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10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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268 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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277 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
278 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
281 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
282 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
283 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
284 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
285 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
286 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
287 License'' in the Emacs manual.
289 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
290 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
291 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
293 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
294 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
295 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
296 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
304 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
306 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
308 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
309 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
310 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
311 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
312 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
313 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
314 License'' in the Emacs manual.
316 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
317 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
318 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
320 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
321 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
322 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
323 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
331 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
334 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
335 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
337 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
338 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
339 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
340 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
341 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
342 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
343 License'' in the Emacs manual.
345 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
346 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
347 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
349 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
350 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
351 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
352 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
361 @top The Gnus Newsreader
365 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
366 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
367 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
370 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v.
381 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
382 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
384 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
385 being accused of plagiarism:
387 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
388 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
389 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
390 can even read news with it!
392 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
393 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
394 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
395 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
396 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
402 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
403 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
404 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
405 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
406 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
407 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
408 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
409 * Various:: General purpose settings.
410 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
411 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
412 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
413 * Key Index:: Key Index.
416 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
420 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
421 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
422 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
423 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
424 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
425 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
426 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
427 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
428 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
429 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
430 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
434 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
435 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
436 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
440 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
441 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
442 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
443 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
444 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
445 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
446 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
447 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
448 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
449 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
450 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
451 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
452 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
453 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
454 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
455 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
456 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
460 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
461 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
462 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
466 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
467 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
468 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
469 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
470 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
474 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
475 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
476 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
477 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
481 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
482 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
483 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
484 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
485 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
486 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
487 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
488 * Threading:: How threads are made.
489 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
490 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
491 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
492 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
493 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
494 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
495 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
496 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
497 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
498 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
499 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
500 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
501 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
502 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
503 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
504 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
505 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
506 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer.
507 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
508 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
509 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
510 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
512 Summary Buffer Format
514 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
515 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
516 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
517 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
521 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
522 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
524 Reply, Followup and Post
526 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
527 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
528 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
529 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
533 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
534 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
535 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
536 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
537 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
538 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
542 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
543 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
545 Customizing Threading
547 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
548 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
549 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
550 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
554 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
555 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
556 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
557 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
558 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
559 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
563 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
564 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
565 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
569 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
570 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
571 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
572 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
573 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
574 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
575 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
576 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
578 Alternative Approaches
580 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
581 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
583 Various Summary Stuff
585 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
586 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
587 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
588 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
592 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
593 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
594 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
595 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
596 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
600 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
601 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
602 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
603 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
604 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
605 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
606 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
607 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
611 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
612 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
613 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
614 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
615 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
616 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
617 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
621 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
622 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
623 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
624 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
625 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
626 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
627 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
631 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
632 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
636 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
637 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
638 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
639 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
640 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
641 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
642 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
643 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
644 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
645 * Washing Mail:: Removing cruft from the mail you get.
646 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
647 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
648 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
652 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
653 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
654 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
656 Choosing a Mail Backend
658 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
659 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
660 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
661 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
662 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
663 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
667 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
668 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
669 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
670 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
671 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
672 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
676 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
677 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
678 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
679 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
680 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
681 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
685 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
689 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
690 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
691 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
695 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
696 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
697 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
701 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
702 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
706 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
707 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
708 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
709 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
710 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
711 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
712 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
713 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
714 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
715 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
719 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
720 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
721 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
725 * Group Agent Commands::
726 * Summary Agent Commands::
727 * Server Agent Commands::
731 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
732 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
733 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
734 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
735 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
736 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
737 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
738 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
739 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
740 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
741 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
742 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
743 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
744 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
745 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
746 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
750 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
751 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
752 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
753 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
757 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
758 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
759 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
763 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
764 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
765 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
766 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
767 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
768 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
769 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
770 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
771 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
772 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
773 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
774 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
775 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
776 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
777 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
778 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
779 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
780 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
784 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
785 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
786 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
787 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
788 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
792 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
793 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
794 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
795 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
799 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
800 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
801 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
802 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
803 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
807 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
808 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
809 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
810 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
811 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
812 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
813 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
814 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
818 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
819 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
820 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
821 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
822 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
823 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
824 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
825 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
826 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
830 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
831 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
832 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
833 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
834 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
838 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
839 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
840 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
841 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
845 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
846 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
847 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
848 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
849 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
850 * Group Info:: The group info format.
851 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
852 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
853 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
857 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
858 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
859 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
860 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
861 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
862 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
866 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
867 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
871 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
872 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
878 @chapter Starting Gnus
883 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
884 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
887 @findex gnus-other-frame
888 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
889 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
890 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
892 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
893 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
894 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
896 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
897 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
900 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
901 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
902 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
903 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
904 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
905 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
906 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
907 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
908 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
909 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
910 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
914 @node Finding the News
915 @section Finding the News
918 @vindex gnus-select-method
920 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
921 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
922 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
923 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
926 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
927 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
930 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
933 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
936 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
939 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
940 certainly be much faster.
942 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
944 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
945 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
946 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
947 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
948 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
949 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
951 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
952 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
953 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
954 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
956 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
957 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
958 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
959 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
960 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
961 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
962 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
963 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
964 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
967 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
969 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
970 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
971 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
972 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
973 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
974 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
976 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
978 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
979 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
980 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
981 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
982 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
983 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
986 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} backend to read your mail, you
987 would typically set this variable to
990 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
995 @section The First Time
996 @cindex first time usage
998 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
999 be subscribed by default.
1001 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1002 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1003 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1004 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1007 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1008 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1009 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1011 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1012 help you with most common problems.
1014 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1015 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1019 @node The Server is Down
1020 @section The Server is Down
1021 @cindex server errors
1023 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1024 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1025 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1027 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1028 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1029 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1030 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1031 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1032 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1033 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1035 @findex gnus-no-server
1036 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1038 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1039 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1040 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1041 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1042 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1043 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1044 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1048 @section Slave Gnusae
1051 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1052 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1053 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1054 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1056 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1057 @code{.newsrc} file.
1059 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1060 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1061 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1062 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1063 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1064 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1065 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1067 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1068 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1069 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1070 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1071 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1072 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1073 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1074 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1076 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1077 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1080 @node Fetching a Group
1081 @section Fetching a Group
1082 @cindex fetching a group
1084 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1085 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1086 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1087 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1088 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1089 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1095 @cindex subscription
1097 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1098 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1099 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1100 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1101 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1102 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1103 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1104 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the backends for new groups even
1105 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1108 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1109 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1110 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1114 @node Checking New Groups
1115 @subsection Checking New Groups
1117 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1118 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1119 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1120 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1121 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1122 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1123 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1124 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1125 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1126 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1128 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1129 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1130 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1131 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1132 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1133 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1134 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1135 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1136 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1137 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1138 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1140 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1141 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1142 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1143 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1144 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1145 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1148 @node Subscription Methods
1149 @subsection Subscription Methods
1151 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1152 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1153 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1155 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1156 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1158 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1162 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1163 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1164 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1165 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1166 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1168 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1169 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1170 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1171 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1173 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1174 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1175 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1177 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1178 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1179 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1180 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1181 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1182 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1183 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1184 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1185 up. Or something like that.
1187 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1188 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1189 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1190 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1191 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1193 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1194 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1195 Kill all new groups.
1197 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1198 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1199 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1200 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1201 topic parameter that looks like
1207 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1210 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1215 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1216 A closely related variable is
1217 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1218 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1219 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1220 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1223 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1224 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1225 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1226 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1229 @node Filtering New Groups
1230 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1232 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1233 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1234 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1237 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1240 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1241 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1242 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1243 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1244 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1245 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1246 subscribing these groups.
1247 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1248 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1250 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1251 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1252 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1253 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1254 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1255 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1256 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1257 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1259 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1260 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1261 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1262 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1263 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1264 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1265 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1266 that come from mail backends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1267 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, and @code{nnmh}) subscribed. If you
1268 don't like that, just set this variable to @code{nil}.
1270 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1271 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1274 @node Changing Servers
1275 @section Changing Servers
1276 @cindex changing servers
1278 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1279 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1280 very flaky and you want to use another.
1282 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1283 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1287 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1288 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1289 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1290 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1293 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1294 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1295 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1296 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1298 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1299 @findex gnus-change-server
1300 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1301 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1302 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1303 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1304 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1306 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1307 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1308 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1309 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1310 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1312 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1313 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1314 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1315 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1316 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1317 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1319 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1320 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1321 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1325 @section Startup Files
1326 @cindex startup files
1331 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1332 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1334 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1335 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1336 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1337 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1338 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1339 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1340 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1342 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1343 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1344 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1345 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1346 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1347 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1349 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1350 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1351 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1352 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1353 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1354 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1355 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1356 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1357 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1358 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1360 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1361 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1362 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1363 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1364 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1365 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1366 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1367 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1368 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1369 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1370 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1371 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1373 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1374 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1375 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1376 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1378 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1379 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1380 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1381 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1382 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1383 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1384 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1385 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1386 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1387 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1390 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1391 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1393 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1394 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1397 @vindex gnus-init-file
1398 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1399 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1400 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1401 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1402 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1403 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1404 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1405 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1406 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1412 @cindex dribble file
1415 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1416 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1417 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1418 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1419 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1422 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1423 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1426 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1427 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1428 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1430 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1431 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1432 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1433 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1434 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1435 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1437 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1438 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1439 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1442 @node The Active File
1443 @section The Active File
1445 @cindex ignored groups
1447 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1448 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1449 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1451 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1452 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1453 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1454 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1455 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1456 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1457 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1460 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1461 @c if you set it to anything else.
1463 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1465 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1466 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1467 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1469 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1470 you actually subscribe to.
1472 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1473 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1474 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1475 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1477 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1478 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1479 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1480 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1481 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1482 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1484 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1485 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1486 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1489 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1490 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1491 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1492 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1493 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1494 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1496 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1497 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1499 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1500 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1502 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1503 secondary select methods.
1506 @node Startup Variables
1507 @section Startup Variables
1511 @item gnus-load-hook
1512 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1513 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1514 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1515 times you start Gnus.
1517 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1518 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1519 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1521 @item gnus-startup-hook
1522 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1523 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1525 @item gnus-started-hook
1526 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1527 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1530 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1531 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1532 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1533 generating the group buffer.
1535 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1536 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1537 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1538 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1539 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1540 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1541 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1542 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1544 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1545 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1546 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1547 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1548 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1549 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1551 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1552 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1553 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1555 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1556 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1557 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1559 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1560 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1561 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1562 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1568 @chapter Group Buffer
1569 @cindex group buffer
1571 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1572 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1573 long as Gnus is active.
1577 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1578 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group.ps,height=9cm}}
1579 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1580 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1581 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1582 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1583 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1584 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1590 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1591 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1592 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1593 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1594 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1595 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1596 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1597 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1598 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1599 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1600 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1601 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1602 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1603 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1604 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1605 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1606 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1610 @node Group Buffer Format
1611 @section Group Buffer Format
1614 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1615 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1616 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1620 @node Group Line Specification
1621 @subsection Group Line Specification
1622 @cindex group buffer format
1624 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1625 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1627 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1630 25: news.announce.newusers
1631 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1636 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1637 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1638 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1639 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1641 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1642 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1643 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1644 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1645 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1646 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1648 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1650 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1651 the colon after performing an operation. Nothing else is required---not
1652 even the group name. All displayed text is just window dressing, and is
1653 never examined by Gnus. Gnus stores all real information it needs using
1656 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1657 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1658 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1660 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1665 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1668 Whether the group is subscribed.
1671 Level of subscribedness.
1674 Number of unread articles.
1677 Number of dormant articles.
1680 Number of ticked articles.
1683 Number of read articles.
1686 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1687 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1689 Gnus uses this estimation because the NNTP protocol provides efficient
1690 access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting the true
1691 unread message count is not possible efficiently. For hysterical
1692 raisins, even the mail backends, where the true number of unread
1693 messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1694 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the
1695 backend interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1696 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1699 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1702 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1711 Newsgroup description.
1714 @samp{m} if moderated.
1717 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1726 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1730 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1733 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1734 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1735 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1736 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1737 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1740 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1742 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1746 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1749 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1753 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1754 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1755 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1756 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1757 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1758 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1763 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1764 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1765 group, or a bogus native group.
1768 @node Group Modeline Specification
1769 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1770 @cindex group modeline
1772 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1773 The mode line can be changed by setting
1774 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1775 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1779 The native news server.
1781 The native select method.
1785 @node Group Highlighting
1786 @subsection Group Highlighting
1787 @cindex highlighting
1788 @cindex group highlighting
1790 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1791 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1792 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1793 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1794 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1796 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1800 (cond (window-system
1801 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1802 (defface my-group-face-1
1803 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1804 (defface my-group-face-2
1805 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1806 (defface my-group-face-3
1807 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1808 (defface my-group-face-4
1809 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1810 (defface my-group-face-5
1811 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1813 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1814 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1815 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1816 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1817 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1818 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1821 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1823 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1830 The number of unread articles in the group.
1834 Whether the group is a mail group.
1836 The level of the group.
1838 The score of the group.
1840 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1842 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1843 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1845 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1846 topic being inserted.
1849 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1850 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1851 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1853 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1854 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1855 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1856 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1857 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1860 @node Group Maneuvering
1861 @section Group Maneuvering
1862 @cindex group movement
1864 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1865 expected, hopefully.
1871 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1872 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1873 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1879 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1880 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1881 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1885 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1886 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1890 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1891 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1895 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1896 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1897 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1901 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1902 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1903 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1906 Three commands for jumping to groups:
1912 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
1913 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
1914 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
1919 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
1920 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
1921 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
1925 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
1926 Jump to the first group with unread articles
1927 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
1930 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
1931 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
1932 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
1933 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
1937 @node Selecting a Group
1938 @section Selecting a Group
1939 @cindex group selection
1944 @kindex SPACE (Group)
1945 @findex gnus-group-read-group
1946 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
1947 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
1948 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
1949 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
1950 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
1951 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
1952 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
1953 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
1955 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
1956 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
1957 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
1959 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
1960 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
1965 @findex gnus-group-select-group
1966 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
1967 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
1968 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
1969 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
1973 @kindex M-RET (Group)
1974 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
1975 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
1976 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
1977 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
1978 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
1979 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
1980 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
1981 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
1982 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
1985 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
1986 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
1987 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
1988 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
1989 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
1992 @kindex M-C-RET (Group)
1993 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
1994 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
1995 doing any processing of its contents
1996 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
1997 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
1998 manner will have no permanent effects.
2002 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2003 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2004 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2005 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2006 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2007 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2008 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2009 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2012 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2013 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2014 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} control whether any articles are selected
2015 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2020 Don't select any articles when entering the group. Just display the
2021 full summary buffer.
2024 Select the first unread article when entering the group.
2027 Select the highest scored article in the group when entering the
2032 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function will
2033 be called to place point on a subject line, and/or select some article.
2034 Useful functions include:
2037 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-subject
2038 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article, but
2039 don't select the article.
2041 @item gnus-summary-first-unread-article
2042 Select the first unread article.
2044 @item gnus-summary-best-unread-article
2045 Select the highest-scored unread article.
2049 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2050 binary group with Huge articles) you can set this variable to @code{nil}
2051 in @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2055 @node Subscription Commands
2056 @section Subscription Commands
2057 @cindex subscription
2065 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2066 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2067 Toggle subscription to the current group
2068 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2074 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2075 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2076 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2077 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2083 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2084 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2085 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2091 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2092 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2095 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2096 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2097 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2098 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2099 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2105 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2106 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2110 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2111 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2114 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2115 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2116 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2117 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2118 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2119 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2120 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2121 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2122 @file{.newsrc} file.
2126 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2136 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2137 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2138 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2139 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2140 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2141 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2146 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2147 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2148 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2152 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2153 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2154 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2156 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2157 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2158 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2159 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2160 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2161 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2168 @section Group Levels
2172 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2173 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2174 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2175 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2176 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2178 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2184 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2185 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2186 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2187 prompted for a level.
2190 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2191 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2192 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2193 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2194 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2195 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2196 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2197 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2198 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2199 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2200 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2201 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2202 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2203 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2204 reasons of efficiency.
2206 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2207 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2209 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2210 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2211 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2212 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2213 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2214 groups are hidden, in a way.
2216 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2217 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2218 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2219 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2220 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2221 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2223 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2224 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2225 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2226 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2227 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2228 list of killed groups.)
2230 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2231 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2232 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2234 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2235 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2236 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2237 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2238 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2239 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2240 relevant valid ranges.
2242 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2243 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2244 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2245 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2246 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2247 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2250 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2251 one with the best level.
2253 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2254 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2255 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2258 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2259 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2260 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2261 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2264 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2265 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2266 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2267 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2269 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2270 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2271 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2272 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2273 to 5. The default is 6.
2277 @section Group Score
2282 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2283 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2284 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2287 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2288 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2289 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2290 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2291 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2292 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2293 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2294 least significant part.))
2296 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2297 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2298 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2299 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2300 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2301 action after each summary exit, you can add
2302 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2303 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2304 slow things down somewhat.
2307 @node Marking Groups
2308 @section Marking Groups
2309 @cindex marking groups
2311 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2312 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2313 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2314 bidding on those groups.
2316 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2317 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2318 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2326 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2327 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2333 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2334 Remove the mark from the current group
2335 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2339 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2340 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2344 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2345 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2349 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2350 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2354 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2355 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2356 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2359 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2361 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2362 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2363 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2364 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2365 the command to be executed.
2368 @node Foreign Groups
2369 @section Foreign Groups
2370 @cindex foreign groups
2372 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2373 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2374 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2375 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2382 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2383 @cindex making groups
2384 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2385 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2386 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2390 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2391 @cindex renaming groups
2392 Rename the current group to something else
2393 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2394 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2400 @findex gnus-group-customize
2401 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2405 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2406 @cindex renaming groups
2407 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2408 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2412 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2413 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2414 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2418 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2419 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2420 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2424 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2426 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2427 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2432 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2433 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2437 @cindex (ding) archive
2438 @cindex archive group
2439 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2440 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2441 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2442 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2443 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2444 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2445 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2449 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2451 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2452 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2453 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2454 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2458 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2460 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2461 @code{nneething} backend (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2462 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2466 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2467 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2469 Make a group based on some file or other
2470 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2471 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2472 Currently supported types are @code{babyl}, @code{mbox}, @code{digest},
2473 @code{mmdf}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{clari-briefs},
2474 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{nsmail} and @code{forward}.
2475 If you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2476 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2480 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2481 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2482 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2483 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2487 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2492 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2493 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2494 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2495 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2496 include @code{dejanews}, @code{altavista} and @code{reference}.
2497 @xref{Web Searches}.
2499 If you use the @code{dejanews} search engine, you can limit the search
2500 to a particular group by using a match string like
2501 @samp{~g alt.sysadmin.recovery shaving}.
2504 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2505 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2506 This function will delete the current group
2507 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2508 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2509 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2510 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2511 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2515 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2516 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2517 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2521 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2522 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2523 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2526 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2529 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2530 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2531 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2532 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2533 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2534 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2538 @node Group Parameters
2539 @section Group Parameters
2540 @cindex group parameters
2542 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2543 Here's an example group parameter list:
2546 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2550 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2551 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2552 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2553 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2555 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2556 is an alist of regexps and values.
2558 The following group parameters can be used:
2563 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2566 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2569 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2570 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2571 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2572 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2573 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2575 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2576 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2577 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2578 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2579 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2580 list address instead.
2582 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2586 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2589 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2592 It is totally ignored
2593 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2594 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2596 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2597 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2598 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2599 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2600 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2602 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2603 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2604 sending the message.
2606 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2607 @cindex Mail List Groups
2608 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2609 entering summary buffer.
2611 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2615 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2616 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2617 of whether it has any unread articles.
2619 @item broken-reply-to
2620 @cindex broken-reply-to
2621 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2622 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2623 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2624 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2625 broken behavior. So there!
2629 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2630 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2634 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2635 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2636 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2641 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2642 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2643 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2644 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2645 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2646 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2647 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
2651 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2652 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2653 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2655 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2658 @cindex total-expire
2659 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2660 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2661 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2662 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2665 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2669 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2670 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(expiry-wait
2671 . 10)}, this value will override any @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and
2672 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} when expiring expirable messages.
2673 The value can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or
2674 the symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2677 @cindex score file group parameter
2678 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2679 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2680 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2683 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2684 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2685 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2686 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2689 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2690 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2691 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2692 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2695 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2696 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2700 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2703 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2707 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2709 Here are some examples:
2713 Display only unread articles.
2716 Display everything except expirable articles.
2718 @item [and (not reply) (not expirable)]
2719 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2723 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2724 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2725 @code{unread}, @code{read}, @code{dormant}, @code{}, @code{}, @code{},
2726 @code{expire}, @code{reply}, @code{killed}, @code{bookmark},
2727 @code{score}, @code{save}, @code{cache}, @code{forward}, and
2734 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")}
2735 are arbitrary comments on the group. They are currently ignored by
2736 Gnus, but provide a place for you to store information on particular
2740 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2741 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2742 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2744 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2746 @item ignored-charsets
2747 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-known iso-8859-1)}
2748 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2749 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2751 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2754 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2755 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2756 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2757 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2758 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2760 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2761 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2762 like this in the group parameters:
2767 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2772 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2773 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2776 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2777 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2778 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2779 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2780 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2782 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2783 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2784 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2785 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2786 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2787 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2788 @code{eval}ed there.
2790 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2791 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2792 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2793 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2794 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2798 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2799 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2800 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2801 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2802 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2804 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2805 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2809 (setq gnus-parameters
2811 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2812 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2813 (gnus-summary-line-format
2814 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
2818 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2822 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2826 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2829 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2830 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2833 @node Listing Groups
2834 @section Listing Groups
2835 @cindex group listing
2837 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2845 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2846 List all groups that have unread articles
2847 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2848 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2849 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2850 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
2857 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
2858 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
2859 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
2860 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
2861 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
2862 unsubscribed groups).
2866 @findex gnus-group-list-level
2867 List all unread groups on a specific level
2868 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
2869 with no unread articles.
2873 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
2874 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
2875 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
2876 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
2881 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
2882 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
2886 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
2887 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
2888 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
2892 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
2893 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
2897 @findex gnus-group-list-active
2898 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
2899 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
2900 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
2901 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
2902 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
2903 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
2904 Take the output with some grains of salt.
2908 @findex gnus-group-apropos
2909 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
2910 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
2914 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
2915 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
2916 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
2920 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
2921 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
2925 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
2926 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
2930 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
2931 List groups limited within the current selection
2932 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
2936 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
2937 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
2941 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
2942 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
2946 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
2947 @cindex visible group parameter
2948 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
2949 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
2950 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
2951 get the same effect.
2953 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
2954 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
2955 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
2956 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
2957 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
2960 @node Sorting Groups
2961 @section Sorting Groups
2962 @cindex sorting groups
2964 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
2965 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
2966 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
2967 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
2968 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
2969 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
2974 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2975 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
2976 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
2978 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2979 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
2980 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
2982 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
2983 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
2984 Sort by group level.
2986 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
2987 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
2988 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
2990 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2991 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
2992 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
2993 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
2995 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2996 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
2997 Sort by number of unread articles.
2999 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3000 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3001 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3003 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3004 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3005 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3010 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3011 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3015 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3016 some sorting criteria:
3020 @kindex G S a (Group)
3021 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3022 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3023 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3026 @kindex G S u (Group)
3027 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3028 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3029 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3032 @kindex G S l (Group)
3033 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3034 Sort the group buffer by group level
3035 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3038 @kindex G S v (Group)
3039 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3040 Sort the group buffer by group score
3041 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3044 @kindex G S r (Group)
3045 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3046 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3047 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3050 @kindex G S m (Group)
3051 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3052 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by backend name
3053 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3057 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3058 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3060 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3061 commands will sort in reverse order.
3063 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3067 @kindex G P a (Group)
3068 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3069 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3070 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3073 @kindex G P u (Group)
3074 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3075 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3076 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3079 @kindex G P l (Group)
3080 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3081 Sort the groups by group level
3082 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3085 @kindex G P v (Group)
3086 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3087 Sort the groups by group score
3088 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3091 @kindex G P r (Group)
3092 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3093 Sort the groups by group rank
3094 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3097 @kindex G P m (Group)
3098 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3099 Sort the groups alphabetically by backend name
3100 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3104 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3108 @node Group Maintenance
3109 @section Group Maintenance
3110 @cindex bogus groups
3115 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3116 Find bogus groups and delete them
3117 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3121 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3122 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3123 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3124 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3125 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3129 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3130 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3131 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3132 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3133 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3134 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3137 @kindex C-c M-C-x (Group)
3138 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3139 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3140 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3145 @node Browse Foreign Server
3146 @section Browse Foreign Server
3147 @cindex foreign servers
3148 @cindex browsing servers
3153 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3154 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3155 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3156 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3159 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3160 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3161 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3162 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3164 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3169 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3170 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3174 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3175 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3178 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3179 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3180 Enter the current group and display the first article
3181 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3184 @kindex RET (Browse)
3185 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3186 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3190 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3191 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3192 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3198 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3199 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3203 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3204 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3205 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3210 @section Exiting Gnus
3211 @cindex exiting Gnus
3213 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3218 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3219 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3220 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3221 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3225 @findex gnus-group-exit
3226 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3227 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3231 @findex gnus-group-quit
3232 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3233 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3236 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3237 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3238 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3239 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3240 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3245 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3246 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3247 trying to customize meta-variables.
3252 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3253 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3254 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3260 @section Group Topics
3263 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3264 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3265 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3266 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3267 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3268 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3272 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3273 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=tmp/group-topic.ps,height=9cm}}
3284 2: alt.religion.emacs
3287 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3289 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3290 13: comp.sources.unix
3293 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3295 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3296 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3297 is a toggling command.)
3299 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3300 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and now
3301 press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3302 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3305 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3306 the hook for the group mode:
3309 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3313 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3314 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3315 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3316 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3317 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3321 @node Topic Variables
3322 @subsection Topic Variables
3323 @cindex topic variables
3325 Now, if you select a topic, it will fold/unfold that topic, which is
3326 really neat, I think.
3328 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3329 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3330 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3343 Number of groups in the topic.
3345 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3347 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3350 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3351 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3352 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3355 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3356 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3358 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3359 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3360 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3363 @node Topic Commands
3364 @subsection Topic Commands
3365 @cindex topic commands
3367 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3368 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3369 definitions slightly.
3375 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3376 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3377 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3381 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3382 Move the current group to some other topic
3383 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3384 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3388 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3389 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3393 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3394 Copy the current group to some other topic
3395 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3396 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3400 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3401 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3402 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3406 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3407 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3408 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3412 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3413 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3414 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3415 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3416 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3417 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3418 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3421 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3422 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3426 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3427 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3428 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3432 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3433 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3434 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3438 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3439 Toggle hiding empty topics
3440 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3444 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3445 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3446 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3449 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3450 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3451 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3452 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3456 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3458 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3459 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3460 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3461 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3464 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3465 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3466 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3467 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3471 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3473 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3474 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3475 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3476 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3477 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3478 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3481 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3482 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3483 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3484 expiry process (if any)
3485 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3489 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3490 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3491 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3495 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3496 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3497 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3502 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3503 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3506 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3507 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3508 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3512 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3513 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3514 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3518 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3519 @cindex group parameters
3520 @cindex topic parameters
3522 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3523 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3529 @subsection Topic Sorting
3530 @cindex topic sorting
3532 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3538 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3539 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3540 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3541 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3544 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3545 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3546 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3547 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3550 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3551 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3552 Sort the current topic by group level
3553 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3556 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3557 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3558 Sort the current topic by group score
3559 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3562 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3563 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3564 Sort the current topic by group rank
3565 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3568 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3569 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3570 Sort the current topic alphabetically by backend name
3571 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3575 @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group sorting.
3578 @node Topic Topology
3579 @subsection Topic Topology
3580 @cindex topic topology
3583 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3589 2: alt.religion.emacs
3592 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3594 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3595 13: comp.sources.unix
3598 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3599 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3600 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3605 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3606 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3610 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3611 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3612 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3613 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3614 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3615 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3617 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3618 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3619 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3622 @node Topic Parameters
3623 @subsection Topic Parameters
3624 @cindex topic parameters
3626 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3627 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3628 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3630 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3635 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3636 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3637 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3642 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3643 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3644 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3645 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3651 2: alt.religion.emacs
3655 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3657 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3658 13: comp.sources.unix
3662 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3663 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3664 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3665 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3666 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3667 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3669 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3670 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3671 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3672 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3673 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3675 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3676 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3677 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3678 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3679 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3680 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3681 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3682 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3685 @node Misc Group Stuff
3686 @section Misc Group Stuff
3689 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3690 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3691 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3692 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3699 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3700 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3701 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3705 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3706 Post an article to a group (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a
3707 prefix, the current group name will be used as the default.
3711 @findex gnus-group-mail
3712 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}).
3716 Variables for the group buffer:
3720 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3721 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3722 is called after the group buffer has been
3725 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3726 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3727 is called after the group buffer is
3728 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3731 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3732 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3733 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3734 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
3736 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3737 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3738 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
3739 whether they are empty or not.
3741 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3742 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3743 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
3744 non-ASCII group names.
3748 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
3749 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
3752 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3753 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3754 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names.
3755 It is used to show non-ASCII group names.
3759 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
3760 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
3765 @node Scanning New Messages
3766 @subsection Scanning New Messages
3767 @cindex new messages
3768 @cindex scanning new news
3774 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
3775 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
3776 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
3777 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
3778 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
3779 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
3784 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
3785 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
3786 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
3787 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
3788 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
3789 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
3790 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
3792 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
3793 @cindex activating groups
3795 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
3796 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
3801 @findex gnus-group-restart
3802 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
3803 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
3804 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
3808 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
3809 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
3811 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
3812 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
3816 @node Group Information
3817 @subsection Group Information
3818 @cindex group information
3819 @cindex information on groups
3826 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
3827 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
3830 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
3831 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
3832 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
3833 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
3834 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
3835 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
3836 for fetching the file.
3838 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
3839 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
3843 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
3845 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
3846 @cindex describing groups
3847 @cindex group description
3848 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
3849 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
3850 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
3854 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
3855 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
3856 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
3863 @findex gnus-version
3864 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
3868 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
3869 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
3872 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
3875 @findex gnus-info-find-node
3876 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
3880 @node Group Timestamp
3881 @subsection Group Timestamp
3883 @cindex group timestamps
3885 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
3886 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
3887 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
3890 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
3893 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
3895 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
3896 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
3899 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3900 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
3903 This will result in lines looking like:
3906 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
3907 0: custom 19961002T012713
3910 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
3911 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
3915 (setq gnus-group-line-format
3916 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
3921 @subsection File Commands
3922 @cindex file commands
3928 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
3929 @vindex gnus-init-file
3930 @cindex reading init file
3931 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
3932 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
3936 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
3937 @cindex saving .newsrc
3938 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
3939 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
3940 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
3943 @c @kindex Z (Group)
3944 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
3945 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
3950 @node Summary Buffer
3951 @chapter Summary Buffer
3952 @cindex summary buffer
3954 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
3955 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
3957 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
3958 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
3960 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
3963 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
3964 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
3965 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
3966 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
3967 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
3968 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
3969 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
3970 * Threading:: How threads are made.
3971 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
3972 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
3973 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
3974 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
3975 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
3976 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
3977 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
3978 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
3979 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
3980 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
3981 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
3982 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
3983 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
3984 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
3985 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
3986 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
3987 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
3988 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
3989 or reselecting the current group.
3990 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
3991 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
3992 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
3993 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
3997 @node Summary Buffer Format
3998 @section Summary Buffer Format
3999 @cindex summary buffer format
4003 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4004 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary.ps,width=7.5cm}}
4005 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-article.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
4011 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4012 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4013 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4014 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4017 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4018 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4019 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4020 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4021 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4022 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4023 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4024 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4025 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4026 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4027 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4030 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4031 'mail-extract-address-components)
4034 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4035 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4036 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4037 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4040 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4041 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4043 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4044 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4045 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4046 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4047 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4049 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
4050 the colon after performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be
4051 Gnus if it wasn't possible to change this. Just write a new function
4052 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4054 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%) %s\n}.
4056 The following format specification characters are understood:
4062 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4063 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4065 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4066 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4067 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4069 Full @code{From} header.
4071 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4073 The name, code @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header
4074 (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
4076 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4077 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4078 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4079 may be more thorough.
4081 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4084 Number of lines in the article.
4086 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported in some
4087 methods (like nnfolder).
4089 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4091 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace lines.
4093 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4094 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4096 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4097 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4099 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4100 for adopted articles.
4102 One space for each thread level.
4104 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4109 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4110 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4114 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4116 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4117 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4118 default level. If the difference between
4119 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4120 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4128 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4130 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4136 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4137 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4139 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4140 article has any children.
4146 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4147 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4148 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4149 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4150 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4151 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4154 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4155 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4156 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4157 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4158 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4159 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4161 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4162 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4164 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4167 @node To From Newsgroups
4168 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4172 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4173 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4174 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4175 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4176 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4180 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4181 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4182 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4186 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4187 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4190 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4191 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4194 @findex gnus-extra-header
4195 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4196 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4197 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4200 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4204 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4205 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4206 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4207 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4208 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4209 headers are used instead.
4213 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4214 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4215 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4216 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4219 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4220 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4221 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4222 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4224 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4228 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4230 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4231 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4232 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20f%]%) %s\n")
4233 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4237 Now, this is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4238 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4245 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4246 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4249 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4250 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4252 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4253 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4254 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4255 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4257 Here are the elements you can play with:
4263 Unprefixed group name.
4265 Current article number.
4267 Current article score.
4271 Number of unread articles in this group.
4273 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4276 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4277 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4278 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4279 and no unselected ones.
4281 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4282 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4284 Subject of the current article.
4286 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4288 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4290 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4292 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4294 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4296 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4300 @node Summary Highlighting
4301 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4305 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4306 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4307 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4308 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4309 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4311 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4312 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4313 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4314 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4316 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4317 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4318 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4319 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4321 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4322 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4323 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4324 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4325 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4326 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4329 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4330 ((> score default) . bold))
4332 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4333 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4337 @node Summary Maneuvering
4338 @section Summary Maneuvering
4339 @cindex summary movement
4341 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4342 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4344 None of these commands select articles.
4349 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4350 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4351 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4352 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4353 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4357 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4358 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4359 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4360 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4361 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4364 @kindex G g (Summary)
4365 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4366 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4367 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4370 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4371 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4372 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4373 to the group buffer.
4375 Variables related to summary movement:
4379 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4380 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4381 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4382 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4383 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4384 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4385 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4386 next group, no matter whether it has any unread articles or not. As a
4387 special case, if this variable is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the
4388 next group without asking for confirmation. If this variable is
4389 @code{almost-quietly}, the same will happen only if you are located on
4390 the last article in the group. Finally, if this variable is
4391 @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n} command will go to the next group
4392 without confirmation. Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
4394 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4395 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4396 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4397 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4398 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4399 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4400 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4402 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4404 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4405 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4406 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4407 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4408 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4410 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4411 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4412 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4413 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4414 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4415 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4416 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4417 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4420 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4421 the given number of lines from the top.
4426 @node Choosing Articles
4427 @section Choosing Articles
4428 @cindex selecting articles
4431 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4432 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4436 @node Choosing Commands
4437 @subsection Choosing Commands
4439 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4440 and they all select and display an article.
4442 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4443 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4447 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4448 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4449 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4450 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4455 @kindex G n (Summary)
4456 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4457 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4458 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4463 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4464 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4465 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4470 @kindex G N (Summary)
4471 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4472 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4477 @kindex G P (Summary)
4478 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4479 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4482 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4483 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4484 Go to the next article with the same subject
4485 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4488 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4489 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4490 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4491 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4495 @kindex G f (Summary)
4497 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4498 Go to the first unread article
4499 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4503 @kindex G b (Summary)
4505 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4506 Go to the article with the highest score
4507 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}).
4512 @kindex G l (Summary)
4513 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4514 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4517 @kindex G o (Summary)
4518 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4520 @cindex article history
4521 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4522 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4523 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4524 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4525 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4526 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4531 @kindex G j (Summary)
4532 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4533 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4534 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4539 @node Choosing Variables
4540 @subsection Choosing Variables
4542 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4545 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4546 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4547 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4548 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4549 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4550 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4552 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4553 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4554 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4555 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4557 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4558 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4559 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4560 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4561 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4562 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4563 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4564 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4565 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4566 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4567 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4568 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4569 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4570 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4575 @node Paging the Article
4576 @section Scrolling the Article
4577 @cindex article scrolling
4582 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4583 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4584 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4585 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4586 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4589 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4590 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4591 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4594 @kindex RET (Summary)
4595 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4596 Scroll the current article one line forward
4597 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4600 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4601 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
4602 Scroll the current article one line backward
4603 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
4607 @kindex A g (Summary)
4609 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
4610 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4611 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
4612 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
4613 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
4614 the way it came from the server.
4616 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
4617 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
4618 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
4621 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
4626 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
4631 @kindex A < (Summary)
4632 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
4633 Scroll to the beginning of the article
4634 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
4639 @kindex A > (Summary)
4640 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
4641 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
4645 @kindex A s (Summary)
4647 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
4648 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
4649 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
4653 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
4654 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
4659 @node Reply Followup and Post
4660 @section Reply, Followup and Post
4663 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
4664 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
4665 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
4666 * Canceling and Superseding:: ``Whoops, I shouldn't have called him that.''
4670 @node Summary Mail Commands
4671 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
4673 @cindex composing mail
4675 Commands for composing a mail message:
4681 @kindex S r (Summary)
4683 @findex gnus-summary-reply
4684 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
4685 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
4686 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
4687 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
4692 @kindex S R (Summary)
4693 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
4694 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
4695 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
4696 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
4697 command uses the process/prefix convention.
4700 @kindex S w (Summary)
4701 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
4702 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
4703 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
4704 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4705 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
4708 @kindex S W (Summary)
4709 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
4710 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
4711 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
4712 the process/prefix convention.
4715 @kindex S v (Summary)
4716 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
4717 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
4718 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
4719 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
4720 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
4721 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
4725 @kindex S o m (Summary)
4726 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
4727 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
4728 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
4729 Forward the current article to some other person
4730 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
4731 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
4732 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4733 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4734 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4735 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4736 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4737 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4738 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4743 @kindex S m (Summary)
4744 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
4745 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
4746 Send a mail to some other person
4747 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}).
4750 @kindex S D b (Summary)
4751 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
4752 @cindex bouncing mail
4753 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
4754 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
4755 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
4756 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
4757 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
4758 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
4759 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
4760 very well fail, though.
4763 @kindex S D r (Summary)
4764 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
4765 Not to be confused with the previous command,
4766 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
4767 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
4768 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
4769 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
4770 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
4771 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
4772 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
4774 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
4775 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
4776 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
4777 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
4778 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muß sein!
4780 This command understands the process/prefix convention
4781 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4784 @kindex S O m (Summary)
4785 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
4786 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
4787 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
4788 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4791 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
4792 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
4793 @cindex crossposting
4794 @cindex excessive crossposting
4795 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
4796 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
4798 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
4799 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
4800 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
4801 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
4802 command understands the process/prefix convention
4803 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
4807 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4810 @node Summary Post Commands
4811 @subsection Summary Post Commands
4813 @cindex composing news
4815 Commands for posting a news article:
4821 @kindex S p (Summary)
4822 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
4823 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
4824 Post an article to the current group
4825 (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}).
4830 @kindex S f (Summary)
4831 @findex gnus-summary-followup
4832 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
4833 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
4837 @kindex S F (Summary)
4839 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
4840 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
4841 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
4842 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
4843 process/prefix convention.
4846 @kindex S n (Summary)
4847 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
4848 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4849 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
4852 @kindex S N (Summary)
4853 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
4854 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
4855 message through mail and include the original message
4856 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
4857 the process/prefix convention.
4860 @kindex S o p (Summary)
4861 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
4862 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
4863 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
4864 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
4865 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
4866 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
4867 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
4868 as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
4869 forward as an rfc822 MIME section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
4870 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
4871 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
4872 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 MIME section.
4875 @kindex S O p (Summary)
4876 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
4878 @cindex making digests
4879 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
4880 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
4881 process/prefix convention.
4884 @kindex S u (Summary)
4885 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
4886 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
4887 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
4888 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
4891 Also @pxref{(message)Header Commands} for more information.
4894 @node Summary Message Commands
4895 @subsection Summary Message Commands
4899 @kindex S y (Summary)
4900 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
4901 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
4902 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
4903 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
4904 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4909 @node Canceling and Superseding
4910 @subsection Canceling Articles
4911 @cindex canceling articles
4912 @cindex superseding articles
4914 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
4915 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
4917 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
4919 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
4921 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
4922 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
4923 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
4924 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
4925 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
4926 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
4928 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
4929 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
4932 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
4933 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
4934 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
4936 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
4937 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
4938 your original article.
4940 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
4942 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
4943 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
4944 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
4947 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
4948 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
4949 have posted almost the same article twice.
4951 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
4952 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
4953 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
4954 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
4955 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
4956 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
4957 header by substituting one of those words for the word
4958 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
4959 you would do normally. The previous article will be
4960 canceled/superseded.
4962 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
4965 @node Marking Articles
4966 @section Marking Articles
4967 @cindex article marking
4968 @cindex article ticking
4971 There are several marks you can set on an article.
4973 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
4974 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
4975 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
4977 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
4980 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
4981 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
4982 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
4986 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
4990 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
4991 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
4992 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
4996 @node Unread Articles
4997 @subsection Unread Articles
4999 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5004 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5005 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5007 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5008 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5009 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5010 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5011 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5012 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5013 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5016 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5017 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5019 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5020 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5021 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5022 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5026 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5027 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5029 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5034 @subsection Read Articles
5035 @cindex expirable mark
5037 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5042 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5043 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5044 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5047 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5048 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5051 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5052 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5053 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5056 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5057 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5060 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5061 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5064 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5065 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5068 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5069 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5072 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5073 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5076 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5077 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5080 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5081 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5085 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5086 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5087 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5091 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5092 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5094 One more special mark, though:
5098 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5099 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5101 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5102 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5103 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5104 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5110 @subsection Other Marks
5111 @cindex process mark
5114 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5120 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5121 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5122 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5123 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5124 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5127 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5128 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5129 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5130 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5132 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5133 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{O} in
5134 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5136 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5137 Articles that are ``recently'' arrived in the group will be marked
5138 with an @samp{N} in the second column (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Most
5139 backend doesn't support the mark, in which case it's not shown.
5142 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5143 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5144 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5147 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5148 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5149 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5150 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5153 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5154 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5155 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5156 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5157 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5160 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5161 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5162 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5163 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5164 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5165 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5169 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5170 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5171 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5173 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5174 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5175 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5179 @subsection Setting Marks
5180 @cindex setting marks
5182 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5187 @kindex M c (Summary)
5188 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5189 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5190 @cindex mark as unread
5191 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5192 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5198 @kindex M t (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5200 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5201 @xref{Article Caching}.
5206 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5207 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5208 Mark the current article as dormant
5209 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5213 @kindex M d (Summary)
5215 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5216 Mark the current article as read
5217 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5221 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5222 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5223 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5228 @kindex M k (Summary)
5229 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5230 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5231 and then select the next unread article
5232 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5236 @kindex M K (Summary)
5237 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5238 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5239 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5240 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5243 @kindex M C (Summary)
5244 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5245 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5246 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5249 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5250 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5251 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5252 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5255 @kindex M H (Summary)
5256 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5257 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5258 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5261 @kindex M h (Summary)
5262 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5263 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5264 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5267 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5269 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5270 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5273 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5274 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5275 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5276 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5280 @kindex M e (Summary)
5282 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5283 Mark the current article as expirable
5284 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5287 @kindex M b (Summary)
5288 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5289 Set a bookmark in the current article
5290 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5293 @kindex M B (Summary)
5294 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5295 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5296 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5299 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5300 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5301 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5302 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5305 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5306 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5307 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5308 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5311 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5312 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5313 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5314 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5315 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5318 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5319 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5320 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5321 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5322 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5323 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5324 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5325 The default is @code{t}.
5328 @node Generic Marking Commands
5329 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5331 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5332 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5333 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5334 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5335 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5338 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5339 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5342 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5343 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5344 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5345 to list in this manual.
5347 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5348 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5349 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5350 article, you could say something like:
5353 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5354 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5355 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5361 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5362 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5366 @node Setting Process Marks
5367 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5368 @cindex setting process marks
5375 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5376 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5377 Mark the current article with the process mark
5378 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5379 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5383 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5384 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5385 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5386 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5389 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5390 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5391 Remove the process mark from all articles
5392 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5395 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5396 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5397 Invert the list of process marked articles
5398 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5401 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5402 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5403 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5404 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5407 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5408 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5409 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5410 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5413 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5414 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5415 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5418 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5419 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5420 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5421 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5424 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5425 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5426 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5427 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5430 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5431 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5432 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5433 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
5436 @kindex M P s (Summary)
5437 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
5438 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5441 @kindex M P S (Summary)
5442 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
5443 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
5444 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
5447 @kindex M P a (Summary)
5448 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
5449 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
5452 @kindex M P b (Summary)
5453 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
5454 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
5455 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
5458 @kindex M P k (Summary)
5459 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
5460 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
5461 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
5464 @kindex M P y (Summary)
5465 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
5466 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
5467 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
5470 @kindex M P w (Summary)
5471 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
5472 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
5473 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
5477 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
5478 set process marks based on article body contents.
5485 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
5486 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
5487 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
5490 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
5491 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
5492 additional articles.
5498 @kindex / / (Summary)
5499 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
5500 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
5501 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}).
5504 @kindex / a (Summary)
5505 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
5506 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
5507 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}).
5510 @kindex / x (Summary)
5511 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
5512 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
5513 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
5514 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}).
5518 @kindex / u (Summary)
5520 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
5521 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
5522 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
5523 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
5524 dormant articles will also be excluded.
5527 @kindex / m (Summary)
5528 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
5529 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
5530 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
5533 @kindex / t (Summary)
5534 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
5535 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
5536 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
5537 articles younger than that number of days.
5540 @kindex / n (Summary)
5541 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
5542 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
5543 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
5544 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5547 @kindex / w (Summary)
5548 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
5549 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
5550 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
5554 @kindex / v (Summary)
5555 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
5556 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
5557 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
5561 @kindex M S (Summary)
5562 @kindex / E (Summary)
5563 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
5564 Include all expunged articles in the limit
5565 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
5568 @kindex / D (Summary)
5569 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
5570 Include all dormant articles in the limit
5571 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
5574 @kindex / * (Summary)
5575 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
5576 Include all cached articles in the limit
5577 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
5580 @kindex / d (Summary)
5581 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
5582 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
5583 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
5586 @kindex / M (Summary)
5587 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
5588 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
5591 @kindex / T (Summary)
5592 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
5593 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
5596 @kindex / c (Summary)
5597 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
5598 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
5599 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
5602 @kindex / C (Summary)
5603 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
5604 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
5605 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
5606 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
5614 @cindex article threading
5616 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
5617 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
5618 hierarchical fashion.
5620 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
5621 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
5622 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
5623 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
5624 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
5625 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
5626 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
5628 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
5632 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
5635 A tree-like article structure.
5638 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
5641 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
5642 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
5643 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
5644 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
5645 called loose threads.
5647 @item thread gathering
5648 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
5650 @item sparse threads
5651 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
5652 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
5658 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
5659 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
5663 @node Customizing Threading
5664 @subsection Customizing Threading
5665 @cindex customizing threading
5668 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
5669 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
5670 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
5671 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
5676 @subsubsection Loose Threads
5679 @cindex loose threads
5682 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
5683 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
5684 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
5685 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
5686 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
5687 read or killed the root in a previous session.
5689 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
5690 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
5691 There are four possible values:
5695 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
5696 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-adopt.ps,width=7.5cm}}
5697 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-empty.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5698 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-none.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5699 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/summary-dummy.ps,width=7.5cm}}}
5704 @cindex adopting articles
5709 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
5710 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
5711 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
5712 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
5715 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
5716 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
5717 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
5718 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
5719 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
5720 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
5721 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
5724 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
5725 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
5726 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
5730 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
5731 display them after one another.
5734 Don't gather loose threads.
5737 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5738 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
5739 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
5740 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
5741 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
5742 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
5743 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
5744 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
5745 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
5746 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
5747 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
5749 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
5750 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
5751 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
5754 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5755 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
5756 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
5757 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
5758 simplification is used.
5760 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5761 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5762 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
5763 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
5765 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
5767 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
5773 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
5774 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
5775 "answer" "reference" "announce"
5776 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
5781 (mapconcat 'identity
5782 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
5784 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
5787 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
5790 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5791 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
5792 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
5793 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
5794 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
5795 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
5797 Useful functions to put in this list include:
5800 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
5801 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
5802 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
5804 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5805 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
5808 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
5809 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
5810 Remove excessive whitespace.
5813 You may also write your own functions, of course.
5816 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5817 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
5818 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
5819 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
5820 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
5821 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
5822 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
5823 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
5825 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5826 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5827 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
5828 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
5829 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
5830 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
5831 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
5832 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
5833 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
5837 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5838 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
5839 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
5840 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
5842 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5843 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
5844 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
5847 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
5851 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
5852 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
5858 @node Filling In Threads
5859 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
5862 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
5863 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
5864 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
5865 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
5866 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
5867 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
5868 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
5869 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
5870 fetching old headers only works if the backend you are using carries
5871 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and
5872 @code{nnml}. Also remember that if the root of the thread has been
5873 expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do about that.
5875 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
5876 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
5877 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
5879 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
5880 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
5881 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
5882 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
5883 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
5884 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
5885 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
5886 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
5887 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
5888 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
5889 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
5890 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
5891 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
5892 @code{nil} by default.
5894 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
5895 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
5896 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
5897 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the backend has to fetch
5898 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
5899 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
5900 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
5902 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
5903 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
5904 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
5909 @node More Threading
5910 @subsubsection More Threading
5913 @item gnus-show-threads
5914 @vindex gnus-show-threads
5915 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
5916 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
5917 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
5918 slower and more awkward.
5920 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5921 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
5922 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
5925 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
5926 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
5927 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
5928 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
5929 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
5930 threads are expunged.
5932 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
5933 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
5934 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
5937 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5938 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
5939 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
5940 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
5941 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
5942 result in a new thread.
5944 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
5945 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
5946 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
5949 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5950 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
5951 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
5952 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
5953 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
5954 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
5955 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
5956 Setting this variable to an alternate value
5957 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
5958 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
5959 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
5964 @node Low-Level Threading
5965 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
5969 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
5970 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
5971 Hook run before parsing any headers.
5973 @item gnus-alter-header-function
5974 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
5975 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
5976 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
5977 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
5978 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
5979 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
5980 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
5981 meaningful. Here's one example:
5984 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
5986 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
5987 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
5989 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
5991 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
5998 @node Thread Commands
5999 @subsection Thread Commands
6000 @cindex thread commands
6006 @kindex T k (Summary)
6007 @kindex M-C-k (Summary)
6008 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6009 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6010 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6011 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6016 @kindex T l (Summary)
6017 @kindex M-C-l (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6019 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6020 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6023 @kindex T i (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6025 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6029 @kindex T # (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6031 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6032 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6035 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6037 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6038 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6041 @kindex T T (Summary)
6042 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6043 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6046 @kindex T s (Summary)
6047 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6048 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6049 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6052 @kindex T h (Summary)
6053 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6054 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6057 @kindex T S (Summary)
6058 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6059 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6062 @kindex T H (Summary)
6063 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6064 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6067 @kindex T t (Summary)
6068 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6069 Re-thread the current article's thread
6070 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6071 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6074 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6075 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6076 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6077 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6081 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6082 understand the numeric prefix.
6087 @kindex T n (Summary)
6089 @kindex M-C-n (Summary)
6091 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6092 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6093 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6096 @kindex T p (Summary)
6098 @kindex M-C-p (Summary)
6100 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6101 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6102 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6105 @kindex T d (Summary)
6106 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6107 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6110 @kindex T u (Summary)
6111 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6112 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6115 @kindex T o (Summary)
6116 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6117 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6120 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6121 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6122 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6123 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6124 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6125 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6126 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6127 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6128 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6129 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6130 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6131 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6135 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6136 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6138 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6139 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6140 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6141 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6142 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6143 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6144 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6145 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6146 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6147 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6148 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6150 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6151 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6152 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6153 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score}, and
6154 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6156 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6157 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6158 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6160 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6161 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6162 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6163 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6164 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6165 ascending article order.
6167 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6168 by number, you could do something like:
6171 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6172 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6173 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6174 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6177 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6178 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6179 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6180 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6181 which the articles arrived.
6183 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6187 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6189 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6190 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6193 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6194 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6195 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6196 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6199 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6200 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6201 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6202 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6203 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6204 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6205 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or other,
6206 you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions} variable.
6207 It is very similar to the @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that
6208 it uses slightly different functions for article comparison. Available
6209 sorting predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6210 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject},
6211 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date}, and @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6213 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6217 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6218 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6219 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6224 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6225 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6226 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6227 @cindex article pre-fetch
6230 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6231 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6232 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6233 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6234 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6236 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6237 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6239 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6240 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6241 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6242 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6243 connection is blocked.
6245 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6246 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6247 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6248 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6250 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6251 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6252 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6253 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6256 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6259 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6260 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6261 happen automatically.
6263 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6264 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6265 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6266 that when you read an article in the group, the backend will pre-fetch
6267 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the backend will
6268 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6269 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6271 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6272 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6273 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6274 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6275 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6276 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6277 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6278 data structure as the only parameter.
6280 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6283 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6284 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6285 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6286 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6289 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6292 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6293 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6294 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6296 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6297 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6298 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6299 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6303 Remove articles when they are read.
6306 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6309 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6311 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6312 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6313 @c from the next group.
6316 @node Article Caching
6317 @section Article Caching
6318 @cindex article caching
6321 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6322 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6323 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6324 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6325 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6327 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6329 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6330 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6331 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6332 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6333 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6334 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6335 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6336 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6338 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6339 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6340 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6341 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6342 as dormant, and don't worry.
6344 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6346 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6347 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6348 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6349 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6350 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6351 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6352 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6353 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6354 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6355 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6357 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6358 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6359 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6360 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6361 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6362 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6363 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6364 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6365 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6366 not then be downloaded by this command.
6368 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6369 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6370 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6371 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6372 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
6373 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
6375 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
6376 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
6377 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
6378 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
6379 variables, the group is not cached.
6381 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
6382 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
6383 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
6384 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
6385 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
6386 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
6387 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
6388 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
6389 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
6393 @node Persistent Articles
6394 @section Persistent Articles
6395 @cindex persistent articles
6397 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
6398 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
6399 useful in my opinion.
6401 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
6402 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
6403 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
6404 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
6405 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
6406 the expiry going on at the news server.
6408 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
6409 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
6410 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
6416 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
6417 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
6420 @kindex M-* (Summary)
6421 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
6422 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
6423 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
6427 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
6429 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
6430 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
6431 interested in persistent articles:
6434 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
6438 @node Article Backlog
6439 @section Article Backlog
6441 @cindex article backlog
6443 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
6444 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
6445 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
6446 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
6447 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
6448 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
6449 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
6450 increase memory usage some.
6452 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
6453 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
6454 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
6455 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
6456 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
6457 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
6458 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
6460 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
6463 @node Saving Articles
6464 @section Saving Articles
6465 @cindex saving articles
6467 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
6468 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
6469 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
6470 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
6471 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
6473 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
6474 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
6475 unwanted headers before saving the article.
6477 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
6478 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
6479 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
6480 deleted before saving.
6486 @kindex O o (Summary)
6488 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
6489 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
6490 Save the current article using the default article saver
6491 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
6494 @kindex O m (Summary)
6495 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
6496 Save the current article in mail format
6497 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
6500 @kindex O r (Summary)
6501 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
6502 Save the current article in rmail format
6503 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
6506 @kindex O f (Summary)
6507 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
6508 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
6509 Save the current article in plain file format
6510 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
6513 @kindex O F (Summary)
6514 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
6515 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
6516 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
6519 @kindex O b (Summary)
6520 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
6521 Save the current article body in plain file format
6522 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
6525 @kindex O h (Summary)
6526 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
6527 Save the current article in mh folder format
6528 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
6531 @kindex O v (Summary)
6532 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
6533 Save the current article in a VM folder
6534 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
6538 @kindex O p (Summary)
6540 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
6541 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
6542 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
6545 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
6546 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
6547 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
6548 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
6549 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
6550 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
6551 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
6552 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
6553 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
6554 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
6555 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
6556 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
6560 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
6561 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
6562 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
6563 functions below, or you can create your own.
6567 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6568 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
6569 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
6570 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6571 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
6572 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6573 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6575 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6576 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
6577 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
6578 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
6579 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6580 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
6582 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
6583 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
6584 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
6585 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6586 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
6587 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6588 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6590 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6591 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
6592 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
6593 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
6594 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
6596 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6597 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
6598 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
6599 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
6600 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
6603 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
6604 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
6605 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
6606 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
6607 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
6609 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6610 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
6611 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
6612 reader to use this setting.
6615 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
6616 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
6617 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
6618 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
6621 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
6622 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
6623 available functions that generate names:
6627 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
6628 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
6629 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6631 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
6632 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
6633 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
6635 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
6636 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
6637 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6639 @item gnus-plain-save-name
6640 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
6641 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
6643 @item gnus-sender-save-name
6644 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
6645 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
6648 @vindex gnus-split-methods
6649 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
6650 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
6651 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
6652 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
6656 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
6657 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
6658 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
6659 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
6662 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
6663 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
6664 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
6665 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
6666 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
6667 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
6668 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
6669 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
6670 called returns a string or a list of strings.
6672 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
6673 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
6674 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
6675 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
6677 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
6678 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
6679 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
6682 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
6683 lots of mail groups called things like
6684 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
6685 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
6686 following will do just that:
6689 (defun my-save-name (group)
6690 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
6691 (substring group (match-end 0))))
6693 (setq gnus-split-methods
6694 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
6699 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6700 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
6701 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
6702 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
6703 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
6704 all the files in the top level directory
6705 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
6706 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
6707 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
6708 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
6710 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
6711 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
6712 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
6713 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
6714 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
6717 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
6721 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
6722 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
6723 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
6726 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
6727 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
6728 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
6729 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
6732 @node Decoding Articles
6733 @section Decoding Articles
6734 @cindex decoding articles
6736 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
6737 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
6740 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
6741 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
6742 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
6743 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
6744 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
6745 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
6749 @cindex article series
6750 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
6751 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
6752 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
6753 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
6754 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
6756 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
6757 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
6758 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
6760 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
6761 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
6762 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
6764 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
6765 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
6766 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
6769 @node Uuencoded Articles
6770 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
6772 @cindex uuencoded articles
6777 @kindex X u (Summary)
6778 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
6779 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
6780 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
6783 @kindex X U (Summary)
6784 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
6785 Uudecodes and saves the current series
6786 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6789 @kindex X v u (Summary)
6790 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
6791 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
6794 @kindex X v U (Summary)
6795 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
6796 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
6797 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
6801 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
6802 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
6803 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
6804 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
6805 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
6807 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
6808 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
6809 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
6810 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
6813 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
6814 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
6815 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
6816 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
6817 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
6818 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
6822 @node Shell Archives
6823 @subsection Shell Archives
6825 @cindex shell archives
6826 @cindex shared articles
6828 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
6829 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
6830 some commands to deal with these:
6835 @kindex X s (Summary)
6836 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
6837 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
6840 @kindex X S (Summary)
6841 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
6842 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
6845 @kindex X v s (Summary)
6846 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
6847 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
6850 @kindex X v S (Summary)
6851 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
6852 Unshars, views and saves the current series
6853 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
6857 @node PostScript Files
6858 @subsection PostScript Files
6864 @kindex X p (Summary)
6865 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
6866 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
6869 @kindex X P (Summary)
6870 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
6871 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
6872 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
6875 @kindex X v p (Summary)
6876 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
6877 View the current PostScript series
6878 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
6881 @kindex X v P (Summary)
6882 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
6883 View and save the current PostScript series
6884 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
6889 @subsection Other Files
6893 @kindex X o (Summary)
6894 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
6895 Save the current series
6896 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
6899 @kindex X b (Summary)
6900 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
6901 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
6902 doesn't really work yet.
6906 @node Decoding Variables
6907 @subsection Decoding Variables
6909 Adjective, not verb.
6912 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
6913 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
6914 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
6918 @node Rule Variables
6919 @subsubsection Rule Variables
6920 @cindex rule variables
6922 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
6923 variables are of the form
6926 (list '(regexp1 command2)
6933 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6934 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6936 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
6937 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
6940 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
6941 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
6944 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6945 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
6946 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
6947 user and default view rules.
6949 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6950 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
6951 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
6956 @node Other Decode Variables
6957 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
6960 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6962 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
6963 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
6964 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
6965 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
6966 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
6970 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
6971 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
6974 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
6975 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
6976 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
6979 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6980 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
6981 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
6982 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
6983 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
6986 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6987 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
6988 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
6990 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6991 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
6992 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
6993 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
6994 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
6997 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6998 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
6999 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7001 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7002 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7003 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7004 looking for files to display.
7006 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7007 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7008 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7011 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7012 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7013 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7016 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7017 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7018 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7021 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7022 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7023 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7026 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7027 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7028 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7029 decoded articles as unread.
7031 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7032 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7033 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7034 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7036 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7037 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7038 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7040 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7041 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7043 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7044 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7045 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7046 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7048 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7049 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7050 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7051 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7052 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7053 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7054 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7055 simply dropped them.
7060 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7061 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7065 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7066 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7067 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7068 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7069 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7070 for you when you post the article.
7072 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7073 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7074 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7075 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7077 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7078 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7079 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7080 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7081 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7082 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7083 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7085 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7086 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7087 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7088 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7089 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7090 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7091 Default is @code{t}.
7097 @subsection Viewing Files
7098 @cindex viewing files
7099 @cindex pseudo-articles
7101 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7102 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7103 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7104 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7105 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7106 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7107 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7109 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7110 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7111 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7112 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7114 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7115 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7116 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7118 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7119 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7120 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7121 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7122 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7124 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7125 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7126 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7127 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7128 a list of parameters to that command.
7130 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7131 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7132 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7134 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7135 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7136 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7139 @node Article Treatment
7140 @section Article Treatment
7142 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7143 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7144 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7145 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7146 these articles easier.
7149 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7150 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7151 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7152 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7153 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7154 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7155 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7156 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7160 @node Article Highlighting
7161 @subsection Article Highlighting
7162 @cindex highlighting
7164 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7165 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7170 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7171 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7172 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7173 Do much highlighting of the current article
7174 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7175 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7178 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7179 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7180 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7181 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7182 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7183 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7184 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7185 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7186 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7187 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7188 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7189 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7192 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7193 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7194 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7196 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7199 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7201 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7202 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7203 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7205 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7206 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7207 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7209 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7210 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7211 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7212 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7213 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7214 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7216 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7217 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7218 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7220 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7221 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7222 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7224 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7225 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7226 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7227 that it's a citation.
7229 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7230 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7231 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7233 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7234 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7235 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7237 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7238 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7239 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7240 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7246 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7247 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7248 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7249 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7250 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7251 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7252 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7253 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7258 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7261 @node Article Fontisizing
7262 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7264 @cindex article emphasis
7266 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7267 @kindex W e (Summary)
7268 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7269 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7270 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7271 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7273 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7274 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7275 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7276 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7277 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7278 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7279 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7280 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7284 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7285 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7286 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7295 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7296 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7297 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7298 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7299 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7300 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7301 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7302 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7303 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7304 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7305 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7306 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7307 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7309 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7310 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7311 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7315 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7318 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7320 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7321 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7322 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7323 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7325 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7328 @node Article Hiding
7329 @subsection Article Hiding
7330 @cindex article hiding
7332 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7333 too much cruft in most articles.
7338 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7339 @findex gnus-article-hide
7340 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7341 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7342 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
7345 @kindex W W h (Summary)
7346 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
7347 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
7351 @kindex W W b (Summary)
7352 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
7353 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
7354 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
7357 @kindex W W s (Summary)
7358 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
7359 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
7363 @kindex W W l (Summary)
7364 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
7365 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7366 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
7367 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
7368 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
7369 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
7370 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
7374 @item gnus-list-identifiers
7375 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
7376 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
7377 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
7382 @kindex W W p (Summary)
7383 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
7384 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7385 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
7386 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
7387 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
7388 articles that have signatures in them do:
7390 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
7392 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
7394 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
7395 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
7397 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
7400 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
7405 @kindex W W P (Summary)
7406 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
7407 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
7408 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
7411 @kindex W W B (Summary)
7412 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
7415 @cindex stripping advertisements
7416 @cindex advertisements
7417 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
7418 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
7419 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
7420 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
7421 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
7422 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
7423 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
7424 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
7425 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
7426 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
7430 @kindex W W c (Summary)
7431 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
7432 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
7433 customizing the hiding:
7437 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7438 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7439 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
7440 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
7441 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
7442 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
7443 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
7448 Starting point of the hidden text.
7450 Ending point of the hidden text.
7452 Number of characters in the hidden region.
7454 Number of lines of hidden text.
7457 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
7458 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
7459 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
7460 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
7461 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
7466 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
7467 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
7469 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
7470 following two variables:
7473 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7474 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
7475 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
7476 50), hide the cited text.
7478 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7479 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
7480 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
7485 @kindex W W C (Summary)
7486 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
7487 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
7488 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
7489 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
7490 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
7494 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
7495 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
7496 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
7498 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
7499 citation customization.
7501 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
7505 @node Article Washing
7506 @subsection Article Washing
7508 @cindex article washing
7510 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
7511 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
7513 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
7514 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
7517 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
7518 articles by default.
7523 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
7524 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
7528 @kindex W l (Summary)
7529 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
7530 Remove page breaks from the current article
7531 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
7535 @kindex W r (Summary)
7536 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
7537 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
7538 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
7539 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
7540 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
7541 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
7543 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
7544 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
7545 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
7546 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
7550 @kindex W t (Summary)
7552 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
7553 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
7554 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
7557 @kindex W v (Summary)
7558 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-header
7559 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
7560 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-header}).
7563 @kindex W o (Summary)
7564 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
7565 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
7568 @kindex W d (Summary)
7569 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
7570 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
7572 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
7574 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
7575 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
7576 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
7577 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
7580 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
7581 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
7582 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
7583 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
7586 @kindex W w (Summary)
7587 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
7588 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
7590 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
7594 @kindex W Q (Summary)
7595 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
7596 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
7599 @kindex W C (Summary)
7600 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
7601 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
7602 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
7605 @kindex W c (Summary)
7606 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
7607 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
7608 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
7609 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
7610 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
7613 @kindex W q (Summary)
7614 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
7615 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
7616 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
7617 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
7618 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
7619 readable to me. Note that the this is usually done automatically by
7620 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
7621 header that says that this encoding has been done.
7622 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7625 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
7626 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
7627 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
7628 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
7629 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that the this is usually done
7630 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
7631 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
7633 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7636 @kindex W Z (Summary)
7637 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
7638 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
7639 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
7640 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
7643 @kindex W h (Summary)
7644 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
7645 Treat HTML (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}).
7646 Note that the this is usually done automatically by Gnus if the message
7647 in question has a @code{Content-Type} header that says that this type
7649 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
7652 @kindex W f (Summary)
7654 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
7655 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
7656 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
7657 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
7664 Look for and display any X-Face headers
7665 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}). The command executed by this
7666 function is given by the @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable.
7667 If this variable is a string, this string will be executed in a
7668 sub-shell. If it is a function, this function will be called with the
7669 face as the argument. If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which
7670 is a regexp) matches the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
7671 The default action under Emacs is to fork off the @code{display}
7672 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For the
7673 @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
7674 like `compface' or `faces-xface' on a GNU/Linux system.}
7675 to view the face. Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image
7676 support, the default action is to display the face before the
7677 @code{From} header. (It's nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with X-Face
7678 support---that will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native
7679 X-Face support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
7680 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
7681 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
7682 like @code{netpbm} or @code{libgr-progs}.}) If you
7683 want to have this function in the display hook, it should probably come
7687 @kindex W b (Summary)
7688 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
7689 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
7690 @xref{Article Buttons}.
7693 @kindex W B (Summary)
7694 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
7695 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
7696 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
7699 @kindex W p (Summary)
7700 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
7701 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
7702 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
7703 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
7704 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
7705 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
7706 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
7709 @kindex W W H (Summary)
7710 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body
7711 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
7712 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-from-body}).
7715 @kindex W E l (Summary)
7716 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
7717 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
7718 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
7721 @kindex W E m (Summary)
7722 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
7723 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
7724 lines with a single empty line.
7725 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
7728 @kindex W E t (Summary)
7729 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
7730 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
7731 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
7734 @kindex W E a (Summary)
7735 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
7736 Do all the three commands above
7737 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
7740 @kindex W E A (Summary)
7741 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
7742 Remove all blank lines
7743 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
7746 @kindex W E s (Summary)
7747 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
7748 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
7749 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
7752 @kindex W E e (Summary)
7753 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
7754 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
7755 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
7759 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
7762 @node Article Buttons
7763 @subsection Article Buttons
7766 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
7767 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
7768 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
7769 button on these references.
7771 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
7772 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses and Message-IDs. This is controlled by
7773 two variables, one that handles article bodies and one that handles
7778 @item gnus-button-alist
7779 @vindex gnus-button-alist
7780 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
7783 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7789 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
7790 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
7791 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}.
7794 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
7795 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
7796 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
7799 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
7800 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
7801 avoid false matches.
7804 This function will be called when you click on this button.
7807 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
7808 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
7812 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
7815 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
7818 @item gnus-header-button-alist
7819 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
7820 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
7821 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
7822 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
7825 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
7828 @var{header} is a regular expression.
7830 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
7831 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
7832 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
7833 default values of the variables above.
7835 @item gnus-article-button-face
7836 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
7837 Face used on buttons.
7839 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
7840 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
7841 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
7845 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
7849 @subsection Article Date
7851 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
7852 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
7853 when the article was sent.
7858 @kindex W T u (Summary)
7859 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
7860 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
7861 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
7864 @kindex W T i (Summary)
7865 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
7867 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
7868 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
7871 @kindex W T l (Summary)
7872 @findex gnus-article-date-local
7873 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
7876 @kindex W T p (Summary)
7877 @findex gnus-article-date-english
7878 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
7879 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
7882 @kindex W T s (Summary)
7883 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
7884 @findex gnus-article-date-user
7885 @findex format-time-string
7886 Display the date using a user-defined format
7887 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
7888 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
7889 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
7890 for a list of possible format specs.
7893 @kindex W T e (Summary)
7894 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
7895 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
7896 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
7897 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
7898 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
7901 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
7904 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
7905 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
7908 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
7909 into wonderful absurdities.
7911 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
7914 (gnus-start-date-timer)
7917 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
7918 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
7922 @kindex W T o (Summary)
7923 @findex gnus-article-date-original
7924 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
7925 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
7926 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
7927 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
7928 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
7932 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
7933 preferred format automatically.
7936 @node Article Signature
7937 @subsection Article Signature
7939 @cindex article signature
7941 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7942 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
7943 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
7944 that says what is to be considered a signature is
7945 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
7946 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
7947 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
7948 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
7949 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
7952 (setq gnus-signature-separator
7953 '("^-- $" ; The standard
7954 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
7955 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
7956 ; line of dashes. Shame!
7957 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
7958 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
7959 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
7962 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
7965 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
7966 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
7967 signature when displaying articles.
7971 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
7974 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
7977 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
7978 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
7980 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
7981 in question is not a signature.
7984 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
7985 listed above. Here's an example:
7988 (setq gnus-signature-limit
7989 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
7992 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
7993 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
7994 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
7995 signature after all.
7998 @node Article Miscellania
7999 @subsection Article Miscellania
8003 @kindex A t (Summary)
8004 @findex gnus-article-babel
8005 Translate the article from one language to another
8006 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8012 @section @sc{mime} Commands
8013 @cindex MIME decoding
8015 @cindex viewing attachments
8017 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8018 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8024 @kindex K v (Summary)
8025 View the @sc{mime} part.
8028 @kindex K o (Summary)
8029 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8032 @kindex K c (Summary)
8033 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8036 @kindex K e (Summary)
8037 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8040 @kindex K i (Summary)
8041 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8044 @kindex K | (Summary)
8045 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8048 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8053 @kindex K b (Summary)
8054 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8055 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8059 @kindex K m (Summary)
8060 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8061 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8062 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8063 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8064 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8067 @kindex X m (Summary)
8068 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8069 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8070 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8071 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8074 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8075 @findex gnus-summary-display-buttonized
8076 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8077 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8080 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8081 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8082 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8085 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8086 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8087 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8089 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8090 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8091 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8092 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not include
8093 MIME headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic parameter to
8094 the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8097 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8098 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8099 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8106 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8107 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8108 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8109 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8112 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8115 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8119 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8120 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8121 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8122 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8123 displayed. The default value is @code{(".*/.*")}.
8125 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8126 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8127 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8128 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8129 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8130 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8131 save all jpegs into some directory).
8133 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8136 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8137 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8139 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8140 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8141 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8142 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8143 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8146 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8147 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8148 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8150 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8151 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8152 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8153 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8155 Ready-made functions include@*
8156 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8157 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8158 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8159 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8160 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8161 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8162 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8163 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8164 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8165 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8166 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8167 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8169 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8170 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8172 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8173 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8174 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8177 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8178 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8179 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8180 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
8184 to your @file{.gnus} file.
8193 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
8194 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
8195 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
8196 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
8197 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
8198 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
8199 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
8201 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
8202 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
8203 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
8204 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
8206 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
8207 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1} even
8208 if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
8209 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
8210 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be set
8211 on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
8212 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit)}, which is
8213 something some agents insist on having in there.
8215 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
8216 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
8217 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
8218 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
8219 quoted-printable header encoding.
8221 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
8222 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
8223 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
8227 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
8230 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
8231 means encode all charsets),
8233 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
8234 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
8235 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
8242 @cindex coding system aliases
8243 @cindex preferred charset
8245 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
8247 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
8248 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
8251 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
8252 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
8255 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
8256 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
8258 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
8261 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
8264 This will almost do the right thing.
8266 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
8270 (codepage-setup 1251)
8271 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
8275 @node Article Commands
8276 @section Article Commands
8283 @kindex A P (Summary)
8284 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
8285 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
8286 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
8287 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will be
8288 run just before printing the buffer.
8293 @node Summary Sorting
8294 @section Summary Sorting
8295 @cindex summary sorting
8297 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
8298 can't really see why you'd want that.
8303 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
8304 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
8305 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
8308 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
8309 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
8310 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
8313 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
8314 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
8315 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
8318 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
8319 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
8320 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
8323 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
8324 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
8325 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
8328 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
8329 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
8330 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
8333 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
8334 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
8335 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
8338 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
8339 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
8340 Sort using the default sorting method
8341 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
8344 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
8345 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
8346 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
8347 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
8348 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
8352 @node Finding the Parent
8353 @section Finding the Parent
8354 @cindex parent articles
8355 @cindex referring articles
8360 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
8361 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
8362 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
8363 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
8364 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
8365 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
8366 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
8367 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
8368 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
8370 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
8371 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
8372 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
8373 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
8374 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
8378 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
8379 @kindex A R (Summary)
8380 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
8381 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
8384 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
8385 @kindex A T (Summary)
8386 Display the full thread where the current article appears
8387 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
8388 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
8389 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
8390 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
8391 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
8392 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
8394 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
8395 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
8396 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
8397 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
8398 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
8399 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
8402 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
8403 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
8405 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
8406 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
8407 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
8408 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
8409 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
8410 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
8411 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
8414 The current select method will be used when fetching by
8415 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
8416 by giving this command a prefix.
8418 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
8419 If the group you are reading is located on a backend that does not
8420 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
8421 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
8422 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
8423 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
8426 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
8427 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
8428 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
8431 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
8432 then ask Deja if that fails:
8435 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
8437 (nnweb "refer" (nnweb-type dejanews))))
8440 Most of the mail backends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but do
8441 not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox} and
8442 @code{nnbabyl} are able to locate articles from any groups, while
8443 @code{nnml} and @code{nnfolder} are only able to locate articles that
8444 have been posted to the current group. (Anything else would be too time
8445 consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not support this at all.
8448 @node Alternative Approaches
8449 @section Alternative Approaches
8451 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
8452 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
8455 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
8456 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
8461 @subsection Pick and Read
8462 @cindex pick and read
8464 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
8465 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
8466 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
8467 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
8469 @findex gnus-pick-mode
8470 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
8471 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
8472 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
8473 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
8474 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
8476 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
8481 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
8482 Pick the article or thread on the current line
8483 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8484 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
8485 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
8486 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
8487 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
8488 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
8491 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
8492 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
8493 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
8494 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
8498 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
8499 Unpick the thread or article
8500 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
8501 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
8502 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
8503 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
8504 the thread or article at that line.
8508 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
8509 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
8510 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
8511 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
8512 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
8513 will still be visible when you are reading.
8517 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
8518 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
8519 which is mapped to the same function
8520 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
8522 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
8525 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
8528 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
8529 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
8531 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
8532 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
8533 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
8535 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
8536 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
8537 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
8538 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
8539 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
8540 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
8541 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
8545 @subsection Binary Groups
8546 @cindex binary groups
8548 @findex gnus-binary-mode
8549 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
8550 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
8551 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
8552 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
8553 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
8554 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
8557 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
8558 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
8559 command, when you have turned on this mode
8560 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
8562 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
8563 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
8567 @section Tree Display
8570 @vindex gnus-use-trees
8571 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
8572 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
8573 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
8576 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
8579 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
8580 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
8581 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
8583 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8584 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
8585 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
8586 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
8587 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
8589 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
8590 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
8591 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
8592 default is @code{modeline}.
8594 @item gnus-tree-line-format
8595 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
8596 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
8597 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
8598 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
8599 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
8600 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
8606 The name of the poster.
8608 The @code{From} header.
8610 The number of the article.
8612 The opening bracket.
8614 The closing bracket.
8619 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
8621 Variables related to the display are:
8624 @item gnus-tree-brackets
8625 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
8626 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
8627 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
8628 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
8629 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
8631 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8632 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
8633 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
8634 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
8638 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
8639 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
8640 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
8641 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
8642 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
8643 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
8644 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
8645 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
8646 other windows displayed next to it.
8648 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
8649 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
8650 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8651 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
8652 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
8653 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
8654 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
8658 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
8661 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
8671 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
8675 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
8676 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
8678 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
8680 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
8685 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
8686 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
8687 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
8690 (setq gnus-use-trees t
8691 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
8692 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
8693 (gnus-add-configuration
8697 (summary 0.75 point)
8702 @xref{Window Layout}.
8705 @node Mail Group Commands
8706 @section Mail Group Commands
8707 @cindex mail group commands
8709 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
8710 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
8712 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
8713 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8718 @kindex B e (Summary)
8719 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
8720 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
8721 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
8722 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
8723 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
8726 @kindex B M-C-e (Summary)
8727 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
8728 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
8729 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
8730 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
8731 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
8734 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
8735 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
8736 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
8737 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
8738 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
8739 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
8742 @kindex B m (Summary)
8744 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
8745 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
8746 Move the article from one mail group to another
8747 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8748 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8751 @kindex B c (Summary)
8753 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
8754 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
8755 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
8756 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
8757 @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
8760 @kindex B B (Summary)
8761 @cindex crosspost mail
8762 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
8763 Crosspost the current article to some other group
8764 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
8765 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
8766 be properly updated.
8769 @kindex B i (Summary)
8770 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
8771 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
8772 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
8773 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
8776 @kindex B r (Summary)
8777 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
8778 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
8779 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
8780 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
8781 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
8782 Marks will be preserved if @var{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
8783 (which is the default).
8787 @kindex B w (Summary)
8789 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
8790 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
8791 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
8792 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
8793 (@kbd{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
8794 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
8797 @kindex B q (Summary)
8798 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
8799 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
8800 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
8801 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
8804 @kindex B t (Summary)
8805 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
8806 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
8807 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
8810 @kindex B p (Summary)
8811 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
8812 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
8813 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
8814 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
8815 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
8816 article from your news server (or rather, from
8817 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
8818 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
8819 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
8820 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
8821 just not have arrived yet.
8825 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
8826 @cindex moving articles
8827 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
8828 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
8829 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
8830 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
8831 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
8832 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
8833 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
8836 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
8837 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
8838 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
8839 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
8843 @node Various Summary Stuff
8844 @section Various Summary Stuff
8847 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
8848 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
8849 * Summary Generation Commands:: (Re)generating the summary buffer.
8850 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
8854 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
8855 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
8856 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
8858 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
8859 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
8860 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
8861 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
8862 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
8863 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
8866 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8867 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
8868 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
8869 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
8870 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
8872 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8873 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
8874 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
8877 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8878 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
8879 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
8880 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
8881 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
8882 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
8883 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
8884 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
8885 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
8886 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
8888 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8889 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
8890 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
8891 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
8892 list of articles to be selected.
8894 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
8895 the list in one particular group:
8898 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
8899 (if (string= group "some.group")
8900 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
8907 @node Summary Group Information
8908 @subsection Summary Group Information
8913 @kindex H f (Summary)
8914 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
8915 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
8916 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
8917 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
8918 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
8919 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
8920 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
8921 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
8922 be used for fetching the file.
8925 @kindex H d (Summary)
8926 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
8927 Give a brief description of the current group
8928 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
8929 rereading the description from the server.
8932 @kindex H h (Summary)
8933 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
8934 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
8935 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
8938 @kindex H i (Summary)
8939 @findex gnus-info-find-node
8940 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
8944 @node Searching for Articles
8945 @subsection Searching for Articles
8950 @kindex M-s (Summary)
8951 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
8952 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
8953 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
8956 @kindex M-r (Summary)
8957 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
8958 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
8959 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
8963 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
8964 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
8965 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
8966 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
8967 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
8968 search backward instead.
8970 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
8971 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
8974 @kindex M-& (Summary)
8975 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
8976 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
8977 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
8980 @node Summary Generation Commands
8981 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
8986 @kindex Y g (Summary)
8987 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
8988 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
8991 @kindex Y c (Summary)
8992 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
8993 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
8994 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
8999 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9000 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9006 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9007 @kindex A D (Summary)
9008 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9009 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9010 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9011 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9012 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9013 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9014 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9015 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9019 @kindex M-C-d (Summary)
9020 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9021 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9022 several documents into one biiig group
9023 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9024 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9025 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9026 command understands the process/prefix convention
9027 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9030 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9031 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9032 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9033 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9034 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9035 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9039 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9040 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9041 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9044 @kindex M-C-e (Summary)
9045 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9046 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9047 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9050 @kindex M-C-a (Summary)
9051 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9052 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9053 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9058 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9059 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9060 @cindex summary exit
9061 @cindex exiting groups
9063 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9064 group and return you to the group buffer.
9070 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9072 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9073 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9074 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9075 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9076 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9077 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9078 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9079 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9080 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9081 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9082 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9086 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9088 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9089 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9090 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9094 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9096 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9097 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9098 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9099 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9102 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9103 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9104 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9105 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9108 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9109 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9110 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9111 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9114 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9115 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9116 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9117 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9118 all articles, both read and unread.
9122 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9123 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9124 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9125 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9126 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9127 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9128 articles, both read and unread.
9131 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9132 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9133 Exit the group and go to the next group
9134 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
9137 @kindex Z P (Summary)
9138 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
9139 Exit the group and go to the previous group
9140 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
9143 @kindex Z s (Summary)
9144 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
9145 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
9146 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
9147 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
9148 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
9151 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
9152 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
9153 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
9154 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
9156 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
9157 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
9158 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
9159 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
9160 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
9161 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
9162 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
9163 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
9164 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
9165 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
9166 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
9167 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
9169 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
9171 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
9172 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
9173 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
9174 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
9175 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
9176 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
9177 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
9178 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
9179 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
9182 @node Crosspost Handling
9183 @section Crosspost Handling
9187 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
9188 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
9189 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
9190 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
9191 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
9192 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
9195 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
9196 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
9197 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
9198 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
9199 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
9201 @cindex cross-posting
9204 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
9205 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
9206 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
9207 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
9208 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
9209 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
9210 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
9211 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
9212 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
9213 the cross reference mechanism.
9215 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
9216 @cindex overview.fmt
9217 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
9218 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
9219 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
9220 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
9221 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
9222 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
9225 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
9226 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
9227 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
9232 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
9235 @node Duplicate Suppression
9236 @section Duplicate Suppression
9238 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
9239 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
9240 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
9241 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
9246 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
9247 is evil and not very common.
9250 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
9251 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
9254 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
9255 different @sc{nntp} servers.
9258 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
9261 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
9262 well, but these four are the most common situations.
9264 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
9265 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
9266 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
9267 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
9268 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
9269 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
9270 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
9273 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
9274 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
9275 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
9276 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
9277 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
9281 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
9282 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
9283 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
9285 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
9286 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
9287 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
9288 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
9289 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
9290 session are suppressed.
9292 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
9293 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
9294 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
9295 suppression list. The default is 10000.
9297 @item gnus-duplicate-file
9298 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
9299 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
9300 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
9303 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
9304 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
9305 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
9306 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
9307 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
9308 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
9309 to you to figure out, I think.
9314 Gnus is able to verify PGP or S/MIME signed messages or decrypt PGP
9319 To verify or decrypt PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or
9325 @item mm-verify-option
9326 @vindex mm-verify-option
9327 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
9328 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
9329 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9331 @item mm-decrypt-option
9332 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
9333 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
9334 @code{always}, always decrypt @code{known}, only decrypt known
9335 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
9340 @section Mailing List
9342 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369.
9347 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
9348 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
9349 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
9352 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
9353 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
9354 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
9357 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
9358 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
9359 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
9363 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
9364 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
9365 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
9368 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
9369 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9370 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
9373 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
9374 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
9375 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
9379 @node Article Buffer
9380 @chapter Article Buffer
9381 @cindex article buffer
9383 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
9384 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
9385 tell Gnus otherwise.
9388 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
9389 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
9390 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
9391 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
9392 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
9396 @node Hiding Headers
9397 @section Hiding Headers
9398 @cindex hiding headers
9399 @cindex deleting headers
9401 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
9402 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
9404 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
9405 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
9406 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
9407 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
9408 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
9409 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
9410 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
9411 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
9412 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
9414 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
9418 @item gnus-visible-headers
9419 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
9420 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
9421 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
9422 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
9424 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
9425 the article and the subject, you'd say:
9428 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
9431 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9434 @item gnus-ignored-headers
9435 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
9436 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
9437 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
9438 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
9439 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
9441 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
9442 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
9445 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
9448 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
9451 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
9452 variable will have no effect.
9456 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
9457 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
9458 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
9459 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
9460 the headers are to be displayed.
9462 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
9463 and then the subject, you might say something like:
9466 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
9469 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
9470 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
9472 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
9473 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
9474 You can hide further boring headers by setting
9475 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
9476 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
9477 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
9478 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
9481 These conditions are:
9484 Remove all empty headers.
9486 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
9487 @code{Newsgroups} header.
9489 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
9492 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
9495 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
9496 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
9498 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
9501 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
9503 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
9506 To include these three elements, you could say something like;
9509 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
9510 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
9513 This is also the default value for this variable.
9517 @section Using @sc{mime}
9520 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
9521 while people stand around yawning.
9523 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
9524 while all newsreaders die of fear.
9526 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
9527 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
9528 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
9530 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
9531 @findex gnus-display-mime
9532 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
9533 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
9534 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
9535 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
9537 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
9541 @findex gnus-article-press-button
9543 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
9544 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
9545 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}).
9547 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
9548 @item M-RET (Article)
9550 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9551 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
9553 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
9555 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
9556 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
9558 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
9560 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
9561 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
9563 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
9565 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
9566 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
9568 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
9570 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
9571 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
9572 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
9573 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
9574 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
9575 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
9577 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
9579 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
9580 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
9582 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
9584 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
9585 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
9586 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
9587 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
9588 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
9591 @findex gnus-mime-internalize-part
9593 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
9594 viewer is available, use an external viewer
9595 (@code{gnus-mime-internalize-part}).
9597 @findex gnus-mime-externalize-part
9599 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
9600 (@code{gnus-mime-externalize-part}).
9602 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
9604 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
9606 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
9608 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
9609 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
9613 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
9614 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs MIME
9617 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
9618 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
9619 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
9620 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
9621 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
9622 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
9623 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
9624 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
9625 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
9627 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
9629 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
9632 @node Customizing Articles
9633 @section Customizing Articles
9634 @cindex article customization
9636 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
9637 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
9638 called automatically when you select the articles.
9640 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
9641 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
9642 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
9643 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
9645 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
9646 for sensible values.
9650 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
9653 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
9656 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
9659 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
9662 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
9666 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
9667 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
9668 regexps in the list.
9671 A list where the first element is not a string:
9673 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
9674 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
9675 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
9679 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
9684 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
9685 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
9686 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
9687 considered to contain just a single part.
9689 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
9690 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
9691 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
9692 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
9693 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
9694 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
9695 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
9697 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
9698 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
9699 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
9700 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
9703 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last)
9704 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
9705 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
9706 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
9707 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
9708 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
9709 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
9710 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
9711 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
9712 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
9713 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
9714 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
9715 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
9716 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
9717 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
9718 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
9719 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
9720 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
9721 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
9722 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
9723 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
9724 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
9725 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
9726 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
9727 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
9728 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
9729 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
9730 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
9731 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
9732 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
9733 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
9734 @item gnus-treat-display-picons (head)
9735 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
9736 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
9737 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
9738 @item gnus-treat-translate
9741 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
9742 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
9743 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
9744 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
9745 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
9749 @node Article Keymap
9750 @section Article Keymap
9752 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
9753 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
9754 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
9755 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
9758 A few additional keystrokes are available:
9763 @kindex SPACE (Article)
9764 @findex gnus-article-next-page
9765 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
9768 @kindex DEL (Article)
9769 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
9770 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
9773 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
9774 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
9775 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
9776 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
9777 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
9780 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
9781 @findex gnus-article-mail
9782 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
9783 given a prefix, include the mail.
9787 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
9788 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
9789 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
9793 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
9794 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
9795 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
9798 @kindex TAB (Article)
9799 @findex gnus-article-next-button
9800 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
9801 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
9804 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
9805 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
9806 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
9812 @section Misc Article
9816 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
9817 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
9818 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
9819 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
9822 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
9823 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
9825 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
9826 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
9828 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
9829 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
9830 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
9831 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
9832 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
9833 the contents of the article buffer.
9835 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
9836 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
9837 Hook called in article mode buffers.
9839 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9840 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
9841 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
9842 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
9844 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
9845 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
9846 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
9847 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
9848 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
9853 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
9854 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
9857 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
9860 @vindex gnus-break-pages
9862 @item gnus-break-pages
9863 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
9864 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
9865 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
9866 paging will not be done.
9868 @item gnus-page-delimiter
9869 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
9870 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
9875 @node Composing Messages
9876 @chapter Composing Messages
9877 @cindex composing messages
9880 @cindex sending mail
9886 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
9887 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
9888 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
9889 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Top, message, The
9890 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
9891 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
9894 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
9895 * Posting Server:: What server should you post via?
9896 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
9897 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
9898 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
9899 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
9900 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
9901 * Using GPG:: How to use GPG and MML to sign and encrypt messages
9904 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
9905 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
9911 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
9914 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
9915 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
9916 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
9917 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched.
9919 @item gnus-add-to-list
9920 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
9921 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
9922 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
9927 @node Posting Server
9928 @section Posting Server
9930 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
9931 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
9933 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
9935 @vindex gnus-post-method
9937 It can be quite complicated. Normally, Gnus will post using the same
9938 select method as you're reading from (which might be convenient if
9939 you're reading lots of groups from different private servers).
9940 However. If the server you're reading from doesn't allow posting,
9941 just reading, you probably want to use some other server to post your
9942 (extremely intelligent and fabulously interesting) articles. You can
9943 then set the @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
9946 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
9949 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
9950 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
9951 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
9952 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
9954 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
9955 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
9957 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
9958 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
9961 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
9962 you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
9966 @section Mail and Post
9968 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
9972 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
9973 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
9974 @cindex mailing lists
9976 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
9977 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
9978 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
9979 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
9980 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
9981 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
9982 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
9983 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
9984 still a pain, though.
9988 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
9989 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
9990 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
9993 @findex ispell-message
9995 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
9998 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
9999 you're in, you could say something like the following:
10002 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
10006 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
10007 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
10009 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
10012 Modify to suit your needs.
10015 @node Archived Messages
10016 @section Archived Messages
10017 @cindex archived messages
10018 @cindex sent messages
10020 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
10021 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
10022 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
10023 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
10026 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
10027 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
10028 use to store sent messages. The default is:
10031 (nnfolder "archive"
10032 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
10033 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
10034 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
10035 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
10038 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
10039 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
10040 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
10041 directory chosen, you could say something like:
10044 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
10045 '(nnfolder "archive"
10046 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
10047 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
10048 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
10051 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
10053 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
10054 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
10055 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
10057 This variable can be used to do the following:
10061 Messages will be saved in that group.
10063 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
10064 message will not be stored in the select method given by
10065 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
10066 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
10067 has the default value shown above. Then setting
10068 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
10069 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
10070 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
10072 @item a list of strings
10073 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
10074 @item an alist of regexps, functions and forms
10075 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
10077 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
10082 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
10084 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
10087 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
10089 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
10092 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
10094 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10095 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
10096 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
10097 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
10100 More complex stuff:
10102 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10103 '((if (message-news-p)
10108 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
10109 messages in one file per month:
10112 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
10113 '((if (message-news-p)
10115 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
10118 (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
10119 use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
10121 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
10122 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
10123 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
10124 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
10125 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
10126 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
10127 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
10128 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
10129 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
10130 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
10132 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
10133 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
10134 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
10135 this will disable archiving.
10138 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
10139 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
10140 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
10141 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
10142 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
10145 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
10146 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
10147 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
10150 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
10151 but the latter is the preferred method.
10153 @item gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10154 @vindex gnus-inews-mark-gcc-as-read
10155 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
10160 @node Posting Styles
10161 @section Posting Styles
10162 @cindex posting styles
10165 All them variables, they make my head swim.
10167 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
10168 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
10169 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
10172 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
10173 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
10174 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
10175 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
10176 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
10181 (signature "Peace and happiness")
10182 (organization "What me?"))
10184 (signature "Death to everybody"))
10185 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
10186 (organization "Emacs is it")))
10189 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
10190 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
10191 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
10192 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
10193 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
10194 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
10195 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
10196 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
10198 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
10199 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
10200 If it is the symbol @code{header}, then Gnus will look for header (the
10201 next element in the match) in the original article , and compare that to
10202 the last regexp in the match. If it's a function symbol, that function
10203 will be called with no arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the
10204 variable will be referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be
10205 @code{eval}ed. In any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value,
10206 then the style is said to @dfn{match}.
10208 Each style may contain a arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
10209 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
10210 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
10211 @code{organization}, @code{address}, @code{name} or @code{body}. The
10212 attribute name can also be a string. In that case, this will be used as
10213 a header name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the
10214 article; if the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed.
10215 If the attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the
10216 result is thrown away.
10218 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
10219 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
10220 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
10221 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
10222 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
10223 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable.
10225 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
10226 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
10227 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
10229 @findex message-mail-p
10230 @findex message-news-p
10232 So here's a new example:
10235 (setq gnus-posting-styles
10237 (signature-file "~/.signature")
10239 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
10240 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
10242 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
10243 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly")
10244 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
10246 (signature my-news-signature))
10247 (header "to" "larsi.*org"
10248 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
10249 ((posting-from-work-p)
10250 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
10251 (address "user@@bar.foo")
10252 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
10253 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
10255 (From (save-excursion
10256 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
10257 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
10259 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
10262 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
10263 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
10264 if you fill many roles.
10271 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
10272 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
10273 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
10274 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
10275 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
10277 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
10278 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
10279 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
10280 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
10281 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
10285 @vindex nndraft-directory
10286 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
10287 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
10288 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
10289 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
10290 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
10291 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
10293 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
10294 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
10297 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
10298 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
10299 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
10300 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
10301 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
10302 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
10303 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
10304 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
10305 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
10306 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
10307 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
10308 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
10309 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
10310 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
10312 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
10313 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
10314 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
10316 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
10317 @kindex D e (Draft)
10318 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
10319 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
10320 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
10322 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
10325 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
10326 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
10327 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
10328 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
10329 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
10330 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
10331 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
10334 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
10335 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
10336 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
10339 @node Rejected Articles
10340 @section Rejected Articles
10341 @cindex rejected articles
10343 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
10344 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
10345 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
10346 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
10348 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
10349 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
10350 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
10351 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
10352 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
10354 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
10355 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
10356 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
10362 Gnus has an ALPHA support to GPG that's provided by @file{gpg.el}. See
10363 @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} to enable Gnus to
10364 verify or decrypt messages accordingly.
10366 To use this correctly with GPG, you'll need the following lisp code in your
10367 @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10371 (setq mml2015-use 'gpg)
10372 (setq gpg-temp-directory (expand-file-name "~/.gnupg/tmp"))
10375 The @code{gpg-temp-directory} need to point to a directory with permissions set
10376 to 700, for your own safety.
10378 If you want to benefit of PGP2.6 compatibility, you might create a script named
10379 @file{gpg-2comp} with these instructions:
10383 exec gpg --rfc1991 "$@@"
10386 If you don't want to use such compatibility, you can add the following line to
10387 your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.gnus}:
10390 (setq gpg-command-default-alist (quote ((gpg . "gpg") (gpg-2comp . "gpg"))))
10393 To sign or encrypt your message you may choose to use the MML Security
10394 menu or @kbd{C-c C-m s p} to sign your message using PGP/MIME, @kbd{C-c
10395 C-m s s} to sign your message using S/MIME. There's also @kbd{C-c C-m c
10396 p} to encrypt your message with PGP/MIME and @kbd{C-c C-m c s} to
10397 encrypt using S/MIME.
10399 Gnus will ask for your passphrase and then it will send your message, if
10400 you've typed it correctly.
10402 @node Select Methods
10403 @chapter Select Methods
10404 @cindex foreign groups
10405 @cindex select methods
10407 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
10408 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
10409 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
10410 personal mail group.
10412 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
10413 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
10414 list where the first element says what backend to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
10415 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
10416 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
10417 value may have special meaning for the backend in question.
10419 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
10420 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
10422 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the backend will recognize the
10425 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
10426 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
10427 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
10428 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
10429 backend just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
10431 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
10434 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
10435 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
10436 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
10437 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
10438 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
10439 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
10440 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
10444 @node Server Buffer
10445 @section Server Buffer
10447 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
10448 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
10449 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
10450 one backend or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
10451 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
10452 backend represents a virtual server.
10454 For instance, the @code{nntp} backend may be used to connect to several
10455 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
10456 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which backend to
10457 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
10459 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
10460 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
10461 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
10462 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
10463 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
10464 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
10465 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
10467 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
10468 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
10471 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
10472 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
10473 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
10474 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
10475 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
10476 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
10477 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
10480 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
10481 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
10484 @node Server Buffer Format
10485 @subsection Server Buffer Format
10486 @cindex server buffer format
10488 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
10489 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
10490 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
10491 variable, with some simple extensions:
10496 How the news is fetched---the backend name.
10499 The name of this server.
10502 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
10505 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
10508 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
10509 The mode line can also be customized by using the
10510 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
10511 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
10521 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
10524 @node Server Commands
10525 @subsection Server Commands
10526 @cindex server commands
10532 @findex gnus-server-add-server
10533 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
10537 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
10538 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
10541 @kindex SPACE (Server)
10542 @findex gnus-server-read-server
10543 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
10547 @findex gnus-server-exit
10548 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
10552 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
10553 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
10557 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
10558 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
10562 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
10563 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
10567 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
10568 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
10572 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
10573 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
10574 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
10579 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
10580 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
10581 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
10582 a mail backend that has gotten out of sync.
10587 @node Example Methods
10588 @subsection Example Methods
10590 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
10593 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
10596 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
10602 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
10603 backend, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
10606 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
10607 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
10609 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
10610 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
10614 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
10617 You should read the documentation to each backend to find out what
10618 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
10620 @code{nnmh} is a mail backend that reads a spool-like structure. Say
10621 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
10622 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
10626 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
10629 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
10632 Here's the method for a public spool:
10636 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
10637 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
10643 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
10644 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
10645 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
10646 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
10647 should probably look something like this:
10651 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
10652 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
10653 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
10654 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10657 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
10658 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
10659 configuration to the example above:
10662 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
10665 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
10666 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
10667 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
10671 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
10672 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
10673 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
10674 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
10677 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
10678 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
10679 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
10680 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
10683 @node Creating a Virtual Server
10684 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
10686 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
10687 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
10689 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
10690 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
10691 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
10693 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
10695 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
10696 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
10697 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
10698 will contain the following:
10708 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
10709 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
10710 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
10713 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
10714 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
10715 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
10718 @node Server Variables
10719 @subsection Server Variables
10721 One sticky point when defining variables (both on backends and in Emacs
10722 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
10723 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
10724 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
10725 won't change the "derived" variables.
10727 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
10728 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
10729 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
10730 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
10731 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
10732 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
10733 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
10734 variables for each backend, see each backend's section later in this
10735 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
10739 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
10740 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
10741 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
10745 @node Servers and Methods
10746 @subsection Servers and Methods
10748 Wherever you would normally use a select method
10749 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
10750 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
10751 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
10755 @node Unavailable Servers
10756 @subsection Unavailable Servers
10758 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
10759 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
10760 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
10761 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
10762 actually the case or not.
10764 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
10765 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
10766 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
10767 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
10768 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
10769 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
10770 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
10771 it will regard that server as ``down''.
10773 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
10774 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
10776 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
10777 with the following commands:
10783 @findex gnus-server-open-server
10784 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
10785 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
10789 @findex gnus-server-close-server
10790 Close the connection (if any) to the server
10791 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
10795 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
10796 Mark the current server as unreachable
10797 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
10800 @kindex M-o (Server)
10801 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
10802 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
10803 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
10806 @kindex M-c (Server)
10807 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
10808 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
10809 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
10813 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
10814 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
10815 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
10821 @section Getting News
10822 @cindex reading news
10823 @cindex news backends
10825 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
10826 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
10827 or it can read from a local spool.
10830 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
10831 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
10836 @subsection @sc{nntp}
10839 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
10840 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
10841 server as the, uhm, address.
10843 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
10844 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
10845 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
10846 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
10848 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
10849 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
10850 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
10852 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
10857 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
10858 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
10859 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
10861 @cindex authentification
10862 @cindex nntp authentification
10863 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10864 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
10865 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
10866 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
10867 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
10868 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
10869 present in this hook.
10871 @item nntp-authinfo-function
10872 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
10873 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
10874 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
10875 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
10876 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
10877 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
10878 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
10879 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
10880 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
10881 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
10882 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
10886 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
10889 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
10891 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
10892 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
10893 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
10894 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
10895 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
10896 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
10897 @samp{force} is explained below.
10901 Here's an example file:
10904 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
10905 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
10908 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
10909 have to be first, for instance.
10911 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
10912 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
10913 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
10914 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
10915 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
10916 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
10917 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
10919 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
10920 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
10926 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
10927 previously mentioned.
10929 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
10931 @item nntp-server-action-alist
10932 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
10933 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
10934 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
10935 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
10938 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
10939 '(("innd" (ding))))
10942 You probably don't want to do that, though.
10944 The default value is
10947 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
10948 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
10949 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
10952 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
10953 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
10955 @item nntp-maximum-request
10956 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
10957 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this backend
10958 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
10959 speed things up, the backend sends lots of these commands without
10960 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
10961 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
10962 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
10964 @item nntp-connection-timeout
10965 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
10966 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
10967 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
10968 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
10969 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
10970 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
10971 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} backend should wait for a
10972 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
10973 no timeouts are done.
10975 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
10976 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
10977 @c @cindex PPP connections
10978 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
10979 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
10980 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
10981 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
10982 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
10983 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
10984 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
10985 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
10986 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
10987 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
10989 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
10990 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
10991 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
10992 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
10993 @c described above.
10995 @item nntp-server-hook
10996 @vindex nntp-server-hook
10997 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
11000 @item nntp-buggy-select
11001 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
11002 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
11004 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
11005 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
11006 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
11007 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
11010 @item nntp-xover-commands
11011 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
11014 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
11015 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
11019 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
11020 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
11021 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
11022 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
11023 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
11024 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
11025 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
11026 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
11027 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
11028 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
11029 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
11031 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
11032 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
11033 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
11035 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11036 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
11037 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
11038 server closes connection.
11040 @item nntp-record-commands
11041 @vindex nntp-record-commands
11042 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
11043 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
11044 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
11045 that doesn't seem to work.
11047 @item nntp-open-connection-function
11048 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
11049 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
11050 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
11051 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
11052 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
11053 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
11054 indirect ones (two pre-made).
11058 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
11059 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
11060 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
11064 @node Direct Functions
11065 @subsubsection Direct Functions
11066 @cindex direct connection functions
11068 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
11069 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
11070 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
11071 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11074 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
11075 @item nntp-open-network-stream
11076 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
11079 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
11080 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
11081 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use this
11082 you must have SSLay installed
11083 (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also need
11084 @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
11085 define a server as follows:
11088 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
11090 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
11092 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
11093 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
11094 (nntp-port-number "snews")
11095 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
11098 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
11099 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
11100 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
11101 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
11102 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
11103 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
11104 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
11105 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
11109 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11110 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
11111 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
11114 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
11115 session, which is not a good idea.
11119 @node Indirect Functions
11120 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
11121 @cindex indirect connection functions
11123 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
11124 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
11125 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
11126 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
11127 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
11128 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
11131 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11132 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
11133 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
11134 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
11135 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
11137 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11140 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
11141 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
11142 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
11143 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
11146 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11147 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
11148 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
11149 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
11151 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
11154 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
11155 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
11156 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
11159 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
11160 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
11161 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
11162 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
11164 @item nntp-via-user-password
11165 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
11166 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
11168 @item nntp-via-envuser
11169 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
11170 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
11171 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
11172 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
11174 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
11175 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
11176 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
11177 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
11184 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
11189 @item nntp-via-user-name
11190 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
11191 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
11193 @item nntp-via-address
11194 @vindex nntp-via-address
11195 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
11200 @node Common Variables
11201 @subsubsection Common Variables
11203 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
11204 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
11209 @item nntp-pre-command
11210 @vindex nntp-pre-command
11211 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
11212 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
11213 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
11214 wrapper for instance.
11217 @vindex nntp-address
11218 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
11220 @item nntp-port-number
11221 @vindex nntp-port-number
11222 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
11224 @item nntp-end-of-line
11225 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
11226 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
11227 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
11228 using a non native connection function.
11230 @item nntp-telnet-command
11231 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
11232 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
11233 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
11234 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
11236 @item nntp-telnet-switches
11237 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
11238 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
11245 @subsection News Spool
11249 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
11250 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
11251 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
11254 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
11255 anything else) as the address.
11257 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
11258 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
11259 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
11260 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
11264 @item nnspool-inews-program
11265 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
11266 Program used to post an article.
11268 @item nnspool-inews-switches
11269 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
11270 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
11272 @item nnspool-spool-directory
11273 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
11274 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
11275 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
11277 @item nnspool-nov-directory
11278 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
11279 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
11280 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
11282 @item nnspool-lib-dir
11283 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
11284 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
11286 @item nnspool-active-file
11287 @vindex nnspool-active-file
11288 The path to the active file.
11290 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
11291 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
11292 The path to the group descriptions file.
11294 @item nnspool-history-file
11295 @vindex nnspool-history-file
11296 The path to the news history file.
11298 @item nnspool-active-times-file
11299 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
11300 The path to the active date file.
11302 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
11303 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
11304 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
11307 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11308 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
11310 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
11311 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
11312 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
11318 @section Getting Mail
11319 @cindex reading mail
11322 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
11326 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
11327 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
11328 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
11329 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
11330 * Mail Backend Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
11331 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
11332 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
11333 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
11334 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
11335 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
11336 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
11337 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail backends for reading other files.
11338 * Choosing a Mail Backend:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
11342 @node Mail in a Newsreader
11343 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
11345 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
11346 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
11347 of a culture shock.
11349 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
11350 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
11352 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
11353 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
11354 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
11355 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
11357 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
11359 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
11360 deleted? How awful!
11362 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
11363 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
11364 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
11365 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
11368 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
11369 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
11370 they want to treat a message.
11372 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
11373 via SMTP, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
11374 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
11375 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
11376 archived somewhere else.
11378 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
11379 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
11380 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
11381 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
11382 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
11384 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
11385 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
11386 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
11388 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
11389 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
11392 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
11393 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
11394 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
11395 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
11396 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
11398 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
11399 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
11400 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
11401 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
11402 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
11403 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
11407 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
11408 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
11410 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
11411 mail backend of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
11412 and things will happen automatically.
11414 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
11415 mail" backend), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
11418 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
11419 '((nnml "private")))
11422 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this backend will be queried for new
11423 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
11424 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
11425 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
11426 like any other group.
11428 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
11431 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11432 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11433 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11437 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
11438 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
11439 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
11442 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
11443 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
11444 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Backend} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
11447 @node Splitting Mail
11448 @subsection Splitting Mail
11449 @cindex splitting mail
11450 @cindex mail splitting
11452 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
11453 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
11454 to be split into groups.
11457 (setq nnmail-split-methods
11458 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
11459 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
11460 ("mail.other" "")))
11463 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
11464 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
11465 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
11466 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
11467 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
11468 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
11469 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
11472 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
11475 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
11476 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
11477 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
11478 mail belongs in that group.
11480 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
11481 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
11482 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
11483 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
11484 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
11485 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
11487 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
11488 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
11489 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
11490 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
11491 thinks should carry this mail message.
11493 Note that the mail backends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
11494 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
11495 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
11496 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
11498 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
11499 The mail backends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
11500 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
11501 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
11502 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
11504 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
11507 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
11508 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
11509 links. If that's the case for you, set
11510 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
11511 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
11513 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
11514 @kindex nnmail-split-history
11515 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
11516 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
11517 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
11518 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
11521 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
11522 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
11523 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
11524 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
11525 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
11526 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
11527 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
11528 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
11529 month's rent money.
11533 @subsection Mail Sources
11535 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
11536 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
11540 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
11541 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
11542 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
11546 @node Mail Source Specifiers
11547 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
11549 @cindex mail server
11552 @cindex mail source
11554 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
11555 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
11560 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
11563 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
11564 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
11565 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
11568 The following mail source types are available:
11572 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
11578 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
11579 environment variable or @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}.
11582 An example file mail source:
11585 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
11588 Or using the default path:
11594 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
11595 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
11596 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
11599 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
11603 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
11606 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
11610 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
11613 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
11615 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
11618 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
11622 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
11623 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. Setting
11624 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
11625 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
11626 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
11632 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
11636 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
11640 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
11641 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
11642 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
11643 predicate are considered.
11647 Script run before/after fetching mail.
11651 An example directory mail source:
11654 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
11659 Get mail from a POP server.
11665 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
11666 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11669 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
11670 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
11671 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
11672 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
11673 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
11676 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
11680 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
11684 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
11685 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
11688 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
11691 The valid format specifier characters are:
11695 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
11696 included in this string.
11699 The name of the server.
11702 The port number of the server.
11705 The user name to use.
11708 The password to use.
11711 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11712 corresponding keywords.
11715 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11716 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11719 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
11720 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
11723 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
11724 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
11727 @item :authentication
11728 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
11729 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
11734 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
11735 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
11737 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
11738 default user name, and default fetcher:
11744 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
11747 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
11748 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
11751 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
11754 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
11758 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
11759 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
11760 contains exactly one mail.
11766 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
11767 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
11770 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
11771 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
11773 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
11774 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
11775 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
11778 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
11779 from locking problems).
11783 Two example maildir mail sources:
11786 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
11787 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
11791 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
11796 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
11797 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
11798 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
11799 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
11806 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
11807 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
11810 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
11811 @samp{993} for SSL connections.
11814 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
11818 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
11822 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
11823 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
11824 @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{ssl} or the default @samp{network}.
11826 @item :authentication
11827 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is one
11828 of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now, this
11829 means @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default
11833 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
11834 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
11835 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
11841 The valid format specifier characters are:
11845 The name of the server.
11848 User name from `imap-default-user'.
11851 The port number of the server.
11854 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
11855 corresponding keywords.
11858 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
11859 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
11862 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
11863 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
11864 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
11865 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{nil}.
11866 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
11867 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 §6.4.4.
11870 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
11871 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
11872 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
11873 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 §2.3.2.
11876 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
11877 after finishing the fetch.
11881 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
11884 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
11886 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
11890 Get mail from a webmail server, such as www.hotmail.com,
11891 webmail.netscape.com, www.netaddress.com, www.my-deja.com.
11893 NOTE: Now mail.yahoo.com provides POP3 service, so @sc{pop} mail source
11896 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
11897 required for url "4.0pre.46".
11899 WARNING: Mails may lost. NO WARRANTY.
11905 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
11906 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
11909 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
11913 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
11917 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
11918 folder after finishing the fetch.
11922 An example webmail source:
11925 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
11927 :password "secret")
11932 @item Common Keywords
11933 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
11939 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
11940 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
11944 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
11949 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
11950 useful when you use local mail and news.
11955 @subsubsection Function Interface
11957 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
11958 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
11959 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
11960 consider the following mail-source setting:
11963 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
11964 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
11967 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
11968 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
11969 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
11970 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
11971 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
11973 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
11976 @node Mail Source Customization
11977 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
11979 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
11980 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
11984 @item mail-source-crash-box
11985 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
11986 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
11987 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
11989 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
11990 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
11991 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
11993 @item mail-source-directory
11994 @vindex mail-source-directory
11995 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
11996 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
11997 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
12000 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12001 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
12002 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
12003 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
12004 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
12005 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
12007 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
12008 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
12009 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
12014 @node Fetching Mail
12015 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
12017 @vindex mail-sources
12018 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
12019 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
12020 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
12021 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
12023 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
12024 @code{nil}, the mail backends will never attempt to fetch mail by
12027 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
12028 mail server, you'd say something like:
12033 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12034 :password "secret")))
12037 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
12041 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
12042 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
12045 :password "secret")))
12049 When you use a mail backend, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
12050 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
12051 mail if you're not using a mail backend---you have to do a lot of magic
12052 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
12053 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
12054 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
12058 @node Mail Backend Variables
12059 @subsection Mail Backend Variables
12061 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
12065 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12066 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
12067 The mail backends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
12068 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
12070 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
12071 @item nnmail-split-hook
12072 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
12073 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
12074 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
12075 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
12076 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
12077 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
12078 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
12079 in the buffer will show up in any files.
12080 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
12083 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12084 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12085 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12086 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12087 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
12088 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
12089 starting to handle the new mail) and
12090 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
12091 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
12092 default file modes the new mail files get:
12095 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
12096 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
12098 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
12099 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
12102 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
12103 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
12104 If non-@code{nil}, the mail backends will use long file and directory
12105 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
12106 (assuming use of @code{nnml} backend) or files (assuming use of
12107 @code{nnfolder} backend) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
12108 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
12110 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
12111 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
12112 @findex delete-file
12113 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
12115 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12116 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12117 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
12118 the backend (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
12119 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
12124 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
12125 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
12126 @cindex mail splitting
12127 @cindex fancy mail splitting
12129 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
12130 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
12131 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
12132 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
12133 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
12134 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
12136 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
12139 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
12140 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
12141 ;; from real errors.
12142 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
12144 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
12145 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
12146 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
12147 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
12148 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
12149 ;; Other mailing lists...
12150 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
12151 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
12152 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
12153 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
12154 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
12155 ;; message was really cross-posted.
12156 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
12157 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
12159 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
12160 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
12164 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
12165 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
12166 the five possible split syntaxes:
12171 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
12172 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
12176 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
12177 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
12178 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
12179 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
12180 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
12181 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
12182 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
12183 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
12186 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12187 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
12188 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
12189 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
12192 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12193 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
12196 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
12197 this message. Use with extreme caution.
12200 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
12201 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
12202 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
12203 function should return a @var{split}.
12206 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
12207 body of the messages:
12210 (defun split-on-body ()
12212 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
12213 (goto-char (point-min))
12214 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
12218 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
12219 when the @code{:} function is run.
12222 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
12223 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
12224 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
12228 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
12232 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
12233 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
12234 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
12235 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
12236 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
12238 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
12239 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
12240 are expanded as specified by the variable
12241 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
12242 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
12245 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
12246 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
12247 when all this splitting is performed.
12249 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
12250 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
12251 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
12254 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
12257 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
12258 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
12260 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
12261 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
12262 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
12263 groupings 1 through 9.
12265 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
12266 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
12267 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
12268 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
12269 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
12270 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
12271 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
12272 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
12273 it once per thread.
12275 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to a
12276 non-nil value. And then you can include
12277 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon feature, like so:
12279 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12280 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
12281 ;; other splits go here
12285 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
12286 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
12287 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
12288 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
12289 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
12290 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
12291 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
12292 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
12293 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
12294 unless the group name matches the regexp
12295 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
12296 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
12297 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
12298 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
12299 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
12300 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
12301 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
12302 messages goes into the new group.
12305 @node Group Mail Splitting
12306 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
12307 @cindex mail splitting
12308 @cindex group mail splitting
12310 @findex gnus-group-split
12311 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
12312 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
12313 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
12314 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
12315 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
12316 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
12317 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
12318 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
12320 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
12321 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
12322 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
12323 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
12325 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
12326 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
12327 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
12328 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
12329 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
12330 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
12331 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
12333 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
12334 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
12335 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
12336 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
12337 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
12338 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
12339 @code{gnus-group-split}.
12341 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
12342 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
12343 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
12344 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
12345 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
12346 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
12347 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
12348 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
12349 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
12350 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
12351 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
12352 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
12353 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
12355 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
12360 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
12361 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
12363 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
12364 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
12365 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
12366 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
12368 ((split-spec . catch-all))
12371 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
12372 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
12373 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
12376 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
12377 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
12378 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
12382 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
12383 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
12384 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
12388 (: gnus-mlsplt-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
12391 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
12392 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
12393 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
12394 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
12395 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
12396 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
12397 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
12398 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
12399 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
12401 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
12402 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
12403 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
12404 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
12405 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
12406 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
12407 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
12408 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
12409 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
12411 @findex gnus-group-split-update
12412 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
12413 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
12414 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
12415 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
12416 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
12419 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
12422 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
12423 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
12424 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
12425 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
12426 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
12429 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
12430 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
12431 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
12432 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
12434 @node Incorporating Old Mail
12435 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
12436 @cindex incorporating old mail
12437 @cindex import old mail
12439 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
12440 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
12441 backends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
12444 Doing so can be quite easy.
12446 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
12447 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
12448 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
12449 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
12450 your @code{nnml} groups.
12456 Go to the group buffer.
12459 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
12460 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
12463 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
12466 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
12467 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
12470 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
12471 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
12474 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
12475 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
12476 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
12477 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
12478 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
12480 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
12481 backend to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
12482 using the new mail backend.
12485 @node Expiring Mail
12486 @subsection Expiring Mail
12487 @cindex article expiry
12489 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
12490 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
12491 different approach to mail reading.
12493 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
12494 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
12495 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
12496 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
12497 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
12498 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
12501 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
12502 articles as @dfn{expirable}. This does not mean that the articles will
12503 disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
12504 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
12505 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
12506 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
12507 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
12508 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
12510 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12511 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Groups that
12512 match the regular expression @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will
12513 have all articles that you read marked as expirable automatically. All
12514 articles marked as expirable have an @samp{E} in the first
12515 column in the summary buffer.
12517 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
12518 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
12519 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
12520 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
12523 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
12525 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
12526 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
12527 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
12530 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
12531 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
12532 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
12533 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
12534 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
12536 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
12537 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
12540 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
12541 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
12544 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
12545 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
12547 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
12548 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
12549 don't really mix very well.
12551 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
12552 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
12553 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
12554 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
12557 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
12558 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
12559 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
12560 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
12563 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12565 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
12567 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
12569 ((string= group "mail.junk")
12571 ((string= group "important")
12577 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
12578 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
12580 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
12581 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
12582 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
12585 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
12586 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
12588 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
12589 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
12590 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them to
12591 other groups instead of deleting them. The variable @code{nnmail-expiry-target}
12592 (and the @code{expiry-target} group parameter) controls this. The
12593 variable supplies a default value for all groups, which can be
12594 overridden for specific groups by the group parameter.
12595 default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a string (which
12596 should be the name of the group the message should be moved to), or a
12597 function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to the message in
12598 question, and with the name of the group being moved from as its
12599 parameter) which should return a target -- either a group name or
12602 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
12604 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
12608 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
12609 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
12610 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
12611 easier for procmail users.
12613 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
12614 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
12615 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
12616 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
12617 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
12618 caution. Even more dangerous is the
12619 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
12620 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
12621 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
12622 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
12623 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
12624 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
12625 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
12628 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
12630 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
12631 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
12632 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
12633 auto-expire turned on.
12637 @subsection Washing Mail
12638 @cindex mail washing
12639 @cindex list server brain damage
12640 @cindex incoming mail treatment
12642 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
12643 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
12644 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
12645 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
12646 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
12647 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
12649 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
12650 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
12651 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
12654 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
12655 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
12656 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
12657 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
12660 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12661 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
12662 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
12663 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
12664 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
12667 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12668 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
12669 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
12670 Emacs running on MS machines.
12674 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12675 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
12676 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
12677 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
12680 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12681 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
12682 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
12683 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
12685 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12686 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
12687 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
12688 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
12689 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
12690 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
12691 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
12694 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
12695 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
12698 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
12699 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
12702 This can also be done non-destructively with
12703 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
12705 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
12706 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
12707 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
12709 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12710 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
12712 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
12713 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
12714 @code{References} headers.
12718 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12719 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
12720 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
12724 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
12725 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
12726 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
12733 @subsection Duplicates
12735 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
12736 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
12737 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
12738 @cindex duplicate mails
12739 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
12740 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
12741 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
12742 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
12743 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
12744 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
12745 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
12746 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
12747 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
12748 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
12749 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
12750 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
12751 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
12753 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
12754 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
12755 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
12756 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
12758 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
12761 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
12762 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
12766 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
12767 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
12768 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
12769 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
12770 (any mail "mail.misc")
12777 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12778 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
12783 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
12784 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
12785 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
12786 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
12787 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
12790 @node Not Reading Mail
12791 @subsection Not Reading Mail
12793 If you start using any of the mail backends, they have the annoying
12794 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
12795 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
12797 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
12798 @code{nil}, none of the backends will ever attempt to read incoming
12799 mail, which should help.
12801 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12802 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12803 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12804 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
12805 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
12806 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
12807 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
12808 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All backends have
12809 variables called backend-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
12810 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
12811 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
12813 All the mail backends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
12814 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
12818 @node Choosing a Mail Backend
12819 @subsection Choosing a Mail Backend
12821 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
12822 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
12823 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
12825 There are five different mail backends in the standard Gnus, and more
12826 backends are available separately. The mail backend most people use
12827 (because it is the fastest and most flexible) is @code{nnml}
12828 (@pxref{Mail Spool}).
12831 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
12832 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
12833 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
12834 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like backend.
12835 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
12836 * Comparing Mail Backends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
12840 @node Unix Mail Box
12841 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
12843 @cindex unix mail box
12845 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12846 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12847 The @dfn{nnmbox} backend will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
12848 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
12849 which group it belongs in.
12851 Virtual server settings:
12854 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
12855 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
12856 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
12859 @item nnmbox-active-file
12860 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
12861 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
12862 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
12864 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
12865 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
12866 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
12867 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
12872 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
12876 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12877 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12878 The @dfn{nnbabyl} backend will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
12879 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
12880 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
12882 Virtual server settings:
12885 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
12886 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
12887 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
12889 @item nnbabyl-active-file
12890 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
12891 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
12892 @file{~/.rmail-active}
12894 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12895 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
12896 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
12902 @subsubsection Mail Spool
12904 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
12906 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
12907 format. It should be used with some caution.
12909 @vindex nnml-directory
12910 If you use this backend, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
12911 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
12912 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
12913 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
12915 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
12918 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
12919 in your account, you should not use this backend. As each mail gets its
12920 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
12921 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
12922 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
12923 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
12924 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
12925 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
12927 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest backend when it comes to article
12928 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
12929 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it the fastest
12930 backend when it comes to reading mail.
12932 Virtual server settings:
12935 @item nnml-directory
12936 @vindex nnml-directory
12937 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
12938 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
12941 @item nnml-active-file
12942 @vindex nnml-active-file
12943 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
12944 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
12946 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
12947 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
12948 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
12949 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
12951 @item nnml-get-new-mail
12952 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
12953 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
12956 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
12957 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
12958 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
12959 default is @code{nil}
12961 @item nnml-nov-file-name
12962 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
12963 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
12965 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12966 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
12967 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
12971 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
12972 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
12973 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
12974 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
12975 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
12976 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
12977 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
12982 @subsubsection MH Spool
12984 @cindex mh-e mail spool
12986 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
12987 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file. This makes
12988 @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower backend than @code{nnml}, but it also
12989 makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
12991 Virtual server settings:
12994 @item nnmh-directory
12995 @vindex nnmh-directory
12996 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
12997 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13000 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
13001 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
13002 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
13006 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
13007 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
13008 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
13009 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
13010 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
13011 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
13012 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
13017 @subsubsection Mail Folders
13019 @cindex mbox folders
13020 @cindex mail folders
13022 @code{nnfolder} is a backend for storing each mail group in a separate
13023 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
13024 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
13027 Virtual server settings:
13030 @item nnfolder-directory
13031 @vindex nnfolder-directory
13032 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
13033 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
13036 @item nnfolder-active-file
13037 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
13038 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
13040 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13041 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
13042 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
13043 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
13045 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
13046 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
13047 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
13050 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13051 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
13052 @cindex backup files
13053 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
13054 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
13055 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
13056 your @file{.emacs} file:
13059 (defun turn-off-backup ()
13060 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
13062 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
13065 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13066 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
13067 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
13068 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
13069 extract some information from it before removing it.
13071 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13072 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
13073 If non-@code{nil}, this backend will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
13074 default is @code{nil}.
13079 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
13080 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
13081 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
13082 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
13083 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
13084 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
13087 @node Comparing Mail Backends
13088 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Backends
13090 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{backend} is the common word for a
13091 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
13092 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
13093 and so selection of a suitable backend is required in order to get that
13094 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
13096 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
13097 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
13098 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
13099 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
13100 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
13101 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
13102 @code{nnspool} backends, to select between these methods, if one happens
13103 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
13106 The goal in selecting a mail backend is to pick one which
13107 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
13108 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
13109 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
13114 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
13115 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
13116 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
13117 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
13118 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
13119 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
13120 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
13121 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
13122 this backend, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
13123 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
13124 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
13125 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
13126 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
13131 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
13132 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
13133 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
13134 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
13135 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
13136 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
13137 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
13138 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
13139 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
13140 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
13141 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
13142 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
13143 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
13144 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
13146 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
13147 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
13152 @code{nnml} is the backend which smells the most as though you were
13153 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
13154 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
13155 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
13156 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
13157 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
13158 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
13159 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
13160 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
13161 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
13162 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
13163 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
13164 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
13165 provided by the active file and overviews.
13167 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
13168 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
13169 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
13170 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
13171 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
13174 It is also problematic using this backend if you are living in a
13175 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
13180 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
13181 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
13182 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
13183 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
13184 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
13185 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
13186 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
13190 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
13191 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
13192 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
13193 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
13194 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
13195 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
13196 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
13197 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
13198 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
13200 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
13201 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
13202 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
13203 friendly mail backend all over.
13208 @node Browsing the Web
13209 @section Browsing the Web
13211 @cindex browsing the web
13215 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
13216 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
13217 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
13218 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
13219 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
13220 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
13221 even know what a news group is.
13223 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
13224 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
13225 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
13226 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
13227 you mad in the end.
13229 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
13232 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of backends for providing
13233 interfaces to these sources.
13236 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
13237 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
13238 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
13239 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
13240 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
13241 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
13244 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
13246 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
13247 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
13248 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus backend
13249 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these backends,
13250 though, you should be ok.
13252 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
13253 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
13254 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
13255 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
13256 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
13260 @subsection Web Searches
13264 @cindex InReference
13265 @cindex Usenet searches
13266 @cindex searching the Usenet
13268 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
13269 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
13270 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
13271 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
13272 searches without having to use a browser.
13274 The @code{nnweb} backend allows an easy interface to the mighty search
13275 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
13276 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
13277 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
13278 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
13280 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
13281 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
13282 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
13283 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
13284 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
13285 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
13286 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
13287 engines (DejaNews, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
13288 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
13289 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
13292 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
13293 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
13294 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
13295 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
13296 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
13297 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
13299 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
13300 to use @code{nnweb}.
13302 Virtual server variables:
13307 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
13308 are @code{dejanews}, @code{dejanewsold}, @code{altavista} and
13312 @vindex nnweb-search
13313 The search string to feed to the search engine.
13315 @item nnweb-max-hits
13316 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
13317 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
13320 @item nnweb-type-definition
13321 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
13322 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
13323 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
13328 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
13332 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
13335 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
13338 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
13342 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
13349 @subsection Slashdot
13353 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
13354 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
13355 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
13357 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
13358 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
13361 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
13362 '((nnslashdot "")))
13365 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} backend for new comments
13366 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
13367 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
13368 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
13369 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
13372 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
13373 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13375 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
13376 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
13377 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
13378 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
13379 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
13380 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
13383 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
13386 @item nnslashdot-threaded
13387 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
13388 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
13389 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
13390 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
13391 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
13392 but much, much slower than untreaded.
13394 @item nnslashdot-login-name
13395 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
13396 The login name to use when posting.
13398 @item nnslashdot-password
13399 @vindex nnslashdot-password
13400 The password to use when posting.
13402 @item nnslashdot-directory
13403 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
13404 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
13405 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
13407 @item nnslashdot-active-url
13408 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
13409 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
13410 news articles and comments. The default is
13411 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
13413 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
13414 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
13415 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
13417 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
13419 @item nnslashdot-article-url
13420 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
13421 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
13423 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
13425 @item nnslashdot-threshold
13426 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
13427 The score threshold. The default is -1.
13429 @item nnslashdot-group-number
13430 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
13431 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
13432 updated. The default is 0.
13439 @subsection Ultimate
13441 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
13443 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
13444 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
13445 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
13446 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
13448 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
13449 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
13450 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
13451 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
13452 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
13453 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
13454 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
13456 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
13459 @item nnultimate-directory
13460 @vindex nnultimate-directory
13461 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
13462 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
13467 @subsection Web Archive
13469 @cindex Web Archive
13471 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
13472 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
13473 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
13474 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13477 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
13478 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
13479 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
13480 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
13481 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
13482 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
13483 backend by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
13485 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
13488 @item nnwarchive-directory
13489 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
13490 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
13491 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
13493 @item nnwarchive-login
13494 @vindex nnwarchive-login
13495 The account name on the web server.
13497 @item nnwarchive-passwd
13498 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
13499 The password for your account on the web server.
13507 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
13508 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
13509 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
13512 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
13513 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
13516 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
13519 @item nnrss-directory
13520 @vindex nnrss-directory
13521 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
13522 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
13526 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
13527 the summary buffer.
13530 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
13531 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
13533 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
13535 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
13536 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
13539 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
13542 (require 'browse-url)
13544 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
13546 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
13549 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
13550 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
13552 (browse-url (cdr url))
13553 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
13555 (eval-after-load "gnus"
13556 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
13557 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
13558 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
13561 @node Customizing w3
13562 @subsection Customizing w3
13568 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
13569 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
13570 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
13572 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
13573 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
13574 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
13577 (eval-after-load "w3"
13579 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
13580 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
13581 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
13582 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
13584 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
13587 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
13588 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
13592 @node Other Sources
13593 @section Other Sources
13595 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
13596 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
13600 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
13601 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
13602 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
13603 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
13604 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
13605 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
13609 @node Directory Groups
13610 @subsection Directory Groups
13612 @cindex directory groups
13614 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
13615 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
13618 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
13619 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
13620 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
13621 backend to read directories. Big deal.
13623 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
13624 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
13625 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
13626 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
13627 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
13629 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
13631 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' backend---you can't delete or expire
13632 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
13633 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
13634 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
13637 @node Anything Groups
13638 @subsection Anything Groups
13641 From the @code{nndir} backend (which reads a single spool-like
13642 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
13643 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
13646 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
13647 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
13648 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
13649 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
13650 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
13651 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
13652 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
13653 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
13654 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
13655 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
13658 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
13659 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
13660 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
13661 in the article buffer, just as usual.
13663 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
13664 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
13665 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
13666 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
13668 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
13669 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
13670 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
13671 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
13672 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
13673 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
13674 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
13675 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
13680 @item nneething-map-file-directory
13681 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
13682 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
13683 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
13685 @item nneething-exclude-files
13686 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
13687 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
13688 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
13690 @item nneething-include-files
13691 @vindex nneething-include-files
13692 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
13693 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
13695 @item nneething-map-file
13696 @vindex nneething-map-file
13697 Name of the map files.
13701 @node Document Groups
13702 @subsection Document Groups
13704 @cindex documentation group
13707 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
13708 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
13715 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
13720 The standard Unix mbox file.
13722 @cindex MMDF mail box
13724 The MMDF mail box format.
13727 Several news articles appended into a file.
13730 @cindex rnews batch files
13731 The rnews batch transport format.
13732 @cindex forwarded messages
13735 Forwarded articles.
13738 Netscape mail boxes.
13741 MIME multipart messages.
13743 @item standard-digest
13744 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
13747 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
13750 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
13751 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
13752 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
13755 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
13756 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
13757 group. And that's it.
13759 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
13760 new & spiffy Gnus mail backend, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
13761 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
13762 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
13763 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
13764 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
13765 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
13766 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
13767 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
13768 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
13770 Virtual server variables:
13773 @item nndoc-article-type
13774 @vindex nndoc-article-type
13775 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
13776 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
13777 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
13778 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail} or @code{guess}.
13780 @item nndoc-post-type
13781 @vindex nndoc-post-type
13782 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
13783 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
13788 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
13792 @node Document Server Internals
13793 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
13795 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
13796 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
13797 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
13798 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
13800 First, here's an example document type definition:
13804 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
13805 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
13808 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
13809 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
13810 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
13811 types can be defined with very few settings:
13814 @item first-article
13815 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
13816 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
13819 @item article-begin
13820 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
13821 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
13823 @item head-begin-function
13824 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
13827 @item nndoc-head-begin
13828 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
13831 @item nndoc-head-end
13832 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
13833 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
13835 @item body-begin-function
13836 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
13840 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
13843 @item body-end-function
13844 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
13848 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
13851 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
13852 regexp will be totally ignored.
13856 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
13857 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
13858 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
13859 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
13860 something that's palatable for Gnus:
13863 @item prepare-body-function
13864 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
13865 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
13866 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
13868 @item article-transform-function
13869 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
13870 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
13871 body of the article.
13873 @item generate-head-function
13874 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
13875 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
13876 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
13877 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
13881 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
13886 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13887 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
13888 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
13889 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
13890 (head-end . "^ ?$")
13891 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
13892 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
13893 (subtype digest guess))
13896 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
13897 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
13898 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
13899 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
13900 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
13902 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
13903 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
13904 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
13905 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
13906 traversed sequentially, and @code{nndoc-TYPE-type-p} is called for a given type @code{TYPE}. So @code{nndoc-mmdf-type-p} is called to see whether a document
13907 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
13908 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
13909 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
13910 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
13911 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
13919 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
13920 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
13921 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
13923 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
13924 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
13925 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
13928 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
13929 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
13930 that interested in doing things properly.
13932 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
13933 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
13936 First some terminology:
13941 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
13942 get news and/or mail from.
13945 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
13946 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
13949 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
13953 @item message packets
13954 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
13955 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
13956 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13958 @item response packets
13959 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
13960 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
13961 default, where @var{x} is a number.
13971 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
13972 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
13973 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
13974 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
13977 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
13980 You put the packet in your home directory.
13983 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} backend as
13984 the native or secondary server.
13987 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
13988 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
13991 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
13995 You transfer this packet to the server.
13998 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
14001 You then repeat until you die.
14005 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
14006 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
14009 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
14010 * SOUP Groups:: A backend for reading @sc{soup} packets.
14011 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
14015 @node SOUP Commands
14016 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
14018 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
14022 @kindex G s b (Group)
14023 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
14024 Pack all unread articles in the current group
14025 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
14026 process/prefix convention.
14029 @kindex G s w (Group)
14030 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
14031 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
14034 @kindex G s s (Group)
14035 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
14036 Send all replies from the replies packet
14037 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
14040 @kindex G s p (Group)
14041 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
14042 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
14045 @kindex G s r (Group)
14046 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
14047 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
14050 @kindex O s (Summary)
14051 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
14052 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
14053 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
14054 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
14059 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
14064 @item gnus-soup-directory
14065 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
14066 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
14067 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
14069 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
14070 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
14071 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
14072 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
14074 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
14075 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
14076 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
14077 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
14079 @item gnus-soup-packer
14080 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
14081 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14082 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
14084 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
14085 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
14086 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
14087 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14089 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
14090 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
14091 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
14093 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14094 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
14095 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
14096 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
14102 @subsubsection @sc{soup} Groups
14105 @code{nnsoup} is the backend for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
14106 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
14107 you can read them at leisure.
14109 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
14113 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
14114 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
14115 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
14116 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
14118 @item nnsoup-directory
14119 @vindex nnsoup-directory
14120 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
14121 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
14123 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
14124 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
14125 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
14126 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
14128 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
14129 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
14130 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
14131 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
14132 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
14134 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
14135 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
14136 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
14137 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
14139 @item nnsoup-active-file
14140 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
14141 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
14142 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
14143 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
14144 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
14146 @item nnsoup-packer
14147 @vindex nnsoup-packer
14148 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
14149 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
14151 @item nnsoup-unpacker
14152 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
14153 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
14154 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
14156 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
14157 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
14158 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
14161 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
14162 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
14163 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
14166 @item nnsoup-always-save
14167 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
14168 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
14174 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
14176 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
14177 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
14178 more for that to happen.
14180 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
14181 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
14182 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
14185 In specific, this is what it does:
14188 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
14189 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
14192 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
14193 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
14194 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
14197 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
14198 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
14199 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
14202 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
14203 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
14204 The @code{nngateway} backend provides the interface.
14206 Note that you can't read anything from this backend---it can only be
14212 @item nngateway-address
14213 @vindex nngateway-address
14214 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
14216 @item nngateway-header-transformation
14217 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
14218 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
14219 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
14220 transformation should be called, and defaults to
14221 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
14222 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
14225 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
14226 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
14227 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
14230 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
14233 will get this @code{From} header inserted:
14236 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
14239 The following pre-defined functions exist:
14241 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14244 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
14245 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14246 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
14248 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14250 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
14251 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
14252 @code{nngateway-address}.
14257 (setq gnus-post-method
14259 "mail2news@@replay.com"
14260 (nngateway-header-transformation
14261 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
14269 So, to use this, simply say something like:
14272 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
14278 @subsection @sc{imap}
14282 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14283 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14284 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14285 specify the network address of the server.
14287 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14288 POP can, it can hence be viewed as POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14289 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14290 protocol. (@sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp} because news
14291 is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.)
14293 If you want to use @sc{imap} as POP++, use an imap entry in
14294 mail-sources. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the @sc{imap}
14295 server and store them on the local disk. This is not the usage
14296 described in this section. @xref{Mail Sources}.
14298 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
14299 entry in gnus-secondary-select-methods. With this, Gnus will
14300 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
14301 usage explained in this section.
14303 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
14304 might look something like this:
14307 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14308 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
14309 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
14311 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14312 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
14313 ; a UW server running on localhost
14315 (nnimap-server-port 143)
14316 (nnimap-address "localhost")
14317 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
14318 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
14319 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
14320 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
14321 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
14322 (nnimap-stream network))
14323 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
14325 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
14326 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
14327 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
14330 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
14335 @item nnimap-address
14336 @vindex nnimap-address
14338 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
14339 server name if not specified.
14341 @item nnimap-server-port
14342 @vindex nnimap-server-port
14343 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
14345 Note that this should be a integer, example server specification:
14348 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14349 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
14352 @item nnimap-list-pattern
14353 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
14354 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
14355 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
14356 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
14357 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
14358 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
14360 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
14361 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
14362 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
14365 Example server specification:
14368 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14369 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
14370 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
14373 @item nnimap-stream
14374 @vindex nnimap-stream
14375 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
14376 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
14377 of SSL. (SSL is being replaced by STARTTLS, which can be automatically
14378 detected, but it's not widely deployed yet).
14380 Example server specification:
14383 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14384 (nnimap-stream ssl))
14387 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
14391 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5). Requires the
14392 @samp{imtest} program.
14394 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
14396 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
14397 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
14400 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the
14401 program @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}).
14403 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
14405 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
14408 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
14409 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
14410 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
14411 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
14412 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
14413 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
14414 restrictions on IMAP commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
14415 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
14416 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
14419 @vindex imap-ssl-program
14420 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
14421 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
14422 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
14423 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
14424 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
14425 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
14428 @vindex imap-shell-program
14429 @vindex imap-shell-host
14430 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
14431 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
14433 @item nnimap-authenticator
14434 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
14436 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
14437 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
14439 Example server specification:
14442 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
14443 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
14446 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
14450 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Require
14451 external program @code{imtest}.
14453 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos authentication. Require external program
14456 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Require
14457 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
14459 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
14461 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
14463 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
14466 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
14468 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
14469 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
14470 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
14471 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
14472 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
14473 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{G DEL} or
14476 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
14477 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
14478 running in circles yet?
14480 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
14481 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
14484 The possible options are:
14489 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
14492 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
14493 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
14494 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
14495 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
14497 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
14502 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
14503 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
14505 If non-nil, marks dormant articles as ticked (as well), for other IMAP
14506 clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will naturally still (only) be
14507 marked as ticked. This is to make dormant articles stand out, just
14508 like ticked articles, in other IMAP clients. (In other words, Gnus has
14509 two ``Tick'' marks and IMAP has only one.)
14511 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
14512 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
14515 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
14516 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14517 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
14518 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
14521 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
14522 as ticked for other users.
14524 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
14526 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
14528 This variable contain the IMAP search command sent to server when
14529 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
14530 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
14531 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
14533 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
14534 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
14535 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
14536 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
14538 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
14539 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
14541 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
14542 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
14543 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
14549 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
14550 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
14551 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
14556 @node Splitting in IMAP
14557 @subsubsection Splitting in @sc{imap}
14558 @cindex splitting imap mail
14560 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
14561 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
14562 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
14563 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
14564 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
14568 Here are the variables of interest:
14572 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
14573 @cindex splitting, crosspost
14575 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
14577 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
14578 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
14580 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
14582 @item nnimap-split-inbox
14583 @cindex splitting, inbox
14585 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
14587 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
14588 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
14592 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
14593 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
14596 No nnmail equivalent.
14598 @item nnimap-split-rule
14599 @cindex Splitting, rules
14600 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
14602 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
14605 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
14606 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
14607 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
14608 Neither did I, we need examples.
14611 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14613 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
14614 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
14615 ("INBOX.private" "")))
14618 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
14619 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
14620 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
14622 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
14623 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
14627 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
14630 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
14631 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
14632 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
14633 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
14635 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
14636 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
14637 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
14638 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
14639 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
14640 them every time you fetch new mail.)
14642 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
14643 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
14644 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
14646 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
14647 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
14648 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14650 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it need too.
14652 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
14653 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
14654 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
14657 (setq nnimap-split-rule
14658 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
14659 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
14660 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
14661 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
14662 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
14665 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
14666 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
14667 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
14668 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
14669 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
14670 group/function elements.
14672 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
14674 @item nnimap-split-predicate
14676 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
14678 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
14679 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
14681 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
14682 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
14683 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
14686 @item nnimap-split-fancy
14687 @cindex splitting, fancy
14688 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
14689 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
14691 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14692 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
14693 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
14695 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
14696 nnimap backends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
14697 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
14698 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
14703 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
14704 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
14707 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
14711 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
14712 @subsubsection Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14713 @cindex editing imap acls
14714 @cindex Access Control Lists
14715 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
14717 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
14719 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
14720 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
14721 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
14724 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
14725 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
14726 editing window with detailed instructions.
14728 Some possible uses:
14732 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
14733 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
14734 follow the list without subscribing to it.
14736 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
14737 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
14738 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
14742 @node Expunging mailboxes
14743 @subsubsection Expunging mailboxes
14747 @cindex Manual expunging
14749 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
14751 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
14752 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
14753 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
14755 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
14760 @node Combined Groups
14761 @section Combined Groups
14763 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
14767 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
14768 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
14772 @node Virtual Groups
14773 @subsection Virtual Groups
14775 @cindex virtual groups
14776 @cindex merging groups
14778 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
14781 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
14782 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
14783 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
14785 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
14786 regexp to match component groups.
14788 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
14789 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
14790 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it came.
14791 (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be shown in
14792 the virtual group.)
14794 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
14795 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
14798 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
14801 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
14802 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
14804 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
14805 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
14806 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
14807 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
14810 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
14813 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
14814 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
14815 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
14817 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
14818 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
14819 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
14820 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
14821 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
14823 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
14824 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
14825 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
14827 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
14828 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
14829 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
14830 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
14831 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
14832 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
14833 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
14834 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
14835 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
14836 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
14837 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
14839 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
14840 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
14841 has to ask the backend of the component group the article comes from
14842 whether it is a news or mail backend. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
14843 there is typically no sure way for the component backend to know this,
14844 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
14845 not-news backend. (Just to be on the safe side.)
14847 @kbd{C-c C-t} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
14848 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
14852 @node Kibozed Groups
14853 @subsection Kibozed Groups
14857 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
14858 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a backend that will do this for
14859 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
14860 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
14862 @kindex G k (Group)
14863 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
14866 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
14867 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
14868 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
14869 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
14871 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
14872 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
14873 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
14875 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
14876 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
14877 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
14878 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
14879 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
14880 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
14881 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
14882 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
14884 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
14885 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
14886 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
14887 Stranger things have happened.
14889 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
14890 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
14892 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
14893 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
14894 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
14895 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
14896 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
14897 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
14899 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
14900 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
14903 @node Gnus Unplugged
14904 @section Gnus Unplugged
14909 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
14911 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
14912 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
14913 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
14914 read news. Believe it or not.
14916 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
14917 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
14918 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
14919 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
14920 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
14922 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
14923 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
14924 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
14925 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
14926 reading news on a machine.
14928 Using Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple.
14932 First, set up Gnus as you would do if you were running it on a machine
14933 that has full connection to the net. Go ahead. I'll still be waiting
14937 Then, put the following magical incantation at the end of your
14938 @file{.gnus.el} file:
14945 That's it. Gnus is now an ``offline'' newsreader.
14947 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
14950 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
14951 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
14952 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
14953 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
14954 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
14955 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
14956 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
14957 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
14958 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
14959 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
14964 @subsection Agent Basics
14966 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
14968 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
14969 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
14970 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
14971 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
14973 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
14974 connected to the net continuously.
14976 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
14977 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
14979 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
14984 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
14985 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
14986 already fetched while in this mode.
14989 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
14990 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
14991 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
14992 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
14993 Source Specifiers}).
14996 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
14997 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
14998 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
14999 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
15000 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
15003 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
15004 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
15005 then you read the news offline.
15008 And then you go to step 2.
15011 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
15017 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
15018 backend, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
15019 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
15020 @kbd{J a} the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
15021 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}). This will typically be only the
15022 primary select method, which is listed on the bottom in the buffer.
15025 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
15032 @node Agent Categories
15033 @subsection Agent Categories
15035 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
15036 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
15037 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
15038 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
15039 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
15040 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
15041 you're interested in the articles anyway.
15043 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
15044 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
15045 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
15046 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
15047 managing categories.
15050 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
15051 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
15052 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
15056 @node Category Syntax
15057 @subsubsection Category Syntax
15059 A category consists of two things.
15063 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
15064 are eligible for downloading; and
15067 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
15068 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
15069 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
15072 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
15073 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
15074 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
15075 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
15077 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
15078 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
15079 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
15081 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
15082 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
15083 operators sprinkled in between.
15085 Perhaps some examples are in order.
15087 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
15088 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
15094 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
15095 short (for some value of ``short'').
15097 Here's a more complex predicate:
15106 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
15107 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
15110 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
15111 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
15112 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
15114 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
15115 you want to do, you can write your own.
15119 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
15120 lines; default 100.
15123 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
15124 lines; default 200.
15127 True iff the article has a download score less than
15128 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
15131 True iff the article has a download score greater than
15132 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
15135 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
15136 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
15137 checksum and sees whether articles match.
15146 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
15147 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
15148 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
15151 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
15152 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
15153 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
15154 something along the lines of the following:
15157 (defun my-article-old-p ()
15158 "Say whether an article is old."
15159 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
15160 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
15163 with the predicate then defined as:
15166 (not my-article-old-p)
15169 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
15170 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
15171 wherever. (Note: this would have to be at a point *after*
15172 @code{gnus-agent} has been loaded via @code{(gnus-agentize)})
15175 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
15176 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
15177 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
15180 and simply specify your predicate as:
15186 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
15187 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
15188 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
15189 just don't give a damn.
15191 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
15192 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
15193 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
15194 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
15195 parameters like so:
15198 (agent-predicate . short)
15201 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
15202 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
15203 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
15205 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
15208 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
15211 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
15212 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
15213 predicate is assumed to be a list.
15216 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
15217 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
15218 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
15219 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
15220 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
15221 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
15223 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
15224 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
15225 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
15226 if it's to be specific to that group.
15228 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
15235 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
15236 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
15242 Category specification
15246 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15252 Group Parameter specification
15255 (agent-score ("from"
15256 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
15261 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
15267 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
15274 Category specification
15277 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
15283 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
15287 Group Parameter specification
15290 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
15293 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
15298 Use @code{normal} score files
15300 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
15301 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
15302 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
15303 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
15305 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
15306 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
15307 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
15308 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
15312 Category Specification
15319 Group Parameter specification
15322 (agent-score . file)
15327 @node Category Buffer
15328 @subsubsection Category Buffer
15330 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
15331 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
15332 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
15334 The following commands are available in this buffer:
15338 @kindex q (Category)
15339 @findex gnus-category-exit
15340 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
15343 @kindex k (Category)
15344 @findex gnus-category-kill
15345 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
15348 @kindex c (Category)
15349 @findex gnus-category-copy
15350 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
15353 @kindex a (Category)
15354 @findex gnus-category-add
15355 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
15358 @kindex p (Category)
15359 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
15360 Edit the predicate of the current category
15361 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
15364 @kindex g (Category)
15365 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
15366 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
15367 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
15370 @kindex s (Category)
15371 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
15372 Edit the download score rule of the current category
15373 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
15376 @kindex l (Category)
15377 @findex gnus-category-list
15378 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
15382 @node Category Variables
15383 @subsubsection Category Variables
15386 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
15387 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
15388 Hook run in category buffers.
15390 @item gnus-category-line-format
15391 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
15392 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
15393 Variables}). Valid elements are:
15397 The name of the category.
15400 The number of groups in the category.
15403 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
15404 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
15405 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
15407 @item gnus-agent-short-article
15408 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
15409 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
15411 @item gnus-agent-long-article
15412 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
15413 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
15415 @item gnus-agent-low-score
15416 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
15417 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
15420 @item gnus-agent-high-score
15421 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
15422 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
15428 @node Agent Commands
15429 @subsection Agent Commands
15431 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
15432 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged} command works in all modes, and
15433 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
15437 * Group Agent Commands::
15438 * Summary Agent Commands::
15439 * Server Agent Commands::
15442 You can run a complete batch fetch from the command line with the
15443 following incantation:
15445 @cindex gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15447 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch-fetch
15452 @node Group Agent Commands
15453 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
15457 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
15458 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
15459 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
15460 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
15463 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
15464 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
15465 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
15468 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
15469 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
15470 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
15471 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
15474 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
15475 @findex gnus-group-send-drafts
15476 Send all sendable messages in the draft group
15477 (@code{gnus-group-send-drafts}). @xref{Drafts}.
15480 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
15481 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
15482 Add the current group to an Agent category
15483 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
15484 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15487 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
15488 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
15489 Remove the current group from its category, if any
15490 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
15491 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
15494 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
15495 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15496 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
15502 @node Summary Agent Commands
15503 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
15507 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
15508 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
15509 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
15512 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
15513 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
15514 Remove the downloading mark from the article
15515 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
15518 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
15519 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
15520 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
15523 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
15524 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
15525 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
15530 @node Server Agent Commands
15531 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
15535 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
15536 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
15537 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
15538 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
15541 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
15542 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
15543 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
15544 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
15550 @subsection Agent Expiry
15552 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
15553 @findex gnus-agent-expire
15554 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
15555 @cindex Agent expiry
15556 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
15559 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
15560 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
15561 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
15562 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
15563 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
15564 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
15566 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
15567 if @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
15568 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
15569 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
15570 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
15573 @node Agent and IMAP
15574 @subsection Agent and IMAP
15576 The Agent work with any Gnus backend, including nnimap. However,
15577 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
15578 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
15579 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
15581 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
15582 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
15583 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
15584 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
15586 Gnus keep track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
15587 Agent by default. When you plug back in, by default Gnus will check if
15588 you have any changed any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these
15589 with the server. This behavior is customizable with
15590 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
15592 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
15593 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
15594 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, the
15595 default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so ask if
15596 you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has any other
15597 value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
15599 If you do not wish to automatically synchronize flags when you
15600 re-connect, this can be done manually with the
15601 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
15602 in the group buffer by default.
15604 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
15605 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
15610 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
15613 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
15617 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
15618 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
15619 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
15620 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
15621 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
15622 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
15623 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
15624 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
15627 @node Outgoing Messages
15628 @subsection Outgoing Messages
15630 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
15631 stored in the draft groups (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view them there
15632 after posting, and edit them at will.
15634 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
15635 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
15636 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
15637 messages in the draft group.
15641 @node Agent Variables
15642 @subsection Agent Variables
15645 @item gnus-agent-directory
15646 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
15647 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
15648 @file{~/News/agent/}.
15650 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
15651 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
15652 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
15653 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
15654 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
15657 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15658 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
15659 Hook run when connecting to the network.
15661 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15662 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
15663 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
15668 @node Example Setup
15669 @subsection Example Setup
15671 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
15672 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
15673 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
15676 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
15677 ;;; from your ISP's server.
15678 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
15680 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
15681 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
15682 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
15684 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
15685 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
15687 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
15691 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
15692 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
15695 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
15696 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
15697 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
15698 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
15699 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
15702 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
15703 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
15704 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
15705 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
15706 back all the killed groups.)
15708 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
15709 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
15710 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
15713 @node Batching Agents
15714 @subsection Batching Agents
15716 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
15717 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
15718 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
15722 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
15726 @node Agent Caveats
15727 @subsection Agent Caveats
15729 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
15730 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
15734 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the
15739 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists
15740 in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
15746 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
15747 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP.
15754 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
15755 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
15756 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
15759 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
15760 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
15761 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
15762 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
15763 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
15765 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
15766 before generating the summary buffer.
15768 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
15769 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
15770 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
15772 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
15773 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
15774 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
15775 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
15778 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
15779 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
15780 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
15781 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
15782 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
15783 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
15784 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
15785 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
15786 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
15787 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
15788 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
15789 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
15790 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
15791 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
15792 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
15793 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
15794 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
15798 @node Summary Score Commands
15799 @section Summary Score Commands
15800 @cindex score commands
15802 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
15803 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
15804 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
15805 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
15806 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
15808 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
15809 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
15810 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
15811 score file the current one.
15813 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
15818 @kindex V s (Summary)
15819 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
15820 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
15823 @kindex V S (Summary)
15824 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
15825 Display the score of the current article
15826 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
15829 @kindex V t (Summary)
15830 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
15831 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
15832 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
15835 @kindex V R (Summary)
15836 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
15837 Run the current summary through the scoring process
15838 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
15839 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
15840 effect you're having.
15843 @kindex V c (Summary)
15844 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
15845 Make a different score file the current
15846 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
15849 @kindex V e (Summary)
15850 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
15851 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
15852 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
15856 @kindex V f (Summary)
15857 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
15858 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
15859 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
15862 @kindex V F (Summary)
15863 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
15864 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
15865 after editing score files.
15868 @kindex V C (Summary)
15869 @findex gnus-score-customize
15870 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
15871 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
15875 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
15880 @kindex V m (Summary)
15881 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
15882 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
15883 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
15886 @kindex V x (Summary)
15887 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
15888 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
15889 expunge all articles below this score
15890 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
15893 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
15894 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
15897 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
15898 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
15902 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
15903 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
15905 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
15906 keys are available:
15910 Score on the author name.
15913 Score on the subject line.
15916 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
15919 Score on the @code{References} line.
15925 Score on the number of lines.
15928 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
15931 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
15932 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
15933 @file{ADAPT} files.)
15942 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
15948 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
15949 what headers you are scoring on.
15961 Substring matching.
15964 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
15993 Greater than number.
15998 The fourth and final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e., expiring)
15999 score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry, or whether
16000 it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score file.
16004 Temporary score entry.
16007 Permanent score entry.
16010 Immediately scoring.
16015 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
16016 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
16017 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
16018 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
16020 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
16021 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
16022 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
16023 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
16024 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
16026 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
16027 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
16028 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
16029 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
16030 current score file.
16032 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
16033 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
16034 pretend they are keymaps or not.
16037 @node Group Score Commands
16038 @section Group Score Commands
16039 @cindex group score commands
16041 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
16046 @kindex W f (Group)
16047 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
16048 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
16049 all the time. This command will flush the cache
16050 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
16054 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
16056 @findex gnus-batch-score
16057 @cindex batch scoring
16059 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
16063 @node Score Variables
16064 @section Score Variables
16065 @cindex score variables
16069 @item gnus-use-scoring
16070 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
16071 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
16072 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
16074 @item gnus-kill-killed
16075 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
16076 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
16077 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
16078 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
16079 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
16080 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
16081 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
16083 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
16084 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
16085 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
16086 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
16087 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
16089 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
16090 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
16091 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
16092 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
16094 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16095 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
16096 @cindex score cache
16097 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
16098 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
16099 bloated, so this regexp can be used to weed out score files unlikely to be needed again. It would be a bad idea to deny caching of
16100 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
16101 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
16102 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
16105 @item gnus-save-score
16106 @vindex gnus-save-score
16107 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
16108 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
16109 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
16111 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
16112 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
16113 across group visits.
16115 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16116 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
16117 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
16118 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
16119 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
16120 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
16121 manually entered data.
16123 @item gnus-summary-default-score
16124 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
16125 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
16127 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
16128 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
16129 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
16130 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
16131 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
16132 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
16134 @item gnus-score-over-mark
16135 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
16136 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
16137 default. Default is @samp{+}.
16139 @item gnus-score-below-mark
16140 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
16141 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
16142 default. Default is @samp{-}.
16144 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16145 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
16146 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
16147 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
16149 Predefined functions available are:
16152 @item gnus-score-find-single
16153 @findex gnus-score-find-single
16154 Only apply the group's own score file.
16156 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
16157 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
16158 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
16159 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
16160 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
16161 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
16162 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
16163 then a regexp match is done.
16165 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
16166 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
16168 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
16169 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
16170 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
16171 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
16173 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16174 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
16175 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
16176 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
16177 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
16181 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all these
16182 functions will be called with the group name as argument, and all the
16183 returned lists of score files will be applied. These functions can also
16184 return lists of score alists directly. In that case, the functions that
16185 return these non-file score alists should probably be placed before the
16186 ``real'' score file functions, to ensure that the last score file
16187 returned is the local score file. Phu.
16189 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
16190 overall score file, you could use the value
16192 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
16193 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
16196 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
16197 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
16198 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
16199 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
16200 are expired. It's 7 by default.
16202 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16203 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
16204 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, matching score entries will have
16205 their dates updated. (This is how Gnus controls expiry---all
16206 non-matching entries will become too old while matching entries will
16207 stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this variable to @code{nil},
16208 even matching entries will grow old and will have to face that oh-so
16211 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16212 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
16213 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
16215 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
16216 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
16217 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
16218 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
16219 threading---according to the current value of
16220 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
16221 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
16222 simplified in this manner.
16227 @node Score File Format
16228 @section Score File Format
16229 @cindex score file format
16231 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
16232 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
16233 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
16235 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
16239 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
16241 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
16243 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
16245 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
16250 (mark-and-expunge -10)
16254 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
16255 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
16256 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
16257 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
16261 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
16262 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
16264 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
16265 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
16266 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
16268 Six keys are supported by this alist:
16273 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
16274 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
16275 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
16276 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
16277 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
16278 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
16279 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
16280 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
16281 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
16282 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
16283 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
16284 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
16285 to articles that matches these score entries.
16287 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
16288 score entry has one to four elements.
16292 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
16293 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
16297 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
16298 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
16299 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
16300 is successful. If this element is not present, the
16301 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
16302 instead. This is 1000 by default.
16305 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
16306 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
16307 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
16308 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
16309 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
16312 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
16313 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
16314 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
16315 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
16318 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
16319 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
16320 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
16321 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
16322 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
16323 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
16324 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
16325 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
16326 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
16327 instead, if you feel like.
16330 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
16331 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
16333 These predicates are true if
16336 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
16339 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
16340 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
16347 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
16348 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
16349 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
16350 it's not. I think.)
16352 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some backends (like
16353 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
16354 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
16355 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
16358 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
16359 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
16360 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
16361 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
16362 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
16363 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
16364 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
16368 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
16369 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
16370 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
16371 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
16372 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
16373 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
16374 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
16375 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
16378 @item Head, Body, All
16379 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
16383 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
16384 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
16385 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
16386 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
16387 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
16388 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
16389 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
16393 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
16394 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
16395 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
16396 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
16397 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
16398 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
16399 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
16400 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
16401 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
16402 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
16403 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
16407 @cindex Score File Atoms
16409 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16410 lower than this number will be marked as read.
16413 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16414 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
16416 @item mark-and-expunge
16417 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
16418 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
16421 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
16422 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
16423 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
16424 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
16425 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
16428 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
16429 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
16432 @item exclude-files
16433 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
16434 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
16438 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
16439 ignored when handling global score files.
16442 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
16443 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
16444 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
16445 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
16448 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
16449 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
16450 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
16451 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
16453 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
16457 (mark-and-expunge -100)
16460 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
16461 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
16462 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
16463 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
16464 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
16466 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
16467 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
16468 scoring rules exist.
16471 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
16472 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
16473 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
16474 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
16475 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
16476 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
16477 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16478 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
16479 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
16480 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
16481 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
16485 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
16486 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
16487 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
16488 file for a number of groups.
16491 @cindex local variables
16492 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
16493 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
16494 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
16495 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
16496 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
16500 @node Score File Editing
16501 @section Score File Editing
16503 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
16504 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
16505 with a mode for that.
16507 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
16508 additional commands:
16513 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
16514 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
16515 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
16516 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
16519 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
16520 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
16521 Insert the current date in numerical format
16522 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
16523 you were wondering.
16526 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
16527 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
16528 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
16529 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
16530 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
16535 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
16537 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
16538 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
16540 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
16541 e} to begin editing score files.
16544 @node Adaptive Scoring
16545 @section Adaptive Scoring
16546 @cindex adaptive scoring
16548 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
16549 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
16550 stupidity, to be precise.
16552 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
16553 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
16554 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
16555 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
16556 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
16557 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
16558 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
16559 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
16560 variable to @code{(word line)}.
16562 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16563 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
16564 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
16565 might look something like this:
16568 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
16569 '((gnus-unread-mark)
16570 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
16571 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
16572 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
16573 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
16574 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
16575 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
16576 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
16577 (gnus-ancient-mark)
16578 (gnus-low-score-mark)
16579 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
16582 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
16583 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
16584 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
16585 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
16586 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
16587 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
16590 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
16591 will be applied to each article.
16593 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
16594 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
16595 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
16596 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
16598 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
16599 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
16600 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
16601 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
16603 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
16604 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
16605 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
16606 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
16608 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
16609 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
16610 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
16611 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
16612 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
16613 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
16615 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
16616 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
16617 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
16618 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
16619 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
16620 aspirins afterwards.)
16622 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
16623 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
16624 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
16626 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
16627 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
16628 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
16630 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
16631 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
16632 let you use different rules in different groups.
16634 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
16635 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
16636 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
16639 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
16640 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
16641 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
16642 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
16643 the length of the match is less than
16644 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
16645 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
16648 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16649 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
16650 headers. If you adapt on words, the
16651 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
16652 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
16655 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
16656 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
16657 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
16658 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
16659 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
16662 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
16663 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
16664 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
16665 score with 30 points.
16667 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
16668 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
16669 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
16670 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
16671 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
16673 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
16674 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
16675 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
16676 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
16677 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
16679 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
16680 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
16681 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
16682 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
16684 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
16685 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
16686 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
16687 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
16689 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
16690 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
16691 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
16692 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
16693 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
16695 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
16696 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
16697 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
16699 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
16700 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
16701 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
16702 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
16705 @node Home Score File
16706 @section Home Score File
16708 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
16709 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
16710 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
16711 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
16713 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
16714 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
16715 could perhaps use the same home score file.
16717 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
16718 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
16723 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
16727 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
16728 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
16732 A list. The elements in this list can be:
16736 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
16737 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
16740 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
16741 the home score file.
16744 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
16747 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
16752 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
16755 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16756 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
16759 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
16760 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
16762 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
16764 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16765 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
16768 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
16769 Other functions include
16772 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
16773 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
16774 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
16775 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
16779 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
16780 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
16781 their own home score files:
16784 (setq gnus-home-score-file
16785 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
16786 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
16787 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
16788 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
16791 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
16792 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
16793 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
16794 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
16795 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
16797 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
16798 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
16799 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
16800 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
16801 precedence over this variable.
16804 @node Followups To Yourself
16805 @section Followups To Yourself
16807 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
16808 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
16809 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
16810 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
16811 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
16812 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
16816 @item gnus-score-followup-article
16817 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
16818 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
16821 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
16822 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
16823 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
16827 @vindex message-sent-hook
16828 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
16829 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
16831 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
16835 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
16836 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
16840 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16841 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
16844 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
16845 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
16850 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
16854 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
16855 is system-dependent.
16858 @node Scoring On Other Headers
16859 @section Scoring On Other Headers
16860 @cindex scoring on other headers
16862 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
16863 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
16864 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
16865 that Gnus has to request every single article from the backend to find
16866 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
16868 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
16869 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
16870 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
16871 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
16872 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
16874 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
16877 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
16878 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
16881 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
16882 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
16883 time if you have much mail.
16885 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
16886 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
16892 @section Scoring Tips
16893 @cindex scoring tips
16899 @cindex scoring crossposts
16900 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
16901 the @code{Xref} header.
16903 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
16906 @item Multiple crossposts
16907 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
16908 more than, say, 3 groups:
16911 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
16915 @item Matching on the body
16916 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
16917 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
16918 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
16919 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
16920 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
16921 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
16922 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
16925 @item Marking as read
16926 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
16927 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
16928 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
16932 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
16934 @item Negated character classes
16935 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
16936 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
16937 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
16941 @node Reverse Scoring
16942 @section Reverse Scoring
16943 @cindex reverse scoring
16945 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
16946 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
16947 like this in your score file:
16951 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
16956 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
16957 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
16960 @node Global Score Files
16961 @section Global Score Files
16962 @cindex global score files
16964 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
16965 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
16966 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
16968 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
16969 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
16970 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
16972 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
16973 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
16974 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
16975 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
16976 files are applicable to which group.
16978 To use the score file
16979 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
16980 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
16984 (setq gnus-global-score-files
16985 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
16986 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
16989 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
16991 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
16992 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
16993 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
16994 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
16996 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
16997 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
16999 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
17000 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
17001 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
17002 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
17003 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
17004 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
17006 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
17012 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
17014 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
17016 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
17018 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
17019 lowered out of existence.
17021 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
17022 articles completely.
17025 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
17026 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
17027 old articles for a long time.
17030 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
17031 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
17032 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
17033 holding our breath yet?
17037 @section Kill Files
17040 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
17041 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
17042 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
17044 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
17045 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
17046 files into score files.
17048 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
17049 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
17050 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
17051 that isn't a very good idea.
17053 Normal kill files look like this:
17056 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17057 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
17061 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
17062 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
17064 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
17065 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
17068 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
17073 @kindex M-k (Summary)
17074 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
17075 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
17078 @kindex M-K (Summary)
17079 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
17080 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
17083 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
17088 @kindex M-k (Group)
17089 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
17090 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
17093 @kindex M-K (Group)
17094 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
17095 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
17098 Kill file variables:
17101 @item gnus-kill-file-name
17102 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
17103 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
17104 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
17105 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
17106 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
17107 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
17109 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17110 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
17111 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
17112 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
17115 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
17116 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
17117 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
17118 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
17119 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
17120 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
17121 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
17122 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
17123 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
17125 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17126 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
17127 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
17132 @node Converting Kill Files
17133 @section Converting Kill Files
17135 @cindex converting kill files
17137 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
17138 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
17139 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
17142 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
17143 You can fetch it from
17144 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
17146 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
17147 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
17148 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
17156 GroupLens is a collaborative filtering system that helps you work
17157 together with other people to find the quality news articles out of the
17158 huge volume of news articles generated every day.
17160 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
17161 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
17162 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
17163 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
17164 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
17165 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
17166 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
17167 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
17171 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
17172 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
17173 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
17174 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
17178 @node Using GroupLens
17179 @subsection Using GroupLens
17181 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
17183 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
17184 better bit in town at the moment.
17186 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
17190 @item gnus-use-grouplens
17191 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
17192 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
17193 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
17195 @item grouplens-pseudonym
17196 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
17197 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
17198 with the Better Bit Bureau.
17200 @item grouplens-newsgroups
17201 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
17202 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
17206 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
17207 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
17208 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
17209 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
17210 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
17211 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
17214 @node Rating Articles
17215 @subsection Rating Articles
17217 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
17218 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
17219 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
17220 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
17223 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
17228 @kindex r (GroupLens)
17229 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
17230 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
17233 @kindex k (GroupLens)
17234 @findex grouplens-score-thread
17235 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
17236 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
17237 threads in rec.humor.
17241 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
17242 the score of the article you're reading.
17247 @kindex n (GroupLens)
17248 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
17249 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
17252 @kindex , (GroupLens)
17253 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
17254 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
17258 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
17259 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
17262 @node Displaying Predictions
17263 @subsection Displaying Predictions
17265 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
17266 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
17267 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
17268 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
17269 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
17271 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
17272 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
17273 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
17274 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
17275 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
17276 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
17277 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
17278 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
17279 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
17280 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
17281 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
17282 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
17283 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
17285 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
17286 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
17287 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
17288 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
17290 The following are valid values for that variable.
17293 @item prediction-spot
17294 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
17297 @item confidence-interval
17298 A numeric confidence interval.
17300 @item prediction-bar
17301 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
17303 @item confidence-bar
17304 Numerical confidence.
17306 @item confidence-spot
17307 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
17309 @item prediction-num
17310 Plain-old numeric value.
17312 @item confidence-plus-minus
17313 Prediction +/- confidence.
17318 @node GroupLens Variables
17319 @subsection GroupLens Variables
17323 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
17324 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
17325 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
17326 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-20,20n%]%)
17329 @item grouplens-bbb-host
17330 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
17333 @item grouplens-bbb-port
17334 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
17336 @item grouplens-score-offset
17337 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
17338 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
17341 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
17342 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
17343 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
17348 @node Advanced Scoring
17349 @section Advanced Scoring
17351 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
17352 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
17353 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
17354 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
17355 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
17357 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
17361 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
17362 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
17363 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
17367 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
17368 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
17370 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
17371 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
17372 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
17373 non-@code{nil} value.
17375 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
17376 operator, and various match operators.
17383 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17384 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
17385 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
17390 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
17391 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
17392 then this operator will return @code{false}.
17397 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
17398 logical negation of the value of its argument.
17402 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
17403 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
17404 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
17405 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
17406 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
17407 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
17408 the ancestry you want to go.
17410 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
17411 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
17412 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
17413 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
17414 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
17417 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
17418 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
17420 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
17421 when he's talking about Gnus:
17425 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17426 ("subject" "Gnus"))
17432 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
17436 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17443 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
17444 really don't want to read what he's written:
17448 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
17449 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
17453 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
17454 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
17455 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
17462 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
17463 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
17464 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
17465 ("body" "white.*socks"))
17469 The possibilities are endless.
17472 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
17473 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
17475 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
17476 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
17477 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
17478 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
17479 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
17480 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
17481 @samp{subject}) first.
17483 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
17484 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
17495 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
17496 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
17502 ("subject" "Gnus")))
17509 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
17510 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
17515 @section Score Decays
17516 @cindex score decays
17519 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
17520 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
17521 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
17522 use them in any sensible way.
17524 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
17525 @findex gnus-decay-score
17526 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
17527 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
17528 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
17529 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
17530 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
17531 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
17532 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
17533 definition of that function:
17536 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
17538 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
17539 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
17542 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
17544 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
17546 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
17549 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
17550 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
17551 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
17552 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
17556 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
17559 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
17562 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
17566 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
17567 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
17568 the new score, which should be an integer.
17570 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
17571 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
17578 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
17579 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
17580 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
17581 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
17582 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
17583 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
17584 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
17585 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
17586 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
17587 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
17588 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
17589 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
17590 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
17591 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
17592 * XEmacs Enhancements:: There are more pictures and stuff under XEmacs.
17593 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
17594 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
17595 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
17599 @node Process/Prefix
17600 @section Process/Prefix
17601 @cindex process/prefix convention
17603 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
17604 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
17606 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
17607 command to be performed on.
17611 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
17612 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
17613 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
17614 with the current one.
17616 @vindex transient-mark-mode
17617 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
17618 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
17620 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
17621 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
17624 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
17625 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
17627 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
17630 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
17631 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
17632 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
17633 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
17635 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
17636 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
17637 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
17638 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
17639 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
17640 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
17641 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
17642 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
17644 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
17645 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
17646 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
17647 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
17648 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
17652 @section Interactive
17653 @cindex interaction
17657 @item gnus-novice-user
17658 @vindex gnus-novice-user
17659 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
17660 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
17661 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
17662 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
17665 @item gnus-expert-user
17666 @vindex gnus-expert-user
17667 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
17668 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
17669 matter how strange.
17671 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
17672 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
17673 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
17674 is @code{t} by default.
17676 @item gnus-interactive-exit
17677 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
17678 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
17683 @node Symbolic Prefixes
17684 @section Symbolic Prefixes
17685 @cindex symbolic prefixes
17687 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
17688 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
17689 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
17690 rule of 900 to the current article.
17692 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
17693 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
17694 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
17695 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
17696 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
17697 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
17698 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
17700 @kindex M-i (Summary)
17701 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
17702 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
17703 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
17704 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
17705 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a M-C-u} means ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u}
17706 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b M-C-u} means
17707 ``feed the @kbd{M-C-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
17708 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
17710 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
17711 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
17712 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
17714 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
17718 @node Formatting Variables
17719 @section Formatting Variables
17720 @cindex formatting variables
17722 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
17723 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
17724 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
17725 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
17726 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
17729 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
17730 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
17731 lots of percentages everywhere.
17734 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
17735 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
17736 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
17737 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
17738 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
17741 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
17742 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
17743 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
17744 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
17745 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
17746 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
17747 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
17748 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
17750 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
17751 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
17753 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
17754 @findex gnus-update-format
17755 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
17756 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
17757 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
17758 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
17762 @node Formatting Basics
17763 @subsection Formatting Basics
17765 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
17766 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
17767 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
17769 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
17770 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
17771 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
17772 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
17773 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
17776 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
17777 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
17778 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
17779 less than 4 characters wide.
17782 @node Mode Line Formatting
17783 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
17785 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
17786 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
17787 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
17788 with the following two differences:
17793 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
17796 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
17797 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
17798 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
17799 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
17800 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
17801 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
17802 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
17807 @node Advanced Formatting
17808 @subsection Advanced Formatting
17810 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
17811 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
17812 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
17813 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
17815 These are the valid modifiers:
17820 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
17824 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
17829 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
17832 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
17837 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
17840 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
17843 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
17846 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
17850 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
17851 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
17852 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
17853 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
17854 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
17855 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
17856 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
17858 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
17859 last operation, padding.
17861 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
17862 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
17863 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
17864 @xref{Compilation}.
17867 @node User-Defined Specs
17868 @subsection User-Defined Specs
17870 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
17871 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
17872 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
17873 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
17874 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
17875 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
17876 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
17877 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
17878 should protect against that.
17880 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
17881 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
17882 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
17883 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
17887 @node Formatting Fonts
17888 @subsection Formatting Fonts
17890 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
17891 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
17892 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
17893 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
17896 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
17897 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
17898 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
17899 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
17900 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
17901 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
17903 Text inside the @samp{%<} and @samp{%>} specifiers will get the special
17904 @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}. If you
17905 say @samp{%1<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on. The
17906 @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or symbols
17907 naming functions that return a string. Under @code{balloon-help-mode},
17908 when the mouse passes over text with this property set, a balloon window
17909 will appear and display the string. Please refer to the doc string of
17910 @code{balloon-help-mode} for more information on this.
17912 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
17915 ;; Create three face types.
17916 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
17917 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
17919 ;; We want the article count to be in
17920 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
17921 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
17922 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
17924 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
17925 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
17927 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
17928 (setq gnus-group-line-format
17929 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
17932 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
17933 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
17935 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
17936 mode-line variables.
17939 @node Window Layout
17940 @section Window Layout
17941 @cindex window layout
17943 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
17945 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
17946 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
17947 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
17948 @code{t} by default.
17950 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
17951 glitches. Use at your own peril.
17953 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
17954 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
17955 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
17958 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
17959 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
17960 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17964 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
17965 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
17966 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
17967 possible names is listed below.
17969 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
17970 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
17973 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
17977 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
17978 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
17979 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
17980 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
17981 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
17982 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
17983 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
17984 size spec per split.
17986 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
17987 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
17988 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
17989 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
17990 present) gets focus.
17992 Here's a more complicated example:
17995 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
17996 (summary 0.25 point)
17997 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
18001 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
18002 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
18003 occupy, not a percentage.
18005 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
18006 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
18007 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
18008 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
18009 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
18012 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
18015 (article (horizontal 1.0
18020 (summary 0.25 point)
18025 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
18026 @code{horizontal} thingie?
18028 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
18029 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
18030 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
18031 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
18032 the screen is to be given to this strip.
18034 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
18035 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
18036 lines from the splits.
18038 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
18042 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
18043 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
18044 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
18045 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
18046 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
18047 size = number | frame-params
18048 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
18051 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
18052 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
18053 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
18054 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
18056 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
18057 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
18058 @cindex window height
18059 @cindex window width
18060 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
18061 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
18062 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
18063 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
18064 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
18065 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
18067 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
18068 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
18069 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
18070 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
18072 @findex gnus-configure-frame
18073 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
18074 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
18075 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
18076 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
18077 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
18078 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
18079 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
18080 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
18081 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
18082 configuration list.
18085 (gnus-configure-frame
18089 (article 0.3 point))
18097 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
18098 @code{frame} split:
18101 (gnus-configure-frame
18104 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
18106 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
18107 (user-position . t)
18108 (left . -1) (top . 1))
18113 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
18114 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
18115 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
18116 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
18117 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
18118 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
18119 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
18120 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
18122 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
18123 be found in its default value.
18125 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
18126 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
18127 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
18131 (message (horizontal 1.0
18132 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
18134 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
18139 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
18140 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
18141 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
18146 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
18147 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
18148 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
18149 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
18150 (name . "Message"))
18151 (message 1.0 point))))
18154 @findex gnus-add-configuration
18155 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
18156 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
18157 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
18158 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
18161 (gnus-add-configuration
18162 '(article (vertical 1.0
18164 (summary .25 point)
18168 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
18169 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
18170 Gnus has been loaded.
18172 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
18173 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
18174 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
18175 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
18176 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
18178 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
18179 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
18180 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
18183 @subsection Example Window Configurations
18187 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
18188 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
18203 (gnus-add-configuration
18206 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18208 (summary 0.16 point)
18211 (gnus-add-configuration
18214 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
18215 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
18221 @node Faces and Fonts
18222 @section Faces and Fonts
18227 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
18228 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
18229 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
18234 @section Compilation
18235 @cindex compilation
18236 @cindex byte-compilation
18238 @findex gnus-compile
18240 Remember all those line format specification variables?
18241 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
18242 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
18243 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
18244 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
18245 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
18248 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
18249 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
18250 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
18251 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
18252 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
18253 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
18254 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
18258 @section Mode Lines
18261 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
18262 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
18263 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
18264 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
18265 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
18266 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
18267 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
18270 @cindex display-time
18272 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
18273 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
18274 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
18275 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
18276 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
18277 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
18278 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
18279 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
18282 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
18284 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
18285 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
18287 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
18288 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
18289 (length display-time-string)))))
18292 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
18293 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
18294 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
18295 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
18296 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
18299 @node Highlighting and Menus
18300 @section Highlighting and Menus
18302 @cindex highlighting
18305 @vindex gnus-visual
18306 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
18307 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
18308 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
18311 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
18312 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
18315 @item group-highlight
18316 Do highlights in the group buffer.
18317 @item summary-highlight
18318 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
18319 @item article-highlight
18320 Do highlights in the article buffer.
18322 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
18324 Create menus in the group buffer.
18326 Create menus in the summary buffers.
18328 Create menus in the article buffer.
18330 Create menus in the browse buffer.
18332 Create menus in the server buffer.
18334 Create menus in the score buffers.
18336 Create menus in all buffers.
18339 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
18340 buffers, you could say something like:
18343 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
18346 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
18349 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
18352 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
18353 in all Gnus buffers.
18355 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
18358 @item gnus-mouse-face
18359 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
18360 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
18361 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
18365 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
18369 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
18370 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
18371 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
18373 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
18374 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
18375 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
18377 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
18378 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
18379 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
18381 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
18382 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
18383 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
18385 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
18386 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
18387 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
18389 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
18390 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
18391 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
18402 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
18403 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
18404 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
18405 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
18406 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
18410 @vindex gnus-carpal
18411 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
18412 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
18413 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
18418 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18419 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
18420 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
18422 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
18423 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
18424 Face used on buttons.
18426 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
18427 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
18428 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
18430 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18431 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
18432 Buttons in the group buffer.
18434 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18435 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
18436 Buttons in the summary buffer.
18438 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18439 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
18440 Buttons in the server buffer.
18442 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18443 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
18444 Buttons in the browse buffer.
18447 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
18448 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
18449 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
18457 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
18458 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
18459 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
18460 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
18461 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
18463 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
18464 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
18465 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
18467 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
18468 been idle for thirty minutes:
18471 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
18474 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
18478 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
18481 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
18482 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
18483 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18485 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
18486 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
18487 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
18488 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
18490 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
18491 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
18492 @var{idle} minutes.
18494 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
18495 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
18498 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
18499 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
18500 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
18502 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
18503 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
18504 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
18505 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
18507 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
18508 your @file{.gnus} file:
18510 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
18512 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
18515 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
18516 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
18517 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
18518 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
18519 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
18520 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
18521 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
18522 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
18523 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
18524 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
18525 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
18527 @findex gnus-demon-init
18528 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
18529 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
18530 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
18531 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
18532 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
18534 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
18535 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
18536 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
18545 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
18546 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
18548 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
18549 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
18550 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
18551 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
18554 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
18555 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
18556 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
18557 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
18559 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
18560 this will make spam disappear.
18562 There are some variables to customize, of course:
18565 @item gnus-use-nocem
18566 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
18567 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
18570 @item gnus-nocem-groups
18571 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
18572 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
18573 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
18574 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
18576 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
18577 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
18578 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
18579 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
18580 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
18581 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
18583 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
18584 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
18586 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
18587 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
18588 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
18589 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
18590 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
18591 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
18592 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
18593 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
18594 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
18595 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
18597 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
18598 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
18601 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
18604 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
18605 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
18608 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
18611 The specs are applied left-to-right.
18614 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
18615 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
18617 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
18618 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
18619 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
18620 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
18622 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
18623 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
18626 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
18628 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
18636 This might be dangerous, though.
18638 @item gnus-nocem-directory
18639 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
18640 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
18641 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
18643 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18644 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
18645 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
18646 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
18647 might then see old spam.
18649 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
18650 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
18651 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
18652 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
18653 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
18656 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18657 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
18658 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
18659 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
18663 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
18664 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
18665 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
18666 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
18673 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
18674 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
18675 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
18677 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
18678 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
18679 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
18680 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
18681 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
18682 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
18683 @code{undo} function.
18685 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
18686 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
18687 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
18688 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
18689 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
18690 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
18691 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
18692 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
18693 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
18694 never be totally undoable.
18696 @findex gnus-undo-mode
18697 @vindex gnus-use-undo
18699 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
18700 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
18701 default. The @kbd{M-C-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
18702 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
18707 @section Moderation
18710 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
18711 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
18712 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
18715 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
18719 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
18722 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18724 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
18729 You split your incoming mail by matching on
18730 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
18731 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
18734 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
18735 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
18738 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
18739 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
18743 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
18746 (setq gnus-moderated-list
18747 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
18751 @node XEmacs Enhancements
18752 @section XEmacs Enhancements
18755 XEmacs is able to display pictures and stuff, so Gnus has taken
18759 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what your reading.
18760 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
18761 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
18762 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
18775 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
18776 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
18777 over your shoulder as you read news.
18780 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
18781 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
18782 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
18783 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
18784 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
18789 @subsubsection Picon Basics
18791 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
18800 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
18801 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
18802 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
18803 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
18804 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
18805 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
18806 @code{GIF} formats.
18809 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18810 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
18811 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
18812 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
18813 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
18815 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18816 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
18817 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
18818 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
18819 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
18820 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18823 @node Picon Requirements
18824 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
18826 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must be running XEmacs
18827 19.13 or greater since all other versions of Emacs aren't yet able to
18830 Additionally, you must have @code{x} support compiled into XEmacs. To
18831 display color picons which are much nicer than the black & white one,
18832 you also need one of @code{xpm} or @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
18834 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18835 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
18836 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
18837 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
18838 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
18842 @subsubsection Easy Picons
18844 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
18845 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
18848 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
18849 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
18852 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
18853 containing the Picons databases.
18855 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
18858 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18859 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
18864 @subsubsection Hard Picons
18872 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
18873 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
18874 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
18875 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
18876 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
18881 @item gnus-picons-database
18882 @vindex gnus-picons-database
18883 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
18884 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
18885 subdirectories. This is only useful if
18886 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
18887 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
18889 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18890 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
18891 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
18892 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
18893 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
18894 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
18895 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
18897 @item gnus-picons-display-where
18898 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18899 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
18900 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
18901 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
18902 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
18903 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
18904 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
18906 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18907 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
18908 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
18913 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
18914 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
18916 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
18917 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
18920 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
18922 @item gnus-article-display-picons
18923 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18924 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
18925 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
18927 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
18928 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
18929 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
18935 @node Picon Useless Configuration
18936 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
18944 The following variables offer further control over how things are
18945 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
18946 don't need to worry about.
18950 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
18951 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
18952 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18953 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
18955 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
18956 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
18957 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
18958 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
18960 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
18961 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
18962 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
18963 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
18964 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
18966 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18967 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
18968 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
18969 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
18970 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
18971 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
18972 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
18974 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18975 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
18976 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
18977 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
18979 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18980 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
18981 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
18982 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
18983 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
18984 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
18985 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
18987 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18988 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
18989 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
18990 Defaults to @code{nil}.
18992 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
18993 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
18994 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
18995 Defaults to @code{t}.
18997 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18998 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
18999 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
19000 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
19002 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
19003 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
19004 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
19006 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19007 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
19008 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
19009 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
19011 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
19012 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
19014 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19015 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
19016 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
19017 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
19018 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
19019 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
19020 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
19021 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
19032 @subsection Smileys
19037 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/BigFace.ps,height=20cm}}
19042 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
19043 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
19045 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
19046 @file{.gnus.el} file:
19049 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
19052 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
19053 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
19054 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
19055 text and maps that to file names.
19057 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
19058 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
19059 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
19060 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
19061 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
19062 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
19064 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
19065 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
19067 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
19068 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
19069 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
19071 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
19072 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
19076 @item smiley-data-directory
19077 @vindex smiley-data-directory
19078 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
19080 @item smiley-flesh-color
19081 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
19082 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
19084 @item smiley-features-color
19085 @vindex smiley-features-color
19086 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19088 @item smiley-tongue-color
19089 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
19090 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
19092 @item smiley-circle-color
19093 @vindex smiley-circle-color
19094 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
19096 @item smiley-mouse-face
19097 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
19098 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
19104 @subsection Toolbar
19114 @item gnus-use-toolbar
19115 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
19116 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
19117 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
19118 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
19120 @item gnus-group-toolbar
19121 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
19122 The toolbar in the group buffer.
19124 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
19125 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
19126 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
19128 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19129 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
19130 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
19136 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
19139 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19140 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
19141 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
19142 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
19143 unusual directory structure.
19145 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19146 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
19147 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
19148 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
19150 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19151 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
19152 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
19153 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
19154 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
19155 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
19157 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19158 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
19159 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
19173 @node Fuzzy Matching
19174 @section Fuzzy Matching
19175 @cindex fuzzy matching
19177 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
19178 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
19180 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
19181 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
19182 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
19184 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
19185 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
19186 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
19187 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
19188 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
19191 @node Thwarting Email Spam
19192 @section Thwarting Email Spam
19196 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
19198 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
19199 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
19200 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
19201 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
19202 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
19203 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
19204 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
19205 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
19208 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
19209 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
19210 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
19211 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
19212 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
19213 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
19217 The way to deal with this is having Gnus split out all spam into a
19218 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
19220 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
19221 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
19222 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
19223 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
19224 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
19225 part of the mail address.)
19228 (setq message-default-news-headers
19229 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
19232 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
19233 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
19238 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
19239 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
19240 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
19246 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
19247 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
19248 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
19249 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
19251 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @code{smtp} server
19252 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
19253 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
19254 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
19255 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
19256 your fancy split rule in this way:
19261 (to "larsi" "misc")
19265 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
19266 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
19267 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
19268 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
19269 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
19271 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
19272 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
19273 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
19274 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
19275 cosmic balance somewhat.
19277 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
19278 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
19279 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
19280 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
19283 @node Various Various
19284 @section Various Various
19290 @item gnus-home-directory
19291 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
19292 defaults to @file{~/}.
19294 @item gnus-directory
19295 @vindex gnus-directory
19296 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
19297 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
19298 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
19300 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
19301 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
19302 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
19303 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
19305 @item gnus-default-directory
19306 @vindex gnus-default-directory
19307 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
19308 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
19309 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
19310 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
19311 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
19312 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
19315 @vindex gnus-verbose
19316 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
19317 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
19318 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
19319 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
19320 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
19322 @item gnus-verbose-backends
19323 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
19324 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
19325 to the Gnus backends instead of Gnus proper.
19327 @item nnheader-max-head-length
19328 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
19329 When the backends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
19330 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
19331 the absolute max length the backends will try to read before giving up
19332 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
19333 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
19334 @code{t}, the backends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
19335 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
19336 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
19338 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
19339 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
19340 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
19341 read when doing the operation described above.
19343 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19344 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19346 @cindex invalid characters in file names
19347 @cindex characters in file names
19348 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
19349 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
19350 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
19353 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
19357 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
19358 Windows (phooey) systems.
19360 @item gnus-hidden-properties
19361 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
19362 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
19363 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
19364 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
19366 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
19367 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
19368 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
19369 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
19370 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
19372 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
19373 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
19374 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
19376 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19377 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
19379 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
19380 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
19381 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
19382 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
19385 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
19394 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
19395 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
19397 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
19399 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
19405 Not because of victories @*
19408 but for the common sunshine,@*
19410 the largess of the spring.
19414 but for the day's work done@*
19415 as well as I was able;@*
19416 not for a seat upon the dais@*
19417 but at the common table.@*
19422 @chapter Appendices
19425 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
19426 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
19427 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
19428 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
19429 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
19430 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
19431 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
19432 * Frequently Asked Questions:: A question-and-answer session.
19440 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
19441 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
19443 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
19444 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
19445 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
19446 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
19447 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
19449 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
19450 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
19451 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
19452 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
19453 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
19454 appropriate name, don't you think?)
19456 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
19457 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
19458 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
19459 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
19462 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
19463 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
19464 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
19465 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
19466 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
19467 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
19468 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
19469 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
19470 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
19474 @node Gnus Versions
19475 @subsection Gnus Versions
19476 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
19478 @cindex September Gnus
19479 @cindex Quassia Gnus
19481 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
19482 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
19483 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
19485 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
19486 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
19488 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
19489 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
19491 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
19492 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
19494 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
19495 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
19498 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
19500 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
19501 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
19502 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
19503 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
19504 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
19505 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
19508 @node Other Gnus Versions
19509 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
19512 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
19513 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
19514 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
19515 @sc{mime} capabilities.
19517 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
19518 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
19519 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
19520 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
19527 What's the point of Gnus?
19529 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
19530 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
19531 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
19532 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
19533 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
19534 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
19535 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
19536 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
19537 keep track of millions of people who post?
19539 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
19540 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
19541 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
19542 to separate the newsreader from the backends, Gnus now offers a simple
19543 interface for anybody who wants to write new backends for fetching mail
19544 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
19545 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
19546 every one of you to explore and invent.
19548 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
19549 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
19552 @node Compatibility
19553 @subsection Compatibility
19555 @cindex compatibility
19556 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
19557 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
19558 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
19563 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
19567 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
19570 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
19573 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
19574 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
19575 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
19576 important variables have their values copied into their global
19577 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
19578 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
19580 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
19581 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
19582 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
19583 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
19584 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
19588 @cindex highlighting
19589 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
19590 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
19591 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
19592 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
19593 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
19594 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
19597 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
19598 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
19599 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
19600 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
19602 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
19603 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
19604 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
19605 to stop doing it the old way.
19607 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
19609 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
19611 @cindex reporting bugs
19613 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
19614 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
19615 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
19617 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
19618 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
19619 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
19620 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
19625 @subsection Conformity
19627 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
19628 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
19635 There are no known breaches of this standard.
19639 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
19641 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
19642 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
19643 We do have some breaches to this one.
19649 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
19650 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
19651 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
19652 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
19653 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
19658 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
19659 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
19660 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
19661 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
19665 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
19666 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
19671 @subsection Emacsen
19677 Gnus should work on :
19685 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
19689 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
19690 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
19693 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
19694 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
19695 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
19699 @node Gnus Development
19700 @subsection Gnus Development
19702 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
19703 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
19704 propose changes and new features, post patches and new backends. This
19705 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
19706 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
19707 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
19708 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
19709 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
19711 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
19712 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
19713 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
19714 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
19715 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
19718 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
19719 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
19720 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
19721 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
19722 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
19724 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
19725 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
19726 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
19727 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
19728 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
19729 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
19730 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
19731 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
19732 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
19733 can't be assumed to do so.
19738 @subsection Contributors
19739 @cindex contributors
19741 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
19742 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
19743 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
19744 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
19745 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
19746 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
19747 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
19748 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
19749 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
19750 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
19752 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
19758 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
19761 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
19762 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
19763 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
19764 functionality and stuff.
19767 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
19768 well as numerous other things).
19771 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
19774 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
19777 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
19780 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
19781 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
19784 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
19787 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
19788 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
19791 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
19794 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
19797 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
19800 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
19803 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
19804 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
19807 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
19810 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
19813 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
19816 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
19820 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
19823 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
19826 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
19829 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
19830 well as autoconf support.
19834 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
19835 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
19837 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
19846 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
19850 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
19860 Alexei V. Barantsev,
19875 Massimo Campostrini,
19880 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
19881 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
19885 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
19888 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
19894 Michael Welsh Duggan,
19899 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
19903 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
19911 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
19913 Michelangelo Grigni,
19917 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
19919 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
19921 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
19928 François Felix Ingrand,
19929 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
19930 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
19932 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
19943 Peter Skov Knudsen,
19944 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
19946 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
19947 Thor Kristoffersen,
19950 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
19968 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
19969 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
19976 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
19981 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
19985 John McClary Prevost,
19991 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
19996 Christian von Roques,
19999 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
20006 Philippe Schnoebelen,
20008 Randal L. Schwartz,
20022 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
20027 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
20043 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
20048 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
20049 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
20050 (550kB and counting).
20052 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
20055 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
20056 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
20060 @subsection New Features
20061 @cindex new features
20064 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
20065 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
20066 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
20067 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
20068 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
20071 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
20072 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
20073 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
20076 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
20078 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
20083 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
20084 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
20087 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
20088 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
20091 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
20094 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
20095 All the mail backends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
20096 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
20099 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
20100 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
20101 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
20102 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20105 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
20106 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20109 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
20110 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
20111 (@pxref{The Active File}).
20114 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
20115 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
20118 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
20119 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
20120 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20123 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
20124 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
20125 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
20128 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
20129 the @file{.emacs} file.
20132 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
20133 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
20136 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
20137 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
20140 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
20141 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20144 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
20145 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
20148 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
20149 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20152 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
20155 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
20156 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
20159 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
20160 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
20163 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
20164 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
20167 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
20170 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
20171 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20174 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
20178 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
20182 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
20183 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
20186 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
20192 @node September Gnus
20193 @subsubsection September Gnus
20197 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/september.ps,height=20cm}}
20201 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
20206 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
20207 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
20211 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
20212 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
20216 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
20220 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
20221 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
20224 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
20228 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
20231 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
20234 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
20237 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
20241 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
20242 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
20245 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
20249 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
20253 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
20257 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
20261 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
20264 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
20265 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
20268 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
20272 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
20273 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
20276 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
20279 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
20280 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
20281 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
20284 Gnus has a new backend (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
20288 The Gnus cache is much faster.
20291 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
20295 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
20296 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
20299 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
20300 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
20303 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
20304 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
20307 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
20308 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
20309 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
20312 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
20313 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
20316 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
20319 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20322 All mail backends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
20325 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
20328 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
20329 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
20332 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
20336 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
20339 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fseptember.ps,height=5cm}}
20344 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
20347 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
20351 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
20354 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
20358 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
20361 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
20364 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
20365 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
20368 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
20369 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
20373 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
20374 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
20377 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
20381 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
20382 buffer to allow easier treatment.
20385 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
20388 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
20392 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
20396 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
20397 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
20400 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
20404 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
20405 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
20408 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
20409 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20412 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
20416 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
20419 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
20422 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
20428 @subsubsection Red Gnus
20430 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
20434 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=tmp/red.ps,height=20cm}}
20441 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
20444 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
20445 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
20448 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
20449 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
20453 Article washing status can be displayed in the
20454 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
20457 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
20460 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
20461 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
20464 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
20468 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
20469 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
20473 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
20474 Server Internals}).
20477 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
20481 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
20484 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
20485 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
20488 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
20489 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
20490 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
20493 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
20494 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20497 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
20498 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
20501 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{M-C-_}
20505 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
20506 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20509 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
20510 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
20513 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
20517 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
20520 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
20524 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
20525 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
20528 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
20529 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
20532 A new command for reading collections of documents
20533 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{M-C-d}
20534 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
20537 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
20541 A new mail-to-news backend makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
20542 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
20545 A new backend for reading searches from Web search engines
20546 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
20547 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
20550 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
20551 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
20555 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
20559 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
20563 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=tmp/fred.ps,width=3cm}}
20568 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
20572 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
20576 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
20577 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
20580 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
20586 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
20588 New features in Gnus 5.6:
20593 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
20594 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
20595 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
20598 The @code{nndraft} backend has returned, but works differently than
20599 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
20600 group, which is created automatically.
20603 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
20607 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
20610 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
20611 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
20614 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
20618 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
20621 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
20622 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
20625 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
20628 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
20629 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
20632 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
20633 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
20636 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
20637 control over simplification.
20640 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
20643 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
20647 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
20650 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
20653 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
20654 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
20655 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
20658 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
20659 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
20662 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
20666 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
20667 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
20670 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
20671 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
20674 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
20678 A history of where mails have been split is available.
20681 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
20684 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
20685 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
20688 A new function for citing in Message has been
20689 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
20692 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
20695 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
20699 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
20700 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
20703 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
20704 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
20707 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} backend.
20710 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
20714 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
20715 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
20717 New features in Gnus 5.8:
20721 @item The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
20722 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
20724 If you used procmail like in
20727 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
20728 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
20729 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
20730 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
20733 this now has changed to
20737 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
20741 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
20742 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
20744 @item Gnus is now a MIME-capable reader. This affects many parts of
20745 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
20747 @item Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
20748 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
20750 @item @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
20751 called to position point.
20753 @item The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
20754 summary buffers and NOV files.
20756 @item @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
20757 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
20759 @item The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
20760 subtly different manner.
20762 @item New web-based backends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
20763 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
20764 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
20766 @item Gnus can now read IMAP mail via @code{nnimap}.
20774 @section The Manual
20778 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
20779 either @code{texi2dvi}
20781 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
20782 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
20784 to get what you hold in your hands now.
20786 The following conventions have been used:
20791 This is a @samp{string}
20794 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
20797 This is a @file{file}
20800 This is a @code{symbol}
20804 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
20808 (setq flargnoze "yes")
20811 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
20814 (setq flumphel 'yes)
20817 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
20818 ever get them confused.
20822 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
20823 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
20824 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
20825 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
20826 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
20827 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
20828 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
20834 @node On Writing Manuals
20835 @section On Writing Manuals
20837 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
20838 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
20839 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
20840 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
20841 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
20842 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
20845 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
20846 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
20847 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
20850 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
20851 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
20856 @section Terminology
20858 @cindex terminology
20863 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
20864 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
20865 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
20866 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
20867 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
20871 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
20872 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
20873 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
20874 not posting, and replying is not following up.
20878 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
20882 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
20887 Gnus gets fed articles from a number of backends, both news and mail
20888 backends. Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this
20889 is all done by the backends.
20893 Gnus will always use one method (and backend) as the @dfn{native}, or
20894 default, way of getting news.
20898 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
20899 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary backends for getting
20904 Secondary backends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
20905 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
20909 A message that has been posted as news.
20912 @cindex mail message
20913 A message that has been mailed.
20917 A mail message or news article
20921 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
20926 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
20931 A line from the head of an article.
20935 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
20936 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
20940 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the backend for the headers of all
20941 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
20942 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
20943 normal @sc{head} format.
20947 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
20948 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
20949 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
20950 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
20951 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
20952 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
20954 @item killed groups
20955 @cindex killed groups
20956 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
20957 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
20959 @item zombie groups
20960 @cindex zombie groups
20961 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
20964 @cindex active file
20965 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
20966 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
20967 is rather large, as you might surmise.
20970 @cindex bogus groups
20971 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
20972 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
20973 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
20976 @cindex activating groups
20977 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
20978 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
20979 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
20983 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
20985 @item select method
20986 @cindex select method
20987 A structure that specifies the backend, the server and the virtual
20990 @item virtual server
20991 @cindex virtual server
20992 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
20993 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
20994 whole is a virtual server.
20998 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
20999 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
21002 @item ephemeral groups
21003 @cindex ephemeral groups
21004 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
21005 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
21006 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
21009 @cindex solid groups
21010 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
21011 group buffer are solid groups.
21013 @item sparse articles
21014 @cindex sparse articles
21015 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
21016 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
21020 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
21021 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
21025 @cindex thread root
21026 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
21027 articles in the thread.
21031 An article that has responses.
21035 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
21039 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
21040 specified by RFC 1153.
21046 @node Customization
21047 @section Customization
21048 @cindex general customization
21050 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
21051 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
21052 for some quite common situations.
21055 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
21056 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
21057 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
21058 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
21062 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
21063 @subsection Slow/Expensive @sc{nntp} Connection
21065 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
21066 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
21067 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
21071 @item gnus-read-active-file
21072 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
21073 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
21074 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21075 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
21076 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
21078 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
21079 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
21080 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
21081 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
21085 @node Slow Terminal Connection
21086 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
21088 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
21089 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
21090 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
21094 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
21095 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
21096 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
21097 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
21098 horizontal and vertical recentering.
21100 @item gnus-visible-headers
21101 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
21102 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
21103 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
21104 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
21106 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
21108 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
21109 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
21110 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
21113 @item gnus-use-full-window
21114 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
21115 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
21116 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
21117 want to read them anyway.
21119 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
21120 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
21123 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
21124 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
21125 lines, which might save some time.
21129 @node Little Disk Space
21130 @subsection Little Disk Space
21133 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
21134 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
21138 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
21139 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
21140 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21141 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21144 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
21145 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
21146 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
21147 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
21150 @item gnus-save-killed-list
21151 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
21152 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
21153 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
21154 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
21160 @subsection Slow Machine
21161 @cindex slow machine
21163 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
21164 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
21166 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
21167 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
21169 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
21170 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
21171 summary buffer faster.
21175 @node Troubleshooting
21176 @section Troubleshooting
21177 @cindex troubleshooting
21179 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
21187 Make sure your computer is switched on.
21190 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
21191 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
21195 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
21196 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
21197 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
21198 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
21201 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
21205 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
21206 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
21207 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
21208 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
21209 something like that.
21212 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
21215 @cindex reporting bugs
21217 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
21219 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
21220 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
21221 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
21222 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
21224 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
21225 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
21226 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
21227 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
21230 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
21231 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
21232 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
21233 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
21234 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
21235 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
21237 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
21238 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
21239 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
21243 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
21244 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
21246 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
21247 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
21249 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
21250 @cindex ding mailing list
21251 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
21252 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
21256 @node Gnus Reference Guide
21257 @section Gnus Reference Guide
21259 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
21260 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
21261 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
21262 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
21265 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
21266 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
21267 backends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
21268 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
21269 and general methods of operation.
21272 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
21273 * Backend Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
21274 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
21275 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
21276 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
21277 * Group Info:: The group info format.
21278 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
21279 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
21280 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
21284 @node Gnus Utility Functions
21285 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
21286 @cindex Gnus utility functions
21287 @cindex utility functions
21289 @cindex internal variables
21291 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
21292 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
21293 Below is a list of the most common ones.
21297 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
21298 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
21299 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
21301 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
21302 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
21303 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
21305 @item gnus-group-real-name
21306 @findex gnus-group-real-name
21307 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
21310 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
21311 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
21312 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
21313 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
21315 @item gnus-get-info
21316 @findex gnus-get-info
21317 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
21319 @item gnus-group-unread
21320 @findex gnus-group-unread
21321 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
21325 @findex gnus-active
21326 The active entry for @var{group}.
21328 @item gnus-set-active
21329 @findex gnus-set-active
21330 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
21332 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21333 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
21334 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
21337 @item gnus-continuum-version
21338 @findex gnus-continuum-version
21339 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
21340 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
21343 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
21344 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
21345 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
21347 @item gnus-news-group-p
21348 @findex gnus-news-group-p
21349 Says whether @var{group} came from a news backend.
21351 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21352 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
21353 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
21355 @item gnus-server-to-method
21356 @findex gnus-server-to-method
21357 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
21359 @item gnus-server-equal
21360 @findex gnus-server-equal
21361 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
21363 @item gnus-group-native-p
21364 @findex gnus-group-native-p
21365 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
21367 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
21368 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
21369 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
21371 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
21372 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
21373 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
21375 @item group-group-find-parameter
21376 @findex group-group-find-parameter
21377 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
21378 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
21380 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
21381 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
21382 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
21384 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
21385 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
21386 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
21388 @item gnus-check-backend-function
21389 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
21390 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the backend
21391 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
21394 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
21398 @item gnus-read-method
21399 @findex gnus-read-method
21400 Prompts the user for a select method.
21405 @node Backend Interface
21406 @subsection Backend Interface
21408 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
21409 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
21410 server is a @dfn{backend} and some @dfn{backend variables}. As examples
21411 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
21412 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
21413 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
21415 When Gnus asks for information from a backend---say @code{nntp}---on
21416 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
21417 function parameters. (If not, the backend should use the ``current''
21418 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
21419 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
21420 been opened, the function should fail.
21422 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
21423 name. Take this example:
21427 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
21428 (nntp-port-number 4324))
21431 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
21432 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
21434 The backends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
21435 The standard backends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
21436 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
21438 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
21439 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
21440 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
21442 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
21443 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
21444 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
21445 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
21446 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
21447 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
21450 Some backends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} backends, and
21451 some might be said not to be. The latter are backends that generally
21452 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
21453 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
21456 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
21457 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
21458 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
21459 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
21460 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
21461 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
21462 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
21463 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Backend Functions}.}
21464 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
21465 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
21467 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
21468 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
21469 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
21470 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
21471 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
21472 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
21473 of numbers as long as possible.
21475 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary backend
21478 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
21481 * Required Backend Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
21482 * Optional Backend Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
21483 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
21484 * Writing New Backends:: Extending old backends.
21485 * Hooking New Backends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
21486 * Mail-like Backends:: Some tips on mail backends.
21490 @node Required Backend Functions
21491 @subsubsection Required Backend Functions
21495 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
21497 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
21498 @code{Message-ID}s. Current backends do not fully support either---only
21499 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most backends do not support
21500 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
21502 The result data should either be HEADs or NOV lines, and the result
21503 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
21504 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
21505 of HEADs and NOV lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
21507 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
21508 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
21509 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
21510 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
21511 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the backend finds it
21512 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
21513 number, do maximum fetches.
21515 Here's an example HEAD:
21518 221 1056 Article retrieved.
21519 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
21520 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
21521 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
21522 Subject: Re: Something very droll
21523 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
21524 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
21526 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
21527 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
21528 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
21532 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
21533 these in the data buffer.
21535 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
21539 head = error / valid-head
21540 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
21541 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
21542 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
21543 header = <text> eol
21546 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
21547 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
21551 nov-buffer = *nov-line
21552 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
21553 field = <text except TAB>
21556 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
21560 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
21562 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
21563 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
21565 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The backend
21566 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
21567 server. In fact, it should do so.
21569 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
21570 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
21573 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
21575 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
21576 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
21579 There should be no data returned.
21582 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
21584 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the backend
21585 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that backend
21586 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
21587 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
21589 There should be no data returned.
21592 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
21594 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
21595 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
21596 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
21597 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
21599 There should be no data returned.
21602 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
21604 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
21606 There should be no data returned.
21609 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
21611 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
21612 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
21613 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
21614 it would be nice if that were possible.
21616 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
21617 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
21618 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
21619 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
21620 into its article buffer.
21622 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
21623 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
21624 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
21625 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
21626 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
21627 on successful article retrieval.
21630 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
21632 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
21633 making @var{group} the current group.
21635 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
21638 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
21641 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
21644 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
21645 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
21646 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
21647 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
21648 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
21649 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
21650 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
21651 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader.
21654 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
21655 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
21656 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
21660 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21662 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
21663 a no-op on most backends.
21665 There should be no data returned.
21668 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
21670 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
21673 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
21676 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
21677 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
21680 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
21681 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag.
21684 active-file = *active-line
21685 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
21687 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
21690 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
21691 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
21692 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
21695 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
21697 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
21698 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
21699 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
21700 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
21701 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
21702 clear if the posting could not be completed.
21704 There should be no result data from this function.
21709 @node Optional Backend Functions
21710 @subsubsection Optional Backend Functions
21714 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
21716 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
21717 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
21718 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
21720 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
21721 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
21722 former is in the same format as the data from
21723 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
21724 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
21727 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
21731 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
21733 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the backend for
21734 alterations. This comes in handy if the backend really carries all the
21735 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
21736 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
21737 should return the (altered) group info.
21739 There should be no result data from this function.
21742 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
21744 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
21745 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
21746 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
21747 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
21748 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
21749 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
21750 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
21751 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
21753 There should be no result data from this function.
21756 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
21758 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
21759 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
21760 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some backends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
21761 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
21762 propagate the mark information to the server.
21764 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
21767 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
21770 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
21771 @code{set}, @code{add} or @code{del}, respectively used for removing all
21772 existing marks and setting them as specified, adding (preserving the
21773 marks not mentioned) mark and removing (preserving the marks not
21774 mentioned) marks. MARK is a list of marks; where each mark is a symbol.
21775 Currently used marks are @code{read}, @code{tick}, @code{reply},
21776 @code{expire}, @code{killed}, @code{dormant}, @code{save},
21777 @code{download}, @code{unsend}, @code{forward} and @code{recent},
21778 but your backend should, if possible, not limit itself to these.
21780 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
21781 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
21782 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
21783 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
21785 An example action list:
21788 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
21789 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
21790 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
21793 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
21794 mark on (currently not used for anything).
21796 There should be no result data from this function.
21798 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
21800 If the user tries to set a mark that the backend doesn't like, this
21801 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
21802 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
21803 @var{mark}. If the backend doesn't care, it must return the original
21804 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
21806 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
21807 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
21808 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
21811 There should be no result data from this function.
21814 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
21816 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
21817 request that the backend check for incoming articles, in one way or
21818 another. A mail backend will typically read the spool file or query the
21819 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
21820 to be heeded---if the backend decides that it is too much work just
21821 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
21822 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
21824 There should be no result data from this function.
21827 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
21829 The result data from this function should be a description of
21833 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
21835 description = <text>
21838 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
21840 The result data from this function should be the description of all
21841 groups available on the server.
21844 description-buffer = *description-line
21848 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
21850 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
21851 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date
21852 format. The data should be in the active buffer format.
21855 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
21857 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
21859 There should be no return data.
21862 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
21864 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
21865 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
21866 numbers.) It is left up to the backend to decide how old articles
21867 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
21868 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
21871 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
21874 There should be no result data returned.
21877 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
21880 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
21881 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
21883 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
21884 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
21885 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
21886 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
21887 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
21888 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
21890 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
21891 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
21894 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21895 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21897 There should be no data returned.
21900 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
21902 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
21903 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
21904 this function in short order.
21906 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
21907 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
21909 There should be no data returned.
21912 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
21914 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
21915 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
21917 There should be no data returned.
21920 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
21922 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
21923 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
21924 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
21926 There should be no data returned.
21929 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
21931 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
21932 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
21934 There should be no data returned.
21939 @node Error Messaging
21940 @subsubsection Error Messaging
21942 @findex nnheader-report
21943 @findex nnheader-get-report
21944 The backends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
21945 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
21946 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the backend
21947 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
21948 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
21949 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
21952 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
21954 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
21957 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
21958 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
21959 recently reported message for the backend in question. This function
21960 takes one argument---the server symbol.
21962 Internally, these functions access @var{backend}@code{-status-string},
21963 so the @code{nnchoke} backend will have its error message stored in
21964 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
21967 @node Writing New Backends
21968 @subsubsection Writing New Backends
21970 Many backends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
21971 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
21972 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
21973 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
21974 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
21977 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
21978 backends when writing new backends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
21979 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
21981 All the backends declare their public variables and functions by using a
21982 package called @code{nnoo}.
21984 To inherit functions from other backends (and allow other backends to
21985 inherit functions from the current backend), you should use the
21991 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
21992 parameters. For instance:
21995 (nnoo-declare nndir
21999 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
22000 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
22003 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
22004 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
22005 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
22007 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
22008 variables in the parent backends to map the variable to when executing
22009 a function in those backends.
22012 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22013 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22014 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22017 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
22018 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
22019 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
22021 @item nnoo-define-basics
22022 This macro defines some common functions that almost all backends should
22026 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22030 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
22031 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
22032 function as being public so that other backends can inherit it.
22034 @item nnoo-map-functions
22035 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current backend to
22036 functions from the parent backends.
22039 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22040 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22041 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
22044 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
22045 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
22046 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
22047 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
22050 This macro allows importing functions from backends. It should be the
22051 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
22052 haven't already been defined.
22058 nnmh-request-newgroups)
22062 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
22063 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
22064 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
22069 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} backend.
22072 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
22073 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
22077 (require 'nnheader)
22081 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
22083 (nnoo-declare nndir
22086 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
22087 "Where nndir will look for groups."
22088 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
22090 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
22091 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
22094 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
22096 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
22097 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
22098 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
22100 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
22101 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
22103 ;;; Interface functions.
22105 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
22107 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
22108 (setq nndir-directory
22109 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
22111 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
22112 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
22113 (push `(nndir-current-group
22114 ,(file-name-nondirectory
22115 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22117 (push `(nndir-top-directory
22118 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
22120 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
22122 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
22123 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22124 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
22125 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
22126 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
22130 nnmh-status-message
22132 nnmh-request-newgroups))
22138 @node Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22139 @subsubsection Hooking New Backends Into Gnus
22141 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
22142 Having Gnus start using your new backend is rather easy---you just
22143 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
22144 enter the backend into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
22146 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the backend name and
22147 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
22152 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
22155 The abilities can be:
22159 This is a mailish backend---followups should (probably) go via mail.
22161 This is a newsish backend---followups should (probably) go via news.
22163 This backend supports both mail and news.
22165 This is neither a post nor mail backend---it's something completely
22168 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
22169 articles and groups.
22171 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
22172 true for almost all backends.
22173 @item prompt-address
22174 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
22175 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for backends like
22176 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
22180 @node Mail-like Backends
22181 @subsubsection Mail-like Backends
22183 One of the things that separate the mail backends from the rest of the
22184 backends is the heavy dependence by the mail backends on common
22185 functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the definition of
22186 @code{nnml-request-scan}:
22189 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
22190 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
22191 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
22194 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
22195 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
22198 This function takes four parameters.
22202 This should be a symbol to designate which backend is responsible for
22205 @item exit-function
22206 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
22208 @item temp-directory
22209 Where the temporary files should be stored.
22212 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
22213 performed for one group only.
22216 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{backend}@code{-save-mail} to
22217 save each article. @var{backend}@code{-active-number} will be called to
22218 find the article number assigned to this article.
22220 The function also uses the following variables:
22221 @var{backend}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
22222 this backend); and @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} and
22223 @var{backend}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
22224 @var{backend}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
22228 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
22229 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
22233 @node Score File Syntax
22234 @subsection Score File Syntax
22236 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
22237 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
22238 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
22240 Here's a typical score file:
22244 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
22251 BNF definition of a score file:
22254 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
22255 element = rule / atom
22256 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
22257 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
22258 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
22259 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
22261 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
22262 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
22263 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
22264 date-header = "date"
22265 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22266 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22267 score = "nil" / <integer>
22268 date = "nil" / <natural number>
22269 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
22270 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
22271 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
22272 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
22273 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22274 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22275 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
22276 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
22277 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
22278 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
22279 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
22280 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
22281 exclude-files / read-only / touched
22282 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
22283 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
22284 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
22285 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
22286 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
22287 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
22288 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
22289 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
22290 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
22291 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
22292 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
22293 eval = "eval" space <form>
22294 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
22297 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
22300 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
22301 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
22302 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
22303 one looong line, then that's ok.
22305 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
22306 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
22310 @subsection Headers
22312 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
22313 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
22314 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
22315 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
22317 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
22318 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
22319 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
22320 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
22321 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
22322 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
22323 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
22325 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
22326 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
22327 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
22328 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
22329 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
22331 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
22332 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
22338 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
22339 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
22341 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
22342 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
22343 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
22344 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
22346 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
22350 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
22353 is transformed into
22356 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
22359 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
22360 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
22363 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
22366 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
22367 is slightly tricky:
22370 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
22376 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
22379 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
22385 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
22392 and is equal to the previous range.
22394 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
22395 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
22396 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
22400 range = simple-range / normal-range
22401 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
22402 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
22403 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
22404 number *[ " " contents ]
22407 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
22408 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
22409 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
22410 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
22411 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
22416 @subsection Group Info
22418 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
22419 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
22420 describes the group.
22422 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
22423 second is a more complex one:
22426 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
22428 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
22429 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
22431 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
22434 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
22435 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
22436 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
22437 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
22438 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
22439 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
22440 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
22441 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
22442 this section is about.
22444 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
22445 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
22446 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
22448 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
22451 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
22452 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
22453 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
22454 group = quote <string> quote
22455 ralevel = rank / level
22456 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22457 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
22458 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
22460 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
22461 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
22462 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
22463 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
22466 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
22467 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
22470 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
22471 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
22474 @item gnus-info-group
22475 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
22476 @findex gnus-info-group
22477 @findex gnus-info-set-group
22478 Get/set the group name.
22480 @item gnus-info-rank
22481 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
22482 @findex gnus-info-rank
22483 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
22484 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
22486 @item gnus-info-level
22487 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
22488 @findex gnus-info-level
22489 @findex gnus-info-set-level
22490 Get/set the group level.
22492 @item gnus-info-score
22493 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
22494 @findex gnus-info-score
22495 @findex gnus-info-set-score
22496 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
22498 @item gnus-info-read
22499 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
22500 @findex gnus-info-read
22501 @findex gnus-info-set-read
22502 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
22504 @item gnus-info-marks
22505 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
22506 @findex gnus-info-marks
22507 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
22508 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
22510 @item gnus-info-method
22511 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
22512 @findex gnus-info-method
22513 @findex gnus-info-set-method
22514 Get/set the group select method.
22516 @item gnus-info-params
22517 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
22518 @findex gnus-info-params
22519 @findex gnus-info-set-params
22520 Get/set the group parameters.
22523 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
22524 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
22526 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
22527 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
22528 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
22529 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
22532 @node Extended Interactive
22533 @subsection Extended Interactive
22534 @cindex interactive
22535 @findex gnus-interactive
22537 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
22538 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
22539 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
22542 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
22543 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
22548 The best thing to do would have been to implement
22549 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
22550 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
22551 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
22552 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
22553 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
22554 @code{interactive}.
22556 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
22561 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
22562 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
22566 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
22567 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
22568 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
22571 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
22575 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
22579 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
22585 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
22586 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
22590 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
22591 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
22592 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
22594 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
22595 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
22596 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
22597 Gnus, that's very useful.
22599 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
22600 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
22601 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
22602 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
22603 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
22604 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
22605 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
22606 following function:
22609 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
22613 (,function ,@@args))
22617 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
22618 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
22619 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
22622 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
22623 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
22624 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
22626 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
22627 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
22628 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
22631 @node Various File Formats
22632 @subsection Various File Formats
22635 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
22636 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
22640 @node Active File Format
22641 @subsubsection Active File Format
22643 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
22644 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
22647 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
22650 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
22651 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
22652 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
22653 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
22654 no.general 1000 900 y
22657 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
22660 active = *group-line
22661 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
22662 group = <non-white-space string>
22664 high-number = <non-negative integer>
22665 low-number = <positive integer>
22666 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
22669 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
22670 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
22673 @node Newsgroups File Format
22674 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
22676 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
22677 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
22678 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
22681 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
22682 Here's the definition:
22686 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
22687 group = <non-white-space string>
22689 description = <string>
22694 @node Emacs for Heathens
22695 @section Emacs for Heathens
22697 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
22698 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
22699 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{M-C-a}'', ``kill the
22700 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
22701 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
22702 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
22703 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
22707 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
22708 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
22713 @subsection Keystrokes
22717 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
22720 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
22723 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
22724 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
22725 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
22726 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
22727 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
22728 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
22730 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
22731 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
22732 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
22733 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
22734 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
22735 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
22736 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
22738 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
22739 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{M-C-m}
22740 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
22741 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
22742 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
22743 ``Press @kbd{M-C-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
22744 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
22746 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
22747 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
22748 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
22749 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
22750 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
22756 @subsection Emacs Lisp
22758 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
22759 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
22760 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
22761 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
22763 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
22764 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
22765 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
22766 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
22767 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
22768 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
22769 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
22772 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
22773 write the following:
22776 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
22779 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
22780 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
22781 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
22784 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
22785 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
22786 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
22787 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
22788 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
22790 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
22791 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
22792 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
22796 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
22800 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
22803 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
22804 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
22807 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
22810 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
22811 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
22814 @include gnus-faq.texi
22835 % LocalWords: Backend BNF mucho Backends backends detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
22836 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
22837 % LocalWords: nnmbox backend newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
22838 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
22839 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref