups
24191 By default the variable @code{spam-process-ham-in-nonham-groups} is
24192 @code{nil}. Set it to @code{t} if you want ham found in non-ham (spam
24193 or unclassified) groups to be processed. Normally this is not done,
24194 you are expected instead to send your ham to a ham group and process
24197 @vindex gnus-spam-process-destinations
24198 When you leave a @emph{ham} or @emph{unclassified} group, all
24199 @strong{spam} articles are moved to a location determined by either
24200 the @code{spam-process-destination} group parameter or a match in the
24201 @code{gnus-spam-process-destinations} variable, which is a list of
24202 regular expressions matched with group names (it's easiest to
24203 customize this variable with @kbd{M-x customize-variable @key{RET}
24204 gnus-spam-process-destinations}). Each group name list is a standard
24205 Lisp list, if you prefer to customize the variable manually. If the
24206 @code{spam-process-destination} parameter is not set, the spam
24207 articles are only expired. The group name is fully qualified, meaning
24208 that if you see @samp{nntp:servername} before the group name in the
24209 group buffer then you need it here as well.
24211 If spam can not be moved---because of a read-only back end such as
24212 @acronym{NNTP}, for example, it will be copied.
24214 Note that you can use multiples destinations per group or regular
24215 expression! This enables you to send your spam to multiple @emph{spam
24218 @vindex spam-log-to-registry
24219 The problem with processing ham and spam is that Gnus doesn't track
24220 this processing by default. Enable the @code{spam-log-to-registry}
24221 variable so @code{spam.el} will use @code{gnus-registry.el} to track
24222 what articles have been processed, and avoid processing articles
24223 multiple times. Keep in mind that if you limit the number of registry
24224 entries, this won't work as well as it does without a limit.
24226 @vindex spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam
24227 Set this variable if you want only unseen articles in spam groups to
24228 be marked as spam. By default, it is set. If you set it to
24229 @code{nil}, unread articles will also be marked as spam.
24231 @vindex spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group
24232 Set this variable if you want ham to be unmarked before it is moved
24233 out of the spam group. This is very useful when you use something
24234 like the tick mark @samp{!} to mark ham---the article will be placed
24235 in your @code{ham-process-destination}, unmarked as if it came fresh
24236 from the mail server.
24238 @vindex spam-autodetect-recheck-messages
24239 When autodetecting spam, this variable tells @code{spam.el} whether
24240 only unseen articles or all unread articles should be checked for
24241 spam. It is recommended that you leave it off.
24243 @node Spam Package Configuration Examples
24244 @subsection Spam Package Configuration Examples
24245 @cindex spam filtering
24246 @cindex spam filtering configuration examples
24247 @cindex spam configuration examples
24250 @subsubheading Ted's setup
24252 From Ted Zlatanov <tzz@@lifelogs.com>.
24254 ;; @r{for @code{gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent} and spam autodetection}
24255 ;; @r{see @file{gnus-registry.el} for more information}
24256 (gnus-registry-initialize)
24260 spam-log-to-registry t ; @r{for spam autodetection}
24262 spam-use-regex-headers t ; @r{catch X-Spam-Flag (SpamAssassin)}
24263 ;; @r{all groups with @samp{spam} in the name contain spam}
24264 gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents
24265 '(("spam" gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24266 ;; @r{see documentation for these}
24267 spam-move-spam-nonspam-groups-only nil
24268 spam-mark-only-unseen-as-spam t
24269 spam-mark-ham-unread-before-move-from-spam-group t
24270 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24271 ;; @r{understand what this does before you copy it to your own setup!}
24272 nnimap-split-fancy '(|
24273 ;; @r{trace references to parents and put in their group}
24274 (: gnus-registry-split-fancy-with-parent)
24275 ;; @r{this will catch server-side SpamAssassin tags}
24276 (: spam-split 'spam-use-regex-headers)
24277 (any "ding" "ding")
24278 ;; @r{note that spam by default will go to @samp{spam}}
24280 ;; @r{default mailbox}
24283 ;; @r{my parameters, set with @kbd{G p}}
24285 ;; @r{all nnml groups, and all nnimap groups except}
24286 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} and}
24287 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam}: any spam goes to nnimap training,}
24288 ;; @r{because it must have been detected manually}
24290 ((spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24292 ;; @r{all @acronym{NNTP} groups}
24293 ;; @r{autodetect spam with the blacklist and ham with the BBDB}
24294 ((spam-autodetect-methods spam-use-blacklist spam-use-BBDB)
24295 ;; @r{send all spam to the training group}
24296 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train"))
24298 ;; @r{only some @acronym{NNTP} groups, where I want to autodetect spam}
24299 ((spam-autodetect . t))
24301 ;; @r{my nnimap @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:spam} group}
24303 ;; @r{this is a spam group}
24304 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam)
24306 ;; @r{any spam (which happens when I enter for all unseen messages,}
24307 ;; @r{because of the @code{gnus-spam-newsgroup-contents} setting above), goes to}
24308 ;; @r{@samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train} unless I mark it as ham}
24310 (spam-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:train")
24312 ;; @r{any ham goes to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail} folder, but}
24313 ;; @r{also to my @samp{nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham} folder for training}
24315 (ham-process-destination "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:mail"
24316 "nnimap+mail.lifelogs.com:trainham")
24317 ;; @r{in this group, only @samp{!} marks are ham}
24319 (gnus-ticked-mark))
24320 ;; @r{remembers senders in the blacklist on the way out---this is}
24321 ;; @r{definitely not needed, it just makes me feel better}
24322 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist)))
24324 ;; @r{Later, on the @acronym{IMAP} server I use the @samp{train} group for training}
24325 ;; @r{SpamAssassin to recognize spam, and the @samp{trainham} group fora}
24326 ;; @r{recognizing ham---but Gnus has nothing to do with it.}
24330 @subsubheading Using @code{spam.el} on an IMAP server with a statistical filter on the server
24331 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24333 My provider has set up bogofilter (in combination with @acronym{DCC}) on
24334 the mail server (@acronym{IMAP}). Recognized spam goes to
24335 @samp{spam.detected}, the rest goes through the normal filter rules,
24336 i.e. to @samp{some.folder} or to @samp{INBOX}. Training on false
24337 positives or negatives is done by copying or moving the article to
24338 @samp{training.ham} or @samp{training.spam} respectively. A cron job on
24339 the server feeds those to bogofilter with the suitable ham or spam
24340 options and deletes them from the @samp{training.ham} and
24341 @samp{training.spam} folders.
24343 With the following entries in @code{gnus-parameters}, @code{spam.el}
24344 does most of the job for me:
24347 ("nnimap:spam\\.detected"
24348 (gnus-article-sort-functions '(gnus-article-sort-by-chars))
24349 (ham-process-destination "nnimap:INBOX" "nnimap:training.ham")
24350 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-spam))
24351 ("nnimap:\\(INBOX\\|other-folders\\)"
24352 (spam-process-destination . "nnimap:training.spam")
24353 (spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham))
24358 @item @b{The Spam folder:}
24360 In the folder @samp{spam.detected}, I have to check for false positives
24361 (i.e. legitimate mails, that were wrongly judged as spam by
24362 bogofilter or DCC).
24364 Because of the @code{gnus-group-spam-classification-spam} entry, all
24365 messages are marked as spam (with @code{$}). When I find a false
24366 positive, I mark the message with some other ham mark
24367 (@code{ham-marks}, @ref{Spam and Ham Processors}). On group exit,
24368 those messages are copied to both groups, @samp{INBOX} (where I want
24369 to have the article) and @samp{training.ham} (for training bogofilter)
24370 and deleted from the @samp{spam.detected} folder.
24372 The @code{gnus-article-sort-by-chars} entry simplifies detection of
24373 false positives for me. I receive lots of worms (sweN, @dots{}), that all
24374 have a similar size. Grouping them by size (i.e. chars) makes finding
24375 other false positives easier. (Of course worms aren't @i{spam}
24376 (@acronym{UCE}, @acronym{UBE}) strictly speaking. Anyhow, bogofilter is
24377 an excellent tool for filtering those unwanted mails for me.)
24379 @item @b{Ham folders:}
24381 In my ham folders, I just hit @kbd{S x}
24382 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) whenever I see an unrecognized spam
24383 mail (false negative). On group exit, those messages are moved to
24384 @samp{training.spam}.
24387 @subsubheading Reporting spam articles in Gmane groups with @code{spam-report.el}
24389 From Reiner Steib <reiner.steib@@gmx.de>.
24391 With following entry in @code{gnus-parameters}, @kbd{S x}
24392 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}) marks articles in @code{gmane.*}
24393 groups as spam and reports the to Gmane at group exit:
24397 (spam-process (gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane)))
24400 Additionally, I use @code{(setq spam-report-gmane-use-article-number nil)}
24401 because I don't read the groups directly from news.gmane.org, but
24402 through my local news server (leafnode). I.e. the article numbers are
24403 not the same as on news.gmane.org, thus @code{spam-report.el} has to check
24404 the @code{X-Report-Spam} header to find the correct number.
24406 @node Spam Back Ends
24407 @subsection Spam Back Ends
24408 @cindex spam back ends
24410 The spam package offers a variety of back ends for detecting spam.
24411 Each back end defines a set of methods for detecting spam
24412 (@pxref{Filtering Incoming Mail}, @pxref{Detecting Spam in Groups}),
24413 and a pair of spam and ham processors (@pxref{Spam and Ham
24417 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
24418 * BBDB Whitelists::
24419 * Gmane Spam Reporting::
24420 * Anti-spam Hashcash Payments::
24422 * Regular Expressions Header Matching::
24424 * SpamAssassin back end::
24425 * ifile spam filtering::
24426 * Spam Statistics Filtering::
24430 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
24431 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
24432 @cindex spam filtering
24433 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
24434 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
24437 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
24439 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use blacklists when
24440 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are in the blacklist
24441 will be sent to the @code{spam-split-group}. This is an explicit
24442 filter, meaning that it acts only on mail senders @emph{declared} to
24447 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
24449 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists when
24450 splitting incoming mail. Messages whose senders are not in the
24451 whitelist will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24452 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the whitelist, their
24453 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24457 @defvar spam-use-whitelist-exclusive
24459 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use whitelists as an
24460 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24461 unless the sender is in the whitelist. Use with care.
24465 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist
24467 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24468 customizing the group parameters or the
24469 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24470 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24471 spam-marked articles will be added to the blacklist.
24475 Instead of the obsolete
24476 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blacklist}, it is recommended
24477 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-blacklist)}. Everything will work
24478 the same way, we promise.
24482 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist
24484 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24485 customizing the group parameters or the
24486 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24487 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24488 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24493 Instead of the obsolete
24494 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-whitelist}, it is recommended
24495 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-whitelist)}. Everything will work
24496 the same way, we promise.
24500 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
24501 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
24502 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
24503 blacklist. You start out with an empty blacklist. Blacklist entries
24504 use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
24506 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
24507 legitimate. All messages from whitelisted addresses are considered
24508 non-spam. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}. Whitelist entries use the
24509 Emacs regular expression syntax.
24511 The blacklist and whitelist file locations can be customized with the
24512 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default), or
24513 the @code{spam-whitelist} and @code{spam-blacklist} variables
24514 directly. The whitelist and blacklist files will by default be in the
24515 @code{spam-directory} directory, named @file{whitelist} and
24516 @file{blacklist} respectively.
24518 @node BBDB Whitelists
24519 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
24520 @cindex spam filtering
24521 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
24522 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
24525 @defvar spam-use-BBDB
24527 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24528 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted
24529 addresses, without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded
24530 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} to work properly. Messages whose senders are
24531 not in the BBDB will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an
24532 explicit filter, meaning that unless someone is in the BBDB, their
24533 messages are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24537 @defvar spam-use-BBDB-exclusive
24539 Set this variable to @code{t} if you want to use the BBDB as an
24540 implicit filter, meaning that every message will be considered spam
24541 unless the sender is in the BBDB. Use with care. Only sender
24542 addresses in the BBDB will be allowed through; all others will be
24543 classified as spammers.
24545 While @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} @emph{can} be used as an alias
24546 for @code{spam-use-BBDB} as far as @code{spam.el} is concerned, it is
24547 @emph{not} a separate back end. If you set
24548 @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} to t, @emph{all} your BBDB splitting
24553 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB
24555 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24556 customizing the group parameters or the
24557 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24558 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the senders of
24559 ham-marked articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the
24564 Instead of the obsolete
24565 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-BBDB}, it is recommended
24566 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-BBDB)}. Everything will work
24567 the same way, we promise.
24571 @node Gmane Spam Reporting
24572 @subsubsection Gmane Spam Reporting
24573 @cindex spam reporting
24574 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24575 @cindex Gmane, spam reporting
24578 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane
24580 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24581 customizing the group parameters or the
24582 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24583 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24584 articles groups will be reported to the Gmane administrators via a
24587 Gmane can be found at @uref{http://gmane.org}.
24591 Instead of the obsolete
24592 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-report-gmane}, it is recommended
24593 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-gmane)}. Everything will work the
24594 same way, we promise.
24598 @defvar spam-report-gmane-use-article-number
24600 This variable is @code{t} by default. Set it to @code{nil} if you are
24601 running your own news server, for instance, and the local article
24602 numbers don't correspond to the Gmane article numbers. When
24603 @code{spam-report-gmane-use-article-number} is @code{nil},
24604 @code{spam-report.el} will fetch the number from the article headers.
24608 @defvar spam-report-user-mail-address
24610 Mail address exposed in the User-Agent spam reports to Gmane. It allows
24611 the Gmane administrators to contact you in case of misreports. The
24612 default is @code{user-mail-address}.
24616 @node Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24617 @subsubsection Anti-spam Hashcash Payments
24618 @cindex spam filtering
24619 @cindex hashcash, spam filtering
24622 @defvar spam-use-hashcash
24624 Similar to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
24625 Whitelists}), but uses hashcash tokens for whitelisting messages
24626 instead of the sender address. Messages without a hashcash payment
24627 token will be sent to the next spam-split rule. This is an explicit
24628 filter, meaning that unless a hashcash token is found, the messages
24629 are not assumed to be spam or ham.
24634 @subsubsection Blackholes
24635 @cindex spam filtering
24636 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
24639 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
24641 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
24642 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
24643 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
24644 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
24645 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
24646 contains outdated servers.
24648 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
24649 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
24650 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil}. It is not recommended at
24651 this time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to @code{nil} despite the
24652 possible performance improvements, because some users may be unable to
24653 use it, but you can try it and see if it works for you.
24657 @defvar spam-blackhole-servers
24659 The list of servers to consult for blackhole checks.
24663 @defvar spam-blackhole-good-server-regex
24665 A regular expression for IPs that should not be checked against the
24666 blackhole server list. When set to @code{nil}, it has no effect.
24670 @defvar spam-use-dig
24672 Use the @code{dig.el} package instead of the @code{dns.el} package.
24673 The default setting of @code{t} is recommended.
24677 Blackhole checks are done only on incoming mail. There is no spam or
24678 ham processor for blackholes.
24680 @node Regular Expressions Header Matching
24681 @subsubsection Regular Expressions Header Matching
24682 @cindex spam filtering
24683 @cindex regular expressions header matching, spam filtering
24686 @defvar spam-use-regex-headers
24688 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus check the
24689 message headers against lists of regular expressions when you set this
24690 option. The variables @code{spam-regex-headers-spam} and
24691 @code{spam-regex-headers-ham} hold the list of regular expressions.
24692 Gnus will check against the message headers to determine if the
24693 message is spam or ham, respectively.
24697 @defvar spam-regex-headers-spam
24699 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24700 the message, positively identify it as spam.
24704 @defvar spam-regex-headers-ham
24706 The list of regular expressions that, when matched in the headers of
24707 the message, positively identify it as ham.
24711 Regular expression header checks are done only on incoming mail.
24712 There is no specific spam or ham processor for regular expressions.
24715 @subsubsection Bogofilter
24716 @cindex spam filtering
24717 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
24720 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
24722 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24725 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{$} mark for spam
24726 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
24727 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
24728 category, spam or not. The command @kbd{S t} in summary mode, either
24729 for debugging or for curiosity, shows the @emph{spamicity} score of
24730 the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0).
24732 Bogofilter determines if a message is spam based on a specific
24733 threshold. That threshold can be customized, consult the Bogofilter
24736 If the @code{bogofilter} executable is not in your path, Bogofilter
24737 processing will be turned off.
24739 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}.
24748 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
24749 Get the Bogofilter spamicity score (@code{spam-bogofilter-score}).
24752 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter-headers
24754 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use Eric Raymond's
24755 speedy Bogofilter, looking only at the message headers. It works
24756 similarly to @code{spam-use-bogofilter}, but the @code{X-Bogosity} header
24757 must be in the message already. Normally you would do this with a
24758 procmail recipe or something similar; consult the Bogofilter
24759 installation documents for details.
24761 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-bogofilter}.
24765 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter
24766 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24767 customizing the group parameters or the
24768 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24769 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles
24770 will be added to the Bogofilter spam database.
24774 Instead of the obsolete
24775 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24776 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24777 the same way, we promise.
24780 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter
24781 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24782 customizing the group parameters or the
24783 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24784 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24785 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the Bogofilter database
24786 of non-spam messages.
24790 Instead of the obsolete
24791 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-bogofilter}, it is recommended
24792 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-bogofilter)}. Everything will work
24793 the same way, we promise.
24796 @defvar spam-bogofilter-database-directory
24798 This is the directory where Bogofilter will store its databases. It
24799 is not specified by default, so Bogofilter will use its own default
24800 database directory.
24804 The Bogofilter mail classifier is similar to @command{ifile} in intent and
24805 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24806 @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-bogofilter-headers}
24807 variables to indicate to spam-split that Bogofilter should either be
24808 used, or has already been used on the article. The 0.9.2.1 version of
24809 Bogofilter was used to test this functionality.
24811 @node SpamAssassin back end
24812 @subsubsection SpamAssassin back end
24813 @cindex spam filtering
24814 @cindex spamassassin, spam filtering
24817 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin
24819 Set this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use SpamAssassin.
24821 SpamAssassin assigns a score to each article based on a set of rules
24822 and tests, including a Bayesian filter. The Bayesian filter can be
24823 trained by associating the @samp{$} mark for spam articles. The
24824 spam score can be viewed by using the command @kbd{S t} in summary
24827 If you set this variable, each article will be processed by
24828 SpamAssassin when @code{spam-split} is called. If your mail is
24829 preprocessed by SpamAssassin, and you want to just use the
24830 SpamAssassin headers, set @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}
24833 You should not enable this if you use
24834 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers}.
24838 @defvar spam-use-spamassassin-headers
24840 Set this variable if your mail is preprocessed by SpamAssassin and
24841 want @code{spam-split} to split based on the SpamAssassin headers.
24843 You should not enable this if you use @code{spam-use-spamassassin}.
24847 @defvar spam-spamassassin-program
24849 This variable points to the SpamAssassin executable. If you have
24850 @code{spamd} running, you can set this variable to the @code{spamc}
24851 executable for faster processing. See the SpamAssassin documentation
24852 for more information on @code{spamd}/@code{spamc}.
24856 SpamAssassin is a powerful and flexible spam filter that uses a wide
24857 variety of tests to identify spam. A ham and a spam processors are
24858 provided, plus the @code{spam-use-spamassassin} and
24859 @code{spam-use-spamassassin-headers} variables to indicate to
24860 spam-split that SpamAssassin should be either used, or has already
24861 been used on the article. The 2.63 version of SpamAssassin was used
24862 to test this functionality.
24864 @node ifile spam filtering
24865 @subsubsection ifile spam filtering
24866 @cindex spam filtering
24867 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
24870 @defvar spam-use-ifile
24872 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-split} to use @command{ifile}, a
24873 statistical analyzer similar to Bogofilter.
24877 @defvar spam-ifile-all-categories
24879 Enable this variable if you want @code{spam-use-ifile} to give you all
24880 the ifile categories, not just spam/non-spam. If you use this, make
24881 sure you train ifile as described in its documentation.
24885 @defvar spam-ifile-spam-category
24887 This is the category of spam messages as far as ifile is concerned.
24888 The actual string used is irrelevant, but you probably want to leave
24889 the default value of @samp{spam}.
24892 @defvar spam-ifile-database
24894 This is the filename for the ifile database. It is not specified by
24895 default, so ifile will use its own default database name.
24899 The ifile mail classifier is similar to Bogofilter in intent and
24900 purpose. A ham and a spam processor are provided, plus the
24901 @code{spam-use-ifile} variable to indicate to spam-split that ifile
24902 should be used. The 1.2.1 version of ifile was used to test this
24905 @node Spam Statistics Filtering
24906 @subsubsection Spam Statistics Filtering
24907 @cindex spam filtering
24908 @cindex spam-stat, spam filtering
24912 This back end uses the Spam Statistics Emacs Lisp package to perform
24913 statistics-based filtering (@pxref{Spam Statistics Package}). Before
24914 using this, you may want to perform some additional steps to
24915 initialize your Spam Statistics dictionary. @xref{Creating a
24916 spam-stat dictionary}.
24918 @defvar spam-use-stat
24922 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat
24923 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24924 customizing the group parameters or the
24925 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24926 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the spam-marked
24927 articles will be added to the spam-stat database of spam messages.
24931 Instead of the obsolete
24932 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24933 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24934 the same way, we promise.
24937 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat
24938 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
24939 customizing the group parameters or the
24940 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is
24941 added to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked
24942 articles in @emph{ham} groups will be added to the spam-stat database
24943 of non-spam messages.
24947 Instead of the obsolete
24948 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-stat}, it is recommended
24949 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-stat)}. Everything will work
24950 the same way, we promise.
24953 This enables @code{spam.el} to cooperate with @file{spam-stat.el}.
24954 @file{spam-stat.el} provides an internal (Lisp-only) spam database,
24955 which unlike ifile or Bogofilter does not require external programs.
24956 A spam and a ham processor, and the @code{spam-use-stat} variable for
24957 @code{spam-split} are provided.
24960 @subsubsection Using SpamOracle with Gnus
24961 @cindex spam filtering
24965 An easy way to filter out spam is to use SpamOracle. SpamOracle is an
24966 statistical mail filtering tool written by Xavier Leroy and needs to be
24967 installed separately.
24969 There are several ways to use SpamOracle with Gnus. In all cases, your
24970 mail is piped through SpamOracle in its @emph{mark} mode. SpamOracle will
24971 then enter an @samp{X-Spam} header indicating whether it regards the
24972 mail as a spam mail or not.
24974 One possibility is to run SpamOracle as a @code{:prescript} from the
24975 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}, (@pxref{SpamAssassin}). This method has
24976 the advantage that the user can see the @emph{X-Spam} headers.
24978 The easiest method is to make @file{spam.el} (@pxref{Spam Package})
24981 @vindex spam-use-spamoracle
24982 To enable SpamOracle usage by @code{spam.el}, set the variable
24983 @code{spam-use-spamoracle} to @code{t} and configure the
24984 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}. @xref{Spam
24985 Package}. In this example the @samp{INBOX} of an nnimap server is
24986 filtered using SpamOracle. Mails recognized as spam mails will be
24987 moved to @code{spam-split-group}, @samp{Junk} in this case. Ham
24988 messages stay in @samp{INBOX}:
24991 (setq spam-use-spamoracle t
24992 spam-split-group "Junk"
24993 nnimap-split-inbox '("INBOX")
24994 nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
24995 nnimap-split-fancy '(| (: spam-split) "INBOX"))
24998 @defvar spam-use-spamoracle
24999 Set to @code{t} if you want Gnus to enable spam filtering using
25003 @defvar spam-spamoracle-binary
25004 Gnus uses the SpamOracle binary called @file{spamoracle} found in the
25005 user's PATH. Using the variable @code{spam-spamoracle-binary}, this
25009 @defvar spam-spamoracle-database
25010 By default, SpamOracle uses the file @file{~/.spamoracle.db} as a database to
25011 store its analysis. This is controlled by the variable
25012 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} which defaults to @code{nil}. That means
25013 the default SpamOracle database will be used. In case you want your
25014 database to live somewhere special, set
25015 @code{spam-spamoracle-database} to this path.
25018 SpamOracle employs a statistical algorithm to determine whether a
25019 message is spam or ham. In order to get good results, meaning few
25020 false hits or misses, SpamOracle needs training. SpamOracle learns
25021 the characteristics of your spam mails. Using the @emph{add} mode
25022 (training mode) one has to feed good (ham) and spam mails to
25023 SpamOracle. This can be done by pressing @kbd{|} in the Summary
25024 buffer and pipe the mail to a SpamOracle process or using
25025 @file{spam.el}'s spam- and ham-processors, which is much more
25026 convenient. For a detailed description of spam- and ham-processors,
25027 @xref{Spam Package}.
25029 @defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle
25030 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25031 customizing the group parameter or the
25032 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25033 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, spam-marked articles will be
25034 sent to SpamOracle as spam samples.
25038 Instead of the obsolete
25039 @code{gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25040 that you use @code{(spam spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25041 the same way, we promise.
25044 @defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle
25045 Add this symbol to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter by
25046 customizing the group parameter or the
25047 @code{gnus-spam-process-newsgroups} variable. When this symbol is added
25048 to a group's @code{spam-process} parameter, the ham-marked articles in
25049 @emph{ham} groups will be sent to the SpamOracle as samples of ham
25054 Instead of the obsolete
25055 @code{gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-spamoracle}, it is recommended
25056 that you use @code{(ham spam-use-spamoracle)}. Everything will work
25057 the same way, we promise.
25060 @emph{Example:} These are the Group Parameters of a group that has been
25061 classified as a ham group, meaning that it should only contain ham
25064 ((spam-contents gnus-group-spam-classification-ham)
25065 (spam-process ((ham spam-use-spamoracle)
25066 (spam spam-use-spamoracle))))
25068 For this group the @code{spam-use-spamoracle} is installed for both
25069 ham and spam processing. If the group contains spam message
25070 (e.g. because SpamOracle has not had enough sample messages yet) and
25071 the user marks some messages as spam messages, these messages will be
25072 processed by SpamOracle. The processor sends the messages to
25073 SpamOracle as new samples for spam.
25075 @node Extending the Spam package
25076 @subsection Extending the Spam package
25077 @cindex spam filtering
25078 @cindex spam elisp package, extending
25079 @cindex extending the spam elisp package
25081 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. For filtering
25082 incoming mail, provide the following:
25090 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
25091 "True if blackbox should be used.")
25094 Write @code{spam-check-blackbox} if Blackbox can check incoming mail.
25096 Write @code{spam-blackbox-register-routine} and
25097 @code{spam-blackbox-unregister-routine} using the bogofilter
25098 register/unregister routines as a start, or other restister/unregister
25099 routines more appropriate to Blackbox, if Blackbox can
25100 register/unregister spam and ham.
25105 The @code{spam-check-blackbox} function should return @samp{nil} or
25106 @code{spam-split-group}, observing the other conventions. See the
25107 existing @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can
25108 do, and stick to the template unless you fully understand the reasons
25113 For processing spam and ham messages, provide the following:
25120 Note you don't have to provide a spam or a ham processor. Only
25121 provide them if Blackbox supports spam or ham processing.
25123 Also, ham and spam processors are being phased out as single
25124 variables. Instead the form @code{(spam spam-use-blackbox)} or
25125 @code{(ham spam-use-blackbox)} is favored. For now, spam/ham
25126 processor variables are still around but they won't be for long.
25129 (defvar gnus-group-spam-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-spam"
25130 "The Blackbox summary exit spam processor.
25131 Only applicable to spam groups.")
25133 (defvar gnus-group-ham-exit-processor-blackbox "blackbox-ham"
25134 "The whitelist summary exit ham processor.
25135 Only applicable to non-spam (unclassified and ham) groups.")
25144 (const :tag "Spam: Blackbox" (spam spam-use-blackbox))
25145 (const :tag "Ham: Blackbox" (ham spam-use-blackbox))
25147 to the @code{spam-process} group parameter in @code{gnus.el}. Make
25148 sure you do it twice, once for the parameter and once for the
25149 variable customization.
25153 (variable-item spam-use-blackbox)
25155 to the @code{spam-autodetect-methods} group parameter in
25156 @code{gnus.el} if Blackbox can check incoming mail for spam contents.
25158 Finally, use the appropriate @code{spam-install-*-backend} function in
25159 @code{spam.el}. Here are the available functions.
25165 @code{spam-install-backend-alias}
25167 This function will simply install an alias for a back end that does
25168 everything like the original back end. It is currently only used to
25169 make @code{spam-use-BBDB-exclusive} act like @code{spam-use-BBDB}.
25172 @code{spam-install-nocheck-backend}
25174 This function installs a back end that has no check function, but can
25175 register/unregister ham or spam. The @code{spam-use-gmane} back end is
25179 @code{spam-install-checkonly-backend}
25181 This function will install a back end that can only check incoming mail
25182 for spam contents. It can't register or unregister messages.
25183 @code{spam-use-blackholes} and @code{spam-use-hashcash} are such
25187 @code{spam-install-statistical-checkonly-backend}
25189 This function installs a statistical back end (one which requires the
25190 full body of a message to check it) that can only check incoming mail
25191 for contents. @code{spam-use-regex-body} is such a filter.
25194 @code{spam-install-statistical-backend}
25196 This function install a statistical back end with incoming checks and
25197 registration/unregistration routines. @code{spam-use-bogofilter} is
25201 @code{spam-install-backend}
25203 This is the most normal back end installation, where a back end that can
25204 check and register/unregister messages is set up without statistical
25205 abilities. The @code{spam-use-BBDB} is such a back end.
25208 @code{spam-install-mover-backend}
25210 Mover back ends are internal to @code{spam.el} and specifically move
25211 articles around when the summary is exited. You will very probably
25212 never install such a back end.
25217 @node Spam Statistics Package
25218 @subsection Spam Statistics Package
25219 @cindex Paul Graham
25220 @cindex Graham, Paul
25221 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
25222 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
25223 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
25225 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
25226 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
25227 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
25228 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
25229 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
25230 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
25231 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
25232 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
25233 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
25236 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
25237 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
25238 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
25239 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
25240 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
25241 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
25242 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
25243 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
25245 The Spam Statistics package adds support to Gnus for this kind of
25246 filtering. It can be used as one of the back ends of the Spam package
25247 (@pxref{Spam Package}), or by itself.
25249 Before using the Spam Statistics package, you need to set it up.
25250 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
25251 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
25252 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
25253 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
25256 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
25257 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
25258 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
25261 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25262 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
25264 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
25265 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
25266 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
25267 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
25268 need several hundred emails in both collections.
25270 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
25271 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
25272 per mail. Use the following:
25274 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
25275 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
25276 is treated as one spam mail.
25279 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
25280 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
25281 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
25284 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
25285 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds to
25286 the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
25287 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
25288 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds to the group
25289 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
25291 When you are using @acronym{IMAP}, you won't have the mails available
25292 locally, so that will not work. One solution is to use the Gnus Agent
25293 to cache the articles. Then you can use directories such as
25294 @file{"~/News/agent/nnimap/mail.yourisp.com/personal_spam"} for
25295 @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory}. @xref{Agent as Cache}.
25298 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics---the
25299 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
25300 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
25301 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
25304 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
25305 reset the dictionary.
25307 @defun spam-stat-reset
25308 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
25311 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
25312 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
25313 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
25314 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
25315 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
25316 only non-spam mails.
25318 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
25319 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
25320 to update the dictionary incrementally.
25323 @defun spam-stat-save
25324 Save the dictionary.
25327 @defvar spam-stat-file
25328 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
25329 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
25332 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
25333 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
25335 This section describes how to use the Spam statistics
25336 @emph{independently} of the @xref{Spam Package}.
25338 First, add the following to your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25341 (require 'spam-stat)
25345 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
25348 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
25349 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. The following examples are for
25350 the nnml back end. Using the nnimap back end works just as well. Just
25351 use @code{nnimap-split-fancy} instead of @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
25353 In the simplest case, you only have two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and
25354 @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says that mail is either
25355 spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is spam, then
25356 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
25359 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25360 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25364 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
25365 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
25368 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
25369 the following expression. Only mails not matching the regular
25370 expression are considered potential spam.
25373 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25374 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25375 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25379 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
25380 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
25381 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
25382 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
25383 mails, when creating the dictionary!
25386 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25387 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25388 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25392 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
25393 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
25394 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
25395 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
25396 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
25400 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
25401 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
25402 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
25403 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
25408 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25409 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
25411 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
25413 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
25414 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail.
25415 Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25418 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
25419 Called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
25420 mail. Use this for new mail that has not been processed before.
25423 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
25424 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
25425 mail but spam. Use this to change the status of a mail that has
25426 already been processed as non-spam.
25429 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
25430 Called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
25431 normal mail. Use this to change the status of a mail that has already
25432 been processed as spam.
25435 @defun spam-stat-save
25436 Save the hash table to the file. The filename used is stored in the
25437 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25440 @defun spam-stat-load
25441 Load the hash table from a file. The filename used is stored in the
25442 variable @code{spam-stat-file}.
25445 @defun spam-stat-score-word
25446 Return the spam score for a word.
25449 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
25450 Return the spam score for a buffer.
25453 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
25454 Use this function for fancy mail splitting. Add the rule @samp{(:
25455 spam-stat-split-fancy)} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
25458 Make sure you load the dictionary before using it. This requires the
25459 following in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file:
25462 (require 'spam-stat)
25466 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
25469 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25470 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25471 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25472 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25473 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25474 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25475 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25476 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25477 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25478 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25479 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
25480 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
25481 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25482 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25485 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
25488 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
25489 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
25490 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
25491 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
25492 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
25493 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
25497 @section Interaction with other modes
25502 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} provides some useful functions for dired
25503 buffers. It is enabled with
25505 (add-hook 'dired-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-dired-mode)
25510 @findex gnus-dired-attach
25511 @cindex attachments, selection via dired
25512 Send dired's marked files as an attachment (@code{gnus-dired-attach}).
25513 You will be prompted for a message buffer.
25516 @findex gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap
25517 Visit a file according to the appropriate mailcap entry
25518 (@code{gnus-dired-find-file-mailcap}). With prefix, open file in a new
25522 @findex gnus-dired-print
25523 Print file according to the mailcap entry (@code{gnus-dired-print}). If
25524 there is no print command, print in a PostScript image.
25527 @node Various Various
25528 @section Various Various
25534 @item gnus-home-directory
25535 @vindex gnus-home-directory
25536 All Gnus file and directory variables will be initialized from this
25537 variable, which defaults to @file{~/}.
25539 @item gnus-directory
25540 @vindex gnus-directory
25541 Most Gnus storage file and directory variables will be initialized from
25542 this variable, which defaults to the @env{SAVEDIR} environment
25543 variable, or @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
25545 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{~/.gnus.el} file is read.
25546 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
25547 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
25548 @file{~/.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
25550 @item gnus-default-directory
25551 @vindex gnus-default-directory
25552 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
25553 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
25554 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
25555 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
25556 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
25557 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
25560 @vindex gnus-verbose
25561 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
25562 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
25563 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
25564 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
25565 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
25567 @item gnus-verbose-backends
25568 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
25569 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
25570 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
25572 @item gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
25573 @vindex gnus-add-timestamp-to-message
25574 This variable controls whether to add timestamps to messages that are
25575 controlled by @code{gnus-verbose} and @code{gnus-verbose-backends} and
25576 are issued. The default value is @code{nil} which means never to add
25577 timestamp. If it is @code{log}, add timestamps to only the messages
25578 that go into the @samp{*Messages*} buffer (in XEmacs, it is the
25579 @w{@samp{ *Message-Log*}} buffer). If it is neither @code{nil} nor
25580 @code{log}, add timestamps not only to log messages but also to the ones
25581 displayed in the echo area.
25583 @item nnheader-max-head-length
25584 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
25585 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
25586 as little as possible. This variable (default 8192) specifies
25587 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
25588 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
25589 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
25590 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
25591 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
25592 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
25594 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
25595 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
25596 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
25597 read when doing the operation described above.
25599 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25600 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25602 @cindex invalid characters in file names
25603 @cindex characters in file names
25604 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
25605 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
25606 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
25610 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
25615 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
25616 Windows (phooey) systems.
25618 @item gnus-hidden-properties
25619 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
25620 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
25621 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
25622 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
25624 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
25625 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
25626 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
25627 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
25628 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
25630 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
25631 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
25632 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
25634 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25635 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
25637 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
25638 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
25639 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
25640 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
25643 @acronym{IMAP} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
25651 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
25652 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
25654 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
25656 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
25662 Not because of victories @*
25665 but for the common sunshine,@*
25667 the largess of the spring.
25671 but for the day's work done@*
25672 as well as I was able;@*
25673 not for a seat upon the dais@*
25674 but at the common table.@*
25679 @chapter Appendices
25682 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
25683 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
25684 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
25685 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
25686 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
25687 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
25688 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
25689 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
25690 * Frequently Asked Questions:: The Gnus FAQ
25697 @cindex installing under XEmacs
25699 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
25700 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
25701 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{mail-lib}, @samp{xemacs-base},
25702 @samp{eterm}, @samp{sh-script}, @samp{net-utils}, @samp{os-utils},
25703 @samp{dired}, @samp{mh-e}, @samp{sieve}, @samp{ps-print}, @samp{W3},
25704 @samp{pgg}, @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{ecrypto}, and @samp{sasl}.
25711 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
25712 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
25714 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
25715 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
25716 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
25717 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
25718 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
25720 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
25721 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
25722 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
25723 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
25724 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
25725 appropriate name, don't you think?)
25727 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
25728 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
25729 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
25730 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
25733 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
25734 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
25735 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
25736 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
25737 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
25738 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
25739 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
25740 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
25741 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
25745 @node Gnus Versions
25746 @subsection Gnus Versions
25748 @cindex September Gnus
25750 @cindex Quassia Gnus
25751 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
25754 @cindex Gnus versions
25756 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
25757 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
25758 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
25760 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
25761 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
25763 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
25764 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
25766 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
25767 It was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
25769 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
25770 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
25773 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun and was released as
25774 Gnus 5.10 on May 1st 2003 (24 releases).
25776 On the January 4th 2004, No Gnus was begun.
25778 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
25779 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
25780 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'', ``No Gnus'' -- don't panic.
25781 Don't let it know that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever
25782 you do, don't run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach.
25783 Find a proper released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
25786 @node Other Gnus Versions
25787 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
25790 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
25791 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
25792 Japan. It's based on a library called @acronym{SEMI}, which provides
25793 @acronym{MIME} capabilities.
25795 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
25796 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
25797 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
25798 @acronym{MIME} and multilingualization things, especially important for
25805 What's the point of Gnus?
25807 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
25808 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
25809 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
25810 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
25811 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
25812 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
25813 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
25814 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
25815 keep track of millions of people who post?
25817 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
25818 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
25819 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
25820 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
25821 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
25822 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
25823 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
25824 every one of you to explore and invent.
25826 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
25827 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
25830 @node Compatibility
25831 @subsection Compatibility
25833 @cindex compatibility
25834 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
25835 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
25836 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
25841 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
25845 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
25848 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
25851 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
25852 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
25853 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
25854 important variables have their values copied into their global
25855 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
25856 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
25858 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
25859 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
25860 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
25861 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
25862 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
25866 @cindex highlighting
25867 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
25868 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
25869 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
25870 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
25871 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
25872 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
25875 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
25876 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
25877 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
25878 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
25880 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
25881 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
25882 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
25883 to stop doing it the old way.
25885 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
25887 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
25889 @cindex reporting bugs
25891 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
25892 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
25893 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
25895 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
25896 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
25897 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
25898 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
25903 @subsection Conformity
25905 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
25906 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
25914 There are no known breaches of this standard.
25918 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
25920 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
25921 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
25922 We do have some breaches to this one.
25928 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
25929 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
25930 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
25931 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
25932 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
25937 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
25938 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
25939 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
25940 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
25942 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
25943 @cindex @acronym{MIME}
25944 All the various @acronym{MIME} RFCs are supported.
25946 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
25947 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
25949 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
25952 RFC 1991 is the original @acronym{PGP} message specification,
25953 published as an informational RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now
25954 called Open PGP, and put on the Standards Track. Both document a
25955 non-@acronym{MIME} aware @acronym{PGP} format. Gnus supports both
25956 encoding (signing and encryption) and decoding (verification and
25959 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
25960 RFC 2015 (superseded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
25961 1991) describes the @acronym{MIME}-wrapping around the RFC 1991/2440 format.
25962 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
25964 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
25965 RFC 2633 describes the @acronym{S/MIME} format.
25967 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
25968 RFC 1730 is @acronym{IMAP} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060
25969 (@acronym{IMAP} 4 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5
25970 authentication for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2086 describes access control
25971 lists (ACLs) for @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 2359 describes a @acronym{IMAP}
25972 protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper @acronym{TLS}
25973 integration (STARTTLS) with @acronym{IMAP}. RFC 1731 describes the
25974 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @acronym{IMAP}.
25978 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
25979 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
25984 @subsection Emacsen
25990 Gnus should work on:
25998 XEmacs 21.4 and up.
26002 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
26003 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
26004 Emacs versions. Particularly, Gnus 5.10.8 should also work on Emacs
26005 20.7 and XEmacs 21.1.
26007 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
26008 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
26009 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
26013 @node Gnus Development
26014 @subsection Gnus Development
26016 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
26017 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
26018 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
26019 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
26020 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
26021 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
26022 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
26023 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
26025 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
26026 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
26027 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
26028 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
26029 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
26032 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
26033 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
26034 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
26035 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
26036 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
26038 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
26039 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
26040 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
26041 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
26042 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
26043 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
26044 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
26045 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
26046 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
26047 can't be assumed to do so.
26052 @subsection Contributors
26053 @cindex contributors
26055 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
26056 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
26057 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
26058 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
26059 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
26060 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
26061 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
26062 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
26063 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
26064 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
26066 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for@dots{} oops,
26072 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
26075 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
26076 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @acronym{MIME} and
26077 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
26078 functionality and stuff.
26081 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
26082 well as numerous other things).
26085 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
26088 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
26091 Justin Sheehy---the @acronym{FAQ} maintainer.
26094 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
26097 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
26098 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
26101 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
26104 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section.
26107 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
26110 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
26113 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
26116 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
26119 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
26120 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
26123 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
26126 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
26129 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
26132 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
26136 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
26139 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
26142 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
26145 Fran@,{c}ois Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
26146 well as autoconf support.
26150 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
26151 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
26153 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
26168 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
26170 Katsumi Yamaoka, @c Yamaoka
26174 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
26184 Alexei V. Barantsev,
26199 Massimo Campostrini,
26204 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
26205 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
26209 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
26212 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
26218 Michael Welsh Duggan,
26223 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
26227 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
26235 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
26237 Michelangelo Grigni,
26241 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
26243 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c Hayashi
26245 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
26253 Fran@,{c}ois Felix Ingrand,
26254 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c Ichikawa
26255 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
26257 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
26267 Peter Skov Knudsen,
26268 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
26270 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
26271 Thor Kristoffersen,
26274 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
26292 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
26293 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
26300 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
26305 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
26309 John McClary Prevost,
26315 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
26320 Christian von Roques,
26323 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
26330 Philippe Schnoebelen,
26332 Randal L. Schwartz,
26346 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
26351 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
26371 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
26372 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
26373 (550kB and counting).
26375 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
26378 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
26379 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
26383 @subsection New Features
26384 @cindex new features
26387 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
26388 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
26389 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
26390 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
26391 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
26392 * Oort Gnus:: It's big. It's far out. Gnus 5.10/5.11.
26393 * No Gnus:: Very punny.
26396 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
26397 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
26398 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
26401 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
26403 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
26408 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
26409 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
26412 Local spool and several @acronym{NNTP} servers can be used at once
26413 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
26416 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
26419 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
26420 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
26421 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
26424 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
26425 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
26426 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
26427 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26430 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
26431 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26434 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
26435 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
26436 (@pxref{The Active File}).
26439 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
26440 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
26443 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
26444 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
26445 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26448 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
26449 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
26450 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
26453 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{~/.gnus.el}) to avoid
26454 cluttering up the @file{.emacs} file.
26457 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
26458 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
26461 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
26462 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
26465 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
26466 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26469 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
26470 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
26473 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
26474 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26477 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
26480 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
26481 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
26484 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
26485 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
26488 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
26489 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
26492 Gnus can fetch @acronym{FAQ}s and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
26495 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
26496 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26499 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
26503 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
26507 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
26508 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
26511 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
26517 @node September Gnus
26518 @subsubsection September Gnus
26522 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
26526 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
26531 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
26532 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
26536 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
26537 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
26541 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
26545 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
26546 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
26549 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
26553 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions.
26556 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
26559 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
26562 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
26566 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
26567 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
26570 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
26574 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
26578 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
26582 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
26586 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
26589 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
26590 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
26593 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
26597 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
26598 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
26601 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
26604 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
26605 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
26606 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
26609 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
26613 The Gnus cache is much faster.
26616 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
26620 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
26621 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
26624 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
26625 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
26628 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
26629 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
26632 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
26633 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
26634 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
26637 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
26638 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
26641 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
26644 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26647 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
26650 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
26653 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
26654 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
26657 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
26661 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
26664 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
26669 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
26672 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
26676 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
26679 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
26683 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
26686 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
26689 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
26690 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
26693 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
26694 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
26698 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
26699 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
26702 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
26706 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
26707 buffer to allow easier treatment.
26710 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
26713 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
26717 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
26721 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
26722 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
26725 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
26729 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
26730 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
26733 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
26734 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26737 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
26741 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
26744 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
26747 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
26753 @subsubsection Red Gnus
26755 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
26759 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
26766 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
26769 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
26770 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
26773 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
26774 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
26778 Article washing status can be displayed in the
26779 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
26782 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
26785 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
26786 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
26789 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
26793 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
26794 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
26798 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
26799 Server Internals}).
26802 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
26806 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
26809 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
26810 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
26813 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
26814 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
26815 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
26818 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
26819 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26822 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
26823 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
26826 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
26830 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
26831 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26834 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
26835 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
26838 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
26842 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
26845 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
26849 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
26850 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
26853 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
26854 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
26857 A new command for reading collections of documents
26858 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
26859 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
26862 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
26866 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @acronym{NNTP}
26867 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
26870 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
26871 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
26872 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
26875 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
26876 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
26880 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
26884 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
26888 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
26893 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
26897 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
26901 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
26902 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
26905 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
26911 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
26913 New features in Gnus 5.6:
26918 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
26919 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added.
26920 @xref{Gnus Unplugged}, for the full story.
26923 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
26924 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
26925 group, which is created automatically.
26928 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
26932 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
26935 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
26936 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
26939 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
26943 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
26946 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
26947 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
26950 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
26953 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. @xref{Symbolic Prefixes}, for
26957 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
26958 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the @file{all.SCORE} file.
26961 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
26962 control over simplification.
26965 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
26968 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
26972 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
26975 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
26978 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
26979 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
26980 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
26983 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
26984 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
26987 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
26991 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
26992 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
26995 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
26996 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @acronym{NNTP} servers.
26999 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
27003 A history of where mails have been split is available.
27006 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
27009 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
27010 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
27013 A new function for citing in Message has been
27014 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
27017 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
27020 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
27024 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
27025 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
27028 The ``lapsed date'' article header can be kept continually
27029 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
27032 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
27035 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
27039 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
27040 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
27042 New features in Gnus 5.8:
27047 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
27048 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
27050 If you used procmail like in
27053 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
27054 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
27055 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
27056 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
27059 this now has changed to
27063 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
27067 @xref{Mail Source Specifiers}.
27070 Gnus is now a @acronym{MIME}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
27071 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
27074 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
27075 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
27078 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
27079 called to position point.
27082 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
27083 summary buffers and @acronym{NOV} files.
27086 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
27087 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
27090 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
27091 subtly different manner.
27094 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
27095 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
27096 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
27099 Gnus can now read @acronym{IMAP} mail via @code{nnimap}.
27104 @subsubsection Oort Gnus
27107 New features in Gnus 5.10:
27111 @item Installation changes
27112 @c ***********************
27116 Upgrading from previous (stable) version if you have used Oort.
27118 If you have tried Oort (the unstable Gnus branch leading to this
27119 release) but went back to a stable version, be careful when upgrading to
27120 this version. In particular, you will probably want to remove all
27121 @file{.marks} (nnml) and @file{.mrk} (nnfolder) files, so that flags are
27122 read from your @file{.newsrc.eld} instead of from the
27123 @file{.marks}/@file{.mrk} file where this release store flags. See a
27124 later entry for more information about marks. Note that downgrading
27125 isn't save in general.
27128 Lisp files are now installed in @file{.../site-lisp/gnus/} by default.
27129 It defaulted to @file{.../site-lisp/} formerly. In addition to this,
27130 the new installer issues a warning if other Gnus installations which
27131 will shadow the latest one are detected. You can then remove those
27132 shadows manually or remove them using @code{make
27133 remove-installed-shadows}.
27136 New @file{make.bat} for compiling and installing Gnus under MS Windows
27138 Use @file{make.bat} if you want to install Gnus under MS Windows, the
27139 first argument to the batch-program should be the directory where
27140 @file{xemacs.exe} respectively @file{emacs.exe} is located, iff you want
27141 to install Gnus after compiling it, give @file{make.bat} @code{/copy} as
27142 the second parameter.
27144 @file{make.bat} has been rewritten from scratch, it now features
27145 automatic recognition of XEmacs and GNU Emacs, generates
27146 @file{gnus-load.el}, checks if errors occur while compilation and
27147 generation of info files and reports them at the end of the build
27148 process. It now uses @code{makeinfo} if it is available and falls
27149 back to @file{infohack.el} otherwise. @file{make.bat} should now
27150 install all files which are necessary to run Gnus and be generally a
27151 complete replacement for the @code{configure; make; make install}
27152 cycle used under Unix systems.
27154 The new @file{make.bat} makes @file{make-x.bat} and @file{xemacs.mak}
27155 superfluous, so they have been removed.
27158 @file{~/News/overview/} not used.
27160 As a result of the following change, the @file{~/News/overview/}
27161 directory is not used any more. You can safely delete the entire
27164 @c FIXME: `gnus-load' is mentioned in README, which is not included in
27165 @c CVS. We should find a better place for this item.
27167 @code{(require 'gnus-load)}
27169 If you use a stand-alone Gnus distribution, you'd better add
27170 @code{(require 'gnus-load)} into your @file{~/.emacs} after adding the Gnus
27171 lisp directory into load-path.
27173 File @file{gnus-load.el} contains autoload commands, functions and variables,
27174 some of which may not be included in distributions of Emacsen.
27178 @item New packages and libraries within Gnus
27179 @c *****************************************
27184 The revised Gnus @acronym{FAQ} is included in the manual,
27185 @xref{Frequently Asked Questions}.
27188 @acronym{TLS} wrapper shipped with Gnus
27190 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} is now supported in @acronym{IMAP} and
27191 @acronym{NNTP} via @file{tls.el} and GNUTLS. The old
27192 @acronym{TLS}/@acronym{SSL} support via (external third party)
27193 @file{ssl.el} and OpenSSL still works.
27196 Improved anti-spam features.
27198 Gnus is now able to take out spam from your mail and news streams
27199 using a wide variety of programs and filter rules. Among the supported
27200 methods are RBL blocklists, bogofilter and white/blacklists. Hooks
27201 for easy use of external packages such as SpamAssassin and Hashcash
27202 are also new. @ref{Thwarting Email Spam} and @ref{Spam Package}.
27203 @c FIXME: @xref{Spam Package}?. Should this be under Misc?
27206 Gnus supports server-side mail filtering using Sieve.
27208 Sieve rules can be added as Group Parameters for groups, and the
27209 complete Sieve script is generated using @kbd{D g} from the Group
27210 buffer, and then uploaded to the server using @kbd{C-c C-l} in the
27211 generated Sieve buffer. @xref{Sieve Commands}, and the new Sieve
27212 manual @ref{Top, , Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
27216 @item Changes in group mode
27217 @c ************************
27222 @code{gnus-group-read-ephemeral-group} can be called interactively,
27226 Retrieval of charters and control messages
27228 There are new commands for fetching newsgroup charters (@kbd{H c}) and
27229 control messages (@kbd{H C}).
27232 The new variable @code{gnus-parameters} can be used to set group parameters.
27234 Earlier this was done only via @kbd{G p} (or @kbd{G c}), which stored
27235 the parameters in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, but via this variable you can
27236 enjoy the powers of customize, and simplified backups since you set the
27237 variable in @file{~/.gnus.el} instead of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. The
27238 variable maps regular expressions matching group names to group
27241 (setq gnus-parameters
27243 (gnus-show-threads nil)
27244 (gnus-use-scoring nil))
27245 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
27246 (to-group . "\\1"))))
27250 Unread count correct in nnimap groups.
27252 The estimated number of unread articles in the group buffer should now
27253 be correct for nnimap groups. This is achieved by calling
27254 @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} from the
27255 @code{gnus-setup-news-hook} (called on startup) and
27256 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook}. (called after getting new
27257 mail). If you have modified those variables from the default, you may
27258 want to add @code{nnimap-fixup-unread-after-getting-new-news} again. If
27259 you were happy with the estimate and want to save some (minimal) time
27260 when getting new mail, remove the function.
27263 Group names are treated as UTF-8 by default.
27265 This is supposedly what USEFOR wanted to migrate to. See
27266 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist} and
27267 @code{gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist} for customization.
27270 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} and
27271 @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
27273 The regexps in these variables are compared with full group names
27274 instead of real group names in 5.8. Users who customize these
27275 variables should change those regexps accordingly. For example:
27277 ("^han\\>" euc-kr) -> ("\\(^\\|:\\)han\\>" euc-kr)
27282 @item Changes in summary and article mode
27283 @c **************************************
27288 @kbd{F} (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}) and @kbd{R}
27289 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}) only yank the text in the
27290 region if the region is active.
27293 In draft groups, @kbd{e} is now bound to @code{gnus-draft-edit-message}.
27294 Use @kbd{B w} for @code{gnus-summary-edit-article} instead.
27299 More buttons for URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links, man
27300 pages and Emacs or Gnus related references. @xref{Article Buttons}. The
27301 variables @code{gnus-button-@var{*}-level} can be used to control the
27302 appearance of all article buttons. @xref{Article Button Levels}.
27305 Single-part yenc encoded attachments can be decoded.
27310 The picons code has been reimplemented to work in GNU Emacs---some of
27311 the previous options have been removed or renamed.
27313 Picons are small ``personal icons'' representing users, domain and
27314 newsgroups, which can be displayed in the Article buffer.
27318 If the new option @code{gnus-treat-body-boundary} is non-@code{nil}, a
27319 boundary line is drawn at the end of the headers.
27322 Signed article headers (X-PGP-Sig) can be verified with @kbd{W p}.
27325 The Summary Buffer uses an arrow in the fringe to indicate the current
27326 article. Use @code{(setq gnus-summary-display-arrow nil)} to disable it.
27329 Warn about email replies to news
27331 Do you often find yourself replying to news by email by mistake? Then
27332 the new option @code{gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news} is just the thing for
27336 If the new option @code{gnus-summary-display-while-building} is
27337 non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer is shown and updated as it's being
27341 The new @code{recent} mark @samp{.} indicates newly arrived messages (as
27342 opposed to old but unread messages).
27345 Gnus supports RFC 2369 mailing list headers, and adds a number of
27346 related commands in mailing list groups. @xref{Mailing List}.
27349 The Date header can be displayed in a format that can be read aloud
27350 in English. @xref{Article Date}.
27353 diffs are automatically highlighted in groups matching
27354 @code{mm-uu-diff-groups-regexp}
27357 Better handling of Microsoft citation styles
27359 Gnus now tries to recognize the mangled header block that some Microsoft
27360 mailers use to indicate that the rest of the message is a citation, even
27361 though it is not quoted in any way. The variable
27362 @code{gnus-cite-unsightly-citation-regexp} matches the start of these
27365 The new command @kbd{W Y f}
27366 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}) allows deuglifying broken
27367 Outlook (Express) articles.
27370 @code{gnus-article-skip-boring}
27372 If you set @code{gnus-article-skip-boring} to @code{t}, then Gnus will
27373 not scroll down to show you a page that contains only boring text,
27374 which by default means cited text and signature. You can customize
27375 what is skippable using @code{gnus-article-boring-faces}.
27377 This feature is especially useful if you read many articles that
27378 consist of a little new content at the top with a long, untrimmed
27379 message cited below.
27382 Smileys (@samp{:-)}, @samp{;-)} etc) are now displayed graphically in
27385 Put @code{(setq gnus-treat-display-smileys nil)} in @file{~/.gnus.el} to
27389 Face headers handling. @xref{Face}.
27392 In the summary buffer, the new command @kbd{/ N} inserts new messages
27393 and @kbd{/ o} inserts old messages.
27396 Gnus decodes morse encoded messages if you press @kbd{W m}.
27399 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}
27401 The default value changed to @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%)
27402 %s\n}. Moreover @code{gnus-extra-headers},
27403 @code{nnmail-extra-headers} and @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses}
27404 changed their default so that the users name will be replaced by the
27405 recipient's name or the group name posting to for @acronym{NNTP}
27409 Deleting of attachments.
27411 The command @code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip} (bound to @kbd{C-o}
27412 on @acronym{MIME} buttons) saves a part and replaces the part with an
27413 external one. @code{gnus-mime-delete-part} (bound to @kbd{d} on
27414 @acronym{MIME} buttons) removes a part. It works only on back ends
27415 that support editing.
27418 @code{gnus-default-charset}
27420 The default value is determined from the
27421 @code{current-language-environment} variable, instead of
27422 @code{iso-8859-1}. Also the @samp{.*} item in
27423 @code{gnus-group-charset-alist} is removed.
27426 Printing capabilities are enhanced.
27428 Gnus supports Muttprint natively with @kbd{O P} from the Summary and
27429 Article buffers. Also, each individual @acronym{MIME} part can be
27430 printed using @kbd{p} on the @acronym{MIME} button.
27433 Extended format specs.
27435 Format spec @samp{%&user-date;} is added into
27436 @code{gnus-summary-line-format-alist}. Also, user defined extended
27437 format specs are supported. The extended format specs look like
27438 @samp{%u&foo;}, which invokes function
27439 @code{gnus-user-format-function-@var{foo}}. Because @samp{&} is used as the
27440 escape character, old user defined format @samp{%u&} is no longer supported.
27443 @kbd{/ *} (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}) is rewritten.
27444 @c FIXME: Was this a user-visible change?
27446 It was aliased to @kbd{Y c}
27447 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}). The new function filters
27448 out other articles.
27451 Some limiting commands accept a @kbd{C-u} prefix to negate the match.
27453 If @kbd{C-u} is used on subject, author or extra headers, i.e., @kbd{/
27454 s}, @kbd{/ a}, and @kbd{/ x}
27455 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-@{subject,author,extra@}}) respectively, the
27456 result will be to display all articles that do not match the expression.
27459 Gnus inlines external parts (message/external).
27463 @item Changes in Message mode and related Gnus features
27464 @c ****************************************************
27471 You can delay the sending of a message with @kbd{C-c C-j} in the Message
27472 buffer. The messages are delivered at specified time. This is useful
27473 for sending yourself reminders. @xref{Delayed Articles}.
27476 If the new option @code{nnml-use-compressed-files} is non-@code{nil},
27477 the nnml back end allows compressed message files.
27480 The new option @code{gnus-gcc-mark-as-read} automatically marks
27481 Gcc articles as read.
27484 Externalizing of attachments
27486 If @code{gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments} or
27487 @code{message-fcc-externalize-attachments} is non-@code{nil}, attach
27488 local files as external parts.
27491 The envelope sender address can be customized when using Sendmail.
27492 @xref{Mail Variables, Mail Variables,, message, Message Manual}.
27495 Gnus no longer generate the Sender: header automatically.
27497 Earlier it was generated iff the user configurable email address was
27498 different from the Gnus guessed default user address. As the guessing
27499 algorithm is rarely correct these days, and (more controversially) the
27500 only use of the Sender: header was to check if you are entitled to
27501 cancel/supersede news (which is now solved by Cancel Locks instead,
27502 see another entry), generation of the header has been disabled by
27503 default. See the variables @code{message-required-headers},
27504 @code{message-required-news-headers}, and
27505 @code{message-required-mail-headers}.
27508 Features from third party @file{message-utils.el} added to @file{message.el}.
27510 Message now asks if you wish to remove @samp{(was: <old subject>)} from
27511 subject lines (see @code{message-subject-trailing-was-query}). @kbd{C-c
27512 M-m} and @kbd{C-c M-f} inserts markers indicating included text.
27513 @kbd{C-c C-f a} adds a X-No-Archive: header. @kbd{C-c C-f x} inserts
27514 appropriate headers and a note in the body for cross-postings and
27515 followups (see the variables @code{message-cross-post-@var{*}}).
27518 References and X-Draft-From headers are no longer generated when you
27519 start composing messages and @code{message-generate-headers-first} is
27523 Easy inclusion of X-Faces headers. @xref{X-Face}.
27526 Group Carbon Copy (GCC) quoting
27528 To support groups that contains SPC and other weird characters, groups
27529 are quoted before they are placed in the Gcc: header. This means
27530 variables such as @code{gnus-message-archive-group} should no longer
27531 contain quote characters to make groups containing SPC work. Also, if
27532 you are using the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar} (indicating Gcc
27533 into two groups) you must change it to return the list
27534 @code{("nnml:foo" "nnml:bar")}, otherwise the Gcc: line will be quoted
27535 incorrectly. Note that returning the string @samp{nnml:foo, nnml:bar}
27536 was incorrect earlier, it just didn't generate any problems since it
27537 was inserted directly.
27540 @code{message-insinuate-rmail}
27542 Adding @code{(message-insinuate-rmail)} and @code{(setq
27543 mail-user-agent 'gnus-user-agent)} in @file{.emacs} convinces Rmail to
27544 compose, reply and forward messages in message-mode, where you can
27545 enjoy the power of @acronym{MML}.
27548 @code{message-minibuffer-local-map}
27550 The line below enables BBDB in resending a message:
27552 (define-key message-minibuffer-local-map [(tab)]
27553 'bbdb-complete-name)
27557 @code{gnus-posting-styles}
27559 Add a new format of match like
27561 ((header "to" "larsi.*org")
27562 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27564 The old format like the lines below is obsolete, but still accepted.
27566 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
27567 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
27571 @code{message-ignored-news-headers} and @code{message-ignored-mail-headers}
27573 @samp{X-Draft-From} and @samp{X-Gnus-Agent-Meta-Information} have been
27574 added into these two variables. If you customized those, perhaps you
27575 need add those two headers too.
27578 Gnus supports the ``format=flowed'' (RFC 2646) parameter. On
27579 composing messages, it is enabled by @code{use-hard-newlines}.
27580 Decoding format=flowed was present but not documented in earlier
27584 The option @code{mm-fill-flowed} can be used to disable treatment of
27585 ``format=flowed'' messages. Also, flowed text is disabled when sending
27586 inline PGP signed messages. @xref{Flowed text, , Flowed text,
27587 emacs-mime, The Emacs MIME Manual}. (New in Gnus 5.10.7)
27588 @c This entry is also present in the node "No Gnus".
27591 Gnus supports the generation of RFC 2298 Disposition Notification requests.
27593 This is invoked with the @kbd{C-c M-n} key binding from message mode.
27596 Message supports the Importance: (RFC 2156) header.
27598 In the message buffer, @kbd{C-c C-f C-i} or @kbd{C-c C-u} cycles through
27602 Gnus supports Cancel Locks in News.
27604 This means a header @samp{Cancel-Lock} is inserted in news posting. It is
27605 used to determine if you wrote an article or not (for canceling and
27606 superseding). Gnus generates a random password string the first time
27607 you post a message, and saves it in your @file{~/.emacs} using the Custom
27608 system. While the variable is called @code{canlock-password}, it is not
27609 security sensitive data. Publishing your canlock string on the web
27610 will not allow anyone to be able to anything she could not already do.
27611 The behavior can be changed by customizing @code{message-insert-canlock}.
27614 Gnus supports @acronym{PGP} (RFC 1991/2440), @acronym{PGP/MIME} (RFC
27615 2015/3156) and @acronym{S/MIME} (RFC 2630-2633).
27617 It needs an external @acronym{S/MIME} and OpenPGP implementation, but no
27618 additional Lisp libraries. This add several menu items to the
27619 Attachments menu, and @kbd{C-c RET} key bindings, when composing
27620 messages. This also obsoletes @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook}.
27623 @acronym{MML} (Mime compose) prefix changed from @kbd{M-m} to @kbd{C-c
27626 This change was made to avoid conflict with the standard binding of
27627 @code{back-to-indentation}, which is also useful in message mode.
27630 The default for @code{message-forward-show-mml} changed to the symbol
27633 The behavior for the @code{best} value is to show @acronym{MML} (i.e.,
27634 convert to @acronym{MIME}) when appropriate. @acronym{MML} will not be
27635 used when forwarding signed or encrypted messages, as the conversion
27636 invalidate the digital signature.
27639 If @code{auto-compression-mode} is enabled, attachments are automatically
27640 decompressed when activated.
27641 @c FIXME: Does this affect article or message mode?
27644 Support for non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names
27646 Message supports non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To: and
27647 Cc: and will query you whether to perform encoding when you try to
27648 send a message. The variable @code{message-use-idna} controls this.
27649 Gnus will also decode non-@acronym{ASCII} domain names in From:, To:
27650 and Cc: when you view a message. The variable @code{gnus-use-idna}
27653 @item You can now drag and drop attachments to the Message buffer.
27654 See @code{mml-dnd-protocol-alist} and @code{mml-dnd-attach-options}.
27655 @xref{MIME, ,MIME, message, Message Manual}.
27656 @c New in 5.10.9 / 5.11
27660 @item Changes in back ends
27661 @c ***********************
27665 Gnus can display RSS newsfeeds as a newsgroup. @xref{RSS}.
27668 The nndoc back end now supports mailman digests and exim bounces.
27671 Gnus supports Maildir groups.
27673 Gnus includes a new back end @file{nnmaildir.el}. @xref{Maildir}.
27676 The nnml and nnfolder back ends store marks for each groups.
27678 This makes it possible to take backup of nnml/nnfolder servers/groups
27679 separately of @file{~/.newsrc.eld}, while preserving marks. It also
27680 makes it possible to share articles and marks between users (without
27681 sharing the @file{~/.newsrc.eld} file) within e.g. a department. It
27682 works by storing the marks stored in @file{~/.newsrc.eld} in a per-group
27683 file @file{.marks} (for nnml) and @file{@var{groupname}.mrk} (for
27684 nnfolder, named @var{groupname}). If the nnml/nnfolder is moved to
27685 another machine, Gnus will automatically use the @file{.marks} or
27686 @file{.mrk} file instead of the information in @file{~/.newsrc.eld}.
27687 The new server variables @code{nnml-marks-is-evil} and
27688 @code{nnfolder-marks-is-evil} can be used to disable this feature.
27698 The menu bar item (in Group and Summary buffer) named ``Misc'' has
27699 been renamed to ``Gnus''.
27702 The menu bar item (in Message mode) named ``@acronym{MML}'' has been
27703 renamed to ``Attachments''. Note that this menu also contains security
27704 related stuff, like signing and encryption (@pxref{Security, Security,,
27705 message, Message Manual}).
27708 The tool bars have been updated to use GNOME icons in Group, Summary and
27709 Message mode. You can also customize the tool bars. This is a new
27710 feature in Gnus 5.10.9. (Only for Emacs, not in XEmacs.)
27712 @item The tool bar icons are now (de)activated correctly
27713 in the group buffer, see the variable @code{gnus-group-update-tool-bar}.
27714 Its default value depends on your Emacs version. This is a new feature
27719 @item Miscellaneous changes
27720 @c ************************
27727 The Gnus Agent has seen a major updated and is now enabled by default,
27728 and all nntp and nnimap servers from @code{gnus-select-method} and
27729 @code{gnus-secondary-select-method} are agentized by default. Earlier
27730 only the server in @code{gnus-select-method} was agentized by the
27731 default, and the agent was disabled by default. When the agent is
27732 enabled, headers are now also retrieved from the Agent cache instead
27733 of the back ends when possible. Earlier this only happened in the
27734 unplugged state. You can enroll or remove servers with @kbd{J a} and
27735 @kbd{J r} in the server buffer. Gnus will not download articles into
27736 the Agent cache, unless you instruct it to do so, though, by using
27737 @kbd{J u} or @kbd{J s} from the Group buffer. You revert to the old
27738 behavior of having the Agent disabled with @code{(setq gnus-agent
27739 nil)}. Note that putting @code{(gnus-agentize)} in @file{~/.gnus.el}
27740 is not needed any more.
27743 Gnus reads the @acronym{NOV} and articles in the Agent if plugged.
27745 If one reads an article while plugged, and the article already exists
27746 in the Agent, it won't get downloaded once more. @code{(setq
27747 gnus-agent-cache nil)} reverts to the old behavior.
27752 @code{gnus-dired-minor-mode} (see @ref{Other modes}) installs key
27753 bindings in dired buffers to send a file as an attachment, open a file
27754 using the appropriate mailcap entry, and print a file using the mailcap
27758 The format spec @code{%C} for positioning point has changed to @code{%*}.
27761 @code{gnus-slave-unplugged}
27763 A new command which starts Gnus offline in slave mode.
27770 @subsubsection No Gnus
27773 New features in No Gnus:
27774 @c FIXME: Gnus 5.12?
27776 @include gnus-news.texi
27782 @section The Manual
27786 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
27787 either @code{texi2dvi}
27789 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
27790 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
27792 to get what you hold in your hands now.
27794 The following conventions have been used:
27799 This is a @samp{string}
27802 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
27805 This is a @file{file}
27808 This is a @code{symbol}
27812 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
27816 (setq flargnoze "yes")
27819 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
27822 (setq flumphel 'yes)
27825 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
27826 ever get them confused.
27830 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
27831 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
27832 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
27833 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
27834 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
27835 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
27836 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
27842 @node On Writing Manuals
27843 @section On Writing Manuals
27845 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
27846 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
27847 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
27848 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
27849 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
27850 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
27853 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
27854 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
27855 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
27858 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
27859 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
27864 @section Terminology
27866 @cindex terminology
27871 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
27872 News is generally fetched from a nearby @acronym{NNTP} server, and is
27873 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
27874 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
27875 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
27879 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
27880 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
27881 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
27882 not posting, and replying is not following up.
27886 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
27890 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
27895 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
27896 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
27897 commonly fetched via the protocol @acronym{NNTP}, whereas mail
27898 messages could be read from a file on the local disk. The internal
27899 architecture of Gnus thus comprises a ``front end'' and a number of
27900 ``back ends''. Internally, when you enter a group (by hitting
27901 @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke a function in the front end in
27902 Gnus. The front end then ``talks'' to a back end and says things like
27903 ``Give me the list of articles in the foo group'' or ``Show me article
27906 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back
27907 end accesses news via @acronym{NNTP}, the @code{nnimap} back end
27908 accesses mail via @acronym{IMAP}) or a file format and directory
27909 layout (the @code{nnspool} back end accesses news via the common
27910 ``spool directory'' format, the @code{nnml} back end access mail via a
27911 file format and directory layout that's quite similar).
27913 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
27914 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
27915 access the articles.
27917 However, sometimes the term ``back end'' is also used where ``server''
27918 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term ``select
27919 method'' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
27924 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
27925 default, way of getting news.
27929 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
27930 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
27935 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
27936 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
27940 A message that has been posted as news.
27943 @cindex mail message
27944 A message that has been mailed.
27948 A mail message or news article
27952 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
27957 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
27962 A line from the head of an article.
27966 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
27967 collection of @acronym{NOV} lines.
27969 @item @acronym{NOV}
27970 @cindex @acronym{NOV}
27971 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
27972 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
27973 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
27974 normal @sc{head} format.
27978 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
27979 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
27980 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
27981 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
27982 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
27983 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
27985 @item killed groups
27986 @cindex killed groups
27987 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
27988 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
27990 @item zombie groups
27991 @cindex zombie groups
27992 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
27995 @cindex active file
27996 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
27997 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
27998 is rather large, as you might surmise.
28001 @cindex bogus groups
28002 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
28003 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
28004 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
28007 @cindex activating groups
28008 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
28009 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
28010 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
28014 News servers store their articles locally in one fashion or other.
28015 One old-fashioned storage method is to have just one file per
28016 article. That's called a ``traditional spool''.
28020 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
28022 @item select method
28023 @cindex select method
28024 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
28027 @item virtual server
28028 @cindex virtual server
28029 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
28030 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
28031 whole is a virtual server.
28035 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
28036 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
28039 @item ephemeral groups
28040 @cindex ephemeral groups
28041 @cindex temporary groups
28042 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
28043 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
28044 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
28047 @cindex solid groups
28048 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
28049 group buffer are solid groups.
28051 @item sparse articles
28052 @cindex sparse articles
28053 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
28054 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
28058 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
28059 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
28063 @cindex thread root
28064 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
28065 articles in the thread.
28069 An article that has responses.
28073 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
28077 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
28078 specified by RFC 1153.
28081 @cindex splitting, terminology
28082 @cindex mail sorting
28083 @cindex mail filtering (splitting)
28084 The action of sorting your emails according to certain rules. Sometimes
28085 incorrectly called mail filtering.
28091 @node Customization
28092 @section Customization
28093 @cindex general customization
28095 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
28096 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
28097 for some quite common situations.
28100 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
28101 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
28102 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
28103 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
28107 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
28108 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
28110 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
28111 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
28112 Gnus has to get from the @acronym{NNTP} server.
28116 @item gnus-read-active-file
28117 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
28118 entire active file from the server. This file is often very large. You
28119 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28120 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
28121 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
28123 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
28124 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
28125 the @acronym{NNTP} server will not be very fast. Not all @acronym{NNTP} servers
28126 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
28130 @node Slow Terminal Connection
28131 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
28133 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
28134 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
28135 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
28139 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
28140 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
28141 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
28142 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
28143 horizontal and vertical recentering.
28145 @item gnus-visible-headers
28146 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
28147 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
28148 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
28149 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
28151 Use the following to enable all the available hiding features:
28153 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
28154 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
28155 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
28158 @item gnus-use-full-window
28159 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
28160 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
28161 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
28162 want to read them anyway.
28164 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
28165 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
28169 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
28170 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
28171 lines, which might save some time.
28175 @node Little Disk Space
28176 @subsection Little Disk Space
28179 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
28180 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
28184 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
28185 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
28186 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28187 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28190 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
28191 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
28192 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
28193 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
28196 @item gnus-save-killed-list
28197 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
28198 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
28199 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
28200 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
28206 @subsection Slow Machine
28207 @cindex slow machine
28209 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
28210 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
28212 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
28213 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
28215 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
28216 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
28217 summary buffer faster.
28221 @node Troubleshooting
28222 @section Troubleshooting
28223 @cindex troubleshooting
28225 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
28233 Make sure your computer is switched on.
28236 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
28237 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
28241 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
28242 like @samp{Gnus v5.10.6} you have the right files loaded. Otherwise
28243 you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
28246 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a
28247 @acronym{FAQ} and a how-to.
28250 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
28251 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
28252 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
28253 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
28254 something like that.
28257 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
28260 @cindex reporting bugs
28262 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
28264 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
28265 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
28266 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
28267 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
28269 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
28270 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
28271 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
28272 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
28275 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
28276 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
28277 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
28278 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
28279 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
28280 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
28282 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
28283 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
28284 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
28288 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
28289 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
28292 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
28293 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
28294 edebug. Debugging Lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
28295 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
28296 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
28297 you discover some weird behavior when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
28298 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
28299 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
28300 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
28301 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
28302 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
28303 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
28304 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
28305 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
28310 Sometimes, a problem do not directly generate an elisp error but
28311 manifests itself by causing Gnus to be very slow. In these cases, you
28312 can use @kbd{M-x toggle-debug-on-quit} and press @kbd{C-g} when things are
28313 slow, and then try to analyze the backtrace (repeating the procedure
28314 helps isolating the real problem areas).
28316 A fancier approach is to use the elisp profiler, ELP. The profiler is
28317 (or should be) fully documented elsewhere, but to get you started
28318 there are a few steps that need to be followed. First, instrument the
28319 part of Gnus you are interested in for profiling, e.g. @kbd{M-x
28320 elp-instrument-package RET gnus} or @kbd{M-x elp-instrument-package
28321 RET message}. Then perform the operation that is slow and press
28322 @kbd{M-x elp-results}. You will then see which operations that takes
28323 time, and can debug them further. If the entire operation takes much
28324 longer than the time spent in the slowest function in the profiler
28325 output, you probably profiled the wrong part of Gnus. To reset
28326 profiling statistics, use @kbd{M-x elp-reset-all}. @kbd{M-x
28327 elp-restore-all} is supposed to remove profiling, but given the
28328 complexities and dynamic code generation in Gnus, it might not always
28331 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
28332 @cindex ding mailing list
28333 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
28334 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful. You can also ask on
28335 @email{ding@@gnus.org, the ding mailing list}. Write to
28336 @email{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
28340 @node Gnus Reference Guide
28341 @section Gnus Reference Guide
28343 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
28344 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
28345 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
28346 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
28349 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
28350 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
28351 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
28352 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
28353 and general methods of operation.
28356 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
28357 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
28358 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
28359 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
28360 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
28361 * Group Info:: The group info format.
28362 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
28363 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
28364 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
28368 @node Gnus Utility Functions
28369 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
28370 @cindex Gnus utility functions
28371 @cindex utility functions
28373 @cindex internal variables
28375 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
28376 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
28377 Below is a list of the most common ones.
28381 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
28382 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
28383 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
28385 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
28386 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
28387 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
28389 @item gnus-group-real-name
28390 @findex gnus-group-real-name
28391 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
28394 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
28395 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
28396 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
28397 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
28399 @item gnus-get-info
28400 @findex gnus-get-info
28401 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
28403 @item gnus-group-unread
28404 @findex gnus-group-unread
28405 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
28409 @findex gnus-active
28410 The active entry for @var{group}.
28412 @item gnus-set-active
28413 @findex gnus-set-active
28414 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
28416 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28417 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
28418 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
28421 @item gnus-continuum-version
28422 @findex gnus-continuum-version
28423 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
28424 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
28427 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
28428 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
28429 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
28431 @item gnus-news-group-p
28432 @findex gnus-news-group-p
28433 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
28435 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28436 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
28437 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
28439 @item gnus-server-to-method
28440 @findex gnus-server-to-method
28441 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
28443 @item gnus-server-equal
28444 @findex gnus-server-equal
28445 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
28447 @item gnus-group-native-p
28448 @findex gnus-group-native-p
28449 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
28451 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
28452 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
28453 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
28455 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
28456 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
28457 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
28459 @item gnus-group-find-parameter
28460 @findex gnus-group-find-parameter
28461 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
28462 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
28464 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
28465 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
28466 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
28468 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
28469 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
28470 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
28472 @item gnus-check-backend-function
28473 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
28474 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
28475 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
28478 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
28482 @item gnus-read-method
28483 @findex gnus-read-method
28484 Prompts the user for a select method.
28489 @node Back End Interface
28490 @subsection Back End Interface
28492 Gnus doesn't know anything about @acronym{NNTP}, spools, mail or virtual
28493 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
28494 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
28495 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
28496 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
28497 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
28499 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
28500 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
28501 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
28502 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
28503 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
28504 been opened, the function should fail.
28506 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
28507 name. Take this example:
28511 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
28512 (nntp-port-number 4324))
28515 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
28516 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
28518 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
28519 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
28520 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
28522 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
28523 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
28524 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
28526 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
28527 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
28528 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
28529 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
28530 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
28531 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
28534 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
28535 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
28536 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
28537 ---they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
28540 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
28541 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
28542 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
28543 possible for later articles to ``re-use'' older article numbers without
28544 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
28545 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
28546 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
28547 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
28548 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
28549 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
28551 The previous paragraph already mentions all the ``hard'' restrictions that
28552 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
28553 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
28554 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
28555 the ``no-reuse'' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
28556 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
28557 of numbers as long as possible.
28559 Note that by convention, back ends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
28560 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
28561 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
28563 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
28566 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
28569 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
28570 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
28571 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
28572 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
28573 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
28574 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
28578 @node Required Back End Functions
28579 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
28583 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
28585 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
28586 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
28587 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
28588 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
28590 The result data should either be HEADs or @acronym{NOV} lines, and the result
28591 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
28592 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
28593 of HEADs and @acronym{NOV} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
28595 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching ``extra
28596 headers'', in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
28597 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
28598 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
28599 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
28600 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
28601 number, do maximum fetches.
28603 Here's an example HEAD:
28606 221 1056 Article retrieved.
28607 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
28608 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
28609 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
28610 Subject: Re: Something very droll
28611 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
28612 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
28614 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
28615 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
28616 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
28620 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
28621 these in the data buffer.
28623 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
28627 head = error / valid-head
28628 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
28629 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
28630 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
28631 header = <text> eol
28635 (The version of BNF used here is the one used in RFC822.)
28637 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
28638 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
28642 nov-buffer = *nov-line
28643 nov-line = field 7*8[ <TAB> field ] eol
28644 field = <text except TAB>
28647 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
28651 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
28653 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
28654 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
28656 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
28657 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
28658 server. In fact, it should do so.
28660 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
28661 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
28664 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
28666 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
28667 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
28670 There should be no data returned.
28673 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
28675 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
28676 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
28677 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
28678 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
28680 There should be no data returned.
28683 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
28685 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
28686 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
28687 non-@code{nil} value. This function should under no circumstances
28688 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
28690 There should be no data returned.
28693 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
28695 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
28697 There should be no data returned.
28700 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
28702 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
28703 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
28704 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
28705 it would be nice if that were possible.
28707 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
28708 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
28709 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
28710 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
28711 into its article buffer.
28713 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
28714 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
28715 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
28716 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
28717 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
28718 on successful article retrieval.
28721 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
28723 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
28724 making @var{group} the current group.
28726 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
28729 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
28732 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
28735 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
28736 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
28737 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
28738 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
28739 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
28740 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
28741 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
28742 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
28743 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
28747 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
28748 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
28749 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
28753 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28755 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
28756 a no-op on most back ends.
28758 There should be no data returned.
28761 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
28763 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
28766 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
28769 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
28770 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
28773 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
28774 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
28775 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
28776 and the highest as 0.
28779 active-file = *active-line
28780 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
28782 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
28785 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
28786 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
28787 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
28790 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
28792 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
28793 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
28794 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
28795 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
28796 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
28797 clear if the posting could not be completed.
28799 There should be no result data from this function.
28804 @node Optional Back End Functions
28805 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
28809 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
28811 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
28812 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
28813 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
28815 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
28816 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
28817 former is in the same format as the data from
28818 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
28819 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
28822 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
28826 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
28828 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
28829 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all
28830 the information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
28831 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
28832 should return a non-@code{nil} value (exceptionally,
28833 @code{nntp-request-update-info} always returns @code{nil} not to waste
28834 the network resources).
28836 There should be no result data from this function.
28839 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
28841 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
28842 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
28843 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
28844 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
28845 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
28846 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
28847 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
28848 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
28850 There should be no result data from this function.
28853 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
28855 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
28856 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
28857 @file{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @acronym{IMAP}) however carry
28858 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
28859 propagate the mark information to the server.
28861 @var{action} is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
28864 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
28867 @var{range} is a range of articles you wish to update marks on.
28868 @var{action} is @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove
28869 marks (preserving all marks not mentioned). @var{mark} is a list of
28870 marks; where each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are
28871 @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
28872 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
28873 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
28874 possible, not limit itself to these.
28876 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
28877 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
28878 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
28879 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
28881 An example action list:
28884 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
28885 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
28886 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
28889 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
28890 mark on (currently not used for anything).
28892 There should be no result data from this function.
28894 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
28896 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
28897 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
28898 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
28899 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
28900 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
28902 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
28903 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
28904 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
28907 There should be no result data from this function.
28910 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
28912 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
28913 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
28914 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query
28915 the @acronym{POP} server when this function is invoked. The
28916 @var{group} doesn't have to be heeded---if the back end decides that
28917 it is too much work just scanning for a single group, it may do a
28918 total scan of all groups. It would be nice, however, to keep things
28919 local if that's practical.
28921 There should be no result data from this function.
28924 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
28926 The result data from this function should be a description of
28930 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
28932 description = <text>
28935 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
28937 The result data from this function should be the description of all
28938 groups available on the server.
28941 description-buffer = *description-line
28945 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
28947 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
28948 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
28949 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
28950 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
28951 in the active buffer format.
28953 It is okay for this function to return ``too many'' groups; some back ends
28954 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
28955 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
28956 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
28957 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
28958 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
28959 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
28962 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
28964 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
28966 There should be no return data.
28969 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
28971 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
28972 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
28973 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
28974 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
28975 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
28978 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
28981 There should be no result data returned.
28984 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM &optional LAST)
28986 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
28987 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
28989 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
28990 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
28991 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
28992 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
28993 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
28994 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
28996 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
28997 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
29000 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29001 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29003 There should be no data returned.
29006 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
29008 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
29009 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
29010 this function in short order.
29012 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
29013 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
29015 The group should exist before the back end is asked to accept the
29016 article for that group.
29018 There should be no data returned.
29021 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
29023 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
29024 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
29026 There should be no data returned.
29029 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
29031 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
29032 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
29033 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
29035 There should be no data returned.
29038 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
29040 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
29041 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
29043 There should be no data returned.
29048 @node Error Messaging
29049 @subsubsection Error Messaging
29051 @findex nnheader-report
29052 @findex nnheader-get-report
29053 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
29054 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
29055 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
29056 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
29057 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
29058 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
29061 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
29063 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
29066 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
29067 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
29068 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
29069 takes one argument---the server symbol.
29071 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
29072 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
29073 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
29076 @node Writing New Back Ends
29077 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
29079 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
29080 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
29081 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
29082 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
29083 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
29086 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
29087 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
29088 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
29090 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
29091 package called @code{nnoo}.
29093 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
29094 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
29100 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
29101 parameters. For instance:
29104 (nnoo-declare nndir
29108 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
29109 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
29112 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
29113 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
29114 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
29116 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
29117 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
29118 a function in those back ends.
29121 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29122 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29123 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29126 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
29127 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
29128 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
29130 @item nnoo-define-basics
29131 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
29135 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29139 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
29140 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
29141 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
29143 @item nnoo-map-functions
29144 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
29145 functions from the parent back ends.
29148 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29149 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29150 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
29153 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
29154 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
29155 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
29156 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
29159 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
29160 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
29161 haven't already been defined.
29167 nnmh-request-newgroups)
29171 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
29172 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
29173 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
29178 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
29181 ;;; @r{nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus}
29182 ;; @r{Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.}
29186 (require 'nnheader)
29190 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
29192 (nnoo-declare nndir
29195 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
29196 "Where nndir will look for groups."
29197 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
29199 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
29200 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
29203 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
29205 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
29206 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
29207 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
29209 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
29210 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
29212 ;;; @r{Interface functions.}
29214 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
29216 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
29217 (setq nndir-directory
29218 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
29220 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
29221 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
29222 (push `(nndir-current-group
29223 ,(file-name-nondirectory
29224 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29226 (push `(nndir-top-directory
29227 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
29229 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
29231 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
29232 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29233 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
29234 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
29235 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
29239 nnmh-status-message
29241 nnmh-request-newgroups))
29247 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29248 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
29250 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
29251 @findex gnus-declare-backend
29252 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
29253 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
29254 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
29256 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
29257 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
29262 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
29265 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
29267 The abilities can be:
29271 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
29273 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
29275 This back end supports both mail and news.
29277 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
29280 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
29281 articles and groups.
29283 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
29284 true for almost all back ends.
29285 @item prompt-address
29286 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
29287 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
29288 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
29292 @node Mail-like Back Ends
29293 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
29295 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
29296 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
29297 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
29298 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
29301 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
29302 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
29303 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
29306 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
29307 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
29310 This function takes four parameters.
29314 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
29317 @item exit-function
29318 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
29320 @item temp-directory
29321 Where the temporary files should be stored.
29324 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
29325 performed for one group only.
29328 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
29329 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
29330 find the article number assigned to this article.
29332 The function also uses the following variables:
29333 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
29334 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
29335 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
29336 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
29340 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
29341 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
29345 @node Score File Syntax
29346 @subsection Score File Syntax
29348 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
29349 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
29350 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
29352 Here's a typical score file:
29356 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
29363 BNF definition of a score file:
29366 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
29367 element = rule / atom
29368 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
29369 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
29370 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
29371 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
29373 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
29374 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
29375 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
29376 date-header = "date"
29377 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29378 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29379 score = "nil" / <integer>
29380 date = "nil" / <natural number>
29381 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
29382 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
29383 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
29384 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
29385 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29386 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29387 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
29388 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
29389 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
29390 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
29391 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
29392 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
29393 exclude-files / read-only / touched
29394 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
29395 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
29396 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
29397 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
29398 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
29399 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
29400 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
29401 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
29402 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
29403 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
29404 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
29405 eval = "eval" space <form>
29406 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
29409 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
29412 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
29413 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
29414 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
29415 one looong line, then that's ok.
29417 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
29418 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
29422 @subsection Headers
29424 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
29425 corresponds to the @acronym{NOV} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
29426 almost suspect that the author looked at the @acronym{NOV} specification and
29427 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
29429 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
29430 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
29431 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
29432 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
29433 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
29434 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
29435 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
29437 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
29438 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
29439 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
29440 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
29441 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
29443 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
29444 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
29450 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
29451 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
29453 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
29454 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
29455 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
29456 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
29458 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
29462 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
29465 is transformed into
29468 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
29471 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
29472 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
29475 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
29478 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
29479 is slightly tricky:
29482 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
29488 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
29491 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
29497 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
29504 and is equal to the previous range.
29506 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
29507 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
29508 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
29512 range = simple-range / normal-range
29513 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
29514 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
29515 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
29516 number *[ " " contents ]
29519 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
29520 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
29521 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
29522 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
29523 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
29528 @subsection Group Info
29530 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
29531 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
29532 describes the group.
29534 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
29535 second is a more complex one:
29538 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
29540 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
29541 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
29543 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
29546 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
29547 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
29548 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
29549 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
29550 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
29551 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
29552 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
29553 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
29554 this section is about.
29556 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
29557 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
29558 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
29560 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
29563 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
29564 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
29565 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
29566 group = quote <string> quote
29567 ralevel = rank / level
29568 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29569 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
29570 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
29572 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
29573 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
29574 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
29575 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
29578 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
29579 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
29582 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
29583 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
29586 @item gnus-info-group
29587 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
29588 @findex gnus-info-group
29589 @findex gnus-info-set-group
29590 Get/set the group name.
29592 @item gnus-info-rank
29593 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
29594 @findex gnus-info-rank
29595 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
29596 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
29598 @item gnus-info-level
29599 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
29600 @findex gnus-info-level
29601 @findex gnus-info-set-level
29602 Get/set the group level.
29604 @item gnus-info-score
29605 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
29606 @findex gnus-info-score
29607 @findex gnus-info-set-score
29608 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
29610 @item gnus-info-read
29611 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
29612 @findex gnus-info-read
29613 @findex gnus-info-set-read
29614 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
29616 @item gnus-info-marks
29617 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
29618 @findex gnus-info-marks
29619 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
29620 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
29622 @item gnus-info-method
29623 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
29624 @findex gnus-info-method
29625 @findex gnus-info-set-method
29626 Get/set the group select method.
29628 @item gnus-info-params
29629 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
29630 @findex gnus-info-params
29631 @findex gnus-info-set-params
29632 Get/set the group parameters.
29635 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
29636 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
29638 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
29639 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
29640 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
29641 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
29644 @node Extended Interactive
29645 @subsection Extended Interactive
29646 @cindex interactive
29647 @findex gnus-interactive
29649 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
29650 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
29651 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
29654 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
29655 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
29660 The best thing to do would have been to implement
29661 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
29662 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
29663 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
29664 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
29665 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
29666 @code{interactive}.
29668 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
29673 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
29674 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
29678 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
29679 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
29680 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
29683 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
29687 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
29691 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
29697 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
29698 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
29702 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
29703 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
29704 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
29706 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
29707 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
29708 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
29709 Gnus, that's very useful.
29711 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
29712 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
29713 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
29714 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
29715 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
29716 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
29717 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
29718 following function:
29721 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
29725 (,function ,@@args))
29729 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
29730 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
29731 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
29734 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
29735 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
29736 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
29738 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
29739 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
29740 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
29743 @node Various File Formats
29744 @subsection Various File Formats
29747 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
29748 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
29752 @node Active File Format
29753 @subsubsection Active File Format
29755 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
29756 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
29759 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
29762 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
29763 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
29764 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
29765 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
29766 no.general 1000 900 y
29769 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
29772 active = *group-line
29773 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
29774 group = <non-white-space string>
29776 high-number = <non-negative integer>
29777 low-number = <positive integer>
29778 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
29781 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
29782 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
29785 @node Newsgroups File Format
29786 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
29788 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
29789 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
29790 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
29793 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
29794 Here's the definition:
29798 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
29799 group = <non-white-space string>
29801 description = <string>
29806 @node Emacs for Heathens
29807 @section Emacs for Heathens
29809 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
29810 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
29811 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
29812 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
29813 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
29814 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
29815 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
29819 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
29820 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
29825 @subsection Keystrokes
29829 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
29832 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
29835 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
29836 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
29837 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
29838 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
29839 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
29840 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
29842 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
29843 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
29844 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
29845 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
29846 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
29847 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
29848 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
29850 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
29851 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
29852 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
29853 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
29854 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
29855 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
29856 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
29858 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
29859 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
29860 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
29861 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
29862 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
29868 @subsection Emacs Lisp
29870 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
29871 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
29872 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
29873 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
29875 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
29876 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
29877 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
29878 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
29879 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
29880 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
29881 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{~/.gnus.el}
29882 file to customize Gnus. (You can also use the @file{~/.emacs} file, but
29883 in order to set things of Gnus up, it is much better to use the
29884 @file{~/.gnus.el} file, @xref{Startup Files}.)
29886 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
29887 write the following:
29890 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
29893 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
29894 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
29895 you can go and fill your @file{~/.gnus.el} file with lots of these to
29896 change how Gnus works.
29898 If you have put that thing in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file, it will be
29899 read and @code{eval}ed (which is Lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
29900 start Gnus. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
29901 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
29902 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
29904 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
29905 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
29906 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
29910 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
29914 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
29917 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
29918 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
29921 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
29924 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
29925 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
29928 @include gnus-faq.texi
29930 @node GNU Free Documentation License
29931 @chapter GNU Free Documentation License
29932 @include doclicense.texi
29952 @c Local Variables:
29954 @c coding: iso-8859-1
29958 arch-tag: c9fa47e7-78ca-4681-bda9-9fef45d1c819