10 * Gnus: (gnus). The newsreader Gnus.
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282 \gnusauthor{by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen}
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291 Copyright \copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
292 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
295 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
296 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
297 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
298 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
299 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
300 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
301 License'' in the Emacs manual.
303 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
304 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
305 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
307 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
308 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
309 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
310 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
318 This file documents Gnus, the GNU Emacs newsreader.
320 Copyright (C) 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
321 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
323 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
324 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
325 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
326 Invariant Sections being none, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
327 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
328 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
329 License'' in the Emacs manual.
331 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
332 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
333 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
335 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
336 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
337 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
338 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
346 @author by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen
349 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
350 Copyright @copyright{} 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
351 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
353 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
354 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
355 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
356 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
357 Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
358 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
359 License'' in the Emacs manual.
361 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
362 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
363 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
365 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
366 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
367 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
368 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
377 @top The Gnus Newsreader
381 You can read news (and mail) from within Emacs by using Gnus. The news
382 can be gotten by any nefarious means you can think of---@sc{nntp}, local
383 spool or your mbox file. All at the same time, if you want to push your
386 This manual corresponds to Oort Gnus v0.07.
397 Gnus is the advanced, self-documenting, customizable, extensible
398 unreal-time newsreader for GNU Emacs.
400 Oops. That sounds oddly familiar, so let's start over again to avoid
401 being accused of plagiarism:
403 Gnus is a message-reading laboratory. It will let you look at just
404 about anything as if it were a newsgroup. You can read mail with it,
405 you can browse directories with it, you can @code{ftp} with it---you
406 can even read news with it!
408 Gnus tries to empower people who read news the same way Emacs empowers
409 people who edit text. Gnus sets no limits to what the user should be
410 allowed to do. Users are encouraged to extend Gnus to make it behave
411 like they want it to behave. A program should not control people;
412 people should be empowered to do what they want by using (or abusing)
418 * Starting Up:: Finding news can be a pain.
419 * Group Buffer:: Selecting, subscribing and killing groups.
420 * Summary Buffer:: Reading, saving and posting articles.
421 * Article Buffer:: Displaying and handling articles.
422 * Composing Messages:: Information on sending mail and news.
423 * Select Methods:: Gnus reads all messages from various select methods.
424 * Scoring:: Assigning values to articles.
425 * Various:: General purpose settings.
426 * The End:: Farewell and goodbye.
427 * Appendices:: Terminology, Emacs intro, FAQ, History, Internals.
428 * Index:: Variable, function and concept index.
429 * Key Index:: Key Index.
432 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
436 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
437 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
438 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
439 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
440 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
441 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
442 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
443 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
444 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
445 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
446 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
450 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
451 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
452 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
456 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
457 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
458 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
459 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
460 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
461 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
462 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
463 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
464 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
465 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
466 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
467 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
468 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
469 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
470 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
471 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
472 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
476 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
477 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
478 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
482 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
483 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
484 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
485 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
486 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
490 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
491 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
492 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
493 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
494 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
498 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
499 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
500 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
501 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
502 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
503 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
504 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
505 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
506 * Threading:: How threads are made.
507 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
508 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
509 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
510 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
511 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
512 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
513 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
514 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
515 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
516 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
517 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
518 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
519 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
520 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
521 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
522 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
523 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
524 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
525 or reselecting the current group.
526 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
527 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
528 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
529 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
531 Summary Buffer Format
533 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
534 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
535 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
536 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
540 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
541 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
543 Reply, Followup and Post
545 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
546 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
547 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
548 * Canceling and Superseding::
552 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
553 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
554 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
556 * Generic Marking Commands::
557 * Setting Process Marks::
561 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
562 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
563 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
567 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
568 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
570 Customizing Threading
572 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
573 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
574 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
575 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
579 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
580 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
581 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
582 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
583 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
584 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
588 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
589 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
590 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
594 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
595 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
596 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
597 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
598 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
599 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
600 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
601 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
602 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
603 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
605 Alternative Approaches
607 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
608 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
610 Various Summary Stuff
612 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
613 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
614 * Summary Generation Commands::
615 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
619 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
620 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
621 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
622 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
623 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
627 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
628 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
629 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
630 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
631 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
632 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
633 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
634 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
638 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
639 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
640 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
641 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
642 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
643 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
644 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
645 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
649 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
650 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
651 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
652 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
653 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
654 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
655 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
659 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
660 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
664 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
665 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
666 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
670 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
671 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
672 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
673 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
674 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
675 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
676 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
677 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
678 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
679 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
680 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
681 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
682 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
686 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
687 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
688 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
690 Choosing a Mail Back End
692 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
693 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
694 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
695 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
696 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
697 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
702 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
703 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
704 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
705 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
706 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
707 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
711 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
712 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
713 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
714 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
715 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
719 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
720 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
721 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
722 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
723 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
727 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
731 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
732 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
733 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
737 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
738 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
742 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
743 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
744 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
745 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
746 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
747 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
748 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
749 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
750 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
751 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
752 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
756 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
757 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
758 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
762 * Group Agent Commands::
763 * Summary Agent Commands::
764 * Server Agent Commands::
768 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
769 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
770 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
771 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
772 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
773 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
774 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
775 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
776 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
777 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
778 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
779 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
780 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
781 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
782 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
783 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
784 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
788 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
789 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
790 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
791 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
795 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
796 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
797 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
801 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
802 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
803 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
804 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
805 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
806 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
807 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
808 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
809 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
810 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
811 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
812 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
813 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
814 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
815 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
816 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
817 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
818 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
819 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
823 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
824 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
825 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
826 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
827 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
828 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
829 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
830 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
834 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
835 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
836 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
837 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
838 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
842 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
843 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
844 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
845 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
846 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
850 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
851 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
852 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
853 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
854 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
855 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
859 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
860 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
861 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
862 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
863 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
864 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
865 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
866 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
867 * Frequently Asked Questions::
871 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
872 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
873 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
874 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
875 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
876 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
877 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
878 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
879 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
883 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
884 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
885 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
886 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
887 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
891 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
892 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
893 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
894 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
898 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
899 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
900 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
901 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
902 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
903 * Group Info:: The group info format.
904 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
905 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
906 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
910 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
911 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
912 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
913 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
914 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
915 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
919 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
920 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
924 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
925 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
931 @chapter Starting Gnus
936 If your system administrator has set things up properly, starting Gnus
937 and reading news is extremely easy---you just type @kbd{M-x gnus} in
940 @findex gnus-other-frame
941 @kindex M-x gnus-other-frame
942 If you want to start Gnus in a different frame, you can use the command
943 @kbd{M-x gnus-other-frame} instead.
945 If things do not go smoothly at startup, you have to twiddle some
946 variables in your @file{~/.gnus} file. This file is similar to
947 @file{~/.emacs}, but is read when gnus starts.
949 If you puzzle at any terms used in this manual, please refer to the
950 terminology section (@pxref{Terminology}).
953 * Finding the News:: Choosing a method for getting news.
954 * The First Time:: What does Gnus do the first time you start it?
955 * The Server is Down:: How can I read my mail then?
956 * Slave Gnusae:: You can have more than one Gnus active at a time.
957 * Fetching a Group:: Starting Gnus just to read a group.
958 * New Groups:: What is Gnus supposed to do with new groups?
959 * Changing Servers:: You may want to move from one server to another.
960 * Startup Files:: Those pesky startup files---@file{.newsrc}.
961 * Auto Save:: Recovering from a crash.
962 * The Active File:: Reading the active file over a slow line Takes Time.
963 * Startup Variables:: Other variables you might change.
967 @node Finding the News
968 @section Finding the News
971 @vindex gnus-select-method
973 The @code{gnus-select-method} variable says where Gnus should look for
974 news. This variable should be a list where the first element says
975 @dfn{how} and the second element says @dfn{where}. This method is your
976 native method. All groups not fetched with this method are
979 For instance, if the @samp{news.somewhere.edu} @sc{nntp} server is where
980 you want to get your daily dosage of news from, you'd say:
983 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.somewhere.edu"))
986 If you want to read directly from the local spool, say:
989 (setq gnus-select-method '(nnspool ""))
992 If you can use a local spool, you probably should, as it will almost
993 certainly be much faster. But do not use the local spool if your
994 server is running Leafnode; in this case, use @code{(nntp "localhost")}.
996 @vindex gnus-nntpserver-file
998 @cindex @sc{nntp} server
999 If this variable is not set, Gnus will take a look at the
1000 @code{NNTPSERVER} environment variable. If that variable isn't set,
1001 Gnus will see whether @code{gnus-nntpserver-file}
1002 (@file{/etc/nntpserver} by default) has any opinions on the matter. If
1003 that fails as well, Gnus will try to use the machine running Emacs as an @sc{nntp} server. That's a long shot, though.
1005 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1006 If @code{gnus-nntp-server} is set, this variable will override
1007 @code{gnus-select-method}. You should therefore set
1008 @code{gnus-nntp-server} to @code{nil}, which is what it is by default.
1010 @vindex gnus-secondary-servers
1011 @vindex gnus-nntp-server
1012 You can also make Gnus prompt you interactively for the name of an
1013 @sc{nntp} server. If you give a non-numerical prefix to @code{gnus}
1014 (i.e., @kbd{C-u M-x gnus}), Gnus will let you choose between the servers
1015 in the @code{gnus-secondary-servers} list (if any). You can also just
1016 type in the name of any server you feel like visiting. (Note that this
1017 will set @code{gnus-nntp-server}, which means that if you then @kbd{M-x
1018 gnus} later in the same Emacs session, Gnus will contact the same
1021 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
1023 However, if you use one @sc{nntp} server regularly and are just
1024 interested in a couple of groups from a different server, you would be
1025 better served by using the @kbd{B} command in the group buffer. It will
1026 let you have a look at what groups are available, and you can subscribe
1027 to any of the groups you want to. This also makes @file{.newsrc}
1028 maintenance much tidier. @xref{Foreign Groups}.
1030 @vindex gnus-secondary-select-methods
1032 A slightly different approach to foreign groups is to set the
1033 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} variable. The select methods
1034 listed in this variable are in many ways just as native as the
1035 @code{gnus-select-method} server. They will also be queried for active
1036 files during startup (if that's required), and new newsgroups that
1037 appear on these servers will be subscribed (or not) just as native
1040 For instance, if you use the @code{nnmbox} back end to read your mail,
1041 you would typically set this variable to
1044 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnmbox "")))
1048 @node The First Time
1049 @section The First Time
1050 @cindex first time usage
1052 If no startup files exist, Gnus will try to determine what groups should
1053 be subscribed by default.
1055 @vindex gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups
1056 If the variable @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is set, Gnus
1057 will subscribe you to just those groups in that list, leaving the rest
1058 killed. Your system administrator should have set this variable to
1061 Since she hasn't, Gnus will just subscribe you to a few arbitrarily
1062 picked groups (i.e., @samp{*.newusers}). (@dfn{Arbitrary} is defined
1063 here as @dfn{whatever Lars thinks you should read}.)
1065 You'll also be subscribed to the Gnus documentation group, which should
1066 help you with most common problems.
1068 If @code{gnus-default-subscribed-newsgroups} is @code{t}, Gnus will just
1069 use the normal functions for handling new groups, and not do anything
1073 @node The Server is Down
1074 @section The Server is Down
1075 @cindex server errors
1077 If the default server is down, Gnus will understandably have some
1078 problems starting. However, if you have some mail groups in addition to
1079 the news groups, you may want to start Gnus anyway.
1081 Gnus, being the trusting sort of program, will ask whether to proceed
1082 without a native select method if that server can't be contacted. This
1083 will happen whether the server doesn't actually exist (i.e., you have
1084 given the wrong address) or the server has just momentarily taken ill
1085 for some reason or other. If you decide to continue and have no foreign
1086 groups, you'll find it difficult to actually do anything in the group
1087 buffer. But, hey, that's your problem. Blllrph!
1089 @findex gnus-no-server
1090 @kindex M-x gnus-no-server
1092 If you know that the server is definitely down, or you just want to read
1093 your mail without bothering with the server at all, you can use the
1094 @code{gnus-no-server} command to start Gnus. That might come in handy
1095 if you're in a hurry as well. This command will not attempt to contact
1096 your primary server---instead, it will just activate all groups on level
1097 1 and 2. (You should preferably keep no native groups on those two
1098 levels.) Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
1102 @section Slave Gnusae
1105 You might want to run more than one Emacs with more than one Gnus at the
1106 same time. If you are using different @file{.newsrc} files (e.g., if you
1107 are using the two different Gnusae to read from two different servers),
1108 that is no problem whatsoever. You just do it.
1110 The problem appears when you want to run two Gnusae that use the same
1111 @code{.newsrc} file.
1113 To work around that problem some, we here at the Think-Tank at the Gnus
1114 Towers have come up with a new concept: @dfn{Masters} and
1115 @dfn{slaves}. (We have applied for a patent on this concept, and have
1116 taken out a copyright on those words. If you wish to use those words in
1117 conjunction with each other, you have to send $1 per usage instance to
1118 me. Usage of the patent (@dfn{Master/Slave Relationships In Computer
1119 Applications}) will be much more expensive, of course.)
1121 Anyway, you start one Gnus up the normal way with @kbd{M-x gnus} (or
1122 however you do it). Each subsequent slave Gnusae should be started with
1123 @kbd{M-x gnus-slave}. These slaves won't save normal @file{.newsrc}
1124 files, but instead save @dfn{slave files} that contain information only
1125 on what groups have been read in the slave session. When a master Gnus
1126 starts, it will read (and delete) these slave files, incorporating all
1127 information from them. (The slave files will be read in the sequence
1128 they were created, so the latest changes will have precedence.)
1130 Information from the slave files has, of course, precedence over the
1131 information in the normal (i.e., master) @code{.newsrc} file.
1133 If the @code{.newsrc*} files have not been saved in the master when the
1134 slave starts, you may be prompted as to whether to read an auto-save
1135 file. If you answer "yes", the unsaved changes to the master will be
1136 incorporated into the slave. If you answer "no", the slave may see some
1137 messages as unread that have been read in the master.
1139 @node Fetching a Group
1140 @section Fetching a Group
1141 @cindex fetching a group
1143 @findex gnus-fetch-group
1144 It is sometimes convenient to be able to just say ``I want to read this
1145 group and I don't care whether Gnus has been started or not''. This is
1146 perhaps more useful for people who write code than for users, but the
1147 command @code{gnus-fetch-group} provides this functionality in any case.
1148 It takes the group name as a parameter.
1154 @cindex subscription
1156 @vindex gnus-check-new-newsgroups
1157 If you are satisfied that you really never want to see any new groups,
1158 you can set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil}. This will
1159 also save you some time at startup. Even if this variable is
1160 @code{nil}, you can always subscribe to the new groups just by pressing
1161 @kbd{U} in the group buffer (@pxref{Group Maintenance}). This variable
1162 is @code{ask-server} by default. If you set this variable to
1163 @code{always}, then Gnus will query the back ends for new groups even
1164 when you do the @kbd{g} command (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
1167 * Checking New Groups:: Determining what groups are new.
1168 * Subscription Methods:: What Gnus should do with new groups.
1169 * Filtering New Groups:: Making Gnus ignore certain new groups.
1173 @node Checking New Groups
1174 @subsection Checking New Groups
1176 Gnus normally determines whether a group is new or not by comparing the
1177 list of groups from the active file(s) with the lists of subscribed and
1178 dead groups. This isn't a particularly fast method. If
1179 @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} is @code{ask-server}, Gnus will ask the
1180 server for new groups since the last time. This is both faster and
1181 cheaper. This also means that you can get rid of the list of killed
1182 groups altogether, so you may set @code{gnus-save-killed-list} to
1183 @code{nil}, which will save time both at startup, at exit, and all over.
1184 Saves disk space, too. Why isn't this the default, then?
1185 Unfortunately, not all servers support this command.
1187 I bet I know what you're thinking now: How do I find out whether my
1188 server supports @code{ask-server}? No? Good, because I don't have a
1189 fail-safe answer. I would suggest just setting this variable to
1190 @code{ask-server} and see whether any new groups appear within the next
1191 few days. If any do, then it works. If none do, then it doesn't
1192 work. I could write a function to make Gnus guess whether the server
1193 supports @code{ask-server}, but it would just be a guess. So I won't.
1194 You could @code{telnet} to the server and say @code{HELP} and see
1195 whether it lists @samp{NEWGROUPS} among the commands it understands. If
1196 it does, then it might work. (But there are servers that lists
1197 @samp{NEWGROUPS} without supporting the function properly.)
1199 This variable can also be a list of select methods. If so, Gnus will
1200 issue an @code{ask-server} command to each of the select methods, and
1201 subscribe them (or not) using the normal methods. This might be handy
1202 if you are monitoring a few servers for new groups. A side effect is
1203 that startup will take much longer, so you can meditate while waiting.
1204 Use the mantra ``dingnusdingnusdingnus'' to achieve permanent bliss.
1207 @node Subscription Methods
1208 @subsection Subscription Methods
1210 @vindex gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method
1211 What Gnus does when it encounters a new group is determined by the
1212 @code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} variable.
1214 This variable should contain a function. This function will be called
1215 with the name of the new group as the only parameter.
1217 Some handy pre-fab functions are:
1221 @item gnus-subscribe-zombies
1222 @vindex gnus-subscribe-zombies
1223 Make all new groups zombies. This is the default. You can browse the
1224 zombies later (with @kbd{A z}) and either kill them all off properly
1225 (with @kbd{S z}), or subscribe to them (with @kbd{u}).
1227 @item gnus-subscribe-randomly
1228 @vindex gnus-subscribe-randomly
1229 Subscribe all new groups in arbitrary order. This really means that all
1230 new groups will be added at ``the top'' of the group buffer.
1232 @item gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1233 @vindex gnus-subscribe-alphabetically
1234 Subscribe all new groups in alphabetical order.
1236 @item gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1237 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchically
1238 Subscribe all new groups hierarchically. The difference between this
1239 function and @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} is slight.
1240 @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically} will subscribe new groups in a strictly
1241 alphabetical fashion, while this function will enter groups into its
1242 hierarchy. So if you want to have the @samp{rec} hierarchy before the
1243 @samp{comp} hierarchy, this function will not mess that configuration
1244 up. Or something like that.
1246 @item gnus-subscribe-interactively
1247 @vindex gnus-subscribe-interactively
1248 Subscribe new groups interactively. This means that Gnus will ask
1249 you about @strong{all} new groups. The groups you choose to subscribe
1250 to will be subscribed hierarchically.
1252 @item gnus-subscribe-killed
1253 @vindex gnus-subscribe-killed
1254 Kill all new groups.
1256 @item gnus-subscribe-topics
1257 @vindex gnus-subscribe-topics
1258 Put the groups into the topic that has a matching @code{subscribe} topic
1259 parameter (@pxref{Topic Parameters}). For instance, a @code{subscribe}
1260 topic parameter that looks like
1266 will mean that all groups that match that regex will be subscribed under
1269 If no topics match the groups, the groups will be subscribed in the
1274 @vindex gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive
1275 A closely related variable is
1276 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. (That's quite a
1277 mouthful.) If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will ask you in a
1278 hierarchical fashion whether to subscribe to new groups or not. Gnus
1279 will ask you for each sub-hierarchy whether you want to descend the
1282 One common mistake is to set the variable a few paragraphs above
1283 (@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method}) to
1284 @code{gnus-subscribe-hierarchical-interactive}. This is an error. This
1285 will not work. This is ga-ga. So don't do it.
1288 @node Filtering New Groups
1289 @subsection Filtering New Groups
1291 A nice and portable way to control which new newsgroups should be
1292 subscribed (or ignored) is to put an @dfn{options} line at the start of
1293 the @file{.newsrc} file. Here's an example:
1296 options -n !alt.all !rec.all sci.all
1299 @vindex gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method
1300 This line obviously belongs to a serious-minded intellectual scientific
1301 person (or she may just be plain old boring), because it says that all
1302 groups that have names beginning with @samp{alt} and @samp{rec} should
1303 be ignored, and all groups with names beginning with @samp{sci} should
1304 be subscribed. Gnus will not use the normal subscription method for
1305 subscribing these groups.
1306 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method} is used instead. This
1307 variable defaults to @code{gnus-subscribe-alphabetically}.
1309 @vindex gnus-options-not-subscribe
1310 @vindex gnus-options-subscribe
1311 If you don't want to mess with your @file{.newsrc} file, you can just
1312 set the two variables @code{gnus-options-subscribe} and
1313 @code{gnus-options-not-subscribe}. These two variables do exactly the
1314 same as the @file{.newsrc} @samp{options -n} trick. Both are regexps,
1315 and if the new group matches the former, it will be unconditionally
1316 subscribed, and if it matches the latter, it will be ignored.
1318 @vindex gnus-auto-subscribed-groups
1319 Yet another variable that meddles here is
1320 @code{gnus-auto-subscribed-groups}. It works exactly like
1321 @code{gnus-options-subscribe}, and is therefore really superfluous, but I
1322 thought it would be nice to have two of these. This variable is more
1323 meant for setting some ground rules, while the other variable is used
1324 more for user fiddling. By default this variable makes all new groups
1325 that come from mail back ends (@code{nnml}, @code{nnbabyl},
1326 @code{nnfolder}, @code{nnmbox}, @code{nnmh}, and @code{nnmaildir})
1327 subscribed. If you don't like that, just set this variable to
1330 New groups that match this regexp are subscribed using
1331 @code{gnus-subscribe-options-newsgroup-method}.
1334 @node Changing Servers
1335 @section Changing Servers
1336 @cindex changing servers
1338 Sometimes it is necessary to move from one @sc{nntp} server to another.
1339 This happens very rarely, but perhaps you change jobs, or one server is
1340 very flaky and you want to use another.
1342 Changing the server is pretty easy, right? You just change
1343 @code{gnus-select-method} to point to the new server?
1347 Article numbers are not (in any way) kept synchronized between different
1348 @sc{nntp} servers, and the only way Gnus keeps track of what articles
1349 you have read is by keeping track of article numbers. So when you
1350 change @code{gnus-select-method}, your @file{.newsrc} file becomes
1353 Gnus provides a few functions to attempt to translate a @file{.newsrc}
1354 file from one server to another. They all have one thing in
1355 common---they take a looong time to run. You don't want to use these
1356 functions more than absolutely necessary.
1358 @kindex M-x gnus-change-server
1359 @findex gnus-change-server
1360 If you have access to both servers, Gnus can request the headers for all
1361 the articles you have read and compare @code{Message-ID}s and map the
1362 article numbers of the read articles and article marks. The @kbd{M-x
1363 gnus-change-server} command will do this for all your native groups. It
1364 will prompt for the method you want to move to.
1366 @kindex M-x gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1367 @findex gnus-group-move-group-to-server
1368 You can also move individual groups with the @kbd{M-x
1369 gnus-group-move-group-to-server} command. This is useful if you want to
1370 move a (foreign) group from one server to another.
1372 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1373 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
1374 If you don't have access to both the old and new server, all your marks
1375 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use the @kbd{M-x
1376 gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} command to clear out all data
1377 that you have on your native groups. Use with caution.
1379 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data
1380 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
1381 Clear the data from the current group only---nix out marks and the
1382 list of read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
1384 After changing servers, you @strong{must} move the cache hierarchy away,
1385 since the cached articles will have wrong article numbers, which will
1386 affect which articles Gnus thinks are read.
1387 @code{gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups} will ask you if you want
1388 to have it done automatically; for @code{gnus-group-clear-data}, you
1389 can use @kbd{M-x gnus-cache-move-cache} (but beware, it will move the
1390 cache for all groups).
1394 @section Startup Files
1395 @cindex startup files
1400 Now, you all know about the @file{.newsrc} file. All subscription
1401 information is traditionally stored in this file.
1403 Things got a bit more complicated with @sc{gnus}. In addition to
1404 keeping the @file{.newsrc} file updated, it also used a file called
1405 @file{.newsrc.el} for storing all the information that didn't fit into
1406 the @file{.newsrc} file. (Actually, it also duplicated everything in
1407 the @file{.newsrc} file.) @sc{gnus} would read whichever one of these
1408 files was the most recently saved, which enabled people to swap between
1409 @sc{gnus} and other newsreaders.
1411 That was kinda silly, so Gnus went one better: In addition to the
1412 @file{.newsrc} and @file{.newsrc.el} files, Gnus also has a file called
1413 @file{.newsrc.eld}. It will read whichever of these files that are most
1414 recent, but it will never write a @file{.newsrc.el} file. You should
1415 never delete the @file{.newsrc.eld} file---it contains much information
1416 not stored in the @file{.newsrc} file.
1418 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-file
1419 @vindex gnus-read-newsrc-file
1420 You can turn off writing the @file{.newsrc} file by setting
1421 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-file} to @code{nil}, which means you can delete
1422 the file and save some space, as well as exiting from Gnus faster.
1423 However, this will make it impossible to use other newsreaders than
1424 Gnus. But hey, who would want to, right? Similarly, setting
1425 @code{gnus-read-newsrc-file} to @code{nil} makes Gnus ignore the
1426 @file{.newsrc} file and any @file{.newsrc-SERVER} files, which is
1427 convenient if you have a tendency to use Netscape once in a while.
1429 @vindex gnus-save-killed-list
1430 If @code{gnus-save-killed-list} (default @code{t}) is @code{nil}, Gnus
1431 will not save the list of killed groups to the startup file. This will
1432 save both time (when starting and quitting) and space (on disk). It
1433 will also mean that Gnus has no record of what groups are new or old,
1434 so the automatic new groups subscription methods become meaningless.
1435 You should always set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{nil} or
1436 @code{ask-server} if you set this variable to @code{nil} (@pxref{New
1437 Groups}). This variable can also be a regular expression. If that's
1438 the case, remove all groups that do not match this regexp before
1439 saving. This can be useful in certain obscure situations that involve
1440 several servers where not all servers support @code{ask-server}.
1442 @vindex gnus-startup-file
1443 The @code{gnus-startup-file} variable says where the startup files are.
1444 The default value is @file{~/.newsrc}, with the Gnus (El Dingo) startup
1445 file being whatever that one is, with a @samp{.eld} appended.
1447 @vindex gnus-save-newsrc-hook
1448 @vindex gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook
1449 @vindex gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook
1450 @code{gnus-save-newsrc-hook} is called before saving any of the newsrc
1451 files, while @code{gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook} is called just before
1452 saving the @file{.newsrc.eld} file, and
1453 @code{gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook} is called just before saving the
1454 @file{.newsrc} file. The latter two are commonly used to turn version
1455 control on or off. Version control is on by default when saving the
1456 startup files. If you want to turn backup creation off, say something like:
1459 (defun turn-off-backup ()
1460 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
1462 (add-hook 'gnus-save-quick-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1463 (add-hook 'gnus-save-standard-newsrc-hook 'turn-off-backup)
1466 @vindex gnus-init-file
1467 When Gnus starts, it will read the @code{gnus-site-init-file}
1468 (@file{.../site-lisp/gnus} by default) and @code{gnus-init-file}
1469 (@file{~/.gnus} by default) files. These are normal Emacs Lisp files
1470 and can be used to avoid cluttering your @file{~/.emacs} and
1471 @file{site-init} files with Gnus stuff. Gnus will also check for files
1472 with the same names as these, but with @file{.elc} and @file{.el}
1473 suffixes. In other words, if you have set @code{gnus-init-file} to
1474 @file{~/.gnus}, it will look for @file{~/.gnus.elc}, @file{~/.gnus.el},
1475 and finally @file{~/.gnus} (in this order).
1481 @cindex dribble file
1484 Whenever you do something that changes the Gnus data (reading articles,
1485 catching up, killing/subscribing groups), the change is added to a
1486 special @dfn{dribble buffer}. This buffer is auto-saved the normal
1487 Emacs way. If your Emacs should crash before you have saved the
1488 @file{.newsrc} files, all changes you have made can be recovered from
1491 If Gnus detects this file at startup, it will ask the user whether to
1492 read it. The auto save file is deleted whenever the real startup file is
1495 @vindex gnus-use-dribble-file
1496 If @code{gnus-use-dribble-file} is @code{nil}, Gnus won't create and
1497 maintain a dribble buffer. The default is @code{t}.
1499 @vindex gnus-dribble-directory
1500 Gnus will put the dribble file(s) in @code{gnus-dribble-directory}. If
1501 this variable is @code{nil}, which it is by default, Gnus will dribble
1502 into the directory where the @file{.newsrc} file is located. (This is
1503 normally the user's home directory.) The dribble file will get the same
1504 file permissions as the @code{.newsrc} file.
1506 @vindex gnus-always-read-dribble-file
1507 If @code{gnus-always-read-dribble-file} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will
1508 read the dribble file on startup without querying the user.
1511 @node The Active File
1512 @section The Active File
1514 @cindex ignored groups
1516 When Gnus starts, or indeed whenever it tries to determine whether new
1517 articles have arrived, it reads the active file. This is a very large
1518 file that lists all the active groups and articles on the server.
1520 @vindex gnus-ignored-newsgroups
1521 Before examining the active file, Gnus deletes all lines that match the
1522 regexp @code{gnus-ignored-newsgroups}. This is done primarily to reject
1523 any groups with bogus names, but you can use this variable to make Gnus
1524 ignore hierarchies you aren't ever interested in. However, this is not
1525 recommended. In fact, it's highly discouraged. Instead, @pxref{New
1526 Groups} for an overview of other variables that can be used instead.
1529 @c @code{nil} by default, and will slow down active file handling somewhat
1530 @c if you set it to anything else.
1532 @vindex gnus-read-active-file
1534 The active file can be rather Huge, so if you have a slow network, you
1535 can set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{nil} to prevent Gnus from
1536 reading the active file. This variable is @code{some} by default.
1538 Gnus will try to make do by getting information just on the groups that
1539 you actually subscribe to.
1541 Note that if you subscribe to lots and lots of groups, setting this
1542 variable to @code{nil} will probably make Gnus slower, not faster. At
1543 present, having this variable @code{nil} will slow Gnus down
1544 considerably, unless you read news over a 2400 baud modem.
1546 This variable can also have the value @code{some}. Gnus will then
1547 attempt to read active info only on the subscribed groups. On some
1548 servers this is quite fast (on sparkling, brand new INN servers that
1549 support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command), on others this isn't fast
1550 at all. In any case, @code{some} should be faster than @code{nil}, and
1551 is certainly faster than @code{t} over slow lines.
1553 Some news servers (old versions of Leafnode and old versions of INN, for
1554 instance) do not support the @code{LIST ACTIVE group}. For these
1555 servers, @code{nil} is probably the most efficient value for this
1558 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will ask for group info in total
1559 lock-step, which isn't very fast. If it is @code{some} and you use an
1560 @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will pump out commands as fast as it can, and
1561 read all the replies in one swoop. This will normally result in better
1562 performance, but if the server does not support the aforementioned
1563 @code{LIST ACTIVE group} command, this isn't very nice to the server.
1565 If you think that starting up Gnus takes too long, try all the three
1566 different values for this variable and see what works best for you.
1568 In any case, if you use @code{some} or @code{nil}, you should definitely
1569 kill all groups that you aren't interested in to speed things up.
1571 Note that this variable also affects active file retrieval from
1572 secondary select methods.
1575 @node Startup Variables
1576 @section Startup Variables
1580 @item gnus-load-hook
1581 @vindex gnus-load-hook
1582 A hook run while Gnus is being loaded. Note that this hook will
1583 normally be run just once in each Emacs session, no matter how many
1584 times you start Gnus.
1586 @item gnus-before-startup-hook
1587 @vindex gnus-before-startup-hook
1588 A hook run after starting up Gnus successfully.
1590 @item gnus-startup-hook
1591 @vindex gnus-startup-hook
1592 A hook run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1594 @item gnus-started-hook
1595 @vindex gnus-started-hook
1596 A hook that is run as the very last thing after starting up Gnus
1599 @item gnus-setup-news-hook
1600 @vindex gnus-setup-news-hook
1601 A hook that is run after reading the @file{.newsrc} file(s), but before
1602 generating the group buffer.
1604 @item gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1605 @vindex gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups
1606 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will check for and delete all bogus groups at
1607 startup. A @dfn{bogus group} is a group that you have in your
1608 @file{.newsrc} file, but doesn't exist on the news server. Checking for
1609 bogus groups can take quite a while, so to save time and resources it's
1610 best to leave this option off, and do the checking for bogus groups once
1611 in a while from the group buffer instead (@pxref{Group Maintenance}).
1613 @item gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1614 @vindex gnus-inhibit-startup-message
1615 If non-@code{nil}, the startup message won't be displayed. That way,
1616 your boss might not notice as easily that you are reading news instead
1617 of doing your job. Note that this variable is used before
1618 @file{.gnus.el} is loaded, so it should be set in @code{.emacs} instead.
1620 @item gnus-no-groups-message
1621 @vindex gnus-no-groups-message
1622 Message displayed by Gnus when no groups are available.
1624 @item gnus-play-startup-jingle
1625 @vindex gnus-play-startup-jingle
1626 If non-@code{nil}, play the Gnus jingle at startup.
1628 @item gnus-startup-jingle
1629 @vindex gnus-startup-jingle
1630 Jingle to be played if the above variable is non-@code{nil}. The
1631 default is @samp{Tuxedomoon.Jingle4.au}.
1637 @chapter Group Buffer
1638 @cindex group buffer
1640 @c Alex Schroeder suggests to rearrange this as follows:
1642 @c <kensanata> ok, just save it for reference. I'll go to bed in a minute.
1643 @c 1. Selecting a Group, 2. (new) Finding a Group, 3. Group Levels,
1644 @c 4. Subscription Commands, 5. Group Maneuvering, 6. Group Data,
1645 @c 7. Group Score, 8. Group Buffer Format
1646 @c <kensanata> Group Levels should have more information on levels 5 to 9. I
1647 @c suggest to split the 4th paragraph ("Gnus considers groups...") as follows:
1648 @c <kensanata> First, "Gnus considers groups... (default 9)."
1649 @c <kensanata> New, a table summarizing what levels 1 to 9 mean.
1650 @c <kensanata> Third, "Gnus treats subscribed ... reasons of efficiency"
1651 @c <kensanata> Then expand the next paragraph or add some more to it.
1652 @c This short one sentence explains levels 1 and 2, therefore I understand
1653 @c that I should keep important news at 3 and boring news at 4.
1654 @c Say so! Then go on to explain why I should bother with levels 6 to 9.
1655 @c Maybe keep those that you don't want to read temporarily at 6,
1656 @c those that you never want to read at 8, those that offend your
1657 @c human rights at 9...
1660 The @dfn{group buffer} lists all (or parts) of the available groups. It
1661 is the first buffer shown when Gnus starts, and will never be killed as
1662 long as Gnus is active.
1666 \gnusfigure{The Group Buffer}{320}{
1667 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group,height=9cm}}
1668 \put(120,37){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Buffer name}}
1669 \put(120,38){\vector(1,2){10}}
1670 \put(40,60){\makebox(0,0)[r]{Mode line}}
1671 \put(40,58){\vector(1,0){30}}
1672 \put(200,28){\makebox(0,0)[t]{Native select method}}
1673 \put(200,26){\vector(-1,2){15}}
1679 * Group Buffer Format:: Information listed and how you can change it.
1680 * Group Maneuvering:: Commands for moving in the group buffer.
1681 * Selecting a Group:: Actually reading news.
1682 * Subscription Commands:: Unsubscribing, killing, subscribing.
1683 * Group Data:: Changing the info for a group.
1684 * Group Levels:: Levels? What are those, then?
1685 * Group Score:: A mechanism for finding out what groups you like.
1686 * Marking Groups:: You can mark groups for later processing.
1687 * Foreign Groups:: Creating and editing groups.
1688 * Group Parameters:: Each group may have different parameters set.
1689 * Listing Groups:: Gnus can list various subsets of the groups.
1690 * Sorting Groups:: Re-arrange the group order.
1691 * Group Maintenance:: Maintaining a tidy @file{.newsrc} file.
1692 * Browse Foreign Server:: You can browse a server. See what it has to offer.
1693 * Exiting Gnus:: Stop reading news and get some work done.
1694 * Group Topics:: A folding group mode divided into topics.
1695 * Misc Group Stuff:: Other stuff that you can to do.
1699 @node Group Buffer Format
1700 @section Group Buffer Format
1703 * Group Line Specification:: Deciding how the group buffer is to look.
1704 * Group Modeline Specification:: The group buffer modeline.
1705 * Group Highlighting:: Having nice colors in the group buffer.
1709 @node Group Line Specification
1710 @subsection Group Line Specification
1711 @cindex group buffer format
1713 The default format of the group buffer is nice and dull, but you can
1714 make it as exciting and ugly as you feel like.
1716 Here's a couple of example group lines:
1719 25: news.announce.newusers
1720 * 0: alt.fan.andrea-dworkin
1725 You can see that there are 25 unread articles in
1726 @samp{news.announce.newusers}. There are no unread articles, but some
1727 ticked articles, in @samp{alt.fan.andrea-dworkin} (see that little
1728 asterisk at the beginning of the line?).
1730 @vindex gnus-group-line-format
1731 You can change that format to whatever you want by fiddling with the
1732 @code{gnus-group-line-format} variable. This variable works along the
1733 lines of a @code{format} specification, which is pretty much the same as
1734 a @code{printf} specifications, for those of you who use (feh!) C.
1735 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
1737 @samp{%M%S%5y: %(%g%)\n} is the value that produced those lines above.
1739 There should always be a colon on the line; the cursor always moves to
1740 the colon after performing an operation. @xref{Positioning
1741 Point}. Nothing else is required---not even the group name. All
1742 displayed text is just window dressing, and is never examined by Gnus.
1743 Gnus stores all real information it needs using text properties.
1745 (Note that if you make a really strange, wonderful, spreadsheet-like
1746 layout, everybody will believe you are hard at work with the accounting
1747 instead of wasting time reading news.)
1749 Here's a list of all available format characters:
1754 An asterisk if the group only has marked articles.
1757 Whether the group is subscribed.
1760 Level of subscribedness.
1763 Number of unread articles.
1766 Number of dormant articles.
1769 Number of ticked articles.
1772 Number of read articles.
1775 Estimated total number of articles. (This is really @var{max-number}
1776 minus @var{min-number} plus 1.)
1778 Gnus uses this estimation because the @sc{nntp} protocol provides
1779 efficient access to @var{max-number} and @var{min-number} but getting
1780 the true unread message count is not possible efficiently. For
1781 hysterical raisins, even the mail back ends, where the true number of
1782 unread messages might be available efficiently, use the same limited
1783 interface. To remove this restriction from Gnus means that the back
1784 end interface has to be changed, which is not an easy job. If you
1785 want to work on this, please contact the Gnus mailing list.
1788 Number of unread, unticked, non-dormant articles.
1791 Number of ticked and dormant articles.
1800 Group comment (@pxref{Group Parameters}) or group name if there is no
1801 comment element in the group parameters.
1804 Newsgroup description.
1807 @samp{m} if moderated.
1810 @samp{(m)} if moderated.
1819 A string that looks like @samp{<%s:%n>} if a foreign select method is
1823 Indentation based on the level of the topic (@pxref{Group Topics}).
1826 @vindex gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels
1827 Short (collapsed) group name. The @code{gnus-group-uncollapsed-levels}
1828 variable says how many levels to leave at the end of the group name.
1829 The default is 1---this will mean that group names like
1830 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} will be shortened to @samp{g.e.gnus}.
1833 @vindex gnus-new-mail-mark
1835 @samp{%} (@code{gnus-new-mail-mark}) if there has arrived new mail to
1839 @samp{#} (@code{gnus-process-mark}) if the group is process marked.
1842 A string that says when you last read the group (@pxref{Group
1846 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
1847 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
1848 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
1849 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed a single dummy
1850 parameter as argument. The function should return a string, which will
1851 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
1856 All the ``number-of'' specs will be filled with an asterisk (@samp{*})
1857 if no info is available---for instance, if it is a non-activated foreign
1858 group, or a bogus native group.
1861 @node Group Modeline Specification
1862 @subsection Group Modeline Specification
1863 @cindex group modeline
1865 @vindex gnus-group-mode-line-format
1866 The mode line can be changed by setting
1867 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
1868 doesn't understand that many format specifiers:
1872 The native news server.
1874 The native select method.
1878 @node Group Highlighting
1879 @subsection Group Highlighting
1880 @cindex highlighting
1881 @cindex group highlighting
1883 @vindex gnus-group-highlight
1884 Highlighting in the group buffer is controlled by the
1885 @code{gnus-group-highlight} variable. This is an alist with elements
1886 that look like @code{(@var{form} . @var{face})}. If @var{form} evaluates to
1887 something non-@code{nil}, the @var{face} will be used on the line.
1889 Here's an example value for this variable that might look nice if the
1893 (cond (window-system
1894 (setq custom-background-mode 'light)
1895 (defface my-group-face-1
1896 '((t (:foreground "Red" :bold t))) "First group face")
1897 (defface my-group-face-2
1898 '((t (:foreground "DarkSeaGreen4" :bold t))) "Second group face")
1899 (defface my-group-face-3
1900 '((t (:foreground "Green4" :bold t))) "Third group face")
1901 (defface my-group-face-4
1902 '((t (:foreground "SteelBlue" :bold t))) "Fourth group face")
1903 (defface my-group-face-5
1904 '((t (:foreground "Blue" :bold t))) "Fifth group face")))
1906 (setq gnus-group-highlight
1907 '(((> unread 200) . my-group-face-1)
1908 ((and (< level 3) (zerop unread)) . my-group-face-2)
1909 ((< level 3) . my-group-face-3)
1910 ((zerop unread) . my-group-face-4)
1911 (t . my-group-face-5)))
1914 Also @pxref{Faces and Fonts}.
1916 Variables that are dynamically bound when the forms are evaluated
1923 The number of unread articles in the group.
1927 Whether the group is a mail group.
1929 The level of the group.
1931 The score of the group.
1933 The number of ticked articles in the group.
1935 The total number of articles in the group. Or rather, MAX-NUMBER minus
1936 MIN-NUMBER plus one.
1938 When using the topic minor mode, this variable is bound to the current
1939 topic being inserted.
1942 When the forms are @code{eval}ed, point is at the beginning of the line
1943 of the group in question, so you can use many of the normal Gnus
1944 functions for snarfing info on the group.
1946 @vindex gnus-group-update-hook
1947 @findex gnus-group-highlight-line
1948 @code{gnus-group-update-hook} is called when a group line is changed.
1949 It will not be called when @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}. This hook
1950 calls @code{gnus-group-highlight-line} by default.
1953 @node Group Maneuvering
1954 @section Group Maneuvering
1955 @cindex group movement
1957 All movement commands understand the numeric prefix and will behave as
1958 expected, hopefully.
1964 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group
1965 Go to the next group that has unread articles
1966 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group}).
1972 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group
1973 Go to the previous group that has unread articles
1974 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group}).
1978 @findex gnus-group-next-group
1979 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
1983 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
1984 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
1988 @findex gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level
1989 Go to the next unread group on the same (or lower) level
1990 (@code{gnus-group-next-unread-group-same-level}).
1994 @findex gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level
1995 Go to the previous unread group on the same (or lower) level
1996 (@code{gnus-group-prev-unread-group-same-level}).
1999 Three commands for jumping to groups:
2005 @findex gnus-group-jump-to-group
2006 Jump to a group (and make it visible if it isn't already)
2007 (@code{gnus-group-jump-to-group}). Killed groups can be jumped to, just
2012 @findex gnus-group-best-unread-group
2013 Jump to the unread group with the lowest level
2014 (@code{gnus-group-best-unread-group}).
2018 @findex gnus-group-first-unread-group
2019 Jump to the first group with unread articles
2020 (@code{gnus-group-first-unread-group}).
2023 @vindex gnus-group-goto-unread
2024 If @code{gnus-group-goto-unread} is @code{nil}, all the movement
2025 commands will move to the next group, not the next unread group. Even
2026 the commands that say they move to the next unread group. The default
2030 @node Selecting a Group
2031 @section Selecting a Group
2032 @cindex group selection
2037 @kindex SPACE (Group)
2038 @findex gnus-group-read-group
2039 Select the current group, switch to the summary buffer and display the
2040 first unread article (@code{gnus-group-read-group}). If there are no
2041 unread articles in the group, or if you give a non-numerical prefix to
2042 this command, Gnus will offer to fetch all the old articles in this
2043 group from the server. If you give a numerical prefix @var{N}, @var{N}
2044 determines the number of articles Gnus will fetch. If @var{N} is
2045 positive, Gnus fetches the @var{N} newest articles, if @var{N} is
2046 negative, Gnus fetches the @code{abs(@var{N})} oldest articles.
2048 Thus, @kbd{SPC} enters the group normally, @kbd{C-u SPC} offers old
2049 articles, @kbd{C-u 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 newest articles, and @kbd{C-u
2050 - 4 2 SPC} fetches the 42 oldest ones.
2052 When you are in the group (in the Summary buffer), you can type
2053 @kbd{M-g} to fetch new articles, or @kbd{C-u M-g} to also show the old
2058 @findex gnus-group-select-group
2059 Select the current group and switch to the summary buffer
2060 (@code{gnus-group-select-group}). Takes the same arguments as
2061 @code{gnus-group-read-group}---the only difference is that this command
2062 does not display the first unread article automatically upon group
2066 @kindex M-RET (Group)
2067 @findex gnus-group-quick-select-group
2068 This does the same as the command above, but tries to do it with the
2069 minimum amount of fuzz (@code{gnus-group-quick-select-group}). No
2070 scoring/killing will be performed, there will be no highlights and no
2071 expunging. This might be useful if you're in a real hurry and have to
2072 enter some humongous group. If you give a 0 prefix to this command
2073 (i.e., @kbd{0 M-RET}), Gnus won't even generate the summary buffer,
2074 which is useful if you want to toggle threading before generating the
2075 summary buffer (@pxref{Summary Generation Commands}).
2078 @kindex M-SPACE (Group)
2079 @findex gnus-group-visible-select-group
2080 This is yet one more command that does the same as the @kbd{RET}
2081 command, but this one does it without expunging and hiding dormants
2082 (@code{gnus-group-visible-select-group}).
2085 @kindex C-M-RET (Group)
2086 @findex gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally
2087 Finally, this command selects the current group ephemerally without
2088 doing any processing of its contents
2089 (@code{gnus-group-select-group-ephemerally}). Even threading has been
2090 turned off. Everything you do in the group after selecting it in this
2091 manner will have no permanent effects.
2095 @vindex gnus-large-newsgroup
2096 The @code{gnus-large-newsgroup} variable says what Gnus should consider
2097 to be a big group. This is 200 by default. If the group has more
2098 (unread and/or ticked) articles than this, Gnus will query the user
2099 before entering the group. The user can then specify how many articles
2100 should be fetched from the server. If the user specifies a negative
2101 number (@code{-n}), the @code{n} oldest articles will be fetched. If it
2102 is positive, the @code{n} articles that have arrived most recently will
2105 @vindex gnus-select-group-hook
2106 @vindex gnus-auto-select-first
2107 If @code{gnus-auto-select-first} is non-@code{nil}, select an article
2108 automatically when entering a group with the @kbd{SPACE} command.
2109 Which article this is is controlled by the
2110 @code{gnus-auto-select-subject} variable. Valid values for this
2116 Place point on the subject line of the first unread article.
2119 Place point on the subject line of the first article.
2122 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article.
2124 @item unseen-or-unread
2125 Place point on the subject line of the first unseen article, and if
2126 there is no such article, place point on the subject line of the first
2130 Place point on the subject line of the highest-scored unread article.
2134 This variable can also be a function. In that case, that function
2135 will be called to place point on a subject line.
2137 If you want to prevent automatic selection in some group (say, in a
2138 binary group with Huge articles) you can set the
2139 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} variable to @code{nil} in
2140 @code{gnus-select-group-hook}, which is called when a group is
2144 @node Subscription Commands
2145 @section Subscription Commands
2146 @cindex subscription
2154 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group
2155 @c @icon{gnus-group-unsubscribe}
2156 Toggle subscription to the current group
2157 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-current-group}).
2163 @findex gnus-group-unsubscribe-group
2164 Prompt for a group to subscribe, and then subscribe it. If it was
2165 subscribed already, unsubscribe it instead
2166 (@code{gnus-group-unsubscribe-group}).
2172 @findex gnus-group-kill-group
2173 @c @icon{gnus-group-kill-group}
2174 Kill the current group (@code{gnus-group-kill-group}).
2180 @findex gnus-group-yank-group
2181 Yank the last killed group (@code{gnus-group-yank-group}).
2184 @kindex C-x C-t (Group)
2185 @findex gnus-group-transpose-groups
2186 Transpose two groups (@code{gnus-group-transpose-groups}). This isn't
2187 really a subscription command, but you can use it instead of a
2188 kill-and-yank sequence sometimes.
2194 @findex gnus-group-kill-region
2195 Kill all groups in the region (@code{gnus-group-kill-region}).
2199 @findex gnus-group-kill-all-zombies
2200 Kill all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-kill-all-zombies}).
2203 @kindex S C-k (Group)
2204 @findex gnus-group-kill-level
2205 Kill all groups on a certain level (@code{gnus-group-kill-level}).
2206 These groups can't be yanked back after killing, so this command should
2207 be used with some caution. The only time where this command comes in
2208 really handy is when you have a @file{.newsrc} with lots of unsubscribed
2209 groups that you want to get rid off. @kbd{S C-k} on level 7 will
2210 kill off all unsubscribed groups that do not have message numbers in the
2211 @file{.newsrc} file.
2215 Also @pxref{Group Levels}.
2225 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current
2226 @vindex gnus-group-catchup-group-hook
2227 @c @icon{gnus-group-catchup-current}
2228 Mark all unticked articles in this group as read
2229 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current}).
2230 @code{gnus-group-catchup-group-hook} is called when catching up a group from
2235 @findex gnus-group-catchup-current-all
2236 Mark all articles in this group, even the ticked ones, as read
2237 (@code{gnus-group-catchup-current-all}).
2241 @findex gnus-group-clear-data
2242 Clear the data from the current group---nix out marks and the list of
2243 read articles (@code{gnus-group-clear-data}).
2245 @item M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2246 @kindex M-x gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2247 @findex gnus-group-clear-data-on-native-groups
2248 If you have switched from one @sc{nntp} server to another, all your marks
2249 and read ranges have become worthless. You can use this command to
2250 clear out all data that you have on your native groups. Use with
2257 @section Group Levels
2261 All groups have a level of @dfn{subscribedness}. For instance, if a
2262 group is on level 2, it is more subscribed than a group on level 5. You
2263 can ask Gnus to just list groups on a given level or lower
2264 (@pxref{Listing Groups}), or to just check for new articles in groups on
2265 a given level or lower (@pxref{Scanning New Messages}).
2267 Remember: The higher the level of the group, the less important it is.
2273 @findex gnus-group-set-current-level
2274 Set the level of the current group. If a numeric prefix is given, the
2275 next @var{n} groups will have their levels set. The user will be
2276 prompted for a level.
2279 @vindex gnus-level-killed
2280 @vindex gnus-level-zombie
2281 @vindex gnus-level-unsubscribed
2282 @vindex gnus-level-subscribed
2283 Gnus considers groups from levels 1 to
2284 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (inclusive) (default 5) to be subscribed,
2285 @code{gnus-level-subscribed} (exclusive) and
2286 @code{gnus-level-unsubscribed} (inclusive) (default 7) to be
2287 unsubscribed, @code{gnus-level-zombie} to be zombies (walking dead)
2288 (default 8) and @code{gnus-level-killed} to be killed (completely dead)
2289 (default 9). Gnus treats subscribed and unsubscribed groups exactly the
2290 same, but zombie and killed groups have no information on what articles
2291 you have read, etc, stored. This distinction between dead and living
2292 groups isn't done because it is nice or clever, it is done purely for
2293 reasons of efficiency.
2295 It is recommended that you keep all your mail groups (if any) on quite
2296 low levels (e.g. 1 or 2).
2298 Maybe the following description of the default behavior of Gnus helps to
2299 understand what these levels are all about. By default, Gnus shows you
2300 subscribed nonempty groups, but by hitting @kbd{L} you can have it show
2301 empty subscribed groups and unsubscribed groups, too. Type @kbd{l} to
2302 go back to showing nonempty subscribed groups again. Thus, unsubscribed
2303 groups are hidden, in a way.
2305 Zombie and killed groups are similar to unsubscribed groups in that they
2306 are hidden by default. But they are different from subscribed and
2307 unsubscribed groups in that Gnus doesn't ask the news server for
2308 information (number of messages, number of unread messages) on zombie
2309 and killed groups. Normally, you use @kbd{C-k} to kill the groups you
2310 aren't interested in. If most groups are killed, Gnus is faster.
2312 Why does Gnus distinguish between zombie and killed groups? Well, when
2313 a new group arrives on the server, Gnus by default makes it a zombie
2314 group. This means that you are normally not bothered with new groups,
2315 but you can type @kbd{A z} to get a list of all new groups. Subscribe
2316 the ones you like and kill the ones you don't want. (@kbd{A k} shows a
2317 list of killed groups.)
2319 If you want to play with the level variables, you should show some care.
2320 Set them once, and don't touch them ever again. Better yet, don't touch
2321 them at all unless you know exactly what you're doing.
2323 @vindex gnus-level-default-unsubscribed
2324 @vindex gnus-level-default-subscribed
2325 Two closely related variables are @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}
2326 (default 3) and @code{gnus-level-default-unsubscribed} (default 6),
2327 which are the levels that new groups will be put on if they are
2328 (un)subscribed. These two variables should, of course, be inside the
2329 relevant valid ranges.
2331 @vindex gnus-keep-same-level
2332 If @code{gnus-keep-same-level} is non-@code{nil}, some movement commands
2333 will only move to groups of the same level (or lower). In
2334 particular, going from the last article in one group to the next group
2335 will go to the next group of the same level (or lower). This might be
2336 handy if you want to read the most important groups before you read the
2339 If this variable is @code{best}, Gnus will make the next newsgroup the
2340 one with the best level.
2342 @vindex gnus-group-default-list-level
2343 All groups with a level less than or equal to
2344 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level} will be listed in the group buffer
2347 @vindex gnus-group-list-inactive-groups
2348 If @code{gnus-group-list-inactive-groups} is non-@code{nil}, non-active
2349 groups will be listed along with the unread groups. This variable is
2350 @code{t} by default. If it is @code{nil}, inactive groups won't be
2353 @vindex gnus-group-use-permanent-levels
2354 If @code{gnus-group-use-permanent-levels} is non-@code{nil}, once you
2355 give a level prefix to @kbd{g} or @kbd{l}, all subsequent commands will
2356 use this level as the ``work'' level.
2358 @vindex gnus-activate-level
2359 Gnus will normally just activate (i. e., query the server about) groups
2360 on level @code{gnus-activate-level} or less. If you don't want to
2361 activate unsubscribed groups, for instance, you might set this variable
2362 to 5. The default is 6.
2366 @section Group Score
2371 You would normally keep important groups on high levels, but that scheme
2372 is somewhat restrictive. Don't you wish you could have Gnus sort the
2373 group buffer according to how often you read groups, perhaps? Within
2376 This is what @dfn{group score} is for. You can have Gnus assign a score
2377 to each group through the mechanism described below. You can then sort
2378 the group buffer based on this score. Alternatively, you can sort on
2379 score and then level. (Taken together, the level and the score is
2380 called the @dfn{rank} of the group. A group that is on level 4 and has
2381 a score of 1 has a higher rank than a group on level 5 that has a score
2382 of 300. (The level is the most significant part and the score is the
2383 least significant part.))
2385 @findex gnus-summary-bubble-group
2386 If you want groups you read often to get higher scores than groups you
2387 read seldom you can add the @code{gnus-summary-bubble-group} function to
2388 the @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} hook. This will result (after
2389 sorting) in a bubbling sort of action. If you want to see that in
2390 action after each summary exit, you can add
2391 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank} or
2392 @code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score} to the same hook, but that will
2393 slow things down somewhat.
2396 @node Marking Groups
2397 @section Marking Groups
2398 @cindex marking groups
2400 If you want to perform some command on several groups, and they appear
2401 subsequently in the group buffer, you would normally just give a
2402 numerical prefix to the command. Most group commands will then do your
2403 bidding on those groups.
2405 However, if the groups are not in sequential order, you can still
2406 perform a command on several groups. You simply mark the groups first
2407 with the process mark and then execute the command.
2415 @findex gnus-group-mark-group
2416 Set the mark on the current group (@code{gnus-group-mark-group}).
2422 @findex gnus-group-unmark-group
2423 Remove the mark from the current group
2424 (@code{gnus-group-unmark-group}).
2428 @findex gnus-group-unmark-all-groups
2429 Remove the mark from all groups (@code{gnus-group-unmark-all-groups}).
2433 @findex gnus-group-mark-region
2434 Mark all groups between point and mark (@code{gnus-group-mark-region}).
2438 @findex gnus-group-mark-buffer
2439 Mark all groups in the buffer (@code{gnus-group-mark-buffer}).
2443 @findex gnus-group-mark-regexp
2444 Mark all groups that match some regular expression
2445 (@code{gnus-group-mark-regexp}).
2448 Also @pxref{Process/Prefix}.
2450 @findex gnus-group-universal-argument
2451 If you want to execute some command on all groups that have been marked
2452 with the process mark, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
2453 (@code{gnus-group-universal-argument}) command. It will prompt you for
2454 the command to be executed.
2457 @node Foreign Groups
2458 @section Foreign Groups
2459 @cindex foreign groups
2461 Below are some group mode commands for making and editing general foreign
2462 groups, as well as commands to ease the creation of a few
2463 special-purpose groups. All these commands insert the newly created
2464 groups under point---@code{gnus-subscribe-newsgroup-method} is not
2471 @findex gnus-group-make-group
2472 @cindex making groups
2473 Make a new group (@code{gnus-group-make-group}). Gnus will prompt you
2474 for a name, a method and possibly an @dfn{address}. For an easier way
2475 to subscribe to @sc{nntp} groups, @pxref{Browse Foreign Server}.
2479 @findex gnus-group-rename-group
2480 @cindex renaming groups
2481 Rename the current group to something else
2482 (@code{gnus-group-rename-group}). This is valid only on some
2483 groups---mail groups mostly. This command might very well be quite slow
2489 @findex gnus-group-customize
2490 Customize the group parameters (@code{gnus-group-customize}).
2494 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-method
2495 @cindex renaming groups
2496 Enter a buffer where you can edit the select method of the current
2497 group (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method}).
2501 @findex gnus-group-edit-group-parameters
2502 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group parameters
2503 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-parameters}).
2507 @findex gnus-group-edit-group
2508 Enter a buffer where you can edit the group info
2509 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group}).
2513 @findex gnus-group-make-directory-group
2515 Make a directory group (@pxref{Directory Groups}). You will be prompted
2516 for a directory name (@code{gnus-group-make-directory-group}).
2521 @findex gnus-group-make-help-group
2522 Make the Gnus help group (@code{gnus-group-make-help-group}).
2526 @cindex (ding) archive
2527 @cindex archive group
2528 @findex gnus-group-make-archive-group
2529 @vindex gnus-group-archive-directory
2530 @vindex gnus-group-recent-archive-directory
2531 Make a Gnus archive group (@code{gnus-group-make-archive-group}). By
2532 default a group pointing to the most recent articles will be created
2533 (@code{gnus-group-recent-archive-directory}), but given a prefix, a full
2534 group will be created from @code{gnus-group-archive-directory}.
2538 @findex gnus-group-make-kiboze-group
2540 Make a kiboze group. You will be prompted for a name, for a regexp to
2541 match groups to be ``included'' in the kiboze group, and a series of
2542 strings to match on headers (@code{gnus-group-make-kiboze-group}).
2543 @xref{Kibozed Groups}.
2547 @findex gnus-group-enter-directory
2549 Read an arbitrary directory as if it were a newsgroup with the
2550 @code{nneething} back end (@code{gnus-group-enter-directory}).
2551 @xref{Anything Groups}.
2555 @findex gnus-group-make-doc-group
2556 @cindex ClariNet Briefs
2558 Make a group based on some file or other
2559 (@code{gnus-group-make-doc-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2560 command, you will be prompted for a file name and a file type.
2561 Currently supported types are @code{mbox}, @code{babyl},
2562 @code{digest}, @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward},
2563 @code{rfc934}, @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts},
2564 @code{standard-digest}, @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs},
2565 @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook}, @code{oe-dbx}, and @code{mailman}. If
2566 you run this command without a prefix, Gnus will guess at the file
2567 type. @xref{Document Groups}.
2571 @vindex gnus-useful-groups
2572 @findex gnus-group-make-useful-group
2573 Create one of the groups mentioned in @code{gnus-useful-groups}
2574 (@code{gnus-group-make-useful-group}).
2578 @findex gnus-group-make-web-group
2582 Make an ephemeral group based on a web search
2583 (@code{gnus-group-make-web-group}). If you give a prefix to this
2584 command, make a solid group instead. You will be prompted for the
2585 search engine type and the search string. Valid search engine types
2586 include @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}.
2587 @xref{Web Searches}.
2589 If you use the @code{google} search engine, you can limit the search
2590 to a particular group by using a match string like
2591 @samp{shaving group:alt.sysadmin.recovery}.
2594 @kindex G DEL (Group)
2595 @findex gnus-group-delete-group
2596 This function will delete the current group
2597 (@code{gnus-group-delete-group}). If given a prefix, this function will
2598 actually delete all the articles in the group, and forcibly remove the
2599 group itself from the face of the Earth. Use a prefix only if you are
2600 absolutely sure of what you are doing. This command can't be used on
2601 read-only groups (like @code{nntp} group), though.
2605 @findex gnus-group-make-empty-virtual
2606 Make a new, fresh, empty @code{nnvirtual} group
2607 (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}). @xref{Virtual Groups}.
2611 @findex gnus-group-add-to-virtual
2612 Add the current group to an @code{nnvirtual} group
2613 (@code{gnus-group-add-to-virtual}). Uses the process/prefix convention.
2616 @xref{Select Methods}, for more information on the various select
2619 @vindex gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups
2620 If @code{gnus-activate-foreign-newsgroups} is a positive number,
2621 Gnus will check all foreign groups with this level or lower at startup.
2622 This might take quite a while, especially if you subscribe to lots of
2623 groups from different @sc{nntp} servers. Also @pxref{Group Levels};
2624 @code{gnus-activate-level} also affects activation of foreign
2628 @node Group Parameters
2629 @section Group Parameters
2630 @cindex group parameters
2632 The group parameters store information local to a particular group.
2633 Here's an example group parameter list:
2636 ((to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")
2640 We see that each element consists of a "dotted pair"---the thing before
2641 the dot is the key, while the thing after the dot is the value. All the
2642 parameters have this form @emph{except} local variable specs, which are
2643 not dotted pairs, but proper lists.
2645 Some parameters have correspondant customizable variables, each of which
2646 is an alist of regexps and values.
2648 The following group parameters can be used:
2653 Address used by when doing followups and new posts.
2656 (to-address . "some@@where.com")
2659 This is primarily useful in mail groups that represent closed mailing
2660 lists---mailing lists where it's expected that everybody that writes to
2661 the mailing list is subscribed to it. Since using this parameter
2662 ensures that the mail only goes to the mailing list itself, it means
2663 that members won't receive two copies of your followups.
2665 Using @code{to-address} will actually work whether the group is foreign
2666 or not. Let's say there's a group on the server that is called
2667 @samp{fa.4ad-l}. This is a real newsgroup, but the server has gotten
2668 the articles from a mail-to-news gateway. Posting directly to this
2669 group is therefore impossible---you have to send mail to the mailing
2670 list address instead.
2672 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-address-alist}.
2676 Address used when doing @kbd{a} in that group.
2679 (to-list . "some@@where.com")
2682 It is totally ignored
2683 when doing a followup---except that if it is present in a news group,
2684 you'll get mail group semantics when doing @kbd{f}.
2686 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you have neither a
2687 @code{to-list} group parameter nor a @code{to-address} group parameter,
2688 then a @code{to-list} group parameter will be added automatically upon
2689 sending the message if @code{gnus-add-to-list} is set to @code{t}.
2690 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
2692 If you do an @kbd{a} command in a mail group and you don't have a
2693 @code{to-list} group parameter, one will be added automatically upon
2694 sending the message.
2696 @findex gnus-mailing-list-mode
2697 @cindex Mail List Groups
2698 If this variable is set, @code{gnus-mailing-list-mode} is turned on when
2699 entering summary buffer.
2701 See also @code{gnus-parameter-to-list-alist}.
2706 If this parameter is set to @code{t}, Gnus will consider the
2707 to-address and to-list parameters for this group as addresses of
2708 mailing lists you are subscribed to. Giving Gnus this information is
2709 (only) a first step in getting it to generate correct Mail-Followup-To
2710 headers for your posts to these lists. Look here @pxref{(message)Mailing
2711 Lists} for a complete treatment of available MFT support.
2713 See also @code{gnus-find-subscribed-addresses}, the function that
2714 directly uses this group parameter.
2718 If the group parameter list has the element @code{(visible . t)},
2719 that group will always be visible in the Group buffer, regardless
2720 of whether it has any unread articles.
2722 @item broken-reply-to
2723 @cindex broken-reply-to
2724 Elements like @code{(broken-reply-to . t)} signals that @code{Reply-To}
2725 headers in this group are to be ignored. This can be useful if you're
2726 reading a mailing list group where the listserv has inserted
2727 @code{Reply-To} headers that point back to the listserv itself. This is
2728 broken behavior. So there!
2732 Elements like @code{(to-group . "some.group.name")} means that all
2733 posts in that group will be sent to @code{some.group.name}.
2737 If you have @code{(newsgroup . t)} in the group parameter list, Gnus
2738 will treat all responses as if they were responses to news articles.
2739 This can be useful if you have a mail group that's really a mirror of a
2744 If @code{(gcc-self . t)} is present in the group parameter list, newly
2745 composed messages will be @code{Gcc}'d to the current group. If
2746 @code{(gcc-self . none)} is present, no @code{Gcc:} header will be
2747 generated, if @code{(gcc-self . "string")} is present, this string will
2748 be inserted literally as a @code{gcc} header. This parameter takes
2749 precedence over any default @code{Gcc} rules as described later
2750 (@pxref{Archived Messages}). CAVEAT:: It yields an error putting
2751 @code{(gcc-self . t)} in groups of a @code{nntp} server or so, because
2752 a @code{nntp} server doesn't accept artciles.
2756 If the group parameter has an element that looks like @code{(auto-expire
2757 . t)}, all articles read will be marked as expirable. For an
2758 alternative approach, @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
2760 See also @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups}.
2763 @cindex total-expire
2764 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2765 @code{(total-expire . t)}, all read articles will be put through the
2766 expiry process, even if they are not marked as expirable. Use with
2767 caution. Unread, ticked and dormant articles are not eligible for
2770 See also @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups}.
2774 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
2775 If the group parameter has an element that looks like
2776 @code{(expiry-wait . 10)}, this value will override any
2777 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} and @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function}
2778 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}) when expiring expirable messages. The value
2779 can either be a number of days (not necessarily an integer) or the
2780 symbols @code{never} or @code{immediate}.
2783 @cindex score file group parameter
2784 Elements that look like @code{(score-file . "file")} will make
2785 @file{file} into the current score file for the group in question. All
2786 interactive score entries will be put into this file.
2789 @cindex adapt file group parameter
2790 Elements that look like @code{(adapt-file . "file")} will make
2791 @file{file} into the current adaptive file for the group in question.
2792 All adaptive score entries will be put into this file.
2795 @cindex admin-address
2796 When unsubscribing from a mailing list you should never send the
2797 unsubscription notice to the mailing list itself. Instead, you'd send
2798 messages to the administrative address. This parameter allows you to
2799 put the admin address somewhere convenient.
2803 Elements that look like @code{(display . MODE)} say which articles to
2804 display on entering the group. Valid values are:
2808 Display all articles, both read and unread.
2811 Display the last INTEGER articles in the group. This is the same as
2812 entering the group with C-u INTEGER.
2815 Display the default visible articles, which normally includes unread and
2819 Display articles that satisfy a predicate.
2821 Here are some examples:
2825 Display only unread articles.
2828 Display everything except expirable articles.
2830 @item [and (not reply) (not expire)]
2831 Display everything except expirable and articles you've already
2835 The available operators are @code{not}, @code{and} and @code{or}.
2836 Predicates include @code{tick}, @code{unsend}, @code{undownload},
2837 @code{unread}, @code{dormant}, @code{expire}, @code{reply},
2838 @code{killed}, @code{bookmark}, @code{score}, @code{save},
2839 @code{cache}, @code{forward}, @code{unseen} and @code{recent}.
2843 The @code{display} parameter works by limiting the summary buffer to
2844 the subset specified. You can pop the limit by using the @kbd{/ w}
2845 command (@pxref{Limiting}).
2849 Elements that look like @code{(comment . "This is a comment")} are
2850 arbitrary comments on the group. You can display comments in the
2851 group line (@pxref{Group Line Specification}).
2855 Elements that look like @code{(charset . iso-8859-1)} will make
2856 @code{iso-8859-1} the default charset; that is, the charset that will be
2857 used for all articles that do not specify a charset.
2859 See also @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}.
2861 @item ignored-charsets
2862 @cindex ignored-charset
2863 Elements that look like @code{(ignored-charsets x-unknown iso-8859-1)}
2864 will make @code{iso-8859-1} and @code{x-unknown} ignored; that is, the
2865 default charset will be used for decoding articles.
2867 See also @code{gnus-group-ignored-charsets-alist}.
2870 @cindex posting-style
2871 You can store additional posting style information for this group only
2872 here (@pxref{Posting Styles}). The format is that of an entry in the
2873 @code{gnus-posting-styles} alist, except that there's no regexp matching
2874 the group name (of course). Style elements in this group parameter will
2875 take precedence over the ones found in @code{gnus-posting-styles}.
2877 For instance, if you want a funky name and signature in this group only,
2878 instead of hacking @code{gnus-posting-styles}, you could put something
2879 like this in the group parameters:
2884 (signature "Funky Signature"))
2889 If it is set, the value is used as the method for posting message
2890 instead of @code{gnus-post-method}.
2894 An item like @code{(banner . "regex")} causes any part of an article
2895 that matches the regular expression "regex" to be stripped. Instead of
2896 "regex", you can also use the symbol @code{signature} which strips the
2897 last signature or any of the elements of the alist
2898 @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}.
2902 This parameter contains a Sieve test that should match incoming mail
2903 that should be placed in this group. From this group parameter, a
2904 Sieve @samp{IF} control structure is generated, having the test as the
2905 condition and @samp{fileinto "group.name";} as the body.
2907 For example, if the INBOX.list.sieve group has the @code{(sieve
2908 address "sender" "sieve-admin@@extundo.com")} group parameter, when
2909 translating the group parameter into a Sieve script (@pxref{Sieve
2910 Commands}) the following Sieve code is generated:
2913 if address \"sender\" \"sieve-admin@@extundo.com\" @{
2914 fileinto \"INBOX.list.sieve\";
2918 The Sieve language is described in RFC 3028. @xref{Top, , Top, sieve,
2921 @item (@var{variable} @var{form})
2922 You can use the group parameters to set variables local to the group you
2923 are entering. If you want to turn threading off in @samp{news.answers},
2924 you could put @code{(gnus-show-threads nil)} in the group parameters of
2925 that group. @code{gnus-show-threads} will be made into a local variable
2926 in the summary buffer you enter, and the form @code{nil} will be
2927 @code{eval}ed there.
2929 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
2930 A use for this feature, is to remove a mailing list identifier tag in
2931 the subject fields of articles. E.g. if the news group
2932 @samp{nntp+news.gnus.org:gmane.text.docbook.apps} has the tag
2933 @samp{DOC-BOOK-APPS:} in the subject of all articles, this tag can be
2934 removed from the article subjects in the summary buffer for the group by
2935 putting @code{(gnus-list-identifiers "DOCBOOK-APPS:")} into the group
2936 parameters for the group.
2939 This can also be used as a group-specific hook function, if you'd like.
2940 If you want to hear a beep when you enter a group, you could put
2941 something like @code{(dummy-variable (ding))} in the parameters of that
2942 group. @code{dummy-variable} will be set to the result of the
2943 @code{(ding)} form, but who cares?
2947 Use the @kbd{G p} or the @kbd{G c} command to edit group parameters of a
2948 group. (@kbd{G p} presents you with a Lisp-based interface, @kbd{G c}
2949 presents you with a Customize-like interface. The latter helps avoid
2950 silly Lisp errors.) You might also be interested in reading about topic
2951 parameters (@pxref{Topic Parameters}).
2953 Group parameters can be set via the @code{gnus-parameters} variable too.
2954 But some variables, such as @code{visible}, have no effect. For
2958 (setq gnus-parameters
2960 (gnus-show-threads nil)
2961 (gnus-use-scoring nil)
2962 (gnus-summary-line-format
2963 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%d:%ub%-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
2967 ("^nnimap:\\(foo.bar\\)$"
2971 (gnus-use-scoring t))
2975 (broken-reply-to . t))))
2978 String value of parameters will be subjected to regexp substitution, as
2979 the @code{to-group} example shows.
2982 @node Listing Groups
2983 @section Listing Groups
2984 @cindex group listing
2986 These commands all list various slices of the groups available.
2994 @findex gnus-group-list-groups
2995 List all groups that have unread articles
2996 (@code{gnus-group-list-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used, this
2997 command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default, it
2998 only lists groups of level five (i. e.,
2999 @code{gnus-group-default-list-level}) or lower (i.e., just subscribed
3006 @findex gnus-group-list-all-groups
3007 List all groups, whether they have unread articles or not
3008 (@code{gnus-group-list-all-groups}). If the numeric prefix is used,
3009 this command will list only groups of level ARG and lower. By default,
3010 it lists groups of level seven or lower (i.e., just subscribed and
3011 unsubscribed groups).
3015 @findex gnus-group-list-level
3016 List all unread groups on a specific level
3017 (@code{gnus-group-list-level}). If given a prefix, also list the groups
3018 with no unread articles.
3022 @findex gnus-group-list-killed
3023 List all killed groups (@code{gnus-group-list-killed}). If given a
3024 prefix argument, really list all groups that are available, but aren't
3025 currently (un)subscribed. This could entail reading the active file
3030 @findex gnus-group-list-zombies
3031 List all zombie groups (@code{gnus-group-list-zombies}).
3035 @findex gnus-group-list-matching
3036 List all unread, subscribed groups with names that match a regexp
3037 (@code{gnus-group-list-matching}).
3041 @findex gnus-group-list-all-matching
3042 List groups that match a regexp (@code{gnus-group-list-all-matching}).
3046 @findex gnus-group-list-active
3047 List absolutely all groups in the active file(s) of the
3048 server(s) you are connected to (@code{gnus-group-list-active}). This
3049 might very well take quite a while. It might actually be a better idea
3050 to do a @kbd{A M} to list all matching, and just give @samp{.} as the
3051 thing to match on. Also note that this command may list groups that
3052 don't exist (yet)---these will be listed as if they were killed groups.
3053 Take the output with some grains of salt.
3057 @findex gnus-group-apropos
3058 List all groups that have names that match a regexp
3059 (@code{gnus-group-apropos}).
3063 @findex gnus-group-description-apropos
3064 List all groups that have names or descriptions that match a regexp
3065 (@code{gnus-group-description-apropos}).
3069 @findex gnus-group-list-cached
3070 List all groups with cached articles (@code{gnus-group-list-cached}).
3074 @findex gnus-group-list-dormant
3075 List all groups with dormant articles (@code{gnus-group-list-dormant}).
3079 @findex gnus-group-list-limit
3080 List groups limited within the current selection
3081 (@code{gnus-group-list-limit}).
3085 @findex gnus-group-list-flush
3086 Flush groups from the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-flush}).
3090 @findex gnus-group-list-plus
3091 List groups plus the current selection (@code{gnus-group-list-plus}).
3095 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
3096 @cindex visible group parameter
3097 Groups that match the @code{gnus-permanently-visible-groups} regexp will
3098 always be shown, whether they have unread articles or not. You can also
3099 add the @code{visible} element to the group parameters in question to
3100 get the same effect.
3102 @vindex gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles
3103 Groups that have just ticked articles in it are normally listed in the
3104 group buffer. If @code{gnus-list-groups-with-ticked-articles} is
3105 @code{nil}, these groups will be treated just like totally empty
3106 groups. It is @code{t} by default.
3109 @node Sorting Groups
3110 @section Sorting Groups
3111 @cindex sorting groups
3113 @kindex C-c C-s (Group)
3114 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups
3115 @vindex gnus-group-sort-function
3116 The @kbd{C-c C-s} (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups}) command sorts the
3117 group buffer according to the function(s) given by the
3118 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable. Available sorting functions
3123 @item gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3124 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-alphabet
3125 Sort the group names alphabetically. This is the default.
3127 @item gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3128 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-real-name
3129 Sort the group alphabetically on the real (unprefixed) group names.
3131 @item gnus-group-sort-by-level
3132 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-level
3133 Sort by group level.
3135 @item gnus-group-sort-by-score
3136 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-score
3137 Sort by group score. @xref{Group Score}.
3139 @item gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3140 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-rank
3141 Sort by group score and then the group level. The level and the score
3142 are, when taken together, the group's @dfn{rank}. @xref{Group Score}.
3144 @item gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3145 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-unread
3146 Sort by number of unread articles.
3148 @item gnus-group-sort-by-method
3149 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-method
3150 Sort alphabetically on the select method.
3152 @item gnus-group-sort-by-server
3153 @findex gnus-group-sort-by-server
3154 Sort alphabetically on the Gnus server name.
3159 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} can also be a list of sorting
3160 functions. In that case, the most significant sort key function must be
3164 There are also a number of commands for sorting directly according to
3165 some sorting criteria:
3169 @kindex G S a (Group)
3170 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3171 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by group name
3172 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3175 @kindex G S u (Group)
3176 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread
3177 Sort the group buffer by the number of unread articles
3178 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3181 @kindex G S l (Group)
3182 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level
3183 Sort the group buffer by group level
3184 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-level}).
3187 @kindex G S v (Group)
3188 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score
3189 Sort the group buffer by group score
3190 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3193 @kindex G S r (Group)
3194 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank
3195 Sort the group buffer by group rank
3196 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3199 @kindex G S m (Group)
3200 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method
3201 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by back end name
3202 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-method}).
3205 @kindex G S n (Group)
3206 @findex gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name
3207 Sort the group buffer alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3208 (@code{gnus-group-sort-groups-by-real-name}).
3212 All the commands below obey the process/prefix convention
3213 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3215 When given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), all these
3216 commands will sort in reverse order.
3218 You can also sort a subset of the groups:
3222 @kindex G P a (Group)
3223 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet
3224 Sort the groups alphabetically by group name
3225 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-alphabet}).
3228 @kindex G P u (Group)
3229 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread
3230 Sort the groups by the number of unread articles
3231 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-unread}).
3234 @kindex G P l (Group)
3235 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level
3236 Sort the groups by group level
3237 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-level}).
3240 @kindex G P v (Group)
3241 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score
3242 Sort the groups by group score
3243 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3246 @kindex G P r (Group)
3247 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank
3248 Sort the groups by group rank
3249 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3252 @kindex G P m (Group)
3253 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method
3254 Sort the groups alphabetically by back end name
3255 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-method}).
3258 @kindex G P n (Group)
3259 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name
3260 Sort the groups alphabetically by real (unprefixed) group name
3261 (@code{gnus-group-sort-selected-groups-by-real-name}).
3264 @kindex G P s (Group)
3265 @findex gnus-group-sort-selected-groups
3266 Sort the groups according to @code{gnus-group-sort-function}.
3270 And finally, note that you can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} to manually
3274 @node Group Maintenance
3275 @section Group Maintenance
3276 @cindex bogus groups
3281 @findex gnus-group-check-bogus-groups
3282 Find bogus groups and delete them
3283 (@code{gnus-group-check-bogus-groups}).
3287 @findex gnus-group-find-new-groups
3288 Find new groups and process them (@code{gnus-group-find-new-groups}).
3289 With 1 @kbd{C-u}, use the @code{ask-server} method to query the server
3290 for new groups. With 2 @kbd{C-u}'s, use most complete method possible
3291 to query the server for new groups, and subscribe the new groups as
3295 @kindex C-c C-x (Group)
3296 @findex gnus-group-expire-articles
3297 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
3298 process (if any) (@code{gnus-group-expire-articles}). That is, delete
3299 all expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
3300 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3303 @kindex C-c C-M-x (Group)
3304 @findex gnus-group-expire-all-groups
3305 Run all expirable articles in all groups through the expiry process
3306 (@code{gnus-group-expire-all-groups}).
3311 @node Browse Foreign Server
3312 @section Browse Foreign Server
3313 @cindex foreign servers
3314 @cindex browsing servers
3319 @findex gnus-group-browse-foreign-server
3320 You will be queried for a select method and a server name. Gnus will
3321 then attempt to contact this server and let you browse the groups there
3322 (@code{gnus-group-browse-foreign-server}).
3325 @findex gnus-browse-mode
3326 A new buffer with a list of available groups will appear. This buffer
3327 will use the @code{gnus-browse-mode}. This buffer looks a bit (well,
3328 a lot) like a normal group buffer.
3330 Here's a list of keystrokes available in the browse mode:
3335 @findex gnus-group-next-group
3336 Go to the next group (@code{gnus-group-next-group}).
3340 @findex gnus-group-prev-group
3341 Go to the previous group (@code{gnus-group-prev-group}).
3344 @kindex SPACE (Browse)
3345 @findex gnus-browse-read-group
3346 Enter the current group and display the first article
3347 (@code{gnus-browse-read-group}).
3350 @kindex RET (Browse)
3351 @findex gnus-browse-select-group
3352 Enter the current group (@code{gnus-browse-select-group}).
3356 @findex gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group
3357 Unsubscribe to the current group, or, as will be the case here,
3358 subscribe to it (@code{gnus-browse-unsubscribe-current-group}).
3364 @findex gnus-browse-exit
3365 Exit browse mode (@code{gnus-browse-exit}).
3369 @findex gnus-browse-describe-group
3370 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-browse-describe-group}).
3374 @findex gnus-browse-describe-briefly
3375 Describe browse mode briefly (well, there's not much to describe, is
3376 there) (@code{gnus-browse-describe-briefly}).
3381 @section Exiting Gnus
3382 @cindex exiting Gnus
3384 Yes, Gnus is ex(c)iting.
3389 @findex gnus-group-suspend
3390 Suspend Gnus (@code{gnus-group-suspend}). This doesn't really exit Gnus,
3391 but it kills all buffers except the Group buffer. I'm not sure why this
3392 is a gain, but then who am I to judge?
3396 @findex gnus-group-exit
3397 @c @icon{gnus-group-exit}
3398 Quit Gnus (@code{gnus-group-exit}).
3402 @findex gnus-group-quit
3403 Quit Gnus without saving the @file{.newsrc} files (@code{gnus-group-quit}).
3404 The dribble file will be saved, though (@pxref{Auto Save}).
3407 @vindex gnus-exit-gnus-hook
3408 @vindex gnus-suspend-gnus-hook
3409 @code{gnus-suspend-gnus-hook} is called when you suspend Gnus and
3410 @code{gnus-exit-gnus-hook} is called when you quit Gnus, while
3411 @code{gnus-after-exiting-gnus-hook} is called as the final item when
3416 If you wish to completely unload Gnus and all its adherents, you can use
3417 the @code{gnus-unload} command. This command is also very handy when
3418 trying to customize meta-variables.
3423 Miss Lisa Cannifax, while sitting in English class, felt her feet go
3424 numbly heavy and herself fall into a hazy trance as the boy sitting
3425 behind her drew repeated lines with his pencil across the back of her
3431 @section Group Topics
3434 If you read lots and lots of groups, it might be convenient to group
3435 them hierarchically according to topics. You put your Emacs groups over
3436 here, your sex groups over there, and the rest (what, two groups or so?)
3437 you put in some misc section that you never bother with anyway. You can
3438 even group the Emacs sex groups as a sub-topic to either the Emacs
3439 groups or the sex groups---or both! Go wild!
3443 \gnusfigure{Group Topics}{400}{
3444 \put(75,50){\epsfig{figure=ps/group-topic,height=9cm}}
3455 2: alt.religion.emacs
3458 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3460 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3461 13: comp.sources.unix
3464 @findex gnus-topic-mode
3466 To get this @emph{fab} functionality you simply turn on (ooh!) the
3467 @code{gnus-topic} minor mode---type @kbd{t} in the group buffer. (This
3468 is a toggling command.)
3470 Go ahead, just try it. I'll still be here when you get back. La de
3471 dum... Nice tune, that... la la la... What, you're back? Yes, and
3472 now press @kbd{l}. There. All your groups are now listed under
3473 @samp{misc}. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Hot and
3476 If you want this permanently enabled, you should add that minor mode to
3477 the hook for the group mode. Put the following line in your
3478 @file{~/.gnus} file:
3481 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
3485 * Topic Commands:: Interactive E-Z commands.
3486 * Topic Variables:: How to customize the topics the Lisp Way.
3487 * Topic Sorting:: Sorting each topic individually.
3488 * Topic Topology:: A map of the world.
3489 * Topic Parameters:: Parameters that apply to all groups in a topic.
3493 @node Topic Commands
3494 @subsection Topic Commands
3495 @cindex topic commands
3497 When the topic minor mode is turned on, a new @kbd{T} submap will be
3498 available. In addition, a few of the standard keys change their
3499 definitions slightly.
3501 In general, the following kinds of operations are possible on topics.
3502 First of all, you want to create topics. Secondly, you want to put
3503 groups in topics and to move them around until you have an order you
3504 like. The third kind of operation is to show/hide parts of the whole
3505 shebang. You might want to hide a topic including its subtopics and
3506 groups, to get a better overview of the other groups.
3508 Here is a list of the basic keys that you might need to set up topics
3515 @findex gnus-topic-create-topic
3516 Prompt for a new topic name and create it
3517 (@code{gnus-topic-create-topic}).
3521 @kindex T TAB (Topic)
3523 @findex gnus-topic-indent
3524 ``Indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3525 previous topic (@code{gnus-topic-indent}). If given a prefix,
3526 ``un-indent'' the topic instead.
3529 @kindex M-TAB (Topic)
3530 @findex gnus-topic-unindent
3531 ``Un-indent'' the current topic so that it becomes a sub-topic of the
3532 parent of its current parent (@code{gnus-topic-unindent}).
3536 The following two keys can be used to move groups and topics around.
3537 They work like the well-known cut and paste. @kbd{C-k} is like cut and
3538 @kbd{C-y} is like paste. Of course, this being Emacs, we use the terms
3539 kill and yank rather than cut and paste.
3545 @findex gnus-topic-kill-group
3546 Kill a group or topic (@code{gnus-topic-kill-group}). All groups in the
3547 topic will be removed along with the topic.
3551 @findex gnus-topic-yank-group
3552 Yank the previously killed group or topic
3553 (@code{gnus-topic-yank-group}). Note that all topics will be yanked
3556 So, to move a topic to the beginning of the list of topics, just hit
3557 @kbd{C-k} on it. This is like the `cut' part of cut and paste. Then,
3558 move the cursor to the beginning of the buffer (just below the `Gnus'
3559 topic) and hit @kbd{C-y}. This is like the `paste' part of cut and
3560 paste. Like I said -- E-Z.
3562 You can use @kbd{C-k} and @kbd{C-y} on groups as well as on topics. So
3563 you can move topics around as well as groups.
3567 After setting up the topics the way you like them, you might wish to
3568 hide a topic, or to show it again. That's why we have the following
3575 @findex gnus-topic-select-group
3577 Either select a group or fold a topic (@code{gnus-topic-select-group}).
3578 When you perform this command on a group, you'll enter the group, as
3579 usual. When done on a topic line, the topic will be folded (if it was
3580 visible) or unfolded (if it was folded already). So it's basically a
3581 toggling command on topics. In addition, if you give a numerical
3582 prefix, group on that level (and lower) will be displayed.
3586 Now for a list of other commands, in no particular order.
3592 @findex gnus-topic-move-group
3593 Move the current group to some other topic
3594 (@code{gnus-topic-move-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3595 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3599 @findex gnus-topic-jump-to-topic
3600 Go to a topic (@code{gnus-topic-jump-to-topic}).
3604 @findex gnus-topic-copy-group
3605 Copy the current group to some other topic
3606 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-group}). This command uses the process/prefix
3607 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3611 @findex gnus-topic-hide-topic
3612 Hide the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-hide-topic}). If given
3613 a prefix, hide the topic permanently.
3617 @findex gnus-topic-show-topic
3618 Show the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-show-topic}). If given
3619 a prefix, show the topic permanently.
3623 @findex gnus-topic-remove-group
3624 Remove a group from the current topic (@code{gnus-topic-remove-group}).
3625 This command is mainly useful if you have the same group in several
3626 topics and wish to remove it from one of the topics. You may also
3627 remove a group from all topics, but in that case, Gnus will add it to
3628 the root topic the next time you start Gnus. In fact, all new groups
3629 (which, naturally, don't belong to any topic) will show up in the root
3632 This command uses the process/prefix convention
3633 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
3637 @findex gnus-topic-move-matching
3638 Move all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3639 (@code{gnus-topic-move-matching}).
3643 @findex gnus-topic-copy-matching
3644 Copy all groups that match some regular expression to a topic
3645 (@code{gnus-topic-copy-matching}).
3649 @findex gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics
3650 Toggle hiding empty topics
3651 (@code{gnus-topic-toggle-display-empty-topics}).
3655 @findex gnus-topic-mark-topic
3656 Mark all groups in the current topic with the process mark
3657 (@code{gnus-topic-mark-topic}).
3660 @kindex T M-# (Topic)
3661 @findex gnus-topic-unmark-topic
3662 Remove the process mark from all groups in the current topic
3663 (@code{gnus-topic-unmark-topic}).
3666 @kindex C-c C-x (Topic)
3667 @findex gnus-topic-expire-articles
3668 Run all expirable articles in the current group or topic through the
3669 expiry process (if any)
3670 (@code{gnus-topic-expire-articles}). (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
3674 @findex gnus-topic-rename
3675 Rename a topic (@code{gnus-topic-rename}).
3678 @kindex T DEL (Topic)
3679 @findex gnus-topic-delete
3680 Delete an empty topic (@code{gnus-topic-delete}).
3684 @findex gnus-topic-list-active
3685 List all groups that Gnus knows about in a topics-ified way
3686 (@code{gnus-topic-list-active}).
3689 @kindex T M-n (Topic)
3690 @findex gnus-topic-goto-next-topic
3691 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-next-topic}).
3694 @kindex T M-p (Topic)
3695 @findex gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic
3696 Go to the next topic (@code{gnus-topic-goto-previous-topic}).
3700 @findex gnus-topic-edit-parameters
3701 @cindex group parameters
3702 @cindex topic parameters
3704 Edit the topic parameters (@code{gnus-topic-edit-parameters}).
3705 @xref{Topic Parameters}.
3710 @node Topic Variables
3711 @subsection Topic Variables
3712 @cindex topic variables
3714 The previous section told you how to tell Gnus which topics to display.
3715 This section explains how to tell Gnus what to display about each topic.
3717 @vindex gnus-topic-line-format
3718 The topic lines themselves are created according to the
3719 @code{gnus-topic-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
3732 Number of groups in the topic.
3734 Number of unread articles in the topic.
3736 Number of unread articles in the topic and all its subtopics.
3739 @vindex gnus-topic-indent-level
3740 Each sub-topic (and the groups in the sub-topics) will be indented with
3741 @code{gnus-topic-indent-level} times the topic level number of spaces.
3744 @vindex gnus-topic-mode-hook
3745 @code{gnus-topic-mode-hook} is called in topic minor mode buffers.
3747 @vindex gnus-topic-display-empty-topics
3748 The @code{gnus-topic-display-empty-topics} says whether to display even
3749 topics that have no unread articles in them. The default is @code{t}.
3753 @subsection Topic Sorting
3754 @cindex topic sorting
3756 You can sort the groups in each topic individually with the following
3762 @kindex T S a (Topic)
3763 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet
3764 Sort the current topic alphabetically by group name
3765 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-alphabet}).
3768 @kindex T S u (Topic)
3769 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread
3770 Sort the current topic by the number of unread articles
3771 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-unread}).
3774 @kindex T S l (Topic)
3775 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level
3776 Sort the current topic by group level
3777 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-level}).
3780 @kindex T S v (Topic)
3781 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score
3782 Sort the current topic by group score
3783 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-score}). @xref{Group Score}.
3786 @kindex T S r (Topic)
3787 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank
3788 Sort the current topic by group rank
3789 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-rank}). @xref{Group Score}.
3792 @kindex T S m (Topic)
3793 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method
3794 Sort the current topic alphabetically by back end name
3795 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-method}).
3798 @kindex T S e (Topic)
3799 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server
3800 Sort the current topic alphabetically by server name
3801 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups-by-server}).
3805 @findex gnus-topic-sort-groups
3806 Sort the current topic according to the function(s) given by the
3807 @code{gnus-group-sort-function} variable
3808 (@code{gnus-topic-sort-groups}).
3812 When given a prefix argument, all these commands will sort in reverse
3813 order. @xref{Sorting Groups}, for more information about group
3817 @node Topic Topology
3818 @subsection Topic Topology
3819 @cindex topic topology
3822 So, let's have a look at an example group buffer:
3828 2: alt.religion.emacs
3831 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3833 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3834 13: comp.sources.unix
3837 So, here we have one top-level topic (@samp{Gnus}), two topics under
3838 that, and one sub-topic under one of the sub-topics. (There is always
3839 just one (1) top-level topic). This topology can be expressed as
3844 (("Emacs -- I wuw it!" visible)
3845 (("Naughty Emacs" visible)))
3849 @vindex gnus-topic-topology
3850 This is in fact how the variable @code{gnus-topic-topology} would look
3851 for the display above. That variable is saved in the @file{.newsrc.eld}
3852 file, and shouldn't be messed with manually---unless you really want
3853 to. Since this variable is read from the @file{.newsrc.eld} file,
3854 setting it in any other startup files will have no effect.
3856 This topology shows what topics are sub-topics of what topics (right),
3857 and which topics are visible. Two settings are currently
3858 allowed---@code{visible} and @code{invisible}.
3861 @node Topic Parameters
3862 @subsection Topic Parameters
3863 @cindex topic parameters
3865 All groups in a topic will inherit group parameters from the parent (and
3866 ancestor) topic parameters. All valid group parameters are valid topic
3867 parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
3869 In addition, the following parameters are only valid as topic
3874 When subscribing new groups by topic (@pxref{Subscription Methods}), the
3875 @code{subscribe} topic parameter says what groups go in what topic. Its
3876 value should be a regexp to match the groups that should go in that
3879 @item subscribe-level
3880 When subscribing new groups by topic (see the @code{subscribe} parameter),
3881 the group will be subscribed with the level specified in the
3882 @code{subscribe-level} instead of @code{gnus-level-default-subscribed}.
3886 Group parameters (of course) override topic parameters, and topic
3887 parameters in sub-topics override topic parameters in super-topics. You
3888 know. Normal inheritance rules. (@dfn{Rules} is here a noun, not a
3889 verb, although you may feel free to disagree with me here.)
3895 2: alt.religion.emacs
3899 0: comp.talk.emacs.recovery
3901 8: comp.binaries.fractals
3902 13: comp.sources.unix
3906 The @samp{Emacs} topic has the topic parameter @code{(score-file
3907 . "emacs.SCORE")}; the @samp{Relief} topic has the topic parameter
3908 @code{(score-file . "relief.SCORE")}; and the @samp{Misc} topic has the
3909 topic parameter @code{(score-file . "emacs.SCORE")}. In addition,
3910 @* @samp{alt.religion.emacs} has the group parameter @code{(score-file
3911 . "religion.SCORE")}.
3913 Now, when you enter @samp{alt.sex.emacs} in the @samp{Relief} topic, you
3914 will get the @file{relief.SCORE} home score file. If you enter the same
3915 group in the @samp{Emacs} topic, you'll get the @file{emacs.SCORE} home
3916 score file. If you enter the group @samp{alt.religion.emacs}, you'll
3917 get the @file{religion.SCORE} home score file.
3919 This seems rather simple and self-evident, doesn't it? Well, yes. But
3920 there are some problems, especially with the @code{total-expiry}
3921 parameter. Say you have a mail group in two topics; one with
3922 @code{total-expiry} and one without. What happens when you do @kbd{M-x
3923 gnus-expire-all-expirable-groups}? Gnus has no way of telling which one
3924 of these topics you mean to expire articles from, so anything may
3925 happen. In fact, I hereby declare that it is @dfn{undefined} what
3926 happens. You just have to be careful if you do stuff like that.
3929 @node Misc Group Stuff
3930 @section Misc Group Stuff
3933 * Scanning New Messages:: Asking Gnus to see whether new messages have arrived.
3934 * Group Information:: Information and help on groups and Gnus.
3935 * Group Timestamp:: Making Gnus keep track of when you last read a group.
3936 * File Commands:: Reading and writing the Gnus files.
3937 * Sieve Commands:: Managing Sieve scripts.
3944 @findex gnus-group-enter-server-mode
3945 Enter the server buffer (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}).
3946 @xref{Server Buffer}.
3950 @findex gnus-group-post-news
3951 Start composing a message (a news by default)
3952 (@code{gnus-group-post-news}). If given a prefix, post to the group
3953 under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
3954 Contrary to what the name of this function suggests, the prepared
3955 article might be a mail instead of a news, if a mail group is specified
3956 with the prefix argument. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3960 @findex gnus-group-mail
3961 Mail a message somewhere (@code{gnus-group-mail}). If given a prefix,
3962 use the posting style of the group under the point. If the prefix is 1,
3963 prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
3964 @xref{Composing Messages}.
3968 @findex gnus-group-news
3969 Start composing a news (@code{gnus-group-news}). If given a prefix,
3970 post to the group under the point. If the prefix is 1, prompt
3971 for group to post to. @xref{Composing Messages}.
3973 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
3974 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
3975 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
3976 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
3977 for this to work though.
3981 Variables for the group buffer:
3985 @item gnus-group-mode-hook
3986 @vindex gnus-group-mode-hook
3987 is called after the group buffer has been
3990 @item gnus-group-prepare-hook
3991 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3992 is called after the group buffer is
3993 generated. It may be used to modify the buffer in some strange,
3996 @item gnus-group-prepared-hook
3997 @vindex gnus-group-prepare-hook
3998 is called as the very last thing after the group buffer has been
3999 generated. It may be used to move point around, for instance.
4001 @item gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4002 @vindex gnus-permanently-visible-groups
4003 Groups matching this regexp will always be listed in the group buffer,
4004 whether they are empty or not.
4006 @item gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4007 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4008 An alist of method and the charset for group names. It is used to show
4009 non-ASCII group names.
4013 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-method-alist
4014 '(((nntp "news.com.cn") . cn-gb-2312)))
4017 @item gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4018 @cindex UTF-8 group names
4019 @vindex gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4020 An alist of regexp of group name and the charset for group names. It
4021 is used to show non-ASCII group names. @code{((".*" utf-8))} is the
4022 default value if UTF-8 is supported, otherwise the default is nil.
4026 (setq gnus-group-name-charset-group-alist
4027 '(("\\.com\\.cn:" . cn-gb-2312)))
4032 @node Scanning New Messages
4033 @subsection Scanning New Messages
4034 @cindex new messages
4035 @cindex scanning new news
4041 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news
4042 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news}
4043 Check the server(s) for new articles. If the numerical prefix is used,
4044 this command will check only groups of level @var{arg} and lower
4045 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news}). If given a non-numerical prefix, this
4046 command will force a total re-reading of the active file(s) from the
4051 @findex gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group
4052 @vindex gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating
4053 @c @icon{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}
4054 Check whether new articles have arrived in the current group
4055 (@code{gnus-group-get-new-news-this-group}).
4056 @code{gnus-goto-next-group-when-activating} says whether this command is
4057 to move point to the next group or not. It is @code{t} by default.
4059 @findex gnus-activate-all-groups
4060 @cindex activating groups
4062 @kindex C-c M-g (Group)
4063 Activate absolutely all groups (@code{gnus-activate-all-groups}).
4068 @findex gnus-group-restart
4069 Restart Gnus (@code{gnus-group-restart}). This saves the @file{.newsrc}
4070 file(s), closes the connection to all servers, clears up all run-time
4071 Gnus variables, and then starts Gnus all over again.
4075 @vindex gnus-get-new-news-hook
4076 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is run just before checking for new news.
4078 @vindex gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook
4079 @code{gnus-after-getting-new-news-hook} is run after checking for new
4083 @node Group Information
4084 @subsection Group Information
4085 @cindex group information
4086 @cindex information on groups
4093 @findex gnus-group-fetch-faq
4094 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
4097 Try to fetch the FAQ for the current group
4098 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the FAQ from
4099 @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory on a
4100 remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories. In
4101 that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
4102 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} (or @code{efs}) will be used
4103 for fetching the file.
4105 If fetching from the first site is unsuccessful, Gnus will attempt to go
4106 through @code{gnus-group-faq-directory} and try to open them one by one.
4110 @findex gnus-group-fetch-charter
4111 @vindex gnus-group-charter-alist
4113 Try to open the charter for the current group in a web browser
4114 (@code{gnus-group-fetch-charter}). Query for a group if given a
4117 Gnus will use @code{gnus-group-charter-alist} to find the location of
4118 the charter. If no location is known, Gnus will fetch the control
4119 messages for the group, which in some cases includes the charter.
4123 @findex gnus-group-fetch-control
4124 @vindex gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url
4125 @cindex control message
4126 Fetch the control messages for the group from the archive at
4127 @code{ftp.isc.org} (@code{gnus-group-fetch-control}). Query for a
4128 group if given a prefix argument.
4130 If @code{gnus-group-fetch-control-use-browse-url} is non-nil, Gnus
4131 will open the control messages in a browser using @code{browse-url}.
4132 Otherwise they are fetched using @code{ange-ftp} and displayed in an
4135 Note that the control messages are compressed. To use this command
4136 you need to turn on @code{auto-compression-mode}
4137 (@pxref{(emacs)Compressed Files}).
4141 @c @icon{gnus-group-describe-group}
4143 @kindex C-c C-d (Group)
4144 @cindex describing groups
4145 @cindex group description
4146 @findex gnus-group-describe-group
4147 Describe the current group (@code{gnus-group-describe-group}). If given
4148 a prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description from the server.
4152 @findex gnus-group-describe-all-groups
4153 Describe all groups (@code{gnus-group-describe-all-groups}). If given a
4154 prefix, force Gnus to re-read the description file from the server.
4161 @findex gnus-version
4162 Display current Gnus version numbers (@code{gnus-version}).
4166 @findex gnus-group-describe-briefly
4167 Give a very short help message (@code{gnus-group-describe-briefly}).
4170 @kindex C-c C-i (Group)
4173 @findex gnus-info-find-node
4174 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
4178 @node Group Timestamp
4179 @subsection Group Timestamp
4181 @cindex group timestamps
4183 It can be convenient to let Gnus keep track of when you last read a
4184 group. To set the ball rolling, you should add
4185 @code{gnus-group-set-timestamp} to @code{gnus-select-group-hook}:
4188 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook 'gnus-group-set-timestamp)
4191 After doing this, each time you enter a group, it'll be recorded.
4193 This information can be displayed in various ways---the easiest is to
4194 use the @samp{%d} spec in the group line format:
4197 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4198 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %d\n")
4201 This will result in lines looking like:
4204 * 0: mail.ding 19961002T012943
4205 0: custom 19961002T012713
4208 As you can see, the date is displayed in compact ISO 8601 format. This
4209 may be a bit too much, so to just display the date, you could say
4213 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4214 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %6,6~(cut 2)d\n")
4217 If you would like greater control of the time format, you can use a
4218 user-defined format spec. Something like the following should do the
4222 (setq gnus-group-line-format
4223 "%M\%S\%p\%P\%5y: %(%-40,40g%) %ud\n")
4224 (defun gnus-user-format-function-d (headers)
4225 (let ((time (gnus-group-timestamp gnus-tmp-group)))
4227 (format-time-string "%b %d %H:%M" time)
4233 @subsection File Commands
4234 @cindex file commands
4240 @findex gnus-group-read-init-file
4241 @vindex gnus-init-file
4242 @cindex reading init file
4243 Re-read the init file (@code{gnus-init-file}, which defaults to
4244 @file{~/.gnus}) (@code{gnus-group-read-init-file}).
4248 @findex gnus-group-save-newsrc
4249 @cindex saving .newsrc
4250 Save the @file{.newsrc.eld} file (and @file{.newsrc} if wanted)
4251 (@code{gnus-group-save-newsrc}). If given a prefix, force saving the
4252 file(s) whether Gnus thinks it is necessary or not.
4255 @c @kindex Z (Group)
4256 @c @findex gnus-group-clear-dribble
4257 @c Clear the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-group-clear-dribble}).
4262 @node Sieve Commands
4263 @subsection Sieve Commands
4264 @cindex group sieve commands
4266 Sieve is a server-side mail filtering language. In Gnus you can use
4267 the @code{sieve} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to specify
4268 sieve rules that should apply to each group. Gnus provides two
4269 commands to translate all these group parameters into a proper Sieve
4270 script that can be transfered to the server somehow.
4272 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4273 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-start
4274 @vindex gnus-sieve-region-end
4275 The generated Sieve script is placed in @code{gnus-sieve-file} (by
4276 default @file{~/.sieve}). The Sieve code that Gnus generate is placed
4277 between two delimiters, @code{gnus-sieve-region-start} and
4278 @code{gnus-sieve-region-end}, so you may write additional Sieve code
4279 outside these delimiters that will not be removed the next time you
4280 regenerate the Sieve script.
4282 @vindex gnus-sieve-crosspost
4283 The variable @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} controls how the Sieve script
4284 is generated. If it is non-nil (the default) articles is placed in
4285 all groups that have matching rules, otherwise the article is only
4286 placed in the group with the first matching rule. For example, the
4287 group parameter @samp{(sieve address "sender"
4288 "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu")} will generate the following piece of Sieve
4289 code if @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is nil. (When
4290 @code{gnus-sieve-crosspost} is non-nil, it looks the same except that
4291 the line containing the call to @code{stop} is removed.)
4294 if address "sender" "owner-ding@@hpc.uh.edu" @{
4295 fileinto "INBOX.ding";
4300 @xref{Top, ,Top, sieve, Emacs Sieve}.
4306 @findex gnus-sieve-generate
4307 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4308 @cindex generating sieve script
4309 Regenerate a Sieve script from the @code{sieve} group parameters and
4310 put you into the @code{gnus-sieve-file} without saving it.
4314 @findex gnus-sieve-update
4315 @vindex gnus-sieve-file
4316 @cindex updating sieve script
4317 Regenerates the Gnus managed part of @code{gnus-sieve-file} using the
4318 @code{sieve} group parameters, save the file and upload it to the
4319 server using the @code{sieveshell} program.
4324 @node Summary Buffer
4325 @chapter Summary Buffer
4326 @cindex summary buffer
4328 A line for each article is displayed in the summary buffer. You can
4329 move around, read articles, post articles and reply to articles.
4331 The most common way to a summary buffer is to select a group from the
4332 group buffer (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
4334 You can have as many summary buffers open as you wish.
4337 * Summary Buffer Format:: Deciding how the summary buffer is to look.
4338 * Summary Maneuvering:: Moving around the summary buffer.
4339 * Choosing Articles:: Reading articles.
4340 * Paging the Article:: Scrolling the current article.
4341 * Reply Followup and Post:: Posting articles.
4342 * Delayed Articles:: Send articles at a later time.
4343 * Marking Articles:: Marking articles as read, expirable, etc.
4344 * Limiting:: You can limit the summary buffer.
4345 * Threading:: How threads are made.
4346 * Sorting the Summary Buffer:: How articles and threads are sorted.
4347 * Asynchronous Fetching:: Gnus might be able to pre-fetch articles.
4348 * Article Caching:: You may store articles in a cache.
4349 * Persistent Articles:: Making articles expiry-resistant.
4350 * Article Backlog:: Having already read articles hang around.
4351 * Saving Articles:: Ways of customizing article saving.
4352 * Decoding Articles:: Gnus can treat series of (uu)encoded articles.
4353 * Article Treatment:: The article buffer can be mangled at will.
4354 * MIME Commands:: Doing MIMEy things with the articles.
4355 * Charsets:: Character set issues.
4356 * Article Commands:: Doing various things with the article buffer.
4357 * Summary Sorting:: Sorting the summary buffer in various ways.
4358 * Finding the Parent:: No child support? Get the parent.
4359 * Alternative Approaches:: Reading using non-default summaries.
4360 * Tree Display:: A more visual display of threads.
4361 * Mail Group Commands:: Some commands can only be used in mail groups.
4362 * Various Summary Stuff:: What didn't fit anywhere else.
4363 * Exiting the Summary Buffer:: Returning to the Group buffer,
4364 or reselecting the current group.
4365 * Crosspost Handling:: How crossposted articles are dealt with.
4366 * Duplicate Suppression:: An alternative when crosspost handling fails.
4367 * Security:: Decrypt and Verify.
4368 * Mailing List:: Mailing list minor mode.
4372 @node Summary Buffer Format
4373 @section Summary Buffer Format
4374 @cindex summary buffer format
4378 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{180}{
4379 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary,width=7.5cm}}
4380 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-article,width=7.5cm}}}
4386 * Summary Buffer Lines:: You can specify how summary lines should look.
4387 * To From Newsgroups:: How to not display your own name.
4388 * Summary Buffer Mode Line:: You can say how the mode line should look.
4389 * Summary Highlighting:: Making the summary buffer all pretty and nice.
4392 @findex mail-extract-address-components
4393 @findex gnus-extract-address-components
4394 @vindex gnus-extract-address-components
4395 Gnus will use the value of the @code{gnus-extract-address-components}
4396 variable as a function for getting the name and address parts of a
4397 @code{From} header. Two pre-defined functions exist:
4398 @code{gnus-extract-address-components}, which is the default, quite
4399 fast, and too simplistic solution; and
4400 @code{mail-extract-address-components}, which works very nicely, but is
4401 slower. The default function will return the wrong answer in 5% of the
4402 cases. If this is unacceptable to you, use the other function instead:
4405 (setq gnus-extract-address-components
4406 'mail-extract-address-components)
4409 @vindex gnus-summary-same-subject
4410 @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} is a string indicating that the current
4411 article has the same subject as the previous. This string will be used
4412 with those specs that require it. The default is @code{""}.
4415 @node Summary Buffer Lines
4416 @subsection Summary Buffer Lines
4418 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4419 You can change the format of the lines in the summary buffer by changing
4420 the @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable. It works along the same
4421 lines as a normal @code{format} string, with some extensions
4422 (@pxref{Formatting Variables}).
4424 There should always be a colon or a point position marker on the line;
4425 the cursor always moves to the point position marker or the colon after
4426 performing an operation. (Of course, Gnus wouldn't be Gnus if it wasn't
4427 possible to change this. Just write a new function
4428 @code{gnus-goto-colon} which does whatever you like with the cursor.)
4429 @xref{Positioning Point}.
4431 The default string is @samp{%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n}.
4433 The following format specification characters and extended format
4434 specification(s) are understood:
4440 Subject string. List identifiers stripped,
4441 @code{gnus-list-identifies}. @xref{Article Hiding}.
4443 Subject if the article is the root of the thread or the previous article
4444 had a different subject, @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} otherwise.
4445 (@code{gnus-summary-same-subject} defaults to @code{""}.)
4447 Full @code{From} header.
4449 The name (from the @code{From} header).
4451 The name, @code{To} header or the @code{Newsgroups} header (@pxref{To
4454 The name (from the @code{From} header). This differs from the @code{n}
4455 spec in that it uses the function designated by the
4456 @code{gnus-extract-address-components} variable, which is slower, but
4457 may be more thorough.
4459 The address (from the @code{From} header). This works the same way as
4462 Number of lines in the article.
4464 Number of characters in the article. This specifier is not supported
4465 in some methods (like nnfolder).
4467 Pretty-printed version of the number of characters in the article;
4468 for example, @samp{1.2k} or @samp{0.4M}.
4470 Indentation based on thread level (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4472 A complex trn-style thread tree, showing response-connecting trace
4475 Nothing if the article is a root and lots of spaces if it isn't (it
4476 pushes everything after it off the screen).
4478 Opening bracket, which is normally @samp{[}, but can also be @samp{<}
4479 for adopted articles (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
4481 Closing bracket, which is normally @samp{]}, but can also be @samp{>}
4482 for adopted articles.
4484 One space for each thread level.
4486 Twenty minus thread level spaces.
4488 Unread. @xref{Read Articles}.
4491 This misleadingly named specifier is the @dfn{secondary mark}. This
4492 mark will say whether the article has been replied to, has been cached,
4493 or has been saved. @xref{Other Marks}.
4496 Score as a number (@pxref{Scoring}).
4498 @vindex gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz
4499 Zcore, @samp{+} if above the default level and @samp{-} if below the
4500 default level. If the difference between
4501 @code{gnus-summary-default-score} and the score is less than
4502 @code{gnus-summary-zcore-fuzz}, this spec will not be used.
4510 The @code{Date} in @code{DD-MMM} format.
4512 The @code{Date} in @var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS} format.
4518 Number of articles in the current sub-thread. Using this spec will slow
4519 down summary buffer generation somewhat.
4521 An @samp{=} (@code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark}) will be displayed if the
4522 article has any children.
4528 Age sensitive date format. Various date format is defined in
4529 @code{gnus-user-date-format-alist}.
4531 User defined specifier. The next character in the format string should
4532 be a letter. Gnus will call the function
4533 @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where @samp{X} is the letter
4534 following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed the current header as
4535 argument. The function should return a string, which will be inserted
4536 into the summary just like information from any other summary specifier.
4539 Text between @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} will be highlighted with
4540 @code{gnus-mouse-face} when the mouse point is placed inside the area.
4541 There can only be one such area.
4543 The @samp{%U} (status), @samp{%R} (replied) and @samp{%z} (zcore) specs
4544 have to be handled with care. For reasons of efficiency, Gnus will
4545 compute what column these characters will end up in, and ``hard-code''
4546 that. This means that it is invalid to have these specs after a
4547 variable-length spec. Well, you might not be arrested, but your summary
4548 buffer will look strange, which is bad enough.
4550 The smart choice is to have these specs as far to the left as possible.
4551 (Isn't that the case with everything, though? But I digress.)
4553 This restriction may disappear in later versions of Gnus.
4556 @node To From Newsgroups
4557 @subsection To From Newsgroups
4561 In some groups (particularly in archive groups), the @code{From} header
4562 isn't very interesting, since all the articles there are written by
4563 you. To display the information in the @code{To} or @code{Newsgroups}
4564 headers instead, you need to decide three things: What information to
4565 gather; where to display it; and when to display it.
4569 @vindex gnus-extra-headers
4570 The reading of extra header information is controlled by the
4571 @code{gnus-extra-headers}. This is a list of header symbols. For
4575 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4576 '(To Newsgroups X-Newsreader))
4579 This will result in Gnus trying to obtain these three headers, and
4580 storing it in header structures for later easy retrieval.
4583 @findex gnus-extra-header
4584 The value of these extra headers can be accessed via the
4585 @code{gnus-extra-header} function. Here's a format line spec that will
4586 access the @code{X-Newsreader} header:
4589 "%~(form (gnus-extra-header 'X-Newsreader))@@"
4593 @vindex gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4594 The @code{gnus-ignored-from-addresses} variable says when the @samp{%f}
4595 summary line spec returns the @code{To}, @code{Newsreader} or
4596 @code{From} header. If this regexp matches the contents of the
4597 @code{From} header, the value of the @code{To} or @code{Newsreader}
4598 headers are used instead.
4602 @vindex nnmail-extra-headers
4603 A related variable is @code{nnmail-extra-headers}, which controls when
4604 to include extra headers when generating overview (@sc{nov}) files. If
4605 you have old overview files, you should regenerate them after changing
4606 this variable, by entering the server buffer using `^', and then `g' on
4607 the appropriate mail server (e.g. nnml) to cause regeneration.
4609 @vindex gnus-summary-line-format
4610 You also have to instruct Gnus to display the data by changing the
4611 @code{%n} spec to the @code{%f} spec in the
4612 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} variable.
4614 In summary, you'd typically put something like the following in
4618 (setq gnus-extra-headers
4620 (setq nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
4621 (setq gnus-summary-line-format
4622 "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23f%]%) %s\n")
4623 (setq gnus-ignored-from-addresses
4627 (The values listed above are the default values in Gnus. Alter them
4630 A note for news server administrators, or for users who wish to try to
4631 convince their news server administrator to provide some additional
4634 The above is mostly useful for mail groups, where you have control over
4635 the @sc{nov} files that are created. However, if you can persuade your
4636 nntp admin to add (in the usual implementation, notably INN):
4642 to the end of her @file{overview.fmt} file, then you can use that just
4643 as you would the extra headers from the mail groups.
4646 @node Summary Buffer Mode Line
4647 @subsection Summary Buffer Mode Line
4649 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-line-format
4650 You can also change the format of the summary mode bar (@pxref{Mode Line
4651 Formatting}). Set @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} to whatever you
4652 like. The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b [%A] %Z}.
4654 Here are the elements you can play with:
4660 Unprefixed group name.
4662 Current article number.
4664 Current article score.
4668 Number of unread articles in this group.
4670 Number of unread articles in this group that aren't displayed in the
4673 A string with the number of unread and unselected articles represented
4674 either as @samp{<%U(+%e) more>} if there are both unread and unselected
4675 articles, and just as @samp{<%U more>} if there are just unread articles
4676 and no unselected ones.
4678 Shortish group name. For instance, @samp{rec.arts.anime} will be
4679 shortened to @samp{r.a.anime}.
4681 Subject of the current article.
4683 User-defined spec (@pxref{User-Defined Specs}).
4685 Name of the current score file (@pxref{Scoring}).
4687 Number of dormant articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4689 Number of ticked articles (@pxref{Unread Articles}).
4691 Number of articles that have been marked as read in this session.
4693 Number of articles expunged by the score files.
4697 @node Summary Highlighting
4698 @subsection Summary Highlighting
4702 @item gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4703 @vindex gnus-visual-mark-article-hook
4704 This hook is run after selecting an article. It is meant to be used for
4705 highlighting the article in some way. It is not run if
4706 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4708 @item gnus-summary-update-hook
4709 @vindex gnus-summary-update-hook
4710 This hook is called when a summary line is changed. It is not run if
4711 @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
4713 @item gnus-summary-selected-face
4714 @vindex gnus-summary-selected-face
4715 This is the face (or @dfn{font} as some people call it) used to
4716 highlight the current article in the summary buffer.
4718 @item gnus-summary-highlight
4719 @vindex gnus-summary-highlight
4720 Summary lines are highlighted according to this variable, which is a
4721 list where the elements are of the format @code{(@var{form}
4722 . @var{face})}. If you would, for instance, like ticked articles to be
4723 italic and high-scored articles to be bold, you could set this variable
4726 (((eq mark gnus-ticked-mark) . italic)
4727 ((> score default) . bold))
4729 As you may have guessed, if @var{form} returns a non-@code{nil} value,
4730 @var{face} will be applied to the line.
4734 @node Summary Maneuvering
4735 @section Summary Maneuvering
4736 @cindex summary movement
4738 All the straight movement commands understand the numeric prefix and
4739 behave pretty much as you'd expect.
4741 None of these commands select articles.
4746 @kindex M-n (Summary)
4747 @kindex G M-n (Summary)
4748 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-subject
4749 Go to the next summary line of an unread article
4750 (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-subject}).
4754 @kindex M-p (Summary)
4755 @kindex G M-p (Summary)
4756 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject
4757 Go to the previous summary line of an unread article
4758 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-subject}).
4761 @kindex G g (Summary)
4762 @findex gnus-summary-goto-subject
4763 Ask for an article number and then go to the summary line of that article
4764 without displaying the article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-subject}).
4767 If Gnus asks you to press a key to confirm going to the next group, you
4768 can use the @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} keys to move around the group
4769 buffer, searching for the next group to read without actually returning
4770 to the group buffer.
4772 Variables related to summary movement:
4776 @vindex gnus-auto-select-next
4777 @item gnus-auto-select-next
4778 If you issue one of the movement commands (like @kbd{n}) and there are
4779 no more unread articles after the current one, Gnus will offer to go to
4780 the next group. If this variable is @code{t} and the next group is
4781 empty, Gnus will exit summary mode and return to the group buffer. If
4782 this variable is neither @code{t} nor @code{nil}, Gnus will select the
4783 next group with unread articles. As a special case, if this variable
4784 is @code{quietly}, Gnus will select the next group without asking for
4785 confirmation. If this variable is @code{almost-quietly}, the same
4786 will happen only if you are located on the last article in the group.
4787 Finally, if this variable is @code{slightly-quietly}, the @kbd{Z n}
4788 command will go to the next group without confirmation. Also
4789 @pxref{Group Levels}.
4791 @item gnus-auto-select-same
4792 @vindex gnus-auto-select-same
4793 If non-@code{nil}, all the movement commands will try to go to the next
4794 article with the same subject as the current. (@dfn{Same} here might
4795 mean @dfn{roughly equal}. See @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}
4796 for details (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).) If there are no more
4797 articles with the same subject, go to the first unread article.
4799 This variable is not particularly useful if you use a threaded display.
4801 @item gnus-summary-check-current
4802 @vindex gnus-summary-check-current
4803 If non-@code{nil}, all the ``unread'' movement commands will not proceed
4804 to the next (or previous) article if the current article is unread.
4805 Instead, they will choose the current article.
4807 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
4808 @vindex gnus-auto-center-summary
4809 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will keep the point in the summary buffer
4810 centered at all times. This makes things quite tidy, but if you have a
4811 slow network connection, or simply do not like this un-Emacsism, you can
4812 set this variable to @code{nil} to get the normal Emacs scrolling
4813 action. This will also inhibit horizontal re-centering of the summary
4814 buffer, which might make it more inconvenient to read extremely long
4817 This variable can also be a number. In that case, center the window at
4818 the given number of lines from the top.
4823 @node Choosing Articles
4824 @section Choosing Articles
4825 @cindex selecting articles
4828 * Choosing Commands:: Commands for choosing articles.
4829 * Choosing Variables:: Variables that influence these commands.
4833 @node Choosing Commands
4834 @subsection Choosing Commands
4836 None of the following movement commands understand the numeric prefix,
4837 and they all select and display an article.
4839 If you want to fetch new articles or redisplay the group, see
4840 @ref{Exiting the Summary Buffer}.
4844 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4845 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4846 Select the current article, or, if that one's read already, the next
4847 unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4852 @kindex G n (Summary)
4853 @findex gnus-summary-next-unread-article
4854 @c @icon{gnus-summary-next-unread}
4855 Go to next unread article (@code{gnus-summary-next-unread-article}).
4860 @findex gnus-summary-prev-unread-article
4861 @c @icon{gnus-summary-prev-unread}
4862 Go to previous unread article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-unread-article}).
4867 @kindex G N (Summary)
4868 @findex gnus-summary-next-article
4869 Go to the next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-article}).
4874 @kindex G P (Summary)
4875 @findex gnus-summary-prev-article
4876 Go to the previous article (@code{gnus-summary-prev-article}).
4879 @kindex G C-n (Summary)
4880 @findex gnus-summary-next-same-subject
4881 Go to the next article with the same subject
4882 (@code{gnus-summary-next-same-subject}).
4885 @kindex G C-p (Summary)
4886 @findex gnus-summary-prev-same-subject
4887 Go to the previous article with the same subject
4888 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-same-subject}).
4892 @kindex G f (Summary)
4894 @findex gnus-summary-first-unread-article
4895 Go to the first unread article
4896 (@code{gnus-summary-first-unread-article}).
4900 @kindex G b (Summary)
4902 @findex gnus-summary-best-unread-article
4903 Go to the unread article with the highest score
4904 (@code{gnus-summary-best-unread-article}). If given a prefix argument,
4905 go to the first unread article that has a score over the default score.
4910 @kindex G l (Summary)
4911 @findex gnus-summary-goto-last-article
4912 Go to the previous article read (@code{gnus-summary-goto-last-article}).
4915 @kindex G o (Summary)
4916 @findex gnus-summary-pop-article
4918 @cindex article history
4919 Pop an article off the summary history and go to this article
4920 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-article}). This command differs from the
4921 command above in that you can pop as many previous articles off the
4922 history as you like, while @kbd{l} toggles the two last read articles.
4923 For a somewhat related issue (if you use these commands a lot),
4924 @pxref{Article Backlog}.
4929 @kindex G j (Summary)
4930 @findex gnus-summary-goto-article
4931 Ask for an article number or @code{Message-ID}, and then go to that
4932 article (@code{gnus-summary-goto-article}).
4937 @node Choosing Variables
4938 @subsection Choosing Variables
4940 Some variables relevant for moving and selecting articles:
4943 @item gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4944 @vindex gnus-auto-extend-newsgroup
4945 All the movement commands will try to go to the previous (or next)
4946 article, even if that article isn't displayed in the Summary buffer if
4947 this variable is non-@code{nil}. Gnus will then fetch the article from
4948 the server and display it in the article buffer.
4950 @item gnus-select-article-hook
4951 @vindex gnus-select-article-hook
4952 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. By default it
4953 exposes any threads hidden under the selected article.
4955 @item gnus-mark-article-hook
4956 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
4957 @findex gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read
4958 @findex gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read
4959 @findex gnus-unread-mark
4960 This hook is called whenever an article is selected. It is intended to
4961 be used for marking articles as read. The default value is
4962 @code{gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read}, and will change the
4963 mark of almost any article you read to @code{gnus-unread-mark}. The
4964 only articles not affected by this function are ticked, dormant, and
4965 expirable articles. If you'd instead like to just have unread articles
4966 marked as read, you can use @code{gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read}
4967 instead. It will leave marks like @code{gnus-low-score-mark},
4968 @code{gnus-del-mark} (and so on) alone.
4973 @node Paging the Article
4974 @section Scrolling the Article
4975 @cindex article scrolling
4980 @kindex SPACE (Summary)
4981 @findex gnus-summary-next-page
4982 Pressing @kbd{SPACE} will scroll the current article forward one page,
4983 or, if you have come to the end of the current article, will choose the
4984 next article (@code{gnus-summary-next-page}).
4987 @kindex DEL (Summary)
4988 @findex gnus-summary-prev-page
4989 Scroll the current article back one page (@code{gnus-summary-prev-page}).
4992 @kindex RET (Summary)
4993 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-up
4994 Scroll the current article one line forward
4995 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-up}).
4998 @kindex M-RET (Summary)
4999 @findex gnus-summary-scroll-down
5000 Scroll the current article one line backward
5001 (@code{gnus-summary-scroll-down}).
5005 @kindex A g (Summary)
5007 @findex gnus-summary-show-article
5008 @vindex gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5009 (Re)fetch the current article (@code{gnus-summary-show-article}). If
5010 given a prefix, fetch the current article, but don't run any of the
5011 article treatment functions. This will give you a ``raw'' article, just
5012 the way it came from the server.
5014 If given a numerical prefix, you can do semi-manual charset stuff.
5015 @kbd{C-u 0 g cn-gb-2312 RET} will decode the message as if it were
5016 encoded in the @code{cn-gb-2312} charset. If you have
5019 (setq gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist
5024 then you can say @kbd{C-u 1 g} to get the same effect.
5029 @kindex A < (Summary)
5030 @findex gnus-summary-beginning-of-article
5031 Scroll to the beginning of the article
5032 (@code{gnus-summary-beginning-of-article}).
5037 @kindex A > (Summary)
5038 @findex gnus-summary-end-of-article
5039 Scroll to the end of the article (@code{gnus-summary-end-of-article}).
5043 @kindex A s (Summary)
5045 @findex gnus-summary-isearch-article
5046 Perform an isearch in the article buffer
5047 (@code{gnus-summary-isearch-article}).
5051 @findex gnus-summary-select-article-buffer
5052 Select the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-select-article-buffer}).
5057 @node Reply Followup and Post
5058 @section Reply, Followup and Post
5061 * Summary Mail Commands:: Sending mail.
5062 * Summary Post Commands:: Sending news.
5063 * Summary Message Commands:: Other Message-related commands.
5064 * Canceling and Superseding::
5068 @node Summary Mail Commands
5069 @subsection Summary Mail Commands
5071 @cindex composing mail
5073 Commands for composing a mail message:
5079 @kindex S r (Summary)
5081 @findex gnus-summary-reply
5082 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-reply}
5083 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply}
5084 Mail a reply to the author of the current article
5085 (@code{gnus-summary-reply}).
5090 @kindex S R (Summary)
5091 @findex gnus-summary-reply-with-original
5092 @c @icon{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}
5093 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5094 original message (@code{gnus-summary-reply-with-original}). This
5095 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5098 @kindex S w (Summary)
5099 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply
5100 Mail a wide reply to the author of the current article
5101 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{wide reply} is a reply that
5102 goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5103 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers.
5106 @kindex S W (Summary)
5107 @findex gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original
5108 Mail a wide reply to the current article and include the original
5109 message (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply-with-original}). This command uses
5110 the process/prefix convention.
5113 @kindex S v (Summary)
5114 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply
5115 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article
5116 (@code{gnus-summary-wide-reply}). A @dfn{very wide reply} is a reply
5117 that goes out to all people listed in the @code{To}, @code{From} (or
5118 @code{Reply-to}) and @code{Cc} headers in all the process/prefixed
5119 articles. This command uses the process/prefix convention.
5122 @kindex S V (Summary)
5123 @findex gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original
5124 Mail a very wide reply to the author of the current article and include the
5125 original message (@code{gnus-summary-very-wide-reply-with-original}). This
5126 command uses the process/prefix convention.
5129 @kindex S B r (Summary)
5130 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to
5131 Mail a reply to the author of the current article but ignore the
5132 @code{Reply-To} field (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to}).
5135 @kindex S B R (Summary)
5136 @findex gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original
5137 Mail a reply to the author of the current article and include the
5138 original message but ignore the @code{Reply-To} field
5139 (@code{gnus-summary-reply-broken-reply-to-with-original}).
5143 @kindex S o m (Summary)
5144 @kindex C-c C-f (Summary)
5145 @findex gnus-summary-mail-forward
5146 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-forward}
5147 Forward the current article to some other person
5148 (@code{gnus-summary-mail-forward}). If no prefix is given, the message
5149 is forwarded according to the value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime})
5150 and (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5151 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5152 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5153 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5154 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5155 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5156 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime}
5162 @kindex S m (Summary)
5163 @findex gnus-summary-mail-other-window
5164 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-originate}
5165 Prepare a mail (@code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}). By default, use
5166 the posting style of the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5167 If the prefix is 1, prompt for a group name to find the posting style.
5172 @kindex S i (Summary)
5173 @findex gnus-summary-news-other-window
5174 Prepare a news (@code{gnus-summary-news-other-window}). By default,
5175 post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that. If the
5176 prefix is 1, prompt for a group to post to.
5178 This function actually prepares a news even when using mail groups.
5179 This is useful for "posting" messages to mail groups without actually
5180 sending them over the network: they're just saved directly to the group
5181 in question. The corresponding back end must have a request-post method
5182 for this to work though.
5185 @kindex S D b (Summary)
5186 @findex gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail
5187 @cindex bouncing mail
5188 If you have sent a mail, but the mail was bounced back to you for some
5189 reason (wrong address, transient failure), you can use this command to
5190 resend that bounced mail (@code{gnus-summary-resend-bounced-mail}). You
5191 will be popped into a mail buffer where you can edit the headers before
5192 sending the mail off again. If you give a prefix to this command, and
5193 the bounced mail is a reply to some other mail, Gnus will try to fetch
5194 that mail and display it for easy perusal of its headers. This might
5195 very well fail, though.
5198 @kindex S D r (Summary)
5199 @findex gnus-summary-resend-message
5200 Not to be confused with the previous command,
5201 @code{gnus-summary-resend-message} will prompt you for an address to
5202 send the current message off to, and then send it to that place. The
5203 headers of the message won't be altered---but lots of headers that say
5204 @code{Resent-To}, @code{Resent-From} and so on will be added. This
5205 means that you actually send a mail to someone that has a @code{To}
5206 header that (probably) points to yourself. This will confuse people.
5207 So, natcherly you'll only do that if you're really eVIl.
5209 This command is mainly used if you have several accounts and want to
5210 ship a mail to a different account of yours. (If you're both
5211 @code{root} and @code{postmaster} and get a mail for @code{postmaster}
5212 to the @code{root} account, you may want to resend it to
5213 @code{postmaster}. Ordnung muss sein!
5215 This command understands the process/prefix convention
5216 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5219 @kindex S O m (Summary)
5220 @findex gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward
5221 Digest the current series (@pxref{Decoding Articles}) and forward the
5222 result using mail (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command
5223 uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5226 @kindex S M-c (Summary)
5227 @findex gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint
5228 @cindex crossposting
5229 @cindex excessive crossposting
5230 Send a complaint about excessive crossposting to the author of the
5231 current article (@code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint}).
5233 @findex gnus-crosspost-complaint
5234 This command is provided as a way to fight back against the current
5235 crossposting pandemic that's sweeping Usenet. It will compose a reply
5236 using the @code{gnus-crosspost-complaint} variable as a preamble. This
5237 command understands the process/prefix convention
5238 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) and will prompt you before sending each mail.
5242 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5243 Manual}, for more information.
5246 @node Summary Post Commands
5247 @subsection Summary Post Commands
5249 @cindex composing news
5251 Commands for posting a news article:
5257 @kindex S p (Summary)
5258 @findex gnus-summary-post-news
5259 @c @icon{gnus-summary-post-news}
5260 Prepare for posting an article (@code{gnus-summary-post-news}). By
5261 default, post to the current group. If given a prefix, disable that.
5262 If the prefix is 1, prompt for another group instead.
5267 @kindex S f (Summary)
5268 @findex gnus-summary-followup
5269 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup}
5270 Post a followup to the current article (@code{gnus-summary-followup}).
5274 @kindex S F (Summary)
5276 @c @icon{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}
5277 @findex gnus-summary-followup-with-original
5278 Post a followup to the current article and include the original message
5279 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-with-original}). This command uses the
5280 process/prefix convention.
5283 @kindex S n (Summary)
5284 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail
5285 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5286 message through mail (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail}).
5289 @kindex S N (Summary)
5290 @findex gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original
5291 Post a followup to the current article via news, even if you got the
5292 message through mail and include the original message
5293 (@code{gnus-summary-followup-to-mail-with-original}). This command uses
5294 the process/prefix convention.
5297 @kindex S o p (Summary)
5298 @findex gnus-summary-post-forward
5299 Forward the current article to a newsgroup
5300 (@code{gnus-summary-post-forward}).
5301 If no prefix is given, the message is forwarded according to the value
5302 of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}) and
5303 (@code{message-forward-show-mml}); if the prefix is 1, decode the
5304 message and forward directly inline; if the prefix is 2, forward message
5305 as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 3, decode message and
5306 forward as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section; if the prefix is 4, forward message
5307 directly inline; otherwise, the message is forwarded as no prefix given
5308 but use the flipped value of (@code{message-forward-as-mime}). By
5309 default, the message is decoded and forwarded as an rfc822 @sc{mime} section.
5312 @kindex S O p (Summary)
5313 @findex gnus-uu-digest-post-forward
5315 @cindex making digests
5316 Digest the current series and forward the result to a newsgroup
5317 (@code{gnus-uu-digest-mail-forward}). This command uses the
5318 process/prefix convention.
5321 @kindex S u (Summary)
5322 @findex gnus-uu-post-news
5323 @c @icon{gnus-uu-post-news}
5324 Uuencode a file, split it into parts, and post it as a series
5325 (@code{gnus-uu-post-news}). (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
5328 Also @xref{Header Commands, ,Header Commands, message, The Message
5329 Manual}, for more information.
5332 @node Summary Message Commands
5333 @subsection Summary Message Commands
5337 @kindex S y (Summary)
5338 @findex gnus-summary-yank-message
5339 Yank the current article into an already existing Message composition
5340 buffer (@code{gnus-summary-yank-message}). This command prompts for
5341 what message buffer you want to yank into, and understands the
5342 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5347 @node Canceling and Superseding
5348 @subsection Canceling Articles
5349 @cindex canceling articles
5350 @cindex superseding articles
5352 Have you ever written something, and then decided that you really,
5353 really, really wish you hadn't posted that?
5355 Well, you can't cancel mail, but you can cancel posts.
5357 @findex gnus-summary-cancel-article
5359 @c @icon{gnus-summary-cancel-article}
5360 Find the article you wish to cancel (you can only cancel your own
5361 articles, so don't try any funny stuff). Then press @kbd{C} or @kbd{S
5362 c} (@code{gnus-summary-cancel-article}). Your article will be
5363 canceled---machines all over the world will be deleting your article.
5364 This command uses the process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
5366 Be aware, however, that not all sites honor cancels, so your article may
5367 live on here and there, while most sites will delete the article in
5370 Gnus will use the ``current'' select method when canceling. If you
5371 want to use the standard posting method, use the @samp{a} symbolic
5372 prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}).
5374 If you discover that you have made some mistakes and want to do some
5375 corrections, you can post a @dfn{superseding} article that will replace
5376 your original article.
5378 @findex gnus-summary-supersede-article
5380 Go to the original article and press @kbd{S s}
5381 (@code{gnus-summary-supersede-article}). You will be put in a buffer
5382 where you can edit the article all you want before sending it off the
5385 The same goes for superseding as for canceling, only more so: Some
5386 sites do not honor superseding. On those sites, it will appear that you
5387 have posted almost the same article twice.
5389 If you have just posted the article, and change your mind right away,
5390 there is a trick you can use to cancel/supersede the article without
5391 waiting for the article to appear on your site first. You simply return
5392 to the post buffer (which is called @code{*sent ...*}). There you will
5393 find the article you just posted, with all the headers intact. Change
5394 the @code{Message-ID} header to a @code{Cancel} or @code{Supersedes}
5395 header by substituting one of those words for the word
5396 @code{Message-ID}. Then just press @kbd{C-c C-c} to send the article as
5397 you would do normally. The previous article will be
5398 canceled/superseded.
5400 Just remember, kids: There is no 'c' in 'supersede'.
5402 @node Delayed Articles
5403 @section Delayed Articles
5404 @cindex delayed sending
5405 @cindex send delayed
5407 Sometimes, you might wish to delay the sending of a message. For
5408 example, you might wish to arrange for a message to turn up just in time
5409 to remind your about the birthday of your Significant Other. For this,
5410 there is the @code{gnus-delay} package. Setup is simple:
5413 (gnus-delay-initialize)
5416 @findex gnus-delay-article
5417 Normally, to send a message you use the @kbd{C-c C-c} command from
5418 Message mode. To delay a message, use @kbd{C-c C-j}
5419 (@code{gnus-delay-article}) instead. This will ask you for how long the
5420 message should be delayed. Possible answers are:
5424 A time span. Consists of an integer and a letter. For example,
5425 @code{42d} means to delay for 42 days. Available letters are @code{m}
5426 (minutes), @code{h} (hours), @code{d} (days), @code{w} (weeks), @code{M}
5427 (months) and @code{Y} (years).
5430 A specific date. Looks like @code{YYYYY-MM-DD}. The message will be
5431 delayed until that day, at a specific time (eight o'clock by default).
5432 See also @code{gnus-delay-default-hour}.
5435 A specific time of day. Given in @code{hh:mm} format, 24h, no am/pm
5436 stuff. The deadline will be at that time today, except if that time has
5437 already passed, then it's at the given time tomorrow. So if it's ten
5438 o'clock in the morning and you specify @code{11:15}, then the deadline
5439 is one hour and fifteen minutes hence. But if you specify @code{9:20},
5440 that means a time tomorrow.
5443 The action of the @code{gnus-delay-article} command is influenced by a
5444 couple of variables:
5447 @item gnus-delay-default-hour
5448 @vindex gnus-delay-default-hour
5449 When you specify a specific date, the message will be due on that hour
5450 on the given date. Possible values are integers 0 through 23.
5452 @item gnus-delay-default-delay
5453 @vindex gnus-delay-default-delay
5454 This is a string and gives the default delay. It can be of any of the
5455 formats described above.
5457 @item gnus-delay-group
5458 @vindex gnus-delay-group
5459 Delayed articles will be kept in this group on the drafts server until
5460 they are due. You probably don't need to change this. The default
5461 value is @code{"delayed"}.
5463 @item gnus-delay-header
5464 @vindex gnus-delay-header
5465 The deadline for each article will be stored in a header. This variable
5466 is a string and gives the header name. You probably don't need to
5467 change this. The default value is @code{"X-Gnus-Delayed"}.
5470 The way delaying works is like this: when you use the
5471 @code{gnus-delay-article} command, you give a certain delay. Gnus
5472 calculates the deadline of the message and stores it in the
5473 @code{X-Gnus-Delayed} header and puts the message in the
5474 @code{nndraft:delayed} group.
5476 And whenever you get new news, Gnus looks through the group for articles
5477 which are due and sends them. It uses the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue}
5478 function for this. By default, this function is added to the hook
5479 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But of course, you can change this.
5480 Maybe you want to use the demon to send drafts? Just tell the demon to
5481 execute the @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} function.
5484 @item gnus-delay-initialize
5485 @findex gnus-delay-initialize
5486 By default, this function installs @code{gnus-delay-send-queue} in
5487 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook}. But it accepts the optional second
5488 argument @code{no-check}. If it is non-nil,
5489 @code{gnus-get-new-news-hook} is not changed. The optional first
5490 argument is ignored.
5492 For example, @code{(gnus-delay-initialize nil t)} means to do nothing.
5493 Presumably, you want to use the demon for sending due delayed articles.
5494 Just don't forget to set that up :-)
5498 @node Marking Articles
5499 @section Marking Articles
5500 @cindex article marking
5501 @cindex article ticking
5504 There are several marks you can set on an article.
5506 You have marks that decide the @dfn{readedness} (whoo, neato-keano
5507 neologism ohoy!) of the article. Alphabetic marks generally mean
5508 @dfn{read}, while non-alphabetic characters generally mean @dfn{unread}.
5510 In addition, you also have marks that do not affect readedness.
5513 * Unread Articles:: Marks for unread articles.
5514 * Read Articles:: Marks for read articles.
5515 * Other Marks:: Marks that do not affect readedness.
5519 There's a plethora of commands for manipulating these marks:
5523 * Setting Marks:: How to set and remove marks.
5524 * Generic Marking Commands:: How to customize the marking.
5525 * Setting Process Marks:: How to mark articles for later processing.
5529 @node Unread Articles
5530 @subsection Unread Articles
5532 The following marks mark articles as (kinda) unread, in one form or
5537 @vindex gnus-ticked-mark
5538 Marked as ticked (@code{gnus-ticked-mark}).
5540 @dfn{Ticked articles} are articles that will remain visible always. If
5541 you see an article that you find interesting, or you want to put off
5542 reading it, or replying to it, until sometime later, you'd typically
5543 tick it. However, articles can be expired (from news servers by the
5544 news server software, Gnus itself never expires ticked messages), so if
5545 you want to keep an article forever, you'll have to make it persistent
5546 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
5549 @vindex gnus-dormant-mark
5550 Marked as dormant (@code{gnus-dormant-mark}).
5552 @dfn{Dormant articles} will only appear in the summary buffer if there
5553 are followups to it. If you want to see them even if they don't have
5554 followups, you can use the @kbd{/ D} command (@pxref{Limiting}).
5555 Otherwise (except for the visibility issue), they are just like ticked
5559 @vindex gnus-unread-mark
5560 Marked as unread (@code{gnus-unread-mark}).
5562 @dfn{Unread articles} are articles that haven't been read at all yet.
5567 @subsection Read Articles
5568 @cindex expirable mark
5570 All the following marks mark articles as read.
5575 @vindex gnus-del-mark
5576 These are articles that the user has marked as read with the @kbd{d}
5577 command manually, more or less (@code{gnus-del-mark}).
5580 @vindex gnus-read-mark
5581 Articles that have actually been read (@code{gnus-read-mark}).
5584 @vindex gnus-ancient-mark
5585 Articles that were marked as read in previous sessions and are now
5586 @dfn{old} (@code{gnus-ancient-mark}).
5589 @vindex gnus-killed-mark
5590 Marked as killed (@code{gnus-killed-mark}).
5593 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mark
5594 Marked as killed by kill files (@code{gnus-kill-file-mark}).
5597 @vindex gnus-low-score-mark
5598 Marked as read by having too low a score (@code{gnus-low-score-mark}).
5601 @vindex gnus-catchup-mark
5602 Marked as read by a catchup (@code{gnus-catchup-mark}).
5605 @vindex gnus-canceled-mark
5606 Canceled article (@code{gnus-canceled-mark})
5609 @vindex gnus-souped-mark
5610 @sc{soup}ed article (@code{gnus-souped-mark}). @xref{SOUP}.
5613 @vindex gnus-sparse-mark
5614 Sparsely reffed article (@code{gnus-sparse-mark}). @xref{Customizing
5618 @vindex gnus-duplicate-mark
5619 Article marked as read by duplicate suppression
5620 (@code{gnus-duplicate-mark}). @xref{Duplicate Suppression}.
5624 All these marks just mean that the article is marked as read, really.
5625 They are interpreted differently when doing adaptive scoring, though.
5627 One more special mark, though:
5631 @vindex gnus-expirable-mark
5632 Marked as expirable (@code{gnus-expirable-mark}).
5634 Marking articles as @dfn{expirable} (or have them marked as such
5635 automatically) doesn't make much sense in normal groups---a user doesn't
5636 control expiring of news articles, but in mail groups, for instance,
5637 articles marked as @dfn{expirable} can be deleted by Gnus at
5643 @subsection Other Marks
5644 @cindex process mark
5647 There are some marks that have nothing to do with whether the article is
5653 You can set a bookmark in the current article. Say you are reading a
5654 long thesis on cats' urinary tracts, and have to go home for dinner
5655 before you've finished reading the thesis. You can then set a bookmark
5656 in the article, and Gnus will jump to this bookmark the next time it
5657 encounters the article. @xref{Setting Marks}.
5660 @vindex gnus-replied-mark
5661 All articles that you have replied to or made a followup to (i.e., have
5662 answered) will be marked with an @samp{A} in the second column
5663 (@code{gnus-replied-mark}).
5666 @vindex gnus-forwarded-mark
5667 All articles that you have forwarded will be marked with an @samp{F} in
5668 the second column (@code{gnus-forwarded-mark}).
5671 @vindex gnus-cached-mark
5672 Articles stored in the article cache will be marked with an @samp{*} in
5673 the second column (@code{gnus-cached-mark}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5676 @vindex gnus-saved-mark
5677 Articles ``saved'' (in some manner or other; not necessarily
5678 religiously) are marked with an @samp{S} in the second column
5679 (@code{gnus-saved-mark}).
5682 @vindex gnus-recent-mark
5683 Articles that according to the server haven't been shown to the user
5684 before are marked with a @samp{N} in the second column
5685 (@code{gnus-recent-mark}). Note that not all servers support this
5686 mark, in which case it simply never appears. Compare with
5687 @code{gnus-unseen-mark}.
5690 @vindex gnus-unseen-mark
5691 Articles that haven't been seen before in Gnus by the user are marked
5692 with a @samp{.} in the second column (@code{gnus-unseen-mark}).
5693 Compare with @code{gnus-recent-mark}.
5696 @vindex gnus-undownloaded-mark
5697 When using the Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics}, some articles might not
5698 have been downloaded. Such articles cannot be viewed while you are
5699 offline (unplugged). These articles get the @samp{@@} mark in the
5700 first column. (The variable @code{gnus-undownloaded-mark} controls
5701 which character to use.)
5704 @vindex gnus-downloadable-mark
5705 The Gnus agent @pxref{Agent Basics} downloads some articles
5706 automatically, but it is also possible to explicitly mark articles for
5707 download, even if they would not be downloaded automatically. Such
5708 explicitly-marked articles get the @samp{%} mark in the first column.
5709 (The variable @code{gnus-downloadable-mark} controls which character to
5713 @vindex gnus-not-empty-thread-mark
5714 @vindex gnus-empty-thread-mark
5715 If the @samp{%e} spec is used, the presence of threads or not will be
5716 marked with @code{gnus-not-empty-thread-mark} and
5717 @code{gnus-empty-thread-mark} in the third column, respectively.
5720 @vindex gnus-process-mark
5721 Finally we have the @dfn{process mark} (@code{gnus-process-mark}). A
5722 variety of commands react to the presence of the process mark. For
5723 instance, @kbd{X u} (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}) will uudecode and view
5724 all articles that have been marked with the process mark. Articles
5725 marked with the process mark have a @samp{#} in the second column.
5729 You might have noticed that most of these ``non-readedness'' marks
5730 appear in the second column by default. So if you have a cached, saved,
5731 replied article that you have process-marked, what will that look like?
5733 Nothing much. The precedence rules go as follows: process -> cache ->
5734 replied -> saved. So if the article is in the cache and is replied,
5735 you'll only see the cache mark and not the replied mark.
5739 @subsection Setting Marks
5740 @cindex setting marks
5742 All the marking commands understand the numeric prefix.
5747 @kindex M c (Summary)
5748 @kindex M-u (Summary)
5749 @findex gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward
5750 @cindex mark as unread
5751 Clear all readedness-marks from the current article
5752 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-mark-forward}). In other words, mark the
5758 @kindex M t (Summary)
5759 @findex gnus-summary-tick-article-forward
5760 Tick the current article (@code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}).
5761 @xref{Article Caching}.
5766 @kindex M ? (Summary)
5767 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant
5768 Mark the current article as dormant
5769 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-dormant}). @xref{Article Caching}.
5773 @kindex M d (Summary)
5775 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward
5776 Mark the current article as read
5777 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward}).
5781 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward
5782 Mark the current article as read and move point to the previous line
5783 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-read-backward}).
5788 @kindex M k (Summary)
5789 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select
5790 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read,
5791 and then select the next unread article
5792 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject-and-select}).
5796 @kindex M K (Summary)
5797 @kindex C-k (Summary)
5798 @findex gnus-summary-kill-same-subject
5799 Mark all articles that have the same subject as the current one as read
5800 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-same-subject}).
5803 @kindex M C (Summary)
5804 @findex gnus-summary-catchup
5805 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup}
5806 Mark all unread articles as read (@code{gnus-summary-catchup}).
5809 @kindex M C-c (Summary)
5810 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all
5811 Mark all articles in the group as read---even the ticked and dormant
5812 articles (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all}).
5815 @kindex M H (Summary)
5816 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-to-here
5817 Catchup the current group to point (before the point)
5818 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-to-here}).
5821 @kindex M h (Summary)
5822 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-from-here
5823 Catchup the current group from point (after the point)
5824 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-from-here}).
5827 @kindex C-w (Summary)
5828 @findex gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read
5829 Mark all articles between point and mark as read
5830 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-region-as-read}).
5833 @kindex M V k (Summary)
5834 @findex gnus-summary-kill-below
5835 Kill all articles with scores below the default score (or below the
5836 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-kill-below}).
5840 @kindex M e (Summary)
5842 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable
5843 Mark the current article as expirable
5844 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable}).
5847 @kindex M b (Summary)
5848 @findex gnus-summary-set-bookmark
5849 Set a bookmark in the current article
5850 (@code{gnus-summary-set-bookmark}).
5853 @kindex M B (Summary)
5854 @findex gnus-summary-remove-bookmark
5855 Remove the bookmark from the current article
5856 (@code{gnus-summary-remove-bookmark}).
5859 @kindex M V c (Summary)
5860 @findex gnus-summary-clear-above
5861 Clear all marks from articles with scores over the default score (or
5862 over the numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5865 @kindex M V u (Summary)
5866 @findex gnus-summary-tick-above
5867 Tick all articles with scores over the default score (or over the
5868 numeric prefix) (@code{gnus-summary-tick-above}).
5871 @kindex M V m (Summary)
5872 @findex gnus-summary-mark-above
5873 Prompt for a mark, and mark all articles with scores over the default
5874 score (or over the numeric prefix) with this mark
5875 (@code{gnus-summary-clear-above}).
5878 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
5879 The @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} variable controls what action should
5880 be taken after setting a mark. If non-@code{nil}, point will move to
5881 the next/previous unread article. If @code{nil}, point will just move
5882 one line up or down. As a special case, if this variable is
5883 @code{never}, all the marking commands as well as other commands (like
5884 @kbd{SPACE}) will move to the next article, whether it is unread or not.
5885 The default is @code{t}.
5888 @node Generic Marking Commands
5889 @subsection Generic Marking Commands
5891 Some people would like the command that ticks an article (@kbd{!}) go to
5892 the next article. Others would like it to go to the next unread
5893 article. Yet others would like it to stay on the current article. And
5894 even though I haven't heard of anybody wanting it to go to the
5895 previous (unread) article, I'm sure there are people that want that as
5898 Multiply these five behaviors with five different marking commands, and
5899 you get a potentially complex set of variable to control what each
5902 To sidestep that mess, Gnus provides commands that do all these
5903 different things. They can be found on the @kbd{M M} map in the summary
5904 buffer. Type @kbd{M M C-h} to see them all---there are too many of them
5905 to list in this manual.
5907 While you can use these commands directly, most users would prefer
5908 altering the summary mode keymap. For instance, if you would like the
5909 @kbd{!} command to go to the next article instead of the next unread
5910 article, you could say something like:
5913 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'my-alter-summary-map)
5914 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5915 (local-set-key "!" 'gnus-summary-put-mark-as-ticked-next))
5921 (defun my-alter-summary-map ()
5922 (local-set-key "!" "MM!n"))
5926 @node Setting Process Marks
5927 @subsection Setting Process Marks
5928 @cindex setting process marks
5935 @kindex M P p (Summary)
5936 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-processable
5937 Mark the current article with the process mark
5938 (@code{gnus-summary-mark-as-processable}).
5939 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable
5943 @kindex M P u (Summary)
5944 @kindex M-# (Summary)
5945 Remove the process mark, if any, from the current article
5946 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-as-processable}).
5949 @kindex M P U (Summary)
5950 @findex gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable
5951 Remove the process mark from all articles
5952 (@code{gnus-summary-unmark-all-processable}).
5955 @kindex M P i (Summary)
5956 @findex gnus-uu-invert-processable
5957 Invert the list of process marked articles
5958 (@code{gnus-uu-invert-processable}).
5961 @kindex M P R (Summary)
5962 @findex gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp
5963 Mark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5964 expression (@code{gnus-uu-mark-by-regexp}).
5967 @kindex M P G (Summary)
5968 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp
5969 Unmark articles that have a @code{Subject} header that matches a regular
5970 expression (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-by-regexp}).
5973 @kindex M P r (Summary)
5974 @findex gnus-uu-mark-region
5975 Mark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-mark-region}).
5979 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-region
5980 Unmark articles in region (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-region}).
5983 @kindex M P t (Summary)
5984 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
5985 Mark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5986 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
5989 @kindex M P T (Summary)
5990 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
5991 Unmark all articles in the current (sub)thread
5992 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
5995 @kindex M P v (Summary)
5996 @findex gnus-uu-mark-over
5997 Mark all articles that have a score above the prefix argument
5998 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-over}).
6001 @kindex M P s (Summary)
6002 @findex gnus-uu-mark-series
6003 Mark all articles in the current series (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6006 @kindex M P S (Summary)
6007 @findex gnus-uu-mark-sparse
6008 Mark all series that have already had some articles marked
6009 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-sparse}).
6012 @kindex M P a (Summary)
6013 @findex gnus-uu-mark-all
6014 Mark all articles in series order (@code{gnus-uu-mark-series}).
6017 @kindex M P b (Summary)
6018 @findex gnus-uu-mark-buffer
6019 Mark all articles in the buffer in the order they appear
6020 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-buffer}).
6023 @kindex M P k (Summary)
6024 @findex gnus-summary-kill-process-mark
6025 Push the current process mark set onto the stack and unmark all articles
6026 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-process-mark}).
6029 @kindex M P y (Summary)
6030 @findex gnus-summary-yank-process-mark
6031 Pop the previous process mark set from the stack and restore it
6032 (@code{gnus-summary-yank-process-mark}).
6035 @kindex M P w (Summary)
6036 @findex gnus-summary-save-process-mark
6037 Push the current process mark set onto the stack
6038 (@code{gnus-summary-save-process-mark}).
6042 Also see the @kbd{&} command in @pxref{Searching for Articles} for how to
6043 set process marks based on article body contents.
6050 It can be convenient to limit the summary buffer to just show some
6051 subset of the articles currently in the group. The effect most limit
6052 commands have is to remove a few (or many) articles from the summary
6055 All limiting commands work on subsets of the articles already fetched
6056 from the servers. None of these commands query the server for
6057 additional articles.
6063 @kindex / / (Summary)
6064 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-subject
6065 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some subject
6066 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-subject}). If given a prefix, exclude
6070 @kindex / a (Summary)
6071 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-author
6072 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match some author
6073 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-author}). If given a prefix, exclude
6077 @kindex / x (Summary)
6078 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-extra
6079 Limit the summary buffer to articles that match one of the ``extra''
6080 headers (@pxref{To From Newsgroups})
6081 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-extra}). If given a prefix, exclude
6086 @kindex / u (Summary)
6088 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unread
6089 Limit the summary buffer to articles not marked as read
6090 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unread}). If given a prefix, limit the
6091 buffer to articles strictly unread. This means that ticked and
6092 dormant articles will also be excluded.
6095 @kindex / m (Summary)
6096 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-marks
6097 Ask for a mark and then limit to all articles that have been marked
6098 with that mark (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-marks}).
6101 @kindex / t (Summary)
6102 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-age
6103 Ask for a number and then limit the summary buffer to articles older than (or equal to) that number of days
6104 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-age}). If given a prefix, limit to
6105 articles younger than that number of days.
6108 @kindex / n (Summary)
6109 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-articles
6110 Limit the summary buffer to the current article
6111 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-articles}). Uses the process/prefix
6112 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
6115 @kindex / w (Summary)
6116 @findex gnus-summary-pop-limit
6117 Pop the previous limit off the stack and restore it
6118 (@code{gnus-summary-pop-limit}). If given a prefix, pop all limits off
6122 @kindex / . (Summary)
6123 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen
6124 Limit the summary buffer to the unseen articles
6125 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-unseen}).
6128 @kindex / v (Summary)
6129 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-score
6130 Limit the summary buffer to articles that have a score at or above some
6131 score (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-score}).
6134 @kindex / p (Summary)
6135 @findex gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate
6136 Limit the summary buffer to articles that satisfy the @code{display}
6137 group parameter predicate
6138 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-to-display-predicate}). See @pxref{Group
6139 Parameters} for more on this predicate.
6143 @kindex M S (Summary)
6144 @kindex / E (Summary)
6145 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged
6146 Include all expunged articles in the limit
6147 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-expunged}).
6150 @kindex / D (Summary)
6151 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant
6152 Include all dormant articles in the limit
6153 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-dormant}).
6156 @kindex / * (Summary)
6157 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-cached
6158 Include all cached articles in the limit
6159 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-include-cached}).
6162 @kindex / d (Summary)
6163 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant
6164 Exclude all dormant articles from the limit
6165 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-dormant}).
6168 @kindex / M (Summary)
6169 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks
6170 Exclude all marked articles (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-marks}).
6173 @kindex / T (Summary)
6174 @findex gnus-summary-limit-include-thread
6175 Include all the articles in the current thread in the limit.
6178 @kindex / c (Summary)
6179 @findex gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant
6180 Exclude all dormant articles that have no children from the limit
6181 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-exclude-childless-dormant}).
6184 @kindex / C (Summary)
6185 @findex gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read
6186 Mark all excluded unread articles as read
6187 (@code{gnus-summary-limit-mark-excluded-as-read}). If given a prefix,
6188 also mark excluded ticked and dormant articles as read.
6191 @kindex / N (Summary)
6192 @findex gnus-summary-insert-new-articles
6193 Insert all new articles in the summary buffer. It scans for new emails
6194 if @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} is non-@code{nil}.
6197 @kindex / o (Summary)
6198 @findex gnus-summary-insert-old-articles
6199 Insert all old articles in the summary buffer. If given a numbered
6200 prefix, fetch this number of articles.
6208 @cindex article threading
6210 Gnus threads articles by default. @dfn{To thread} is to put responses
6211 to articles directly after the articles they respond to---in a
6212 hierarchical fashion.
6214 Threading is done by looking at the @code{References} headers of the
6215 articles. In a perfect world, this would be enough to build pretty
6216 trees, but unfortunately, the @code{References} header is often broken
6217 or simply missing. Weird news propagation exacerbates the problem,
6218 so one has to employ other heuristics to get pleasing results. A
6219 plethora of approaches exists, as detailed in horrible detail in
6220 @pxref{Customizing Threading}.
6222 First, a quick overview of the concepts:
6226 The top-most article in a thread; the first article in the thread.
6229 A tree-like article structure.
6232 A small(er) section of this tree-like structure.
6235 Threads often lose their roots due to article expiry, or due to the root
6236 already having been read in a previous session, and not displayed in the
6237 summary buffer. We then typically have many sub-threads that really
6238 belong to one thread, but are without connecting roots. These are
6239 called loose threads.
6241 @item thread gathering
6242 An attempt to gather loose threads into bigger threads.
6244 @item sparse threads
6245 A thread where the missing articles have been ``guessed'' at, and are
6246 displayed as empty lines in the summary buffer.
6252 * Customizing Threading:: Variables you can change to affect the threading.
6253 * Thread Commands:: Thread based commands in the summary buffer.
6257 @node Customizing Threading
6258 @subsection Customizing Threading
6259 @cindex customizing threading
6262 * Loose Threads:: How Gnus gathers loose threads into bigger threads.
6263 * Filling In Threads:: Making the threads displayed look fuller.
6264 * More Threading:: Even more variables for fiddling with threads.
6265 * Low-Level Threading:: You thought it was over... but you were wrong!
6270 @subsubsection Loose Threads
6273 @cindex loose threads
6276 @item gnus-summary-make-false-root
6277 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root
6278 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will gather all loose subtrees into one big tree
6279 and create a dummy root at the top. (Wait a minute. Root at the top?
6280 Yup.) Loose subtrees occur when the real root has expired, or you've
6281 read or killed the root in a previous session.
6283 When there is no real root of a thread, Gnus will have to fudge
6284 something. This variable says what fudging method Gnus should use.
6285 There are four possible values:
6289 \gnusfigure{The Summary Buffer}{390}{
6290 \put(0,0){\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-adopt,width=7.5cm}}
6291 \put(445,0){\makebox(0,0)[br]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-empty,width=7.5cm}}}
6292 \put(0,400){\makebox(0,0)[tl]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-none,width=7.5cm}}}
6293 \put(445,400){\makebox(0,0)[tr]{\epsfig{figure=ps/summary-dummy,width=7.5cm}}}
6298 @cindex adopting articles
6303 Gnus will make the first of the orphaned articles the parent. This
6304 parent will adopt all the other articles. The adopted articles will be
6305 marked as such by pointy brackets (@samp{<>}) instead of the standard
6306 square brackets (@samp{[]}). This is the default method.
6309 @vindex gnus-summary-dummy-line-format
6310 @vindex gnus-summary-make-false-root-always
6311 Gnus will create a dummy summary line that will pretend to be the
6312 parent. This dummy line does not correspond to any real article, so
6313 selecting it will just select the first real article after the dummy
6314 article. @code{gnus-summary-dummy-line-format} is used to specify the
6315 format of the dummy roots. It accepts only one format spec: @samp{S},
6316 which is the subject of the article. @xref{Formatting Variables}.
6317 If you want all threads to have a dummy root, even the non-gathered
6318 ones, set @code{gnus-summary-make-false-root-always} to t.
6321 Gnus won't actually make any article the parent, but simply leave the
6322 subject field of all orphans except the first empty. (Actually, it will
6323 use @code{gnus-summary-same-subject} as the subject (@pxref{Summary
6327 Don't make any article parent at all. Just gather the threads and
6328 display them after one another.
6331 Don't gather loose threads.
6334 @item gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6335 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit
6336 Loose threads are gathered by comparing subjects of articles. If this
6337 variable is @code{nil}, Gnus requires an exact match between the
6338 subjects of the loose threads before gathering them into one big
6339 super-thread. This might be too strict a requirement, what with the
6340 presence of stupid newsreaders that chop off long subject lines. If
6341 you think so, set this variable to, say, 20 to require that only the
6342 first 20 characters of the subjects have to match. If you set this
6343 variable to a really low number, you'll find that Gnus will gather
6344 everything in sight into one thread, which isn't very helpful.
6346 @cindex fuzzy article gathering
6347 If you set this variable to the special value @code{fuzzy}, Gnus will
6348 use a fuzzy string comparison algorithm on the subjects (@pxref{Fuzzy
6351 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6352 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy-regexp
6353 This can either be a regular expression or list of regular expressions
6354 that match strings that will be removed from subjects if fuzzy subject
6355 simplification is used.
6357 @item gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6358 @vindex gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6359 If you set @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit} to something as low
6360 as 10, you might consider setting this variable to something sensible:
6362 @c Written by Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.rice.edu>
6364 (setq gnus-simplify-ignored-prefixes
6370 "wanted" "followup" "summary\\( of\\)?"
6371 "help" "query" "problem" "question"
6372 "answer" "reference" "announce"
6373 "How can I" "How to" "Comparison of"
6378 (mapconcat 'identity
6379 '("for" "for reference" "with" "about")
6381 "\\)?\\]?:?[ \t]*"))
6384 All words that match this regexp will be removed before comparing two
6387 @item gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6388 @vindex gnus-simplify-subject-functions
6389 If non-@code{nil}, this variable overrides
6390 @code{gnus-summary-gather-subject-limit}. This variable should be a
6391 list of functions to apply to the @code{Subject} string iteratively to
6392 arrive at the simplified version of the string.
6394 Useful functions to put in this list include:
6397 @item gnus-simplify-subject-re
6398 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-re
6399 Strip the leading @samp{Re:}.
6401 @item gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6402 @findex gnus-simplify-subject-fuzzy
6405 @item gnus-simplify-whitespace
6406 @findex gnus-simplify-whitespace
6407 Remove excessive whitespace.
6409 @item gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6410 @findex gnus-simplify-all-whitespace
6411 Remove all whitespace.
6414 You may also write your own functions, of course.
6417 @item gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6418 @vindex gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject
6419 Since loose thread gathering is done on subjects only, that might lead
6420 to many false hits, especially with certain common subjects like
6421 @samp{} and @samp{(none)}. To make the situation slightly better,
6422 you can use the regexp @code{gnus-summary-gather-exclude-subject} to say
6423 what subjects should be excluded from the gathering process.@*
6424 The default is @samp{^ *$\\|^(none)$}.
6426 @item gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6427 @vindex gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6428 Gnus gathers threads by looking at @code{Subject} headers. This means
6429 that totally unrelated articles may end up in the same ``thread'', which
6430 is confusing. An alternate approach is to look at all the
6431 @code{Message-ID}s in all the @code{References} headers to find matches.
6432 This will ensure that no gathered threads ever include unrelated
6433 articles, but it also means that people who have posted with broken
6434 newsreaders won't be gathered properly. The choice is yours---plague or
6438 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6439 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-subject
6440 This function is the default gathering function and looks at
6441 @code{Subject}s exclusively.
6443 @item gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6444 @findex gnus-gather-threads-by-references
6445 This function looks at @code{References} headers exclusively.
6448 If you want to test gathering by @code{References}, you could say
6452 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
6453 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
6459 @node Filling In Threads
6460 @subsubsection Filling In Threads
6463 @item gnus-fetch-old-headers
6464 @vindex gnus-fetch-old-headers
6465 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus will attempt to build old threads by fetching
6466 more old headers---headers to articles marked as read. If you
6467 would like to display as few summary lines as possible, but still
6468 connect as many loose threads as possible, you should set this variable
6469 to @code{some} or a number. If you set it to a number, no more than
6470 that number of extra old headers will be fetched. In either case,
6471 fetching old headers only works if the back end you are using carries
6472 overview files---this would normally be @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool},
6473 @code{nnml}, and @code{nnmaildir}. Also remember that if the root of
6474 the thread has been expired by the server, there's not much Gnus can do
6477 This variable can also be set to @code{invisible}. This won't have any
6478 visible effects, but is useful if you use the @kbd{A T} command a lot
6479 (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
6481 @item gnus-build-sparse-threads
6482 @vindex gnus-build-sparse-threads
6483 Fetching old headers can be slow. A low-rent similar effect can be
6484 gotten by setting this variable to @code{some}. Gnus will then look at
6485 the complete @code{References} headers of all articles and try to string
6486 together articles that belong in the same thread. This will leave
6487 @dfn{gaps} in the threading display where Gnus guesses that an article
6488 is missing from the thread. (These gaps appear like normal summary
6489 lines. If you select a gap, Gnus will try to fetch the article in
6490 question.) If this variable is @code{t}, Gnus will display all these
6491 ``gaps'' without regard for whether they are useful for completing the
6492 thread or not. Finally, if this variable is @code{more}, Gnus won't cut
6493 off sparse leaf nodes that don't lead anywhere. This variable is
6494 @code{nil} by default.
6496 @item gnus-read-all-available-headers
6497 @vindex gnus-read-all-available-headers
6498 This is a rather obscure variable that few will find useful. It's
6499 intended for those non-news newsgroups where the back end has to fetch
6500 quite a lot to present the summary buffer, and where it's impossible to
6501 go back to parents of articles. This is mostly the case in the
6502 web-based groups, like the @code{nnultimate} groups.
6504 If you don't use those, then it's safe to leave this as the default
6505 @code{nil}. If you want to use this variable, it should be a regexp
6506 that matches the group name, or @code{t} for all groups.
6511 @node More Threading
6512 @subsubsection More Threading
6515 @item gnus-show-threads
6516 @vindex gnus-show-threads
6517 If this variable is @code{nil}, no threading will be done, and all of
6518 the rest of the variables here will have no effect. Turning threading
6519 off will speed group selection up a bit, but it is sure to make reading
6520 slower and more awkward.
6522 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6523 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6524 If non-@code{nil}, all threads will be hidden when the summary buffer is
6527 This can also be a predicate specifier (@pxref{Predicate Specifiers}).
6528 Avaliable predicates are @code{gnus-article-unread-p} and
6529 @code{gnus-article-unseen-p}).
6534 (setq gnus-thread-hide-subtree
6535 '(or gnus-article-unread-p
6536 gnus-article-unseen-p))
6539 (It's a pretty nonsensical example, since all unseen articles are also
6540 unread, but you get my drift.)
6543 @item gnus-thread-expunge-below
6544 @vindex gnus-thread-expunge-below
6545 All threads that have a total score (as defined by
6546 @code{gnus-thread-score-function}) less than this number will be
6547 expunged. This variable is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
6548 threads are expunged.
6550 @item gnus-thread-hide-killed
6551 @vindex gnus-thread-hide-killed
6552 if you kill a thread and this variable is non-@code{nil}, the subtree
6555 @item gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6556 @vindex gnus-thread-ignore-subject
6557 Sometimes somebody changes the subject in the middle of a thread. If
6558 this variable is non-@code{nil}, which is the default, the subject
6559 change is ignored. If it is @code{nil}, a change in the subject will
6560 result in a new thread.
6562 @item gnus-thread-indent-level
6563 @vindex gnus-thread-indent-level
6564 This is a number that says how much each sub-thread should be indented.
6567 @item gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6568 @vindex gnus-sort-gathered-threads-function
6569 Sometimes, particularly with mailing lists, the order in which mails
6570 arrive locally is not necessarily the same as the order in which they
6571 arrived on the mailing list. Consequently, when sorting sub-threads
6572 using the default @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number}, responses can end
6573 up appearing before the article to which they are responding to.
6574 Setting this variable to an alternate value
6575 (e.g. @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}), in a group's parameters or in an
6576 appropriate hook (e.g. @code{gnus-summary-generate-hook}) can produce a
6577 more logical sub-thread ordering in such instances.
6582 @node Low-Level Threading
6583 @subsubsection Low-Level Threading
6587 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
6588 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
6589 Hook run before parsing any headers.
6591 @item gnus-alter-header-function
6592 @vindex gnus-alter-header-function
6593 If non-@code{nil}, this function will be called to allow alteration of
6594 article header structures. The function is called with one parameter,
6595 the article header vector, which it may alter in any way. For instance,
6596 if you have a mail-to-news gateway which alters the @code{Message-ID}s
6597 in systematic ways (by adding prefixes and such), you can use this
6598 variable to un-scramble the @code{Message-ID}s so that they are more
6599 meaningful. Here's one example:
6602 (setq gnus-alter-header-function 'my-alter-message-id)
6604 (defun my-alter-message-id (header)
6605 (let ((id (mail-header-id header)))
6607 "\\(<[^<>@@]*\\)\\.?cygnus\\..*@@\\([^<>@@]*>\\)" id)
6609 (concat (match-string 1 id) "@@" (match-string 2 id))
6616 @node Thread Commands
6617 @subsection Thread Commands
6618 @cindex thread commands
6624 @kindex T k (Summary)
6625 @kindex C-M-k (Summary)
6626 @findex gnus-summary-kill-thread
6627 Mark all articles in the current (sub-)thread as read
6628 (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}). If the prefix argument is positive,
6629 remove all marks instead. If the prefix argument is negative, tick
6634 @kindex T l (Summary)
6635 @kindex C-M-l (Summary)
6636 @findex gnus-summary-lower-thread
6637 Lower the score of the current (sub-)thread
6638 (@code{gnus-summary-lower-thread}).
6641 @kindex T i (Summary)
6642 @findex gnus-summary-raise-thread
6643 Increase the score of the current (sub-)thread
6644 (@code{gnus-summary-raise-thread}).
6647 @kindex T # (Summary)
6648 @findex gnus-uu-mark-thread
6649 Set the process mark on the current (sub-)thread
6650 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-thread}).
6653 @kindex T M-# (Summary)
6654 @findex gnus-uu-unmark-thread
6655 Remove the process mark from the current (sub-)thread
6656 (@code{gnus-uu-unmark-thread}).
6659 @kindex T T (Summary)
6660 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-threads
6661 Toggle threading (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-threads}).
6664 @kindex T s (Summary)
6665 @findex gnus-summary-show-thread
6666 Expose the (sub-)thread hidden under the current article, if any
6667 (@code{gnus-summary-show-thread}).
6670 @kindex T h (Summary)
6671 @findex gnus-summary-hide-thread
6672 Hide the current (sub-)thread (@code{gnus-summary-hide-thread}).
6675 @kindex T S (Summary)
6676 @findex gnus-summary-show-all-threads
6677 Expose all hidden threads (@code{gnus-summary-show-all-threads}).
6680 @kindex T H (Summary)
6681 @findex gnus-summary-hide-all-threads
6682 Hide all threads (@code{gnus-summary-hide-all-threads}).
6685 @kindex T t (Summary)
6686 @findex gnus-summary-rethread-current
6687 Re-thread the current article's thread
6688 (@code{gnus-summary-rethread-current}). This works even when the
6689 summary buffer is otherwise unthreaded.
6692 @kindex T ^ (Summary)
6693 @findex gnus-summary-reparent-thread
6694 Make the current article the child of the marked (or previous) article
6695 (@code{gnus-summary-reparent-thread}).
6699 The following commands are thread movement commands. They all
6700 understand the numeric prefix.
6705 @kindex T n (Summary)
6707 @kindex C-M-n (Summary)
6709 @kindex M-down (Summary)
6710 @findex gnus-summary-next-thread
6711 Go to the next thread (@code{gnus-summary-next-thread}).
6714 @kindex T p (Summary)
6716 @kindex C-M-p (Summary)
6718 @kindex M-up (Summary)
6719 @findex gnus-summary-prev-thread
6720 Go to the previous thread (@code{gnus-summary-prev-thread}).
6723 @kindex T d (Summary)
6724 @findex gnus-summary-down-thread
6725 Descend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-down-thread}).
6728 @kindex T u (Summary)
6729 @findex gnus-summary-up-thread
6730 Ascend the thread (@code{gnus-summary-up-thread}).
6733 @kindex T o (Summary)
6734 @findex gnus-summary-top-thread
6735 Go to the top of the thread (@code{gnus-summary-top-thread}).
6738 @vindex gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject
6739 If you ignore subject while threading, you'll naturally end up with
6740 threads that have several different subjects in them. If you then issue
6741 a command like `T k' (@code{gnus-summary-kill-thread}) you might not
6742 wish to kill the entire thread, but just those parts of the thread that
6743 have the same subject as the current article. If you like this idea,
6744 you can fiddle with @code{gnus-thread-operation-ignore-subject}. If it
6745 is non-@code{nil} (which it is by default), subjects will be ignored
6746 when doing thread commands. If this variable is @code{nil}, articles in
6747 the same thread with different subjects will not be included in the
6748 operation in question. If this variable is @code{fuzzy}, only articles
6749 that have subjects fuzzily equal will be included (@pxref{Fuzzy
6753 @node Sorting the Summary Buffer
6754 @section Sorting the Summary Buffer
6756 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score
6757 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-date
6758 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-score
6759 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6760 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-author
6761 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6762 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-random
6763 @vindex gnus-thread-sort-functions
6764 @findex gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-thread
6765 If you are using a threaded summary display, you can sort the threads by
6766 setting @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, which can be either a single
6767 function, a list of functions, or a list containing functions and
6768 @code{(not some-function)} elements.
6770 By default, sorting is done on article numbers. Ready-made sorting
6771 predicate functions include @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number},
6772 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-author}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-subject},
6773 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-date}, @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-score},
6774 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-number},
6775 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-most-recent-date},
6776 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-random} and
6777 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score}.
6779 Each function takes two threads and returns non-@code{nil} if the first
6780 thread should be sorted before the other. Note that sorting really is
6781 normally done by looking only at the roots of each thread.
6783 If you use more than one function, the primary sort key should be the
6784 last function in the list. You should probably always include
6785 @code{gnus-thread-sort-by-number} in the list of sorting
6786 functions---preferably first. This will ensure that threads that are
6787 equal with respect to the other sort criteria will be displayed in
6788 ascending article order.
6790 If you would like to sort by reverse score, then by subject, and finally
6791 by number, you could do something like:
6794 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6795 '(gnus-thread-sort-by-number
6796 gnus-thread-sort-by-subject
6797 (not gnus-thread-sort-by-total-score)))
6800 The threads that have highest score will be displayed first in the
6801 summary buffer. When threads have the same score, they will be sorted
6802 alphabetically. The threads that have the same score and the same
6803 subject will be sorted by number, which is (normally) the sequence in
6804 which the articles arrived.
6806 If you want to sort by score and then reverse arrival order, you could
6810 (setq gnus-thread-sort-functions
6812 (not (gnus-thread-sort-by-number t1 t2)))
6813 gnus-thread-sort-by-score))
6816 @vindex gnus-thread-score-function
6817 The function in the @code{gnus-thread-score-function} variable (default
6818 @code{+}) is used for calculating the total score of a thread. Useful
6819 functions might be @code{max}, @code{min}, or squared means, or whatever
6822 @findex gnus-article-sort-functions
6823 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-date
6824 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-score
6825 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-subject
6826 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-author
6827 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-random
6828 @findex gnus-article-sort-by-number
6829 If you are using an unthreaded display for some strange reason or
6830 other, you have to fiddle with the @code{gnus-article-sort-functions}
6831 variable. It is very similar to the
6832 @code{gnus-thread-sort-functions}, except that it uses slightly
6833 different functions for article comparison. Available sorting
6834 predicate functions are @code{gnus-article-sort-by-number},
6835 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-author},
6836 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-subject}, @code{gnus-article-sort-by-date},
6837 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-random}, and
6838 @code{gnus-article-sort-by-score}.
6840 If you want to sort an unthreaded summary display by subject, you could
6844 (setq gnus-article-sort-functions
6845 '(gnus-article-sort-by-number
6846 gnus-article-sort-by-subject))
6851 @node Asynchronous Fetching
6852 @section Asynchronous Article Fetching
6853 @cindex asynchronous article fetching
6854 @cindex article pre-fetch
6857 If you read your news from an @sc{nntp} server that's far away, the
6858 network latencies may make reading articles a chore. You have to wait
6859 for a while after pressing @kbd{n} to go to the next article before the
6860 article appears. Why can't Gnus just go ahead and fetch the article
6861 while you are reading the previous one? Why not, indeed.
6863 First, some caveats. There are some pitfalls to using asynchronous
6864 article fetching, especially the way Gnus does it.
6866 Let's say you are reading article 1, which is short, and article 2 is
6867 quite long, and you are not interested in reading that. Gnus does not
6868 know this, so it goes ahead and fetches article 2. You decide to read
6869 article 3, but since Gnus is in the process of fetching article 2, the
6870 connection is blocked.
6872 To avoid these situations, Gnus will open two (count 'em two)
6873 connections to the server. Some people may think this isn't a very nice
6874 thing to do, but I don't see any real alternatives. Setting up that
6875 extra connection takes some time, so Gnus startup will be slower.
6877 Gnus will fetch more articles than you will read. This will mean that
6878 the link between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server will become more
6879 loaded than if you didn't use article pre-fetch. The server itself will
6880 also become more loaded---both with the extra article requests, and the
6883 Ok, so now you know that you shouldn't really use this thing... unless
6886 @vindex gnus-asynchronous
6887 Here's how: Set @code{gnus-asynchronous} to @code{t}. The rest should
6888 happen automatically.
6890 @vindex gnus-use-article-prefetch
6891 You can control how many articles are to be pre-fetched by setting
6892 @code{gnus-use-article-prefetch}. This is 30 by default, which means
6893 that when you read an article in the group, the back end will pre-fetch
6894 the next 30 articles. If this variable is @code{t}, the back end will
6895 pre-fetch all the articles it can without bound. If it is
6896 @code{nil}, no pre-fetching will be done.
6898 @vindex gnus-async-prefetch-article-p
6899 @findex gnus-async-read-p
6900 There are probably some articles that you don't want to pre-fetch---read
6901 articles, for instance. The @code{gnus-async-prefetch-article-p} variable controls whether an article is to be pre-fetched. This function should
6902 return non-@code{nil} when the article in question is to be
6903 pre-fetched. The default is @code{gnus-async-read-p}, which returns
6904 @code{nil} on read articles. The function is called with an article
6905 data structure as the only parameter.
6907 If, for instance, you wish to pre-fetch only unread articles shorter than 100 lines, you could say something like:
6910 (defun my-async-short-unread-p (data)
6911 "Return non-nil for short, unread articles."
6912 (and (gnus-data-unread-p data)
6913 (< (mail-header-lines (gnus-data-header data))
6916 (setq gnus-async-prefetch-article-p 'my-async-short-unread-p)
6919 These functions will be called many, many times, so they should
6920 preferably be short and sweet to avoid slowing down Gnus too much.
6921 It's probably a good idea to byte-compile things like this.
6923 @vindex gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy
6924 Articles have to be removed from the asynch buffer sooner or later. The
6925 @code{gnus-prefetched-article-deletion-strategy} says when to remove
6926 articles. This is a list that may contain the following elements:
6930 Remove articles when they are read.
6933 Remove articles when exiting the group.
6936 The default value is @code{(read exit)}.
6938 @c @vindex gnus-use-header-prefetch
6939 @c If @code{gnus-use-header-prefetch} is non-@code{nil}, prefetch articles
6940 @c from the next group.
6943 @node Article Caching
6944 @section Article Caching
6945 @cindex article caching
6948 If you have an @emph{extremely} slow @sc{nntp} connection, you may
6949 consider turning article caching on. Each article will then be stored
6950 locally under your home directory. As you may surmise, this could
6951 potentially use @emph{huge} amounts of disk space, as well as eat up all
6952 your inodes so fast it will make your head swim. In vodka.
6954 Used carefully, though, it could be just an easier way to save articles.
6956 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
6957 @vindex gnus-cache-directory
6958 @vindex gnus-use-cache
6959 To turn caching on, set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{t}. By default,
6960 all articles ticked or marked as dormant will then be copied
6961 over to your local cache (@code{gnus-cache-directory}). Whether this
6962 cache is flat or hierarchical is controlled by the
6963 @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable, as usual.
6965 When re-selecting a ticked or dormant article, it will be fetched from the
6966 cache instead of from the server. As articles in your cache will never
6967 expire, this might serve as a method of saving articles while still
6968 keeping them where they belong. Just mark all articles you want to save
6969 as dormant, and don't worry.
6971 When an article is marked as read, is it removed from the cache.
6973 @vindex gnus-cache-remove-articles
6974 @vindex gnus-cache-enter-articles
6975 The entering/removal of articles from the cache is controlled by the
6976 @code{gnus-cache-enter-articles} and @code{gnus-cache-remove-articles}
6977 variables. Both are lists of symbols. The first is @code{(ticked
6978 dormant)} by default, meaning that ticked and dormant articles will be
6979 put in the cache. The latter is @code{(read)} by default, meaning that
6980 articles marked as read are removed from the cache. Possibly
6981 symbols in these two lists are @code{ticked}, @code{dormant},
6982 @code{unread} and @code{read}.
6984 @findex gnus-jog-cache
6985 So where does the massive article-fetching and storing come into the
6986 picture? The @code{gnus-jog-cache} command will go through all
6987 subscribed newsgroups, request all unread articles, score them, and
6988 store them in the cache. You should only ever, ever ever ever, use this
6989 command if 1) your connection to the @sc{nntp} server is really, really,
6990 really slow and 2) you have a really, really, really huge disk.
6991 Seriously. One way to cut down on the number of articles downloaded is
6992 to score unwanted articles down and have them marked as read. They will
6993 not then be downloaded by this command.
6995 @vindex gnus-uncacheable-groups
6996 @vindex gnus-cacheable-groups
6997 It is likely that you do not want caching on all groups. For instance,
6998 if your @code{nnml} mail is located under your home directory, it makes no
6999 sense to cache it somewhere else under your home directory. Unless you
7000 feel that it's neat to use twice as much space.
7002 To limit the caching, you could set @code{gnus-cacheable-groups} to a
7003 regexp of groups to cache, @samp{^nntp} for instance, or set the
7004 @code{gnus-uncacheable-groups} regexp to @samp{^nnml}, for instance.
7005 Both variables are @code{nil} by default. If a group matches both
7006 variables, the group is not cached.
7008 @findex gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases
7009 @findex gnus-cache-generate-active
7010 @vindex gnus-cache-active-file
7011 The cache stores information on what articles it contains in its active
7012 file (@code{gnus-cache-active-file}). If this file (or any other parts
7013 of the cache) becomes all messed up for some reason or other, Gnus
7014 offers two functions that will try to set things right. @kbd{M-x
7015 gnus-cache-generate-nov-databases} will (re)build all the @sc{nov}
7016 files, and @kbd{gnus-cache-generate-active} will (re)generate the active
7019 @findex gnus-cache-move-cache
7020 @code{gnus-cache-move-cache} will move your whole
7021 @code{gnus-cache-directory} to some other location. You get asked to
7022 where, isn't that cool?
7024 @node Persistent Articles
7025 @section Persistent Articles
7026 @cindex persistent articles
7028 Closely related to article caching, we have @dfn{persistent articles}.
7029 In fact, it's just a different way of looking at caching, and much more
7030 useful in my opinion.
7032 Say you're reading a newsgroup, and you happen on to some valuable gem
7033 that you want to keep and treasure forever. You'd normally just save it
7034 (using one of the many saving commands) in some file. The problem with
7035 that is that it's just, well, yucky. Ideally you'd prefer just having
7036 the article remain in the group where you found it forever; untouched by
7037 the expiry going on at the news server.
7039 This is what a @dfn{persistent article} is---an article that just won't
7040 be deleted. It's implemented using the normal cache functions, but
7041 you use two explicit commands for managing persistent articles:
7047 @findex gnus-cache-enter-article
7048 Make the current article persistent (@code{gnus-cache-enter-article}).
7051 @kindex M-* (Summary)
7052 @findex gnus-cache-remove-article
7053 Remove the current article from the persistent articles
7054 (@code{gnus-cache-remove-article}). This will normally delete the
7058 Both these commands understand the process/prefix convention.
7060 To avoid having all ticked articles (and stuff) entered into the cache,
7061 you should set @code{gnus-use-cache} to @code{passive} if you're just
7062 interested in persistent articles:
7065 (setq gnus-use-cache 'passive)
7069 @node Article Backlog
7070 @section Article Backlog
7072 @cindex article backlog
7074 If you have a slow connection, but the idea of using caching seems
7075 unappealing to you (and it is, really), you can help the situation some
7076 by switching on the @dfn{backlog}. This is where Gnus will buffer
7077 already read articles so that it doesn't have to re-fetch articles
7078 you've already read. This only helps if you are in the habit of
7079 re-selecting articles you've recently read, of course. If you never do
7080 that, turning the backlog on will slow Gnus down a little bit, and
7081 increase memory usage some.
7083 @vindex gnus-keep-backlog
7084 If you set @code{gnus-keep-backlog} to a number @var{n}, Gnus will store
7085 at most @var{n} old articles in a buffer for later re-fetching. If this
7086 variable is non-@code{nil} and is not a number, Gnus will store
7087 @emph{all} read articles, which means that your Emacs will grow without
7088 bound before exploding and taking your machine down with you. I put
7089 that in there just to keep y'all on your toes.
7091 This variable is @code{nil} by default.
7094 @node Saving Articles
7095 @section Saving Articles
7096 @cindex saving articles
7098 Gnus can save articles in a number of ways. Below is the documentation
7099 for saving articles in a fairly straight-forward fashion (i.e., little
7100 processing of the article is done before it is saved). For a different
7101 approach (uudecoding, unsharing) you should use @code{gnus-uu}
7102 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
7104 For the commands listed here, the target is a file. If you want to
7105 save to a group, see the @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article})
7106 command (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
7108 @vindex gnus-save-all-headers
7109 If @code{gnus-save-all-headers} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will not delete
7110 unwanted headers before saving the article.
7112 @vindex gnus-saved-headers
7113 If the preceding variable is @code{nil}, all headers that match the
7114 @code{gnus-saved-headers} regexp will be kept, while the rest will be
7115 deleted before saving.
7121 @kindex O o (Summary)
7123 @findex gnus-summary-save-article
7124 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article}
7125 Save the current article using the default article saver
7126 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article}).
7129 @kindex O m (Summary)
7130 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-mail
7131 Save the current article in mail format
7132 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-mail}).
7135 @kindex O r (Summary)
7136 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-rmail
7137 Save the current article in rmail format
7138 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-rmail}).
7141 @kindex O f (Summary)
7142 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-file
7143 @c @icon{gnus-summary-save-article-file}
7144 Save the current article in plain file format
7145 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-file}).
7148 @kindex O F (Summary)
7149 @findex gnus-summary-write-article-file
7150 Write the current article in plain file format, overwriting any previous
7151 file contents (@code{gnus-summary-write-article-file}).
7154 @kindex O b (Summary)
7155 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-body-file
7156 Save the current article body in plain file format
7157 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-body-file}).
7160 @kindex O h (Summary)
7161 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-folder
7162 Save the current article in mh folder format
7163 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-folder}).
7166 @kindex O v (Summary)
7167 @findex gnus-summary-save-article-vm
7168 Save the current article in a VM folder
7169 (@code{gnus-summary-save-article-vm}).
7173 @kindex O p (Summary)
7175 @findex gnus-summary-pipe-output
7176 Save the current article in a pipe. Uhm, like, what I mean is---Pipe
7177 the current article to a process (@code{gnus-summary-pipe-output}).
7178 If given a symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}), include the
7179 complete headers in the piped output.
7182 @kindex O P (Summary)
7183 @findex gnus-summary-muttprint
7184 @vindex gnus-summary-muttprint-program
7185 Save the current article into muttprint. That is, print it using the
7186 external program Muttprint (see
7187 @uref{http://muttprint.sourceforge.net/}). The program name and
7188 options to use is controlled by the variable
7189 @code{gnus-summary-muttprint-program}. (@code{gnus-summary-muttprint}).
7193 @vindex gnus-prompt-before-saving
7194 All these commands use the process/prefix convention
7195 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). If you save bunches of articles using these
7196 functions, you might get tired of being prompted for files to save each
7197 and every article in. The prompting action is controlled by
7198 the @code{gnus-prompt-before-saving} variable, which is @code{always} by
7199 default, giving you that excessive prompting action you know and
7200 loathe. If you set this variable to @code{t} instead, you'll be prompted
7201 just once for each series of articles you save. If you like to really
7202 have Gnus do all your thinking for you, you can even set this variable
7203 to @code{nil}, which means that you will never be prompted for files to
7204 save articles in. Gnus will simply save all the articles in the default
7208 @vindex gnus-default-article-saver
7209 You can customize the @code{gnus-default-article-saver} variable to make
7210 Gnus do what you want it to. You can use any of the six ready-made
7211 functions below, or you can create your own.
7215 @item gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7216 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-rmail
7217 @vindex gnus-rmail-save-name
7218 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7219 This is the default format, @dfn{babyl}. Uses the function in the
7220 @code{gnus-rmail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7221 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7223 @item gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7224 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-mail
7225 @vindex gnus-mail-save-name
7226 Save in a Unix mail (mbox) file. Uses the function in the
7227 @code{gnus-mail-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7228 article in. The default is @code{gnus-plain-save-name}.
7230 @item gnus-summary-save-in-file
7231 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-file
7232 @vindex gnus-file-save-name
7233 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7234 Append the article straight to an ordinary file. Uses the function in
7235 the @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7236 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7238 @item gnus-summary-write-to-file
7239 @findex gnus-summary-write-to-file
7240 Write the article straight to an ordinary file. The file is
7241 overwritten if it exists. Uses the function in the
7242 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7243 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7245 @item gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7246 @findex gnus-summary-save-body-in-file
7247 Append the article body to an ordinary file. Uses the function in the
7248 @code{gnus-file-save-name} variable to get a file name to save the
7249 article in. The default is @code{gnus-numeric-save-name}.
7251 @item gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7252 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-folder
7253 @findex gnus-folder-save-name
7254 @findex gnus-Folder-save-name
7255 @vindex gnus-folder-save-name
7258 Save the article to an MH folder using @code{rcvstore} from the MH
7259 library. Uses the function in the @code{gnus-folder-save-name} variable
7260 to get a file name to save the article in. The default is
7261 @code{gnus-folder-save-name}, but you can also use
7262 @code{gnus-Folder-save-name}, which creates capitalized names.
7264 @item gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7265 @findex gnus-summary-save-in-vm
7266 Save the article in a VM folder. You have to have the VM mail
7267 reader to use this setting.
7270 @vindex gnus-article-save-directory
7271 All of these functions, except for the last one, will save the article
7272 in the @code{gnus-article-save-directory}, which is initialized from the
7273 @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable. This is @file{~/News/} by
7276 As you can see above, the functions use different functions to find a
7277 suitable name of a file to save the article in. Below is a list of
7278 available functions that generate names:
7282 @item gnus-Numeric-save-name
7283 @findex gnus-Numeric-save-name
7284 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7286 @item gnus-numeric-save-name
7287 @findex gnus-numeric-save-name
7288 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin/45}.
7290 @item gnus-Plain-save-name
7291 @findex gnus-Plain-save-name
7292 File names like @file{~/News/Alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7294 @item gnus-plain-save-name
7295 @findex gnus-plain-save-name
7296 File names like @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.
7298 @item gnus-sender-save-name
7299 @findex gnus-sender-save-name
7300 File names like @file{~/News/larsi}.
7303 @vindex gnus-split-methods
7304 You can have Gnus suggest where to save articles by plonking a regexp into
7305 the @code{gnus-split-methods} alist. For instance, if you would like to
7306 save articles related to Gnus in the file @file{gnus-stuff}, and articles
7307 related to VM in @code{vm-stuff}, you could set this variable to something
7311 (("^Subject:.*gnus\\|^Newsgroups:.*gnus" "gnus-stuff")
7312 ("^Subject:.*vm\\|^Xref:.*vm" "vm-stuff")
7313 (my-choosing-function "../other-dir/my-stuff")
7314 ((equal gnus-newsgroup-name "mail.misc") "mail-stuff"))
7317 We see that this is a list where each element is a list that has two
7318 elements---the @dfn{match} and the @dfn{file}. The match can either be
7319 a string (in which case it is used as a regexp to match on the article
7320 head); it can be a symbol (which will be called as a function with the
7321 group name as a parameter); or it can be a list (which will be
7322 @code{eval}ed). If any of these actions have a non-@code{nil} result,
7323 the @dfn{file} will be used as a default prompt. In addition, the
7324 result of the operation itself will be used if the function or form
7325 called returns a string or a list of strings.
7327 You basically end up with a list of file names that might be used when
7328 saving the current article. (All ``matches'' will be used.) You will
7329 then be prompted for what you really want to use as a name, with file
7330 name completion over the results from applying this variable.
7332 This variable is @code{((gnus-article-archive-name))} by default, which
7333 means that Gnus will look at the articles it saves for an
7334 @code{Archive-name} line and use that as a suggestion for the file
7337 Here's an example function to clean up file names somewhat. If you have
7338 lots of mail groups called things like
7339 @samp{nnml:mail.whatever}, you may want to chop off the beginning of
7340 these group names before creating the file name to save to. The
7341 following will do just that:
7344 (defun my-save-name (group)
7345 (when (string-match "^nnml:mail." group)
7346 (substring group (match-end 0))))
7348 (setq gnus-split-methods
7349 '((gnus-article-archive-name)
7354 @vindex gnus-use-long-file-name
7355 Finally, you have the @code{gnus-use-long-file-name} variable. If it is
7356 @code{nil}, all the preceding functions will replace all periods
7357 (@samp{.}) in the group names with slashes (@samp{/})---which means that
7358 the functions will generate hierarchies of directories instead of having
7359 all the files in the top level directory
7360 (@file{~/News/alt/andrea-dworkin} instead of
7361 @file{~/News/alt.andrea-dworkin}.) This variable is @code{t} by default
7362 on most systems. However, for historical reasons, this is @code{nil} on
7363 Xenix and usg-unix-v machines by default.
7365 This function also affects kill and score file names. If this variable
7366 is a list, and the list contains the element @code{not-score}, long file
7367 names will not be used for score files, if it contains the element
7368 @code{not-save}, long file names will not be used for saving, and if it
7369 contains the element @code{not-kill}, long file names will not be used
7372 If you'd like to save articles in a hierarchy that looks something like
7376 (setq gnus-use-long-file-name '(not-save)) ; to get a hierarchy
7377 (setq gnus-default-article-saver
7378 'gnus-summary-save-in-file) ; no encoding
7381 Then just save with @kbd{o}. You'd then read this hierarchy with
7382 ephemeral @code{nneething} groups---@kbd{G D} in the group buffer, and
7383 the top level directory as the argument (@file{~/News/}). Then just walk
7384 around to the groups/directories with @code{nneething}.
7387 @node Decoding Articles
7388 @section Decoding Articles
7389 @cindex decoding articles
7391 Sometime users post articles (or series of articles) that have been
7392 encoded in some way or other. Gnus can decode them for you.
7395 * Uuencoded Articles:: Uudecode articles.
7396 * Shell Archives:: Unshar articles.
7397 * PostScript Files:: Split PostScript.
7398 * Other Files:: Plain save and binhex.
7399 * Decoding Variables:: Variables for a happy decoding.
7400 * Viewing Files:: You want to look at the result of the decoding?
7404 @cindex article series
7405 All these functions use the process/prefix convention
7406 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}) for finding out what articles to work on, with
7407 the extension that a ``single article'' means ``a single series''. Gnus
7408 can find out by itself what articles belong to a series, decode all the
7409 articles and unpack/view/save the resulting file(s).
7411 Gnus guesses what articles are in the series according to the following
7412 simplish rule: The subjects must be (nearly) identical, except for the
7413 last two numbers of the line. (Spaces are largely ignored, however.)
7415 For example: If you choose a subject called @samp{cat.gif (2/3)}, Gnus
7416 will find all the articles that match the regexp @samp{^cat.gif
7417 ([0-9]+/[0-9]+).*$}.
7419 Subjects that are non-standard, like @samp{cat.gif (2/3) Part 6 of a
7420 series}, will not be properly recognized by any of the automatic viewing
7421 commands, and you have to mark the articles manually with @kbd{#}.
7424 @node Uuencoded Articles
7425 @subsection Uuencoded Articles
7427 @cindex uuencoded articles
7432 @kindex X u (Summary)
7433 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu
7434 @c @icon{gnus-uu-decode-uu}
7435 Uudecodes the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu}).
7438 @kindex X U (Summary)
7439 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save
7440 Uudecodes and saves the current series
7441 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7444 @kindex X v u (Summary)
7445 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-view
7446 Uudecodes and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-view}).
7449 @kindex X v U (Summary)
7450 @findex gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view
7451 Uudecodes, views and saves the current series
7452 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save-view}).
7456 Remember that these all react to the presence of articles marked with
7457 the process mark. If, for instance, you'd like to decode and save an
7458 entire newsgroup, you'd typically do @kbd{M P a}
7459 (@code{gnus-uu-mark-all}) and then @kbd{X U}
7460 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-uu-and-save}).
7462 All this is very much different from how @code{gnus-uu} worked with
7463 @sc{gnus 4.1}, where you had explicit keystrokes for everything under
7464 the sun. This version of @code{gnus-uu} generally assumes that you mark
7465 articles in some way (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}) and then press
7468 @vindex gnus-uu-notify-files
7469 Note: When trying to decode articles that have names matching
7470 @code{gnus-uu-notify-files}, which is hard-coded to
7471 @samp{[Cc][Ii][Nn][Dd][Yy][0-9]+.\\(gif\\|jpg\\)}, @code{gnus-uu} will
7472 automatically post an article on @samp{comp.unix.wizards} saying that
7473 you have just viewed the file in question. This feature can't be turned
7477 @node Shell Archives
7478 @subsection Shell Archives
7480 @cindex shell archives
7481 @cindex shared articles
7483 Shell archives (``shar files'') used to be a popular way to distribute
7484 sources, but it isn't used all that much today. In any case, we have
7485 some commands to deal with these:
7490 @kindex X s (Summary)
7491 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar
7492 Unshars the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar}).
7495 @kindex X S (Summary)
7496 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save
7497 Unshars and saves the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save}).
7500 @kindex X v s (Summary)
7501 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view
7502 Unshars and views the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-view}).
7505 @kindex X v S (Summary)
7506 @findex gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view
7507 Unshars, views and saves the current series
7508 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-unshar-and-save-view}).
7512 @node PostScript Files
7513 @subsection PostScript Files
7519 @kindex X p (Summary)
7520 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript
7521 Unpack the current PostScript series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript}).
7524 @kindex X P (Summary)
7525 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save
7526 Unpack and save the current PostScript series
7527 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save}).
7530 @kindex X v p (Summary)
7531 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view
7532 View the current PostScript series
7533 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-view}).
7536 @kindex X v P (Summary)
7537 @findex gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view
7538 View and save the current PostScript series
7539 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-postscript-and-save-view}).
7544 @subsection Other Files
7548 @kindex X o (Summary)
7549 @findex gnus-uu-decode-save
7550 Save the current series
7551 (@code{gnus-uu-decode-save}).
7554 @kindex X b (Summary)
7555 @findex gnus-uu-decode-binhex
7556 Unbinhex the current series (@code{gnus-uu-decode-binhex}). This
7557 doesn't really work yet.
7561 @node Decoding Variables
7562 @subsection Decoding Variables
7564 Adjective, not verb.
7567 * Rule Variables:: Variables that say how a file is to be viewed.
7568 * Other Decode Variables:: Other decode variables.
7569 * Uuencoding and Posting:: Variables for customizing uuencoding.
7573 @node Rule Variables
7574 @subsubsection Rule Variables
7575 @cindex rule variables
7577 Gnus uses @dfn{rule variables} to decide how to view a file. All these
7578 variables are of the form
7581 (list '(regexp1 command2)
7588 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7589 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7591 This variable is consulted first when viewing files. If you wish to use,
7592 for instance, @code{sox} to convert an @samp{.au} sound file, you could
7595 (setq gnus-uu-user-view-rules
7596 (list '("\\\\.au$" "sox %s -t .aiff > /dev/audio")))
7599 @item gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7600 @vindex gnus-uu-user-view-rules-end
7601 This variable is consulted if Gnus couldn't make any matches from the
7602 user and default view rules.
7604 @item gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7605 @vindex gnus-uu-user-archive-rules
7606 This variable can be used to say what commands should be used to unpack
7611 @node Other Decode Variables
7612 @subsubsection Other Decode Variables
7615 @vindex gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7617 @item gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions
7618 All functions in this list will be called right after each file has been
7619 successfully decoded---so that you can move or view files right away,
7620 and don't have to wait for all files to be decoded before you can do
7621 anything. Ready-made functions you can put in this list are:
7625 @item gnus-uu-grab-view
7626 @findex gnus-uu-grab-view
7629 @item gnus-uu-grab-move
7630 @findex gnus-uu-grab-move
7631 Move the file (if you're using a saving function.)
7634 @item gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7635 @vindex gnus-uu-be-dangerous
7636 Specifies what to do if unusual situations arise during decoding. If
7637 @code{nil}, be as conservative as possible. If @code{t}, ignore things
7638 that didn't work, and overwrite existing files. Otherwise, ask each
7641 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7642 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-name
7643 Files with name matching this regular expression won't be viewed.
7645 @item gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7646 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-files-by-type
7647 Files with a @sc{mime} type matching this variable won't be viewed.
7648 Note that Gnus tries to guess what type the file is based on the name.
7649 @code{gnus-uu} is not a @sc{mime} package (yet), so this is slightly
7652 @item gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7653 @vindex gnus-uu-tmp-dir
7654 Where @code{gnus-uu} does its work.
7656 @item gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7657 @vindex gnus-uu-do-not-unpack-archives
7658 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} won't peek inside archives
7659 looking for files to display.
7661 @item gnus-uu-view-and-save
7662 @vindex gnus-uu-view-and-save
7663 Non-@code{nil} means that the user will always be asked to save a file
7666 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7667 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-view-rules
7668 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default viewing
7671 @item gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7672 @vindex gnus-uu-ignore-default-archive-rules
7673 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the default archive
7676 @item gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7677 @vindex gnus-uu-kill-carriage-return
7678 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will strip all carriage returns
7681 @item gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7682 @vindex gnus-uu-unmark-articles-not-decoded
7683 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will mark unsuccessfully
7684 decoded articles as unread.
7686 @item gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7687 @vindex gnus-uu-correct-stripped-uucode
7688 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will @emph{try} to fix
7689 uuencoded files that have had trailing spaces deleted.
7691 @item gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7692 @vindex gnus-uu-pre-uudecode-hook
7693 Hook run before sending a message to @code{uudecode}.
7695 @item gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7696 @vindex gnus-uu-view-with-metamail
7698 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ignore the viewing
7699 commands defined by the rule variables and just fudge a @sc{mime}
7700 content type based on the file name. The result will be fed to
7701 @code{metamail} for viewing.
7703 @item gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7704 @vindex gnus-uu-save-in-digest
7705 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu}, when asked to save without
7706 decoding, will save in digests. If this variable is @code{nil},
7707 @code{gnus-uu} will just save everything in a file without any
7708 embellishments. The digesting almost conforms to RFC 1153---no easy way
7709 to specify any meaningful volume and issue numbers were found, so I
7710 simply dropped them.
7715 @node Uuencoding and Posting
7716 @subsubsection Uuencoding and Posting
7720 @item gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7721 @vindex gnus-uu-post-include-before-composing
7722 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will ask for a file to encode
7723 before you compose the article. If this variable is @code{t}, you can
7724 either include an encoded file with @kbd{C-c C-i} or have one included
7725 for you when you post the article.
7727 @item gnus-uu-post-length
7728 @vindex gnus-uu-post-length
7729 Maximum length of an article. The encoded file will be split into how
7730 many articles it takes to post the entire file.
7732 @item gnus-uu-post-threaded
7733 @vindex gnus-uu-post-threaded
7734 Non-@code{nil} means that @code{gnus-uu} will post the encoded file in a
7735 thread. This may not be smart, as no other decoder I have seen is able
7736 to follow threads when collecting uuencoded articles. (Well, I have
7737 seen one package that does that---@code{gnus-uu}, but somehow, I don't
7738 think that counts...) Default is @code{nil}.
7740 @item gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7741 @vindex gnus-uu-post-separate-description
7742 Non-@code{nil} means that the description will be posted in a separate
7743 article. The first article will typically be numbered (0/x). If this
7744 variable is @code{nil}, the description the user enters will be included
7745 at the beginning of the first article, which will be numbered (1/x).
7746 Default is @code{t}.
7752 @subsection Viewing Files
7753 @cindex viewing files
7754 @cindex pseudo-articles
7756 After decoding, if the file is some sort of archive, Gnus will attempt
7757 to unpack the archive and see if any of the files in the archive can be
7758 viewed. For instance, if you have a gzipped tar file @file{pics.tar.gz}
7759 containing the files @file{pic1.jpg} and @file{pic2.gif}, Gnus will
7760 uncompress and de-tar the main file, and then view the two pictures.
7761 This unpacking process is recursive, so if the archive contains archives
7762 of archives, it'll all be unpacked.
7764 Finally, Gnus will normally insert a @dfn{pseudo-article} for each
7765 extracted file into the summary buffer. If you go to these
7766 ``articles'', you will be prompted for a command to run (usually Gnus
7767 will make a suggestion), and then the command will be run.
7769 @vindex gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously
7770 If @code{gnus-view-pseudo-asynchronously} is @code{nil}, Emacs will wait
7771 until the viewing is done before proceeding.
7773 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos
7774 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos} is @code{automatic}, Gnus will not insert
7775 the pseudo-articles into the summary buffer, but view them
7776 immediately. If this variable is @code{not-confirm}, the user won't even
7777 be asked for a confirmation before viewing is done.
7779 @vindex gnus-view-pseudos-separately
7780 If @code{gnus-view-pseudos-separately} is non-@code{nil}, one
7781 pseudo-article will be created for each file to be viewed. If
7782 @code{nil}, all files that use the same viewing command will be given as
7783 a list of parameters to that command.
7785 @vindex gnus-insert-pseudo-articles
7786 If @code{gnus-insert-pseudo-articles} is non-@code{nil}, insert
7787 pseudo-articles when decoding. It is @code{t} by default.
7789 So; there you are, reading your @emph{pseudo-articles} in your
7790 @emph{virtual newsgroup} from the @emph{virtual server}; and you think:
7791 Why isn't anything real anymore? How did we get here?
7794 @node Article Treatment
7795 @section Article Treatment
7797 Reading through this huge manual, you may have quite forgotten that the
7798 object of newsreaders is to actually, like, read what people have
7799 written. Reading articles. Unfortunately, people are quite bad at
7800 writing, so there are tons of functions and variables to make reading
7801 these articles easier.
7804 * Article Highlighting:: You want to make the article look like fruit salad.
7805 * Article Fontisizing:: Making emphasized text look nice.
7806 * Article Hiding:: You also want to make certain info go away.
7807 * Article Washing:: Lots of way-neat functions to make life better.
7808 * Article Header:: Doing various header transformations.
7809 * Article Buttons:: Click on URLs, Message-IDs, addresses and the like.
7810 * Article Date:: Grumble, UT!
7811 * Article Display:: Display various stuff---X-Face, Picons, Smileys
7812 * Article Signature:: What is a signature?
7813 * Article Miscellania:: Various other stuff.
7817 @node Article Highlighting
7818 @subsection Article Highlighting
7819 @cindex highlighting
7821 Not only do you want your article buffer to look like fruit salad, but
7822 you want it to look like technicolor fruit salad.
7827 @kindex W H a (Summary)
7828 @findex gnus-article-highlight
7829 @findex gnus-article-maybe-highlight
7830 Do much highlighting of the current article
7831 (@code{gnus-article-highlight}). This function highlights header, cited
7832 text, the signature, and adds buttons to the body and the head.
7835 @kindex W H h (Summary)
7836 @findex gnus-article-highlight-headers
7837 @vindex gnus-header-face-alist
7838 Highlight the headers (@code{gnus-article-highlight-headers}). The
7839 highlighting will be done according to the @code{gnus-header-face-alist}
7840 variable, which is a list where each element has the form
7841 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{name} @var{content})}.
7842 @var{regexp} is a regular expression for matching the
7843 header, @var{name} is the face used for highlighting the header name
7844 (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}) and @var{content} is the face for highlighting
7845 the header value. The first match made will be used. Note that
7846 @var{regexp} shouldn't have @samp{^} prepended---Gnus will add one.
7849 @kindex W H c (Summary)
7850 @findex gnus-article-highlight-citation
7851 Highlight cited text (@code{gnus-article-highlight-citation}).
7853 Some variables to customize the citation highlights:
7856 @vindex gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7858 @item gnus-cite-parse-max-size
7859 If the article size if bigger than this variable (which is 25000 by
7860 default), no citation highlighting will be performed.
7862 @item gnus-cite-max-prefix
7863 @vindex gnus-cite-max-prefix
7864 Maximum possible length for a citation prefix (default 20).
7866 @item gnus-cite-face-list
7867 @vindex gnus-cite-face-list
7868 List of faces used for highlighting citations (@pxref{Faces and Fonts}).
7869 When there are citations from multiple articles in the same message,
7870 Gnus will try to give each citation from each article its own face.
7871 This should make it easier to see who wrote what.
7873 @item gnus-supercite-regexp
7874 @vindex gnus-supercite-regexp
7875 Regexp matching normal Supercite attribution lines.
7877 @item gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7878 @vindex gnus-supercite-secondary-regexp
7879 Regexp matching mangled Supercite attribution lines.
7881 @item gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7882 @vindex gnus-cite-minimum-match-count
7883 Minimum number of identical prefixes we have to see before we believe
7884 that it's a citation.
7886 @item gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7887 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-prefix
7888 Regexp matching the beginning of an attribution line.
7890 @item gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7891 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-suffix
7892 Regexp matching the end of an attribution line.
7894 @item gnus-cite-attribution-face
7895 @vindex gnus-cite-attribution-face
7896 Face used for attribution lines. It is merged with the face for the
7897 cited text belonging to the attribution.
7903 @kindex W H s (Summary)
7904 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
7905 @vindex gnus-signature-face
7906 @findex gnus-article-highlight-signature
7907 Highlight the signature (@code{gnus-article-highlight-signature}).
7908 Everything after @code{gnus-signature-separator} (@pxref{Article
7909 Signature}) in an article will be considered a signature and will be
7910 highlighted with @code{gnus-signature-face}, which is @code{italic} by
7915 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to highlight articles automatically.
7918 @node Article Fontisizing
7919 @subsection Article Fontisizing
7921 @cindex article emphasis
7923 @findex gnus-article-emphasize
7924 @kindex W e (Summary)
7925 People commonly add emphasis to words in news articles by writing things
7926 like @samp{_this_} or @samp{*this*} or @samp{/this/}. Gnus can make
7927 this look nicer by running the article through the @kbd{W e}
7928 (@code{gnus-article-emphasize}) command.
7930 @vindex gnus-emphasis-alist
7931 How the emphasis is computed is controlled by the
7932 @code{gnus-emphasis-alist} variable. This is an alist where the first
7933 element is a regular expression to be matched. The second is a number
7934 that says what regular expression grouping is used to find the entire
7935 emphasized word. The third is a number that says what regexp grouping
7936 should be displayed and highlighted. (The text between these two
7937 groupings will be hidden.) The fourth is the face used for
7941 (setq gnus-emphasis-alist
7942 '(("_\\(\\w+\\)_" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-underline)
7943 ("\\*\\(\\w+\\)\\*" 0 1 gnus-emphasis-bold)))
7952 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline
7953 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold
7954 @vindex gnus-emphasis-italic
7955 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold
7956 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-italic
7957 @vindex gnus-emphasis-bold-italic
7958 @vindex gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic
7959 By default, there are seven rules, and they use the following faces:
7960 @code{gnus-emphasis-bold}, @code{gnus-emphasis-italic},
7961 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline}, @code{gnus-emphasis-bold-italic},
7962 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-italic},
7963 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold}, and
7964 @code{gnus-emphasis-underline-bold-italic}.
7966 If you want to change these faces, you can either use @kbd{M-x
7967 customize}, or you can use @code{copy-face}. For instance, if you want
7968 to make @code{gnus-emphasis-italic} use a red face instead, you could
7972 (copy-face 'red 'gnus-emphasis-italic)
7975 @vindex gnus-group-highlight-words-alist
7977 If you want to highlight arbitrary words, you can use the
7978 @code{gnus-group-highlight-words-alist} variable, which uses the same
7979 syntax as @code{gnus-emphasis-alist}. The @code{highlight-words} group
7980 parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) can also be used.
7982 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to fontize articles automatically.
7985 @node Article Hiding
7986 @subsection Article Hiding
7987 @cindex article hiding
7989 Or rather, hiding certain things in each article. There usually is much
7990 too much cruft in most articles.
7995 @kindex W W a (Summary)
7996 @findex gnus-article-hide
7997 Do quite a lot of hiding on the article buffer
7998 (@kbd{gnus-article-hide}). In particular, this function will hide
7999 headers, PGP, cited text and the signature.
8002 @kindex W W h (Summary)
8003 @findex gnus-article-hide-headers
8004 Hide headers (@code{gnus-article-hide-headers}). @xref{Hiding
8008 @kindex W W b (Summary)
8009 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
8010 Hide headers that aren't particularly interesting
8011 (@code{gnus-article-hide-boring-headers}). @xref{Hiding Headers}.
8014 @kindex W W s (Summary)
8015 @findex gnus-article-hide-signature
8016 Hide signature (@code{gnus-article-hide-signature}). @xref{Article
8020 @kindex W W l (Summary)
8021 @findex gnus-article-hide-list-identifiers
8022 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8023 Strip list identifiers specified in @code{gnus-list-identifiers}. These
8024 are strings some mailing list servers add to the beginning of all
8025 @code{Subject} headers---for example, @samp{[zebra 4711]}. Any leading
8026 @samp{Re: } is skipped before stripping. @code{gnus-list-identifiers}
8027 may not contain @code{\\(..\\)}.
8031 @item gnus-list-identifiers
8032 @vindex gnus-list-identifiers
8033 A regular expression that matches list identifiers to be removed from
8034 subject. This can also be a list of regular expressions.
8039 @kindex W W p (Summary)
8040 @findex gnus-article-hide-pgp
8041 @vindex gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8042 Hide @sc{pgp} signatures (@code{gnus-article-hide-pgp}). The
8043 @code{gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook} hook will be run after a @sc{pgp}
8044 signature has been hidden. For example, to automatically verify
8045 articles that have signatures in them do:
8047 ;;; Hide pgp cruft if any.
8049 (setq gnus-treat-strip-pgp t)
8051 ;;; After hiding pgp, verify the message;
8052 ;;; only happens if pgp signature is found.
8054 (add-hook 'gnus-article-hide-pgp-hook
8057 (set-buffer gnus-original-article-buffer)
8062 @kindex W W P (Summary)
8063 @findex gnus-article-hide-pem
8064 Hide @sc{pem} (privacy enhanced messages) cruft
8065 (@code{gnus-article-hide-pem}).
8068 @kindex W W B (Summary)
8069 @findex gnus-article-strip-banner
8070 @vindex gnus-article-banner-alist
8071 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8074 @cindex stripping advertisements
8075 @cindex advertisements
8076 Strip the banner specified by the @code{banner} group parameter
8077 (@code{gnus-article-strip-banner}). This is mainly used to hide those
8078 annoying banners and/or signatures that some mailing lists and moderated
8079 groups adds to all the messages. The way to use this function is to add
8080 the @code{banner} group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}) to the
8081 group you want banners stripped from. The parameter either be a string,
8082 which will be interpreted as a regular expression matching text to be
8083 removed, or the symbol @code{signature}, meaning that the (last)
8084 signature should be removed, or other symbol, meaning that the
8085 corresponding regular expression in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist} is
8088 Regardless of a group, you can hide things like advertisements only when
8089 the sender of an article has a certain mail address specified in
8090 @code{gnus-article-address-banner-alist}.
8094 @item gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8095 @vindex gnus-article-address-banner-alist
8096 Alist of mail addresses and banners. Each element has the form
8097 @code{(ADDRESS . BANNER)}, where ADDRESS is a regexp matching a mail
8098 address in the From header, BANNER is one of a symbol @code{signature},
8099 an item in @code{gnus-article-banner-alist}, a regexp and @code{nil}.
8100 If ADDRESS matches author's mail address, it will remove things like
8101 advertisements. For example, if a sender has the mail address
8102 @samp{hail@@yoo-hoo.co.jp} and there is a banner something like
8103 @samp{Do You Yoo-hoo!?} in all articles he sends, you can use the
8104 following element to remove them:
8107 ("@@yoo-hoo\\.co\\.jp\\'" . "\n_+\nDo You Yoo-hoo!\\?\n.*\n.*\n")
8113 @kindex W W c (Summary)
8114 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation
8115 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation}). Some variables for
8116 customizing the hiding:
8120 @item gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8121 @itemx gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8122 @vindex gnus-cited-closed-text-button-line-format
8123 @vindex gnus-cited-opened-text-button-line-format
8124 Gnus adds buttons to show where the cited text has been hidden, and to
8125 allow toggle hiding the text. The format of the variable is specified
8126 by these format-like variable (@pxref{Formatting Variables}). These
8131 Starting point of the hidden text.
8133 Ending point of the hidden text.
8135 Number of characters in the hidden region.
8137 Number of lines of hidden text.
8140 @item gnus-cited-lines-visible
8141 @vindex gnus-cited-lines-visible
8142 The number of lines at the beginning of the cited text to leave
8143 shown. This can also be a cons cell with the number of lines at the top
8144 and bottom of the text, respectively, to remain visible.
8149 @kindex W W C-c (Summary)
8150 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe
8152 Hide citation (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-maybe}) depending on the
8153 following two variables:
8156 @item gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8157 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-percentage
8158 If the cited text is of a bigger percentage than this variable (default
8159 50), hide the cited text.
8161 @item gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8162 @vindex gnus-cite-hide-absolute
8163 The cited text must have at least this length (default 10) before it
8168 @kindex W W C (Summary)
8169 @findex gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups
8170 Hide cited text in articles that aren't roots
8171 (@code{gnus-article-hide-citation-in-followups}). This isn't very
8172 useful as an interactive command, but might be a handy function to stick
8173 have happen automatically (@pxref{Customizing Articles}).
8177 All these ``hiding'' commands are toggles, but if you give a negative
8178 prefix to these commands, they will show what they have previously
8179 hidden. If you give a positive prefix, they will always hide.
8181 Also @pxref{Article Highlighting} for further variables for
8182 citation customization.
8184 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to hide article elements
8188 @node Article Washing
8189 @subsection Article Washing
8191 @cindex article washing
8193 We call this ``article washing'' for a really good reason. Namely, the
8194 @kbd{A} key was taken, so we had to use the @kbd{W} key instead.
8196 @dfn{Washing} is defined by us as ``changing something from something to
8197 something else'', but normally results in something looking better.
8200 @xref{Customizing Articles}, if you want to change how Gnus displays
8201 articles by default.
8206 This is not really washing, it's sort of the opposite of washing. If
8207 you type this, you see the article exactly as it exists on disk or on
8211 @kindex W l (Summary)
8212 @findex gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking
8213 Remove page breaks from the current article
8214 (@code{gnus-summary-stop-page-breaking}). @xref{Misc Article}, for page
8218 @kindex W r (Summary)
8219 @findex gnus-summary-caesar-message
8220 @c @icon{gnus-summary-caesar-message}
8221 Do a Caesar rotate (rot13) on the article buffer
8222 (@code{gnus-summary-caesar-message}).
8223 Unreadable articles that tell you to read them with Caesar rotate or rot13.
8224 (Typically offensive jokes and such.)
8226 It's commonly called ``rot13'' because each letter is rotated 13
8227 positions in the alphabet, e. g. @samp{B} (letter #2) -> @samp{O} (letter
8228 #15). It is sometimes referred to as ``Caesar rotate'' because Caesar
8229 is rumored to have employed this form of, uh, somewhat weak encryption.
8232 @kindex W m (Summary)
8233 @findex gnus-summary-morse-message
8234 @c @icon{gnus-summary-morse-message}
8235 Morse decode the article buffer (@code{gnus-summary-morse-message}).
8239 @kindex W t (Summary)
8241 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-header
8242 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer
8243 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-header}).
8246 @kindex W v (Summary)
8247 @findex gnus-summary-verbose-headers
8248 Toggle whether to display all headers in the article buffer permanently
8249 (@code{gnus-summary-verbose-headers}).
8252 @kindex W o (Summary)
8253 @findex gnus-article-treat-overstrike
8254 Treat overstrike (@code{gnus-article-treat-overstrike}).
8257 @kindex W d (Summary)
8258 @findex gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes
8259 @vindex gnus-article-dumbquotes-map
8261 @cindex M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s
8263 Treat M****s*** sm*rtq**t*s according to
8264 @code{gnus-article-dumbquotes-map}
8265 (@code{gnus-article-treat-dumbquotes}). Note that this function guesses
8266 whether a character is a sm*rtq**t* or not, so it should only be used
8269 Sm*rtq**t*s are M****s***'s unilateral extension to the character map in
8270 an attempt to provide more quoting characters. If you see something
8271 like @code{\222} or @code{\264} where you're expecting some kind of
8272 apostrophe or quotation mark, then try this wash.
8275 @kindex W k (Summary)
8276 @findex gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article
8277 @cindex Outlook Express
8278 Deuglify broken Outlook (Express) articles and redisplay
8279 (@code{gnus-article-outlook-deuglify-article}).
8282 @kindex W w (Summary)
8283 @findex gnus-article-fill-cited-article
8284 Do word wrap (@code{gnus-article-fill-cited-article}).
8286 You can give the command a numerical prefix to specify the width to use
8290 @kindex W Q (Summary)
8291 @findex gnus-article-fill-long-lines
8292 Fill long lines (@code{gnus-article-fill-long-lines}).
8295 @kindex W C (Summary)
8296 @findex gnus-article-capitalize-sentences
8297 Capitalize the first word in each sentence
8298 (@code{gnus-article-capitalize-sentences}).
8301 @kindex W c (Summary)
8302 @findex gnus-article-remove-cr
8303 Translate CRLF pairs (i. e., @samp{^M}s on the end of the lines) into LF
8304 (this takes care of DOS line endings), and then translate any remaining
8305 CRs into LF (this takes care of Mac line endings)
8306 (@code{gnus-article-remove-cr}).
8309 @kindex W q (Summary)
8310 @findex gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable
8311 Treat quoted-printable (@code{gnus-article-de-quoted-unreadable}).
8312 Quoted-Printable is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending
8313 non-ASCII (i. e., 8-bit) articles. It typically makes strings like
8314 @samp{déjà vu} look like @samp{d=E9j=E0 vu}, which doesn't look very
8315 readable to me. Note that this is usually done automatically by
8316 Gnus if the message in question has a @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding}
8317 header that says that this encoding has been done.
8318 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8321 @kindex W 6 (Summary)
8322 @findex gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable
8323 Treat base64 (@code{gnus-article-de-base64-unreadable}).
8324 Base64 is one common @sc{mime} encoding employed when sending non-ASCII
8325 (i. e., 8-bit) articles. Note that this is usually done
8326 automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8327 @code{Content-Transfer-Encoding} header that says that this encoding has
8329 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8332 @kindex W Z (Summary)
8333 @findex gnus-article-decode-HZ
8334 Treat HZ or HZP (@code{gnus-article-decode-HZ}). HZ (or HZP) is one
8335 common encoding employed when sending Chinese articles. It typically
8336 makes strings look like @samp{~@{<:Ky2;S@{#,NpJ)l6HK!#~@}}.
8339 @kindex W u (Summary)
8340 @findex gnus-article-unsplit-urls
8341 Remove newlines from within URLs. Some mailers insert newlines into
8342 outgoing email messages to keep lines short. This reformatting can
8343 split long URLs onto multiple lines. Repair those URLs by removing
8344 the newlines (@code{gnus-article-unsplit-urls}).
8347 @kindex W h (Summary)
8348 @findex gnus-article-wash-html
8349 Treat @sc{html} (@code{gnus-article-wash-html}). Note that this is
8350 usually done automatically by Gnus if the message in question has a
8351 @code{Content-Type} header that says that the message is @sc{html}.
8353 If a prefix is given, a charset will be asked for.
8355 @vindex gnus-article-wash-function
8356 The default is to use the function specified by
8357 @code{mm-inline-text-html-renderer} (@pxref{Customization, , , emacs-mime})
8358 to convert the @sc{html}, but this is controlled by the
8359 @code{gnus-article-wash-function} variable. Pre-defined functions you
8367 Use emacs-w3m (see @uref{http://emacs-w3m.namazu.org/} for more
8371 Use Links (see @uref{http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~mikulas/links/}).
8374 Use Lynx (see @uref{http://lynx.browser.org/}).
8377 Use html2text -- a simple @sc{html} converter included with Gnus.
8382 @kindex W b (Summary)
8383 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons
8384 Add clickable buttons to the article (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons}).
8385 @xref{Article Buttons}.
8388 @kindex W B (Summary)
8389 @findex gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head
8390 Add clickable buttons to the article headers
8391 (@code{gnus-article-add-buttons-to-head}).
8394 @kindex W p (Summary)
8395 @findex gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig
8396 Verify a signed control message (@code{gnus-article-verify-x-pgp-sig}).
8397 Control messages such as @code{newgroup} and @code{checkgroups} are
8398 usually signed by the hierarchy maintainer. You need to add the PGP
8399 public key of the maintainer to your keyring to verify the
8400 message.@footnote{PGP keys for many hierarchies are available at
8401 @uref{ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/pgpcontrol/README.html}}
8404 @kindex W s (Summary)
8405 @findex gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt
8406 Verify a signed (PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}) message
8407 (@code{gnus-summary-force-verify-and-decrypt}). @xref{Security}.
8410 @kindex W a (Summary)
8411 @findex gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body
8412 Strip headers like the @code{X-No-Archive} header from the beginning of
8413 article bodies (@code{gnus-article-strip-headers-in-body}).
8416 @kindex W E l (Summary)
8417 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines
8418 Remove all blank lines from the beginning of the article
8419 (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-blank-lines}).
8422 @kindex W E m (Summary)
8423 @findex gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines
8424 Replace all blank lines with empty lines and then all multiple empty
8425 lines with a single empty line.
8426 (@code{gnus-article-strip-multiple-blank-lines}).
8429 @kindex W E t (Summary)
8430 @findex gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines
8431 Remove all blank lines at the end of the article
8432 (@code{gnus-article-remove-trailing-blank-lines}).
8435 @kindex W E a (Summary)
8436 @findex gnus-article-strip-blank-lines
8437 Do all the three commands above
8438 (@code{gnus-article-strip-blank-lines}).
8441 @kindex W E A (Summary)
8442 @findex gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines
8443 Remove all blank lines
8444 (@code{gnus-article-strip-all-blank-lines}).
8447 @kindex W E s (Summary)
8448 @findex gnus-article-strip-leading-space
8449 Remove all white space from the beginning of all lines of the article
8450 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-leading-space}).
8453 @kindex W E e (Summary)
8454 @findex gnus-article-strip-trailing-space
8455 Remove all white space from the end of all lines of the article
8456 body (@code{gnus-article-strip-trailing-space}).
8460 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to wash articles automatically.
8463 @node Article Header
8464 @subsection Article Header
8466 These commands perform various transformations of article header.
8471 @kindex W G u (Summary)
8472 @findex gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers
8473 Unfold folded header lines (@code{gnus-article-treat-unfold-headers}).
8476 @kindex W G n (Summary)
8477 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups
8478 Fold the @code{Newsgroups} and @code{Followup-To} headers
8479 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-newsgroups}).
8482 @kindex W G f (Summary)
8483 @findex gnus-article-treat-fold-headers
8484 Fold all the message headers
8485 (@code{gnus-article-treat-fold-headers}).
8489 @findex gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace
8490 Remove excessive whitespace from all headers
8491 (@code{gnus-article-remove-leading-whitespace}).
8496 @node Article Buttons
8497 @subsection Article Buttons
8500 People often include references to other stuff in articles, and it would
8501 be nice if Gnus could just fetch whatever it is that people talk about
8502 with the minimum of fuzz when you hit @kbd{RET} or use the middle mouse
8503 button on these references.
8505 @vindex gnus-button-man-handler
8506 Gnus adds @dfn{buttons} to certain standard references by default:
8507 Well-formed URLs, mail addresses, Message-IDs, Info links and man pages.
8508 This is controlled by two variables, one that handles article bodies and
8509 one that handles article heads:
8513 @item gnus-button-alist
8514 @vindex gnus-button-alist
8515 This is an alist where each entry has this form:
8518 (REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8524 All text that match this regular expression will be considered an
8525 external reference. Here's a typical regexp that matches embedded URLs:
8526 @samp{<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>}. This can also be a variable containing a
8527 regexp, useful variables to use include @code{gnus-button-url-regexp}.
8530 Gnus has to know which parts of the matches is to be highlighted. This
8531 is a number that says what sub-expression of the regexp is to be
8532 highlighted. If you want it all highlighted, you use 0 here.
8535 This form will be @code{eval}ed, and if the result is non-@code{nil},
8536 this is considered a match. This is useful if you want extra sifting to
8537 avoid false matches.
8540 This function will be called when you click on this button.
8543 As with @var{button-par}, this is a sub-expression number, but this one
8544 says which part of the match is to be sent as data to @var{function}.
8548 So the full entry for buttonizing URLs is then
8551 ("<URL:\\([^\n\r>]*\\)>" 0 t gnus-button-url 1)
8554 @item gnus-header-button-alist
8555 @vindex gnus-header-button-alist
8556 This is just like the other alist, except that it is applied to the
8557 article head only, and that each entry has an additional element that is
8558 used to say what headers to apply the buttonize coding to:
8561 (HEADER REGEXP BUTTON-PAR USE-P FUNCTION DATA-PAR)
8564 @var{header} is a regular expression.
8566 @item gnus-button-url-regexp
8567 @vindex gnus-button-url-regexp
8568 A regular expression that matches embedded URLs. It is used in the
8569 default values of the variables above.
8571 @item gnus-article-button-face
8572 @vindex gnus-article-button-face
8573 Face used on buttons.
8575 @item gnus-article-mouse-face
8576 @vindex gnus-article-mouse-face
8577 Face used when the mouse cursor is over a button.
8581 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to buttonize articles automatically.
8585 @subsection Article Date
8587 The date is most likely generated in some obscure timezone you've never
8588 heard of, so it's quite nice to be able to find out what the time was
8589 when the article was sent.
8594 @kindex W T u (Summary)
8595 @findex gnus-article-date-ut
8596 Display the date in UT (aka. GMT, aka ZULU)
8597 (@code{gnus-article-date-ut}).
8600 @kindex W T i (Summary)
8601 @findex gnus-article-date-iso8601
8603 Display the date in international format, aka. ISO 8601
8604 (@code{gnus-article-date-iso8601}).
8607 @kindex W T l (Summary)
8608 @findex gnus-article-date-local
8609 Display the date in the local timezone (@code{gnus-article-date-local}).
8612 @kindex W T p (Summary)
8613 @findex gnus-article-date-english
8614 Display the date in a format that's easily pronounceable in English
8615 (@code{gnus-article-date-english}).
8618 @kindex W T s (Summary)
8619 @vindex gnus-article-time-format
8620 @findex gnus-article-date-user
8621 @findex format-time-string
8622 Display the date using a user-defined format
8623 (@code{gnus-article-date-user}). The format is specified by the
8624 @code{gnus-article-time-format} variable, and is a string that's passed
8625 to @code{format-time-string}. See the documentation of that variable
8626 for a list of possible format specs.
8629 @kindex W T e (Summary)
8630 @findex gnus-article-date-lapsed
8631 @findex gnus-start-date-timer
8632 @findex gnus-stop-date-timer
8633 Say how much time has elapsed between the article was posted and now
8634 (@code{gnus-article-date-lapsed}). It looks something like:
8637 X-Sent: 6 weeks, 4 days, 1 hour, 3 minutes, 8 seconds ago
8640 The value of @code{gnus-article-date-lapsed-new-header} determines
8641 whether this header will just be added below the old Date one, or will
8644 An advantage of using Gnus to read mail is that it converts simple bugs
8645 into wonderful absurdities.
8647 If you want to have this line updated continually, you can put
8650 (gnus-start-date-timer)
8653 in your @file{.gnus.el} file, or you can run it off of some hook. If
8654 you want to stop the timer, you can use the @code{gnus-stop-date-timer}
8658 @kindex W T o (Summary)
8659 @findex gnus-article-date-original
8660 Display the original date (@code{gnus-article-date-original}). This can
8661 be useful if you normally use some other conversion function and are
8662 worried that it might be doing something totally wrong. Say, claiming
8663 that the article was posted in 1854. Although something like that is
8664 @emph{totally} impossible. Don't you trust me? *titter*
8668 @xref{Customizing Articles}, for how to display the date in your
8669 preferred format automatically.
8672 @node Article Display
8673 @subsection Article Display
8678 These commands add various frivolous display gimmics to the article
8679 buffer in Emacs versions that support them.
8681 @code{X-Face} headers are small black-and-white images supplied by the
8682 message headers (@pxref{X-Face}).
8684 Picons, on the other hand, reside on your own system, and Gnus will
8685 try to match the headers to what you have (@pxref{Picons}).
8687 Smileys are those little @samp{:-)} symbols that people like to litter
8688 their messages with (@pxref{Smileys}).
8690 All these functions are toggles--if the elements already exist,
8695 @kindex W D x (Summary)
8696 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
8697 Display an @code{X-Face} in the @code{From} header.
8698 (@code{gnus-article-display-x-face}).
8701 @kindex W D s (Summary)
8702 @findex gnus-treat-smiley
8703 Display smileys (@code{gnus-treat-smiley}).
8706 @kindex W D f (Summary)
8707 @findex gnus-treat-from-picon
8708 Piconify the @code{From} header (@code{gnus-treat-from-picon}).
8711 @kindex W D m (Summary)
8712 @findex gnus-treat-mail-picon
8713 Piconify all mail headers (i. e., @code{Cc}, @code{To})
8714 (@code{gnus-treat-mail-picon}).
8717 @kindex W D n (Summary)
8718 @findex gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon
8719 Piconify all news headers (i. e., @code{Newsgroups} and
8720 @code{Followup-To}) (@code{gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon}).
8723 @kindex W D D (Summary)
8724 @findex gnus-article-remove-images
8725 Remove all images from the article buffer
8726 (@code{gnus-article-remove-images}).
8732 @node Article Signature
8733 @subsection Article Signature
8735 @cindex article signature
8737 @vindex gnus-signature-separator
8738 Each article is divided into two parts---the head and the body. The
8739 body can be divided into a signature part and a text part. The variable
8740 that says what is to be considered a signature is
8741 @code{gnus-signature-separator}. This is normally the standard
8742 @samp{^-- $} as mandated by son-of-RFC 1036. However, many people use
8743 non-standard signature separators, so this variable can also be a list
8744 of regular expressions to be tested, one by one. (Searches are done
8745 from the end of the body towards the beginning.) One likely value is:
8748 (setq gnus-signature-separator
8749 '("^-- $" ; The standard
8750 "^-- *$" ; A common mangling
8751 "^-------*$" ; Many people just use a looong
8752 ; line of dashes. Shame!
8753 "^ *--------*$" ; Double-shame!
8754 "^________*$" ; Underscores are also popular
8755 "^========*$")) ; Pervert!
8758 The more permissive you are, the more likely it is that you'll get false
8761 @vindex gnus-signature-limit
8762 @code{gnus-signature-limit} provides a limit to what is considered a
8763 signature when displaying articles.
8767 If it is an integer, no signature may be longer (in characters) than
8770 If it is a floating point number, no signature may be longer (in lines)
8773 If it is a function, the function will be called without any parameters,
8774 and if it returns @code{nil}, there is no signature in the buffer.
8776 If it is a string, it will be used as a regexp. If it matches, the text
8777 in question is not a signature.
8780 This variable can also be a list where the elements may be of the types
8781 listed above. Here's an example:
8784 (setq gnus-signature-limit
8785 '(200.0 "^---*Forwarded article"))
8788 This means that if there are more than 200 lines after the signature
8789 separator, or the text after the signature separator is matched by
8790 the regular expression @samp{^---*Forwarded article}, then it isn't a
8791 signature after all.
8794 @node Article Miscellania
8795 @subsection Article Miscellania
8799 @kindex A t (Summary)
8800 @findex gnus-article-babel
8801 Translate the article from one language to another
8802 (@code{gnus-article-babel}).
8808 @section MIME Commands
8809 @cindex MIME decoding
8811 @cindex viewing attachments
8813 The following commands all understand the numerical prefix. For
8814 instance, @kbd{3 b} means ``view the third @sc{mime} part''.
8820 @kindex K v (Summary)
8821 View the @sc{mime} part.
8824 @kindex K o (Summary)
8825 Save the @sc{mime} part.
8828 @kindex K c (Summary)
8829 Copy the @sc{mime} part.
8832 @kindex K e (Summary)
8833 View the @sc{mime} part externally.
8836 @kindex K i (Summary)
8837 View the @sc{mime} part internally.
8840 @kindex K | (Summary)
8841 Pipe the @sc{mime} part to an external command.
8844 The rest of these @sc{mime} commands do not use the numerical prefix in
8849 @kindex K b (Summary)
8850 Make all the @sc{mime} parts have buttons in front of them. This is
8851 mostly useful if you wish to save (or perform other actions) on inlined
8855 @kindex K m (Summary)
8856 @findex gnus-summary-repair-multipart
8857 Some multipart messages are transmitted with missing or faulty headers.
8858 This command will attempt to ``repair'' these messages so that they can
8859 be viewed in a more pleasant manner
8860 (@code{gnus-summary-repair-multipart}).
8863 @kindex X m (Summary)
8864 @findex gnus-summary-save-parts
8865 Save all parts matching a @sc{mime} type to a directory
8866 (@code{gnus-summary-save-parts}). Understands the process/prefix
8867 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
8870 @kindex M-t (Summary)
8871 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized
8872 Toggle the buttonized display of the article buffer
8873 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-display-buttonized}).
8876 @kindex W M w (Summary)
8877 @findex gnus-article-decode-mime-words
8878 Decode RFC 2047-encoded words in the article headers
8879 (@code{gnus-article-decode-mime-words}).
8882 @kindex W M c (Summary)
8883 @findex gnus-article-decode-charset
8884 Decode encoded article bodies as well as charsets
8885 (@code{gnus-article-decode-charset}).
8887 This command looks in the @code{Content-Type} header to determine the
8888 charset. If there is no such header in the article, you can give it a
8889 prefix, which will prompt for the charset to decode as. In regional
8890 groups where people post using some common encoding (but do not
8891 include @sc{mime} headers), you can set the @code{charset} group/topic
8892 parameter to the required charset (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
8895 @kindex W M v (Summary)
8896 @findex gnus-mime-view-all-parts
8897 View all the @sc{mime} parts in the current article
8898 (@code{gnus-mime-view-all-parts}).
8905 @item gnus-ignored-mime-types
8906 @vindex gnus-ignored-mime-types
8907 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8908 this list will be completely ignored by Gnus. The default value is
8911 To have all Vcards be ignored, you'd say something like this:
8914 (setq gnus-ignored-mime-types
8918 @item gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8919 @vindex gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types
8920 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8921 this list won't have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8922 displayed or this variable is overriden by
8923 @code{gnus-buttonized-mime-types}. The default value is
8926 @item gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8927 @vindex gnus-buttonized-mime-types
8928 This is a list of regexps. @sc{mime} types that match a regexp from
8929 this list will have @sc{mime} buttons inserted unless they aren't
8930 displayed. This variable overrides
8931 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types}. The default value is @code{nil}.
8933 To see e.g. security buttons but no other buttons, you could set this
8934 variable to @code{("multipart/signed")} and leave
8935 @code{gnus-unbuttonized-mime-types} at the default value.
8937 @item gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8938 @vindex gnus-inhibit-mime-unbuttonizing
8939 If this is non-nil, then all @sc{mime} parts get buttons. The default
8940 value is @code{nil}.
8942 @item gnus-article-mime-part-function
8943 @vindex gnus-article-mime-part-function
8944 For each @sc{mime} part, this function will be called with the @sc{mime}
8945 handle as the parameter. The function is meant to be used to allow
8946 users to gather information from the article (e. g., add Vcard info to
8947 the bbdb database) or to do actions based on parts (e. g., automatically
8948 save all jpegs into some directory).
8950 Here's an example function the does the latter:
8953 (defun my-save-all-jpeg-parts (handle)
8954 (when (equal (car (mm-handle-type handle)) "image/jpeg")
8956 (insert (mm-get-part handle))
8957 (write-region (point-min) (point-max)
8958 (read-file-name "Save jpeg to: ")))))
8959 (setq gnus-article-mime-part-function
8960 'my-save-all-jpeg-parts)
8963 @vindex gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8964 @item gnus-mime-multipart-functions
8965 Alist of @sc{mime} multipart types and functions to handle them.
8967 @vindex mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8968 @item mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8969 List of functions used for rewriting file names of @sc{mime} parts.
8970 Each function takes a file name as input and returns a file name.
8972 Ready-made functions include@*
8973 @code{mm-file-name-delete-whitespace},
8974 @code{mm-file-name-trim-whitespace},
8975 @code{mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace}, and
8976 @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace}. The later uses the value of
8977 the variable @code{mm-file-name-replace-whitespace} to replace each
8978 whitespace character in a file name with that string; default value
8979 is @code{"_"} (a single underscore).
8980 @findex mm-file-name-delete-whitespace
8981 @findex mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8982 @findex mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8983 @findex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8984 @vindex mm-file-name-replace-whitespace
8986 The standard functions @code{capitalize}, @code{downcase},
8987 @code{upcase}, and @code{upcase-initials} may be useful, too.
8989 Everybody knows that whitespace characters in file names are evil,
8990 except those who don't know. If you receive lots of attachments from
8991 such unenlightened users, you can make live easier by adding
8994 (setq mm-file-name-rewrite-functions
8995 '(mm-file-name-trim-whitespace
8996 mm-file-name-collapse-whitespace
8997 mm-file-name-replace-whitespace))
9001 to your @file{.gnus} file.
9010 People use different charsets, and we have @sc{mime} to let us know what
9011 charsets they use. Or rather, we wish we had. Many people use
9012 newsreaders and mailers that do not understand or use @sc{mime}, and
9013 just send out messages without saying what character sets they use. To
9014 help a bit with this, some local news hierarchies have policies that say
9015 what character set is the default. For instance, the @samp{fj}
9016 hierarchy uses @code{iso-2022-jp-2}.
9018 @vindex gnus-group-charset-alist
9019 This knowledge is encoded in the @code{gnus-group-charset-alist}
9020 variable, which is an alist of regexps (use the first item to match full
9021 group names) and default charsets to be used when reading these groups.
9023 In addition, some people do use soi-disant @sc{mime}-aware agents that
9024 aren't. These blithely mark messages as being in @code{iso-8859-1}
9025 even if they really are in @code{koi-8}. To help here, the
9026 @code{gnus-newsgroup-ignored-charsets} variable can be used. The
9027 charsets that are listed here will be ignored. The variable can be
9028 set on a group-by-group basis using the group parameters (@pxref{Group
9029 Parameters}). The default value is @code{(unknown-8bit x-unknown)},
9030 which includes values some agents insist on having in there.
9032 @vindex gnus-group-posting-charset-alist
9033 When posting, @code{gnus-group-posting-charset-alist} is used to
9034 determine which charsets should not be encoded using the @sc{mime}
9035 encodings. For instance, some hierarchies discourage using
9036 quoted-printable header encoding.
9038 This variable is an alist of regexps and permitted unencoded charsets
9039 for posting. Each element of the alist has the form @code{(}@var{test
9040 header body-list}@code{)}, where:
9044 is either a regular expression matching the newsgroup header or a
9047 is the charset which may be left unencoded in the header (@code{nil}
9048 means encode all charsets),
9050 is a list of charsets which may be encoded using 8bit content-transfer
9051 encoding in the body, or one of the special values @code{nil} (always
9052 encode using quoted-printable) or @code{t} (always use 8bit).
9059 @cindex coding system aliases
9060 @cindex preferred charset
9062 Other charset tricks that may be useful, although not Gnus-specific:
9064 If there are several @sc{mime} charsets that encode the same Emacs
9065 charset, you can choose what charset to use by saying the following:
9068 (put-charset-property 'cyrillic-iso8859-5
9069 'preferred-coding-system 'koi8-r)
9072 This means that Russian will be encoded using @code{koi8-r} instead of
9073 the default @code{iso-8859-5} @sc{mime} charset.
9075 If you want to read messages in @code{koi8-u}, you can cheat and say
9078 (define-coding-system-alias 'koi8-u 'koi8-r)
9081 This will almost do the right thing.
9083 And finally, to read charsets like @code{windows-1251}, you can say
9087 (codepage-setup 1251)
9088 (define-coding-system-alias 'windows-1251 'cp1251)
9092 @node Article Commands
9093 @section Article Commands
9100 @kindex A P (Summary)
9101 @vindex gnus-ps-print-hook
9102 @findex gnus-summary-print-article
9103 Generate and print a PostScript image of the article buffer
9104 (@code{gnus-summary-print-article}). @code{gnus-ps-print-hook} will
9105 be run just before printing the buffer. An alternative way to print
9106 article is to use Muttprint (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
9111 @node Summary Sorting
9112 @section Summary Sorting
9113 @cindex summary sorting
9115 You can have the summary buffer sorted in various ways, even though I
9116 can't really see why you'd want that.
9121 @kindex C-c C-s C-n (Summary)
9122 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-number
9123 Sort by article number (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-number}).
9126 @kindex C-c C-s C-a (Summary)
9127 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-author
9128 Sort by author (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-author}).
9131 @kindex C-c C-s C-s (Summary)
9132 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-subject
9133 Sort by subject (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-subject}).
9136 @kindex C-c C-s C-d (Summary)
9137 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-date
9138 Sort by date (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-date}).
9141 @kindex C-c C-s C-l (Summary)
9142 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-lines
9143 Sort by lines (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-lines}).
9146 @kindex C-c C-s C-c (Summary)
9147 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-chars
9148 Sort by article length (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-chars}).
9151 @kindex C-c C-s C-i (Summary)
9152 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-score
9153 Sort by score (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-score}).
9156 @kindex C-c C-s C-r (Summary)
9157 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-random
9158 Randomize (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-random}).
9161 @kindex C-c C-s C-o (Summary)
9162 @findex gnus-summary-sort-by-original
9163 Sort using the default sorting method
9164 (@code{gnus-summary-sort-by-original}).
9167 These functions will work both when you use threading and when you don't
9168 use threading. In the latter case, all summary lines will be sorted,
9169 line by line. In the former case, sorting will be done on a
9170 root-by-root basis, which might not be what you were looking for. To
9171 toggle whether to use threading, type @kbd{T T} (@pxref{Thread
9175 @node Finding the Parent
9176 @section Finding the Parent
9177 @cindex parent articles
9178 @cindex referring articles
9183 @findex gnus-summary-refer-parent-article
9184 If you'd like to read the parent of the current article, and it is not
9185 displayed in the summary buffer, you might still be able to. That is,
9186 if the current group is fetched by @sc{nntp}, the parent hasn't expired
9187 and the @code{References} in the current article are not mangled, you
9188 can just press @kbd{^} or @kbd{A r}
9189 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-parent-article}). If everything goes well,
9190 you'll get the parent. If the parent is already displayed in the
9191 summary buffer, point will just move to this article.
9193 If given a positive numerical prefix, fetch that many articles back into
9194 the ancestry. If given a negative numerical prefix, fetch just that
9195 ancestor. So if you say @kbd{3 ^}, Gnus will fetch the parent, the
9196 grandparent and the grandgrandparent of the current article. If you say
9197 @kbd{-3 ^}, Gnus will only fetch the grandgrandparent of the current
9201 @findex gnus-summary-refer-references
9202 @kindex A R (Summary)
9203 Fetch all articles mentioned in the @code{References} header of the
9204 article (@code{gnus-summary-refer-references}).
9207 @findex gnus-summary-refer-thread
9208 @kindex A T (Summary)
9209 Display the full thread where the current article appears
9210 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-thread}). This command has to fetch all the
9211 headers in the current group to work, so it usually takes a while. If
9212 you do it often, you may consider setting @code{gnus-fetch-old-headers}
9213 to @code{invisible} (@pxref{Filling In Threads}). This won't have any
9214 visible effects normally, but it'll make this command work a whole lot
9215 faster. Of course, it'll make group entry somewhat slow.
9217 @vindex gnus-refer-thread-limit
9218 The @code{gnus-refer-thread-limit} variable says how many old (i. e.,
9219 articles before the first displayed in the current group) headers to
9220 fetch when doing this command. The default is 200. If @code{t}, all
9221 the available headers will be fetched. This variable can be overridden
9222 by giving the @kbd{A T} command a numerical prefix.
9225 @findex gnus-summary-refer-article
9226 @kindex M-^ (Summary)
9228 @cindex fetching by Message-ID
9229 You can also ask the @sc{nntp} server for an arbitrary article, no
9230 matter what group it belongs to. @kbd{M-^}
9231 (@code{gnus-summary-refer-article}) will ask you for a
9232 @code{Message-ID}, which is one of those long, hard-to-read thingies
9233 that look something like @samp{<38o6up$6f2@@hymir.ifi.uio.no>}. You
9234 have to get it all exactly right. No fuzzy searches, I'm afraid.
9237 The current select method will be used when fetching by
9238 @code{Message-ID} from non-news select method, but you can override this
9239 by giving this command a prefix.
9241 @vindex gnus-refer-article-method
9242 If the group you are reading is located on a back end that does not
9243 support fetching by @code{Message-ID} very well (like @code{nnspool}),
9244 you can set @code{gnus-refer-article-method} to an @sc{nntp} method. It
9245 would, perhaps, be best if the @sc{nntp} server you consult is the one
9246 updating the spool you are reading from, but that's not really
9249 It can also be a list of select methods, as well as the special symbol
9250 @code{current}, which means to use the current select method. If it
9251 is a list, Gnus will try all the methods in the list until it finds a
9254 Here's an example setting that will first try the current method, and
9255 then ask Google if that fails:
9258 (setq gnus-refer-article-method
9260 (nnweb "google" (nnweb-type google))))
9263 Most of the mail back ends support fetching by @code{Message-ID}, but
9264 do not do a particularly excellent job at it. That is, @code{nnmbox},
9265 @code{nnbabyl}, and @code{nnmaildir} are able to locate articles from
9266 any groups, while @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and @code{nnimap} are
9267 only able to locate articles that have been posted to the current group.
9268 (Anything else would be too time consuming.) @code{nnmh} does not
9269 support this at all.
9272 @node Alternative Approaches
9273 @section Alternative Approaches
9275 Different people like to read news using different methods. This being
9276 Gnus, we offer a small selection of minor modes for the summary buffers.
9279 * Pick and Read:: First mark articles and then read them.
9280 * Binary Groups:: Auto-decode all articles.
9285 @subsection Pick and Read
9286 @cindex pick and read
9288 Some newsreaders (like @code{nn} and, uhm, @code{Netnews} on VM/CMS) use
9289 a two-phased reading interface. The user first marks in a summary
9290 buffer the articles she wants to read. Then she starts reading the
9291 articles with just an article buffer displayed.
9293 @findex gnus-pick-mode
9294 @kindex M-x gnus-pick-mode
9295 Gnus provides a summary buffer minor mode that allows
9296 this---@code{gnus-pick-mode}. This basically means that a few process
9297 mark commands become one-keystroke commands to allow easy marking, and
9298 it provides one additional command for switching to the summary buffer.
9300 Here are the available keystrokes when using pick mode:
9305 @findex gnus-pick-article-or-thread
9306 Pick the article or thread on the current line
9307 (@code{gnus-pick-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9308 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key selects the
9309 entire thread when used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise,
9310 it selects just the article. If given a numerical prefix, go to that
9311 thread or article and pick it. (The line number is normally displayed
9312 at the beginning of the summary pick lines.)
9315 @kindex SPACE (Pick)
9316 @findex gnus-pick-next-page
9317 Scroll the summary buffer up one page (@code{gnus-pick-next-page}). If
9318 at the end of the buffer, start reading the picked articles.
9322 @findex gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread.
9323 Unpick the thread or article
9324 (@code{gnus-pick-unmark-article-or-thread}). If the variable
9325 @code{gnus-thread-hide-subtree} is true, then this key unpicks the
9326 thread if used at the first article of the thread. Otherwise it unpicks
9327 just the article. You can give this key a numerical prefix to unpick
9328 the thread or article at that line.
9332 @findex gnus-pick-start-reading
9333 @vindex gnus-pick-display-summary
9334 Start reading the picked articles (@code{gnus-pick-start-reading}). If
9335 given a prefix, mark all unpicked articles as read first. If
9336 @code{gnus-pick-display-summary} is non-@code{nil}, the summary buffer
9337 will still be visible when you are reading.
9341 All the normal summary mode commands are still available in the
9342 pick-mode, with the exception of @kbd{u}. However @kbd{!} is available
9343 which is mapped to the same function
9344 @code{gnus-summary-tick-article-forward}.
9346 If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could say:
9349 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
9352 @vindex gnus-pick-mode-hook
9353 @code{gnus-pick-mode-hook} is run in pick minor mode buffers.
9355 @vindex gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read
9356 If @code{gnus-mark-unpicked-articles-as-read} is non-@code{nil}, mark
9357 all unpicked articles as read. The default is @code{nil}.
9359 @vindex gnus-summary-pick-line-format
9360 The summary line format in pick mode is slightly different from the
9361 standard format. At the beginning of each line the line number is
9362 displayed. The pick mode line format is controlled by the
9363 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format} variable (@pxref{Formatting
9364 Variables}). It accepts the same format specs that
9365 @code{gnus-summary-line-format} does (@pxref{Summary Buffer Lines}).
9369 @subsection Binary Groups
9370 @cindex binary groups
9372 @findex gnus-binary-mode
9373 @kindex M-x gnus-binary-mode
9374 If you spend much time in binary groups, you may grow tired of hitting
9375 @kbd{X u}, @kbd{n}, @kbd{RET} all the time. @kbd{M-x gnus-binary-mode}
9376 is a minor mode for summary buffers that makes all ordinary Gnus article
9377 selection functions uudecode series of articles and display the result
9378 instead of just displaying the articles the normal way.
9381 @findex gnus-binary-show-article
9382 The only way, in fact, to see the actual articles is the @kbd{g}
9383 command, when you have turned on this mode
9384 (@code{gnus-binary-show-article}).
9386 @vindex gnus-binary-mode-hook
9387 @code{gnus-binary-mode-hook} is called in binary minor mode buffers.
9391 @section Tree Display
9394 @vindex gnus-use-trees
9395 If you don't like the normal Gnus summary display, you might try setting
9396 @code{gnus-use-trees} to @code{t}. This will create (by default) an
9397 additional @dfn{tree buffer}. You can execute all summary mode commands
9400 There are a few variables to customize the tree display, of course:
9403 @item gnus-tree-mode-hook
9404 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-hook
9405 A hook called in all tree mode buffers.
9407 @item gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9408 @vindex gnus-tree-mode-line-format
9409 A format string for the mode bar in the tree mode buffers (@pxref{Mode
9410 Line Formatting}). The default is @samp{Gnus: %%b %S %Z}. For a list
9411 of valid specs, @pxref{Summary Buffer Mode Line}.
9413 @item gnus-selected-tree-face
9414 @vindex gnus-selected-tree-face
9415 Face used for highlighting the selected article in the tree buffer. The
9416 default is @code{modeline}.
9418 @item gnus-tree-line-format
9419 @vindex gnus-tree-line-format
9420 A format string for the tree nodes. The name is a bit of a misnomer,
9421 though---it doesn't define a line, but just the node. The default value
9422 is @samp{%(%[%3,3n%]%)}, which displays the first three characters of
9423 the name of the poster. It is vital that all nodes are of the same
9424 length, so you @emph{must} use @samp{%4,4n}-like specifiers.
9430 The name of the poster.
9432 The @code{From} header.
9434 The number of the article.
9436 The opening bracket.
9438 The closing bracket.
9443 @xref{Formatting Variables}.
9445 Variables related to the display are:
9448 @item gnus-tree-brackets
9449 @vindex gnus-tree-brackets
9450 This is used for differentiating between ``real'' articles and
9451 ``sparse'' articles. The format is @code{((@var{real-open} . @var{real-close})
9452 (@var{sparse-open} . @var{sparse-close}) (@var{dummy-open} . @var{dummy-close}))}, and the
9453 default is @code{((?[ . ?]) (?( . ?)) (?@{ . ?@}) (?< . ?>))}.
9455 @item gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9456 @vindex gnus-tree-parent-child-edges
9457 This is a list that contains the characters used for connecting parent
9458 nodes to their children. The default is @code{(?- ?\\ ?|)}.
9462 @item gnus-tree-minimize-window
9463 @vindex gnus-tree-minimize-window
9464 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will try to keep the tree
9465 buffer as small as possible to allow more room for the other Gnus
9466 windows. If this variable is a number, the tree buffer will never be
9467 higher than that number. The default is @code{t}. Note that if you
9468 have several windows displayed side-by-side in a frame and the tree
9469 buffer is one of these, minimizing the tree window will also resize all
9470 other windows displayed next to it.
9472 You may also wish to add the following hook to keep the window minimized
9476 (add-hook 'gnus-configure-windows-hook
9477 'gnus-tree-perhaps-minimize)
9480 @item gnus-generate-tree-function
9481 @vindex gnus-generate-tree-function
9482 @findex gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9483 @findex gnus-generate-vertical-tree
9484 The function that actually generates the thread tree. Two predefined
9485 functions are available: @code{gnus-generate-horizontal-tree} and
9486 @code{gnus-generate-vertical-tree} (which is the default).
9490 Here's an example from a horizontal tree buffer:
9493 @{***@}-(***)-[odd]-[Gun]
9503 Here's the same thread displayed in a vertical tree buffer:
9507 |--------------------------\-----\-----\
9508 (***) [Bjo] [Gun] [Gun]
9510 [odd] [Jan] [odd] (***) [Jor]
9512 [Gun] [Eri] [Eri] [odd]
9517 If you're using horizontal trees, it might be nice to display the trees
9518 side-by-side with the summary buffer. You could add something like the
9519 following to your @file{.gnus.el} file:
9522 (setq gnus-use-trees t
9523 gnus-generate-tree-function 'gnus-generate-horizontal-tree
9524 gnus-tree-minimize-window nil)
9525 (gnus-add-configuration
9529 (summary 0.75 point)
9534 @xref{Window Layout}.
9537 @node Mail Group Commands
9538 @section Mail Group Commands
9539 @cindex mail group commands
9541 Some commands only make sense in mail groups. If these commands are
9542 invalid in the current group, they will raise a hell and let you know.
9544 All these commands (except the expiry and edit commands) use the
9545 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9550 @kindex B e (Summary)
9551 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles
9552 Run all expirable articles in the current group through the expiry
9553 process (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles}). That is, delete all
9554 expirable articles in the group that have been around for a while.
9555 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
9558 @kindex B C-M-e (Summary)
9559 @findex gnus-summary-expire-articles-now
9560 Delete all the expirable articles in the group
9561 (@code{gnus-summary-expire-articles-now}). This means that @strong{all}
9562 articles eligible for expiry in the current group will
9563 disappear forever into that big @file{/dev/null} in the sky.
9566 @kindex B DEL (Summary)
9567 @findex gnus-summary-delete-article
9568 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-delete}
9569 Delete the mail article. This is ``delete'' as in ``delete it from your
9570 disk forever and ever, never to return again.'' Use with caution.
9571 (@code{gnus-summary-delete-article}).
9574 @kindex B m (Summary)
9576 @findex gnus-summary-move-article
9577 @vindex gnus-preserve-marks
9578 Move the article from one mail group to another
9579 (@code{gnus-summary-move-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9580 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9583 @kindex B c (Summary)
9585 @findex gnus-summary-copy-article
9586 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-copy}
9587 Copy the article from one group (mail group or not) to a mail group
9588 (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}). Marks will be preserved if
9589 @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil} (which is the default).
9592 @kindex B B (Summary)
9593 @cindex crosspost mail
9594 @findex gnus-summary-crosspost-article
9595 Crosspost the current article to some other group
9596 (@code{gnus-summary-crosspost-article}). This will create a new copy of
9597 the article in the other group, and the Xref headers of the article will
9598 be properly updated.
9601 @kindex B i (Summary)
9602 @findex gnus-summary-import-article
9603 Import an arbitrary file into the current mail newsgroup
9604 (@code{gnus-summary-import-article}). You will be prompted for a file
9605 name, a @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9608 @kindex B I (Summary)
9609 @findex gnus-summary-create-article
9610 Create an empty article in the current mail newsgroups
9611 (@code{gnus-summary-create-article}). You will be prompted for a
9612 @code{From} header and a @code{Subject} header.
9615 @kindex B r (Summary)
9616 @findex gnus-summary-respool-article
9617 Respool the mail article (@code{gnus-summary-respool-article}).
9618 @code{gnus-summary-respool-default-method} will be used as the default
9619 select method when respooling. This variable is @code{nil} by default,
9620 which means that the current group select method will be used instead.
9621 Marks will be preserved if @code{gnus-preserve-marks} is non-@code{nil}
9622 (which is the default).
9626 @kindex B w (Summary)
9628 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article
9629 @kindex C-c C-c (Article)
9630 @findex gnus-summary-edit-article-done
9631 Edit the current article (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article}). To finish
9632 editing and make the changes permanent, type @kbd{C-c C-c}
9633 (@code{gnus-summary-edit-article-done}). If you give a prefix to the
9634 @kbd{C-c C-c} command, Gnus won't re-highlight the article.
9637 @kindex B q (Summary)
9638 @findex gnus-summary-respool-query
9639 If you want to re-spool an article, you might be curious as to what group
9640 the article will end up in before you do the re-spooling. This command
9641 will tell you (@code{gnus-summary-respool-query}).
9644 @kindex B t (Summary)
9645 @findex gnus-summary-respool-trace
9646 Similarly, this command will display all fancy splitting patterns used
9647 when repooling, if any (@code{gnus-summary-respool-trace}).
9650 @kindex B p (Summary)
9651 @findex gnus-summary-article-posted-p
9652 Some people have a tendency to send you "courtesy" copies when they
9653 follow up to articles you have posted. These usually have a
9654 @code{Newsgroups} header in them, but not always. This command
9655 (@code{gnus-summary-article-posted-p}) will try to fetch the current
9656 article from your news server (or rather, from
9657 @code{gnus-refer-article-method} or @code{gnus-select-method}) and will
9658 report back whether it found the article or not. Even if it says that
9659 it didn't find the article, it may have been posted anyway---mail
9660 propagation is much faster than news propagation, and the news copy may
9661 just not have arrived yet.
9664 @kindex K E (Summary)
9665 @findex gnus-article-encrypt-body
9666 @vindex gnus-article-encrypt-protocol
9667 Encrypt the body of an article (@code{gnus-article-encrypt-body}).
9668 The body is encrypted with the encryption protocol specified by the
9669 variable @code{gnus-article-encrypt-protocol}.
9673 @vindex gnus-move-split-methods
9674 @cindex moving articles
9675 If you move (or copy) articles regularly, you might wish to have Gnus
9676 suggest where to put the articles. @code{gnus-move-split-methods} is a
9677 variable that uses the same syntax as @code{gnus-split-methods}
9678 (@pxref{Saving Articles}). You may customize that variable to create
9679 suggestions you find reasonable. (Note that
9680 @code{gnus-move-split-methods} uses group names where
9681 @code{gnus-split-methods} uses file names.)
9684 (setq gnus-move-split-methods
9685 '(("^From:.*Lars Magne" "nnml:junk")
9686 ("^Subject:.*gnus" "nnfolder:important")
9687 (".*" "nnml:misc")))
9691 @node Various Summary Stuff
9692 @section Various Summary Stuff
9695 * Summary Group Information:: Information oriented commands.
9696 * Searching for Articles:: Multiple article commands.
9697 * Summary Generation Commands::
9698 * Really Various Summary Commands:: Those pesky non-conformant commands.
9702 @vindex gnus-summary-mode-hook
9703 @item gnus-summary-mode-hook
9704 This hook is called when creating a summary mode buffer.
9706 @vindex gnus-summary-generate-hook
9707 @item gnus-summary-generate-hook
9708 This is called as the last thing before doing the threading and the
9709 generation of the summary buffer. It's quite convenient for customizing
9710 the threading variables based on what data the newsgroup has. This hook
9711 is called from the summary buffer after most summary buffer variables
9714 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9715 @item gnus-summary-prepare-hook
9716 It is called after the summary buffer has been generated. You might use
9717 it to, for instance, highlight lines or modify the look of the buffer in
9718 some other ungodly manner. I don't care.
9720 @vindex gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9721 @item gnus-summary-prepared-hook
9722 A hook called as the very last thing after the summary buffer has been
9725 @vindex gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9726 @item gnus-summary-ignore-duplicates
9727 When Gnus discovers two articles that have the same @code{Message-ID},
9728 it has to do something drastic. No articles are allowed to have the
9729 same @code{Message-ID}, but this may happen when reading mail from some
9730 sources. Gnus allows you to customize what happens with this variable.
9731 If it is @code{nil} (which is the default), Gnus will rename the
9732 @code{Message-ID} (for display purposes only) and display the article as
9733 any other article. If this variable is @code{t}, it won't display the
9734 article---it'll be as if it never existed.
9736 @vindex gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9737 @item gnus-alter-articles-to-read-function
9738 This function, which takes two parameters (the group name and the list
9739 of articles to be selected), is called to allow the user to alter the
9740 list of articles to be selected.
9742 For instance, the following function adds the list of cached articles to
9743 the list in one particular group:
9746 (defun my-add-cached-articles (group articles)
9747 (if (string= group "some.group")
9748 (append gnus-newsgroup-cached articles)
9752 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-variables
9753 @item gnus-newsgroup-variables
9754 A list of newsgroup (summary buffer) local variables, or cons of
9755 variables and their default values (when the default values are not
9756 nil), that should be made global while the summary buffer is active.
9757 These variables can be used to set variables in the group parameters
9758 while still allowing them to affect operations done in other
9759 buffers. For example:
9762 (setq gnus-newsgroup-variables
9763 '(message-use-followup-to
9764 (gnus-visible-headers .
9765 "^From:\\|^Newsgroups:\\|^Subject:\\|^Date:\\|^To:")))
9771 @node Summary Group Information
9772 @subsection Summary Group Information
9777 @kindex H f (Summary)
9778 @findex gnus-summary-fetch-faq
9779 @vindex gnus-group-faq-directory
9780 Try to fetch the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions) for the
9781 current group (@code{gnus-summary-fetch-faq}). Gnus will try to get the
9782 FAQ from @code{gnus-group-faq-directory}, which is usually a directory
9783 on a remote machine. This variable can also be a list of directories.
9784 In that case, giving a prefix to this command will allow you to choose
9785 between the various sites. @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will probably
9786 be used for fetching the file.
9789 @kindex H d (Summary)
9790 @findex gnus-summary-describe-group
9791 Give a brief description of the current group
9792 (@code{gnus-summary-describe-group}). If given a prefix, force
9793 rereading the description from the server.
9796 @kindex H h (Summary)
9797 @findex gnus-summary-describe-briefly
9798 Give an extremely brief description of the most important summary
9799 keystrokes (@code{gnus-summary-describe-briefly}).
9802 @kindex H i (Summary)
9803 @findex gnus-info-find-node
9804 Go to the Gnus info node (@code{gnus-info-find-node}).
9808 @node Searching for Articles
9809 @subsection Searching for Articles
9814 @kindex M-s (Summary)
9815 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-forward
9816 Search through all subsequent (raw) articles for a regexp
9817 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-forward}).
9820 @kindex M-r (Summary)
9821 @findex gnus-summary-search-article-backward
9822 Search through all previous (raw) articles for a regexp
9823 (@code{gnus-summary-search-article-backward}).
9827 @findex gnus-summary-execute-command
9828 This command will prompt you for a header, a regular expression to match
9829 on this field, and a command to be executed if the match is made
9830 (@code{gnus-summary-execute-command}). If the header is an empty
9831 string, the match is done on the entire article. If given a prefix,
9832 search backward instead.
9834 For instance, @kbd{& RET some.*string #} will put the process mark on
9835 all articles that have heads or bodies that match @samp{some.*string}.
9838 @kindex M-& (Summary)
9839 @findex gnus-summary-universal-argument
9840 Perform any operation on all articles that have been marked with
9841 the process mark (@code{gnus-summary-universal-argument}).
9844 @node Summary Generation Commands
9845 @subsection Summary Generation Commands
9850 @kindex Y g (Summary)
9851 @findex gnus-summary-prepare
9852 Regenerate the current summary buffer (@code{gnus-summary-prepare}).
9855 @kindex Y c (Summary)
9856 @findex gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles
9857 Pull all cached articles (for the current group) into the summary buffer
9858 (@code{gnus-summary-insert-cached-articles}).
9863 @node Really Various Summary Commands
9864 @subsection Really Various Summary Commands
9870 @kindex C-d (Summary)
9871 @kindex A D (Summary)
9872 @findex gnus-summary-enter-digest-group
9873 If the current article is a collection of other articles (for instance,
9874 a digest), you might use this command to enter a group based on the that
9875 article (@code{gnus-summary-enter-digest-group}). Gnus will try to
9876 guess what article type is currently displayed unless you give a prefix
9877 to this command, which forces a ``digest'' interpretation. Basically,
9878 whenever you see a message that is a collection of other messages of
9879 some format, you @kbd{C-d} and read these messages in a more convenient
9883 @kindex C-M-d (Summary)
9884 @findex gnus-summary-read-document
9885 This command is very similar to the one above, but lets you gather
9886 several documents into one biiig group
9887 (@code{gnus-summary-read-document}). It does this by opening several
9888 @code{nndoc} groups for each document, and then opening an
9889 @code{nnvirtual} group on top of these @code{nndoc} groups. This
9890 command understands the process/prefix convention
9891 (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
9894 @kindex C-t (Summary)
9895 @findex gnus-summary-toggle-truncation
9896 Toggle truncation of summary lines
9897 (@code{gnus-summary-toggle-truncation}). This will probably confuse the
9898 line centering function in the summary buffer, so it's not a good idea
9899 to have truncation switched off while reading articles.
9903 @findex gnus-summary-expand-window
9904 Expand the summary buffer window (@code{gnus-summary-expand-window}).
9905 If given a prefix, force an @code{article} window configuration.
9908 @kindex C-M-e (Summary)
9909 @findex gnus-summary-edit-parameters
9910 Edit the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9911 group (@code{gnus-summary-edit-parameters}).
9914 @kindex C-M-a (Summary)
9915 @findex gnus-summary-customize-parameters
9916 Customize the group parameters (@pxref{Group Parameters}) of the current
9917 group (@code{gnus-summary-customize-parameters}).
9922 @node Exiting the Summary Buffer
9923 @section Exiting the Summary Buffer
9924 @cindex summary exit
9925 @cindex exiting groups
9927 Exiting from the summary buffer will normally update all info on the
9928 group and return you to the group buffer.
9934 @kindex Z Z (Summary)
9936 @findex gnus-summary-exit
9937 @vindex gnus-summary-exit-hook
9938 @vindex gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook
9939 @c @icon{gnus-summary-exit}
9940 Exit the current group and update all information on the group
9941 (@code{gnus-summary-exit}). @code{gnus-summary-prepare-exit-hook} is
9942 called before doing much of the exiting, which calls
9943 @code{gnus-summary-expire-articles} by default.
9944 @code{gnus-summary-exit-hook} is called after finishing the exit
9945 process. @code{gnus-group-no-more-groups-hook} is run when returning to
9946 group mode having no more (unread) groups.
9950 @kindex Z E (Summary)
9952 @findex gnus-summary-exit-no-update
9953 Exit the current group without updating any information on the group
9954 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}).
9958 @kindex Z c (Summary)
9960 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit
9961 @c @icon{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}
9962 Mark all unticked articles in the group as read and then exit
9963 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-exit}).
9966 @kindex Z C (Summary)
9967 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit
9968 Mark all articles, even the ticked ones, as read and then exit
9969 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-all-and-exit}).
9972 @kindex Z n (Summary)
9973 @findex gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group
9974 Mark all articles as read and go to the next group
9975 (@code{gnus-summary-catchup-and-goto-next-group}).
9978 @kindex Z R (Summary)
9979 @findex gnus-summary-reselect-current-group
9980 Exit this group, and then enter it again
9981 (@code{gnus-summary-reselect-current-group}). If given a prefix, select
9982 all articles, both read and unread.
9986 @kindex Z G (Summary)
9987 @kindex M-g (Summary)
9988 @findex gnus-summary-rescan-group
9989 @c @icon{gnus-summary-mail-get}
9990 Exit the group, check for new articles in the group, and select the
9991 group (@code{gnus-summary-rescan-group}). If given a prefix, select all
9992 articles, both read and unread.
9995 @kindex Z N (Summary)
9996 @findex gnus-summary-next-group
9997 Exit the group and go to the next group
9998 (@code{gnus-summary-next-group}).
10001 @kindex Z P (Summary)
10002 @findex gnus-summary-prev-group
10003 Exit the group and go to the previous group
10004 (@code{gnus-summary-prev-group}).
10007 @kindex Z s (Summary)
10008 @findex gnus-summary-save-newsrc
10009 Save the current number of read/marked articles in the dribble buffer
10010 and then save the dribble buffer (@code{gnus-summary-save-newsrc}). If
10011 given a prefix, also save the @file{.newsrc} file(s). Using this
10012 command will make exit without updating (the @kbd{Q} command) worthless.
10015 @vindex gnus-exit-group-hook
10016 @code{gnus-exit-group-hook} is called when you exit the current group
10017 with an ``updating'' exit. For instance @kbd{Q}
10018 (@code{gnus-summary-exit-no-update}) does not call this hook.
10020 @findex gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead
10021 @findex gnus-dead-summary-mode
10022 @vindex gnus-kill-summary-on-exit
10023 If you're in the habit of exiting groups, and then changing your mind
10024 about it, you might set @code{gnus-kill-summary-on-exit} to @code{nil}.
10025 If you do that, Gnus won't kill the summary buffer when you exit it.
10026 (Quelle surprise!) Instead it will change the name of the buffer to
10027 something like @samp{*Dead Summary ... *} and install a minor mode
10028 called @code{gnus-dead-summary-mode}. Now, if you switch back to this
10029 buffer, you'll find that all keys are mapped to a function called
10030 @code{gnus-summary-wake-up-the-dead}. So tapping any keys in a dead
10031 summary buffer will result in a live, normal summary buffer.
10033 There will never be more than one dead summary buffer at any one time.
10035 @vindex gnus-use-cross-reference
10036 The data on the current group will be updated (which articles you have
10037 read, which articles you have replied to, etc.) when you exit the
10038 summary buffer. If the @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} variable is
10039 @code{t} (which is the default), articles that are cross-referenced to
10040 this group and are marked as read, will also be marked as read in the
10041 other subscribed groups they were cross-posted to. If this variable is
10042 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, the article will be marked as read in
10043 both subscribed and unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}).
10046 @node Crosspost Handling
10047 @section Crosspost Handling
10051 Marking cross-posted articles as read ensures that you'll never have to
10052 read the same article more than once. Unless, of course, somebody has
10053 posted it to several groups separately. Posting the same article to
10054 several groups (not cross-posting) is called @dfn{spamming}, and you are
10055 by law required to send nasty-grams to anyone who perpetrates such a
10056 heinous crime. You may want to try NoCeM handling to filter out spam
10059 Remember: Cross-posting is kinda ok, but posting the same article
10060 separately to several groups is not. Massive cross-posting (aka.
10061 @dfn{velveeta}) is to be avoided at all costs, and you can even use the
10062 @code{gnus-summary-mail-crosspost-complaint} command to complain about
10063 excessive crossposting (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
10065 @cindex cross-posting
10068 One thing that may cause Gnus to not do the cross-posting thing
10069 correctly is if you use an @sc{nntp} server that supports @sc{xover}
10070 (which is very nice, because it speeds things up considerably) which
10071 does not include the @code{Xref} header in its @sc{nov} lines. This is
10072 Evil, but all too common, alas, alack. Gnus tries to Do The Right Thing
10073 even with @sc{xover} by registering the @code{Xref} lines of all
10074 articles you actually read, but if you kill the articles, or just mark
10075 them as read without reading them, Gnus will not get a chance to snoop
10076 the @code{Xref} lines out of these articles, and will be unable to use
10077 the cross reference mechanism.
10079 @cindex LIST overview.fmt
10080 @cindex overview.fmt
10081 To check whether your @sc{nntp} server includes the @code{Xref} header
10082 in its overview files, try @samp{telnet your.nntp.server nntp},
10083 @samp{MODE READER} on @code{inn} servers, and then say @samp{LIST
10084 overview.fmt}. This may not work, but if it does, and the last line you
10085 get does not read @samp{Xref:full}, then you should shout and whine at
10086 your news admin until she includes the @code{Xref} header in the
10089 @vindex gnus-nov-is-evil
10090 If you want Gnus to get the @code{Xref}s right all the time, you have to
10091 set @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{t}, which slows things down
10096 For an alternative approach, @pxref{Duplicate Suppression}.
10099 @node Duplicate Suppression
10100 @section Duplicate Suppression
10102 By default, Gnus tries to make sure that you don't have to read the same
10103 article more than once by utilizing the crossposting mechanism
10104 (@pxref{Crosspost Handling}). However, that simple and efficient
10105 approach may not work satisfactory for some users for various
10110 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to generate the @code{Xref} header. This
10111 is evil and not very common.
10114 The @sc{nntp} server may fail to include the @code{Xref} header in the
10115 @file{.overview} data bases. This is evil and all too common, alas.
10118 You may be reading the same group (or several related groups) from
10119 different @sc{nntp} servers.
10122 You may be getting mail that duplicates articles posted to groups.
10125 I'm sure there are other situations where @code{Xref} handling fails as
10126 well, but these four are the most common situations.
10128 If, and only if, @code{Xref} handling fails for you, then you may
10129 consider switching on @dfn{duplicate suppression}. If you do so, Gnus
10130 will remember the @code{Message-ID}s of all articles you have read or
10131 otherwise marked as read, and then, as if by magic, mark them as read
10132 all subsequent times you see them---in @emph{all} groups. Using this
10133 mechanism is quite likely to be somewhat inefficient, but not overly
10134 so. It's certainly preferable to reading the same articles more than
10137 Duplicate suppression is not a very subtle instrument. It's more like a
10138 sledge hammer than anything else. It works in a very simple
10139 fashion---if you have marked an article as read, it adds this Message-ID
10140 to a cache. The next time it sees this Message-ID, it will mark the
10141 article as read with the @samp{M} mark. It doesn't care what group it
10142 saw the article in.
10145 @item gnus-suppress-duplicates
10146 @vindex gnus-suppress-duplicates
10147 If non-@code{nil}, suppress duplicates.
10149 @item gnus-save-duplicate-list
10150 @vindex gnus-save-duplicate-list
10151 If non-@code{nil}, save the list of duplicates to a file. This will
10152 make startup and shutdown take longer, so the default is @code{nil}.
10153 However, this means that only duplicate articles read in a single Gnus
10154 session are suppressed.
10156 @item gnus-duplicate-list-length
10157 @vindex gnus-duplicate-list-length
10158 This variable says how many @code{Message-ID}s to keep in the duplicate
10159 suppression list. The default is 10000.
10161 @item gnus-duplicate-file
10162 @vindex gnus-duplicate-file
10163 The name of the file to store the duplicate suppression list in. The
10164 default is @file{~/News/suppression}.
10167 If you have a tendency to stop and start Gnus often, setting
10168 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{t} is probably a good idea. If
10169 you leave Gnus running for weeks on end, you may have it @code{nil}. On
10170 the other hand, saving the list makes startup and shutdown much slower,
10171 so that means that if you stop and start Gnus often, you should set
10172 @code{gnus-save-duplicate-list} to @code{nil}. Uhm. I'll leave this up
10173 to you to figure out, I think.
10178 Gnus is able to verify signed messages or decrypt encrypted messages.
10179 The formats that are supported are PGP, @sc{pgp/mime} and @sc{s/mime},
10180 however you need some external programs to get things to work:
10184 To handle PGP messages, you have to install mailcrypt or gpg.el as
10185 well as a OpenPGP implementation (such as GnuPG).
10188 To handle @sc{s/mime} message, you need to install OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.6
10189 or newer is recommended.
10193 More information on how to set things up can be found in the message
10194 manual (@pxref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}).
10197 @item mm-verify-option
10198 @vindex mm-verify-option
10199 Option of verifying signed parts. @code{never}, not verify;
10200 @code{always}, always verify; @code{known}, only verify known
10201 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10203 @item mm-decrypt-option
10204 @vindex mm-decrypt-option
10205 Option of decrypting encrypted parts. @code{never}, no decryption;
10206 @code{always}, always decrypt; @code{known}, only decrypt known
10207 protocols. Otherwise, ask user.
10212 @section Mailing List
10214 @kindex A M (summary)
10215 @findex gnus-mailing-list-insinuate
10216 Gnus understands some mailing list fields of RFC 2369. To enable it,
10217 either add a `to-list' group parameter (@pxref{Group Parameters}),
10218 possibly using @kbd{A M} (@code{gnus-mailing-list-insinuate}) in the
10219 summary buffer, or say:
10222 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'turn-on-gnus-mailing-list-mode)
10225 That enables the following commands to the summary buffer:
10230 @kindex C-c C-n h (Summary)
10231 @findex gnus-mailing-list-help
10232 Send a message to fetch mailing list help, if List-Help field exists.
10235 @kindex C-c C-n s (Summary)
10236 @findex gnus-mailing-list-subscribe
10237 Send a message to subscribe the mailing list, if List-Subscribe field exists.
10240 @kindex C-c C-n u (Summary)
10241 @findex gnus-mailing-list-unsubscribe
10242 Send a message to unsubscribe the mailing list, if List-Unsubscribe
10246 @kindex C-c C-n p (Summary)
10247 @findex gnus-mailing-list-post
10248 Post to the mailing list, if List-Post field exists.
10251 @kindex C-c C-n o (Summary)
10252 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10253 Send a message to the mailing list owner, if List-Owner field exists.
10256 @kindex C-c C-n a (Summary)
10257 @findex gnus-mailing-list-owner
10258 Browse the mailing list archive, if List-Archive field exists.
10262 @node Article Buffer
10263 @chapter Article Buffer
10264 @cindex article buffer
10266 The articles are displayed in the article buffer, of which there is only
10267 one. All the summary buffers share the same article buffer unless you
10268 tell Gnus otherwise.
10271 * Hiding Headers:: Deciding what headers should be displayed.
10272 * Using MIME:: Pushing articles through @sc{mime} before reading them.
10273 * Customizing Articles:: Tailoring the look of the articles.
10274 * Article Keymap:: Keystrokes available in the article buffer.
10275 * Misc Article:: Other stuff.
10279 @node Hiding Headers
10280 @section Hiding Headers
10281 @cindex hiding headers
10282 @cindex deleting headers
10284 The top section of each article is the @dfn{head}. (The rest is the
10285 @dfn{body}, but you may have guessed that already.)
10287 @vindex gnus-show-all-headers
10288 There is a lot of useful information in the head: the name of the person
10289 who wrote the article, the date it was written and the subject of the
10290 article. That's well and nice, but there's also lots of information
10291 most people do not want to see---what systems the article has passed
10292 through before reaching you, the @code{Message-ID}, the
10293 @code{References}, etc. ad nauseum---and you'll probably want to get rid
10294 of some of those lines. If you want to keep all those lines in the
10295 article buffer, you can set @code{gnus-show-all-headers} to @code{t}.
10297 Gnus provides you with two variables for sifting headers:
10301 @item gnus-visible-headers
10302 @vindex gnus-visible-headers
10303 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression
10304 that says what headers you wish to keep in the article buffer. All
10305 headers that do not match this variable will be hidden.
10307 For instance, if you only want to see the name of the person who wrote
10308 the article and the subject, you'd say:
10311 (setq gnus-visible-headers "^From:\\|^Subject:")
10314 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10317 @item gnus-ignored-headers
10318 @vindex gnus-ignored-headers
10319 This variable is the reverse of @code{gnus-visible-headers}. If this
10320 variable is set (and @code{gnus-visible-headers} is @code{nil}), it
10321 should be a regular expression that matches all lines that you want to
10322 hide. All lines that do not match this variable will remain visible.
10324 For instance, if you just want to get rid of the @code{References} line
10325 and the @code{Xref} line, you might say:
10328 (setq gnus-ignored-headers "^References:\\|^Xref:")
10331 This variable can also be a list of regexps to match headers to
10334 Note that if @code{gnus-visible-headers} is non-@code{nil}, this
10335 variable will have no effect.
10339 @vindex gnus-sorted-header-list
10340 Gnus can also sort the headers for you. (It does this by default.) You
10341 can control the sorting by setting the @code{gnus-sorted-header-list}
10342 variable. It is a list of regular expressions that says in what order
10343 the headers are to be displayed.
10345 For instance, if you want the name of the author of the article first,
10346 and then the subject, you might say something like:
10349 (setq gnus-sorted-header-list '("^From:" "^Subject:"))
10352 Any headers that are to remain visible, but are not listed in this
10353 variable, will be displayed in random order after all the headers listed in this variable.
10355 @findex gnus-article-hide-boring-headers
10356 @vindex gnus-boring-article-headers
10357 You can hide further boring headers by setting
10358 @code{gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers} to @code{head}. What this function
10359 does depends on the @code{gnus-boring-article-headers} variable. It's a
10360 list, but this list doesn't actually contain header names. Instead is
10361 lists various @dfn{boring conditions} that Gnus can check and remove
10364 These conditions are:
10367 Remove all empty headers.
10369 Remove the @code{Followup-To} header if it is identical to the
10370 @code{Newsgroups} header.
10372 Remove the @code{Reply-To} header if it lists the same address as the
10373 @code{From} header.
10375 Remove the @code{Newsgroups} header if it only contains the current group
10378 Remove the @code{To} header if it only contains the address identical to
10379 the current groups's @code{to-address} parameter.
10381 Remove the @code{Date} header if the article is less than three days
10384 Remove the @code{To} header if it is very long.
10386 Remove all @code{To} headers if there are more than one.
10389 To include these three elements, you could say something like:
10392 (setq gnus-boring-article-headers
10393 '(empty followup-to reply-to))
10396 This is also the default value for this variable.
10400 @section Using MIME
10403 Mime is a standard for waving your hands through the air, aimlessly,
10404 while people stand around yawning.
10406 @sc{mime}, however, is a standard for encoding your articles, aimlessly,
10407 while all newsreaders die of fear.
10409 @sc{mime} may specify what character set the article uses, the encoding
10410 of the characters, and it also makes it possible to embed pictures and
10411 other naughty stuff in innocent-looking articles.
10413 @vindex gnus-display-mime-function
10414 @findex gnus-display-mime
10415 Gnus pushes @sc{mime} articles through @code{gnus-display-mime-function}
10416 to display the @sc{mime} parts. This is @code{gnus-display-mime} by
10417 default, which creates a bundle of clickable buttons that can be used to
10418 display, save and manipulate the @sc{mime} objects.
10420 The following commands are available when you have placed point over a
10424 @findex gnus-article-press-button
10425 @item RET (Article)
10426 @kindex RET (Article)
10427 @itemx BUTTON-2 (Article)
10428 Toggle displaying of the @sc{mime} object
10429 (@code{gnus-article-press-button}). If builtin viewers can not display
10430 the object, Gnus resorts to external viewers in the @file{mailcap}
10431 files. If a viewer has the @samp{copiousoutput} specification, the
10432 object is displayed inline.
10434 @findex gnus-mime-view-part
10435 @item M-RET (Article)
10436 @kindex M-RET (Article)
10438 Prompt for a method, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10439 method (@code{gnus-mime-view-part}).
10441 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-type
10443 @kindex t (Article)
10444 View the @sc{mime} object as if it were a different @sc{mime} media type
10445 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-type}).
10447 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset
10449 @kindex C (Article)
10450 Prompt for a charset, and then view the @sc{mime} object using this
10451 charset (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-as-charset}).
10453 @findex gnus-mime-save-part
10455 @kindex o (Article)
10456 Prompt for a file name, and then save the @sc{mime} object
10457 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part}).
10459 @findex gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip
10460 @item C-o (Article)
10461 @kindex C-o (Article)
10462 Prompt for a file name, then save the @sc{mime} object and strip it from
10463 the article. Then proceed to article editing, where a reasonable
10464 suggestion is being made on how the altered article should look
10465 like. The stripped @sc{mime} object will be referred via the
10466 message/external-body @sc{mime} type.
10467 (@code{gnus-mime-save-part-and-strip}).
10469 @findex gnus-mime-copy-part
10471 @kindex c (Article)
10472 Copy the @sc{mime} object to a fresh buffer and display this buffer
10473 (@code{gnus-mime-copy-part}).
10475 @findex gnus-mime-print-part
10477 @kindex p (Article)
10478 Print the @sc{mime} object (@code{gnus-mime-print-part}). This
10479 command respects the @samp{print=} specifications in the
10480 @file{.mailcap} file.
10482 @findex gnus-mime-inline-part
10484 @kindex i (Article)
10485 Insert the contents of the @sc{mime} object into the buffer
10486 (@code{gnus-mime-inline-part}) as text/plain. If given a prefix, insert
10487 the raw contents without decoding. If given a numerical prefix, you can
10488 do semi-manual charset stuff (see
10489 @code{gnus-summary-show-article-charset-alist} in @pxref{Paging the
10492 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-internally
10494 @kindex E (Article)
10495 View the @sc{mime} object with an internal viewer. If no internal
10496 viewer is available, use an external viewer
10497 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-internally}).
10499 @findex gnus-mime-view-part-externally
10501 @kindex e (Article)
10502 View the @sc{mime} object with an external viewer.
10503 (@code{gnus-mime-view-part-externally}).
10505 @findex gnus-mime-pipe-part
10507 @kindex | (Article)
10508 Output the @sc{mime} object to a process (@code{gnus-mime-pipe-part}).
10510 @findex gnus-mime-action-on-part
10512 @kindex . (Article)
10513 Interactively run an action on the @sc{mime} object
10514 (@code{gnus-mime-action-on-part}).
10518 Gnus will display some @sc{mime} objects automatically. The way Gnus
10519 determines which parts to do this with is described in the Emacs
10522 It might be best to just use the toggling functions from the article
10523 buffer to avoid getting nasty surprises. (For instance, you enter the
10524 group @samp{alt.sing-a-long} and, before you know it, @sc{mime} has
10525 decoded the sound file in the article and some horrible sing-a-long song
10526 comes screaming out your speakers, and you can't find the volume button,
10527 because there isn't one, and people are starting to look at you, and you
10528 try to stop the program, but you can't, and you can't find the program
10529 to control the volume, and everybody else in the room suddenly decides
10530 to look at you disdainfully, and you'll feel rather stupid.)
10532 Any similarity to real events and people is purely coincidental. Ahem.
10534 Also see @pxref{MIME Commands}.
10537 @node Customizing Articles
10538 @section Customizing Articles
10539 @cindex article customization
10541 A slew of functions for customizing how the articles are to look like
10542 exist. You can call these functions interactively, or you can have them
10543 called automatically when you select the articles.
10545 To have them called automatically, you should set the corresponding
10546 ``treatment'' variable. For instance, to have headers hidden, you'd set
10547 @code{gnus-treat-hide-headers}. Below is a list of variables that can
10548 be set, but first we discuss the values these variables can have.
10550 Note: Some values, while valid, make little sense. Check the list below
10551 for sensible values.
10555 @code{nil}: Don't do this treatment.
10558 @code{t}: Do this treatment on all body parts.
10561 @code{head}: Do the treatment on the headers.
10564 @code{last}: Do this treatment on the last part.
10567 An integer: Do this treatment on all body parts that have a length less
10571 A list of strings: Do this treatment on all body parts that are in
10572 articles that are read in groups that have names that match one of the
10573 regexps in the list.
10576 A list where the first element is not a string:
10578 The list is evaluated recursively. The first element of the list is a
10579 predicate. The following predicates are recognized: @code{or},
10580 @code{and}, @code{not} and @code{typep}. Here's an example:
10584 (typep "text/x-vcard"))
10589 You may have noticed that the word @dfn{part} is used here. This refers
10590 to the fact that some messages are @sc{mime} multipart articles that may
10591 be divided into several parts. Articles that are not multiparts are
10592 considered to contain just a single part.
10594 @vindex gnus-article-treat-types
10595 Are the treatments applied to all sorts of multipart parts? Yes, if you
10596 want to, but by default, only @samp{text/plain} parts are given the
10597 treatment. This is controlled by the @code{gnus-article-treat-types}
10598 variable, which is a list of regular expressions that are matched to the
10599 type of the part. This variable is ignored if the value of the
10600 controlling variable is a predicate list, as described above.
10602 The following treatment options are available. The easiest way to
10603 customize this is to examine the @code{gnus-article-treat} customization
10604 group. Values in parenthesis are suggested sensible values. Others are
10605 possible but those listed are probably sufficient for most people.
10608 @item gnus-treat-buttonize (t, integer)
10609 @item gnus-treat-buttonize-head (head)
10611 @xref{Article Buttons}.
10613 @item gnus-treat-capitalize-sentences (t, integer)
10614 @item gnus-treat-overstrike (t, integer)
10615 @item gnus-treat-strip-cr (t, integer)
10616 @item gnus-treat-strip-headers-in-body (t, integer)
10617 @item gnus-treat-strip-leading-blank-lines (t, integer)
10618 @item gnus-treat-strip-multiple-blank-lines (t, integer)
10619 @item gnus-treat-strip-pem (t, last, integer)
10620 @item gnus-treat-strip-pgp (t, last, integer)
10621 @item gnus-treat-strip-trailing-blank-lines (t, last, integer)
10622 @item gnus-treat-unsplit-urls (t, integer)
10624 @xref{Article Washing}.
10626 @item gnus-treat-date-english (head)
10627 @item gnus-treat-date-iso8601 (head)
10628 @item gnus-treat-date-lapsed (head)
10629 @item gnus-treat-date-local (head)
10630 @item gnus-treat-date-original (head)
10631 @item gnus-treat-date-user-defined (head)
10632 @item gnus-treat-date-ut (head)
10634 @xref{Article Date}.
10636 @item gnus-treat-from-picon (head)
10637 @item gnus-treat-mail-picon (head)
10638 @item gnus-treat-newsgroups-picon (head)
10642 @item gnus-treat-display-smileys (t, integer)
10644 @item gnus-treat-body-boundary (head)
10646 @vindex gnus-body-boundary-delimiter
10647 Adds a delimiter between header and body, the string used as delimiter
10648 is controlled by @code{gnus-body-boundary-delimiter}.
10652 @item gnus-treat-display-xface (head)
10656 @item gnus-treat-emphasize (t, head, integer)
10657 @item gnus-treat-fill-article (t, integer)
10658 @item gnus-treat-fill-long-lines (t, integer)
10659 @item gnus-treat-hide-boring-headers (head)
10660 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation (t, integer)
10661 @item gnus-treat-hide-citation-maybe (t, integer)
10662 @item gnus-treat-hide-headers (head)
10663 @item gnus-treat-hide-signature (t, last)
10665 @xref{Article Hiding}.
10667 @item gnus-treat-highlight-citation (t, integer)
10668 @item gnus-treat-highlight-headers (head)
10669 @item gnus-treat-highlight-signature (t, last, integer)
10671 @xref{Article Highlighting}.
10673 @item gnus-treat-play-sounds
10674 @item gnus-treat-translate
10675 @item gnus-treat-x-pgp-sig (head)
10677 @item gnus-treat-unfold-headers (head)
10678 @item gnus-treat-fold-headers (head)
10679 @item gnus-treat-fold-newsgroups (head)
10680 @item gnus-treat-leading-whitespace (head)
10682 @xref{Article Header}.
10687 @vindex gnus-part-display-hook
10688 You can, of course, write your own functions to be called from
10689 @code{gnus-part-display-hook}. The functions are called narrowed to the
10690 part, and you can do anything you like, pretty much. There is no
10691 information that you have to keep in the buffer---you can change
10695 @node Article Keymap
10696 @section Article Keymap
10698 Most of the keystrokes in the summary buffer can also be used in the
10699 article buffer. They should behave as if you typed them in the summary
10700 buffer, which means that you don't actually have to have a summary
10701 buffer displayed while reading. You can do it all from the article
10704 A few additional keystrokes are available:
10709 @kindex SPACE (Article)
10710 @findex gnus-article-next-page
10711 Scroll forwards one page (@code{gnus-article-next-page}).
10714 @kindex DEL (Article)
10715 @findex gnus-article-prev-page
10716 Scroll backwards one page (@code{gnus-article-prev-page}).
10719 @kindex C-c ^ (Article)
10720 @findex gnus-article-refer-article
10721 If point is in the neighborhood of a @code{Message-ID} and you press
10722 @kbd{C-c ^}, Gnus will try to get that article from the server
10723 (@code{gnus-article-refer-article}).
10726 @kindex C-c C-m (Article)
10727 @findex gnus-article-mail
10728 Send a reply to the address near point (@code{gnus-article-mail}). If
10729 given a prefix, include the mail.
10732 @kindex s (Article)
10733 @findex gnus-article-show-summary
10734 Reconfigure the buffers so that the summary buffer becomes visible
10735 (@code{gnus-article-show-summary}).
10738 @kindex ? (Article)
10739 @findex gnus-article-describe-briefly
10740 Give a very brief description of the available keystrokes
10741 (@code{gnus-article-describe-briefly}).
10744 @kindex TAB (Article)
10745 @findex gnus-article-next-button
10746 Go to the next button, if any (@code{gnus-article-next-button}). This
10747 only makes sense if you have buttonizing turned on.
10750 @kindex M-TAB (Article)
10751 @findex gnus-article-prev-button
10752 Go to the previous button, if any (@code{gnus-article-prev-button}).
10755 @kindex R (Article)
10756 @findex gnus-article-reply-with-original
10757 Send a reply to the current article and yank the current article
10758 (@code{gnus-article-reply-with-original}). If given a prefix, make a
10759 wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10763 @kindex F (Article)
10764 @findex gnus-article-followup-with-original
10765 Send a followup to the current article and yank the current article
10766 (@code{gnus-article-followup-with-original}). If given a prefix, make
10767 a wide reply. If the region is active, only yank the text in the
10775 @section Misc Article
10779 @item gnus-single-article-buffer
10780 @vindex gnus-single-article-buffer
10781 If non-@code{nil}, use the same article buffer for all the groups.
10782 (This is the default.) If @code{nil}, each group will have its own
10785 @vindex gnus-article-decode-hook
10786 @item gnus-article-decode-hook
10788 Hook used to decode @sc{mime} articles. The default value is
10789 @code{(article-decode-charset article-decode-encoded-words)}
10791 @vindex gnus-article-prepare-hook
10792 @item gnus-article-prepare-hook
10793 This hook is called right after the article has been inserted into the
10794 article buffer. It is mainly intended for functions that do something
10795 depending on the contents; it should probably not be used for changing
10796 the contents of the article buffer.
10798 @item gnus-article-mode-hook
10799 @vindex gnus-article-mode-hook
10800 Hook called in article mode buffers.
10802 @item gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10803 @vindex gnus-article-mode-syntax-table
10804 Syntax table used in article buffers. It is initialized from
10805 @code{text-mode-syntax-table}.
10807 @vindex gnus-article-mode-line-format
10808 @item gnus-article-mode-line-format
10809 This variable is a format string along the same lines as
10810 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format} (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}). It
10811 accepts the same format specifications as that variable, with two
10817 The @dfn{wash status} of the article. This is a short string with one
10818 character for each possible article wash operation that may have been
10819 performed. The characters and their meaning:
10824 Displayed when cited text may be hidden in the article buffer.
10827 Displayed when headers are hidden in the article buffer.
10830 Displayed when article is digitally signed or encrypted, and Gnus has
10831 hidden the security headers. (N.B. does not tell anything about
10832 security status, i.e. good or bad signature.)
10835 Displayed when the signature has been hidden in the Article buffer.
10838 Displayed when Gnus has treated overstrike characters in the article buffer.
10841 Displayed when Gnus has treated emphasised strings in the article buffer.
10846 The number of @sc{mime} parts in the article.
10850 @vindex gnus-break-pages
10852 @item gnus-break-pages
10853 Controls whether @dfn{page breaking} is to take place. If this variable
10854 is non-@code{nil}, the articles will be divided into pages whenever a
10855 page delimiter appears in the article. If this variable is @code{nil},
10856 paging will not be done.
10858 @item gnus-page-delimiter
10859 @vindex gnus-page-delimiter
10860 This is the delimiter mentioned above. By default, it is @samp{^L}
10865 @node Composing Messages
10866 @chapter Composing Messages
10867 @cindex composing messages
10870 @cindex sending mail
10875 @cindex using s/mime
10876 @cindex using smime
10878 @kindex C-c C-c (Post)
10879 All commands for posting and mailing will put you in a message buffer
10880 where you can edit the article all you like, before you send the
10881 article by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}. @xref{Top, , Overview, message,
10882 Message Manual}. Where the message will be posted/mailed to depends
10883 on your setup (@pxref{Posting Server}).
10886 * Mail:: Mailing and replying.
10887 * Posting Server:: What server should you post and mail via?
10888 * Mail and Post:: Mailing and posting at the same time.
10889 * Archived Messages:: Where Gnus stores the messages you've sent.
10890 * Posting Styles:: An easier way to specify who you are.
10891 * Drafts:: Postponing messages and rejected messages.
10892 * Rejected Articles:: What happens if the server doesn't like your article?
10893 * Signing and encrypting:: How to compose secure messages.
10896 Also see @pxref{Canceling and Superseding} for information on how to
10897 remove articles you shouldn't have posted.
10903 Variables for customizing outgoing mail:
10906 @item gnus-uu-digest-headers
10907 @vindex gnus-uu-digest-headers
10908 List of regexps to match headers included in digested messages. The
10909 headers will be included in the sequence they are matched. If
10910 @code{nil} include all headers.
10912 @item gnus-add-to-list
10913 @vindex gnus-add-to-list
10914 If non-@code{nil}, add a @code{to-list} group parameter to mail groups
10915 that have none when you do a @kbd{a}.
10917 @item gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10918 @vindex gnus-confirm-mail-reply-to-news
10919 If non-@code{nil}, Gnus requests confirmation when replying to news.
10920 If you find yourself never wanting to reply to mail, but occasionally
10921 press R anyway, this variable might be for you.
10926 @node Posting Server
10927 @section Posting Server
10929 When you press those magical @kbd{C-c C-c} keys to ship off your latest
10930 (extremely intelligent, of course) article, where does it go?
10932 Thank you for asking. I hate you.
10934 It can be quite complicated.
10936 @vindex gnus-post-method
10937 When posting news, Message usually invokes @code{message-send-news}
10938 (@pxref{News Variables, , News Variables, message, Message Manual}).
10939 Normally, Gnus will post using the same select method as you're
10940 reading from (which might be convenient if you're reading lots of
10941 groups from different private servers). However. If the server
10942 you're reading from doesn't allow posting, just reading, you probably
10943 want to use some other server to post your (extremely intelligent and
10944 fabulously interesting) articles. You can then set the
10945 @code{gnus-post-method} to some other method:
10948 (setq gnus-post-method '(nnspool ""))
10951 Now, if you've done this, and then this server rejects your article, or
10952 this server is down, what do you do then? To override this variable you
10953 can use a non-zero prefix to the @kbd{C-c C-c} command to force using
10954 the ``current'' server, to get back the default behavior, for posting.
10956 If you give a zero prefix (i.e., @kbd{C-u 0 C-c C-c}) to that command,
10957 Gnus will prompt you for what method to use for posting.
10959 You can also set @code{gnus-post-method} to a list of select methods.
10960 If that's the case, Gnus will always prompt you for what method to use
10963 Finally, if you want to always post using the native select method,
10964 you can set this variable to @code{native}.
10966 When sending mail, Message invokes @code{message-send-mail-function}.
10967 The default function, @code{message-send-mail-with-sendmail}, pipes
10968 your article to the @code{sendmail} binary for further queuing and
10969 sending. When your local system is not configured for sending mail
10970 using @code{sendmail}, and you have access to a remote @sc{smtp}
10971 server, you can set @code{message-send-mail-function} to
10972 @code{smtpmail-send-it} and make sure to setup the @code{smtpmail}
10973 package correctly. An example:
10976 (setq message-send-mail-function 'smtpmail-send-it
10977 smtpmail-default-smtp-server "YOUR SMTP HOST")
10980 To the thing similar to this, there is @code{message-smtpmail-send-it}.
10981 It is useful if your ISP requires the POP-before-SMTP authentication.
10982 See the documentation for the function @code{mail-source-touch-pop}.
10984 Other possible choises for @code{message-send-mail-function} includes
10985 @code{message-send-mail-with-mh}, @code{message-send-mail-with-qmail},
10986 and @code{feedmail-send-it}.
10988 @node Mail and Post
10989 @section Mail and Post
10991 Here's a list of variables relevant to both mailing and
10995 @item gnus-mailing-list-groups
10996 @findex gnus-mailing-list-groups
10997 @cindex mailing lists
10999 If your news server offers groups that are really mailing lists
11000 gatewayed to the @sc{nntp} server, you can read those groups without
11001 problems, but you can't post/followup to them without some difficulty.
11002 One solution is to add a @code{to-address} to the group parameters
11003 (@pxref{Group Parameters}). An easier thing to do is set the
11004 @code{gnus-mailing-list-groups} to a regexp that matches the groups that
11005 really are mailing lists. Then, at least, followups to the mailing
11006 lists will work most of the time. Posting to these groups (@kbd{a}) is
11007 still a pain, though.
11011 You may want to do spell-checking on messages that you send out. Or, if
11012 you don't want to spell-check by hand, you could add automatic
11013 spell-checking via the @code{ispell} package:
11016 @findex ispell-message
11018 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'ispell-message)
11021 If you want to change the @code{ispell} dictionary based on what group
11022 you're in, you could say something like the following:
11025 (add-hook 'gnus-select-group-hook
11029 "^de\\." (gnus-group-real-name gnus-newsgroup-name))
11030 (ispell-change-dictionary "deutsch"))
11032 (ispell-change-dictionary "english")))))
11035 Modify to suit your needs.
11038 @node Archived Messages
11039 @section Archived Messages
11040 @cindex archived messages
11041 @cindex sent messages
11043 Gnus provides a few different methods for storing the mail and news you
11044 send. The default method is to use the @dfn{archive virtual server} to
11045 store the messages. If you want to disable this completely, the
11046 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable should be @code{nil}, which
11049 For archiving interesting messages in a group you read, see the
11050 @kbd{B c} (@code{gnus-summary-copy-article}) command (@pxref{Mail
11053 @vindex gnus-message-archive-method
11054 @code{gnus-message-archive-method} says what virtual server Gnus is to
11055 use to store sent messages. The default is:
11058 (nnfolder "archive"
11059 (nnfolder-directory "~/Mail/archive")
11060 (nnfolder-active-file "~/Mail/archive/active")
11061 (nnfolder-get-new-mail nil)
11062 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t))
11065 You can, however, use any mail select method (@code{nnml},
11066 @code{nnmbox}, etc.). @code{nnfolder} is a quite likable select method
11067 for doing this sort of thing, though. If you don't like the default
11068 directory chosen, you could say something like:
11071 (setq gnus-message-archive-method
11072 '(nnfolder "archive"
11073 (nnfolder-inhibit-expiry t)
11074 (nnfolder-active-file "~/News/sent-mail/active")
11075 (nnfolder-directory "~/News/sent-mail/")))
11078 @vindex gnus-message-archive-group
11080 Gnus will insert @code{Gcc} headers in all outgoing messages that point
11081 to one or more group(s) on that server. Which group to use is
11082 determined by the @code{gnus-message-archive-group} variable.
11084 This variable can be used to do the following:
11089 Messages will be saved in that group.
11091 Note that you can include a select method in the group name, then the
11092 message will not be stored in the select method given by
11093 @code{gnus-message-archive-method}, but in the select method specified
11094 by the group name, instead. Suppose @code{gnus-message-archive-method}
11095 has the default value shown above. Then setting
11096 @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{"foo"} means that outgoing
11097 messages are stored in @samp{nnfolder+archive:foo}, but if you use the
11098 value @code{"nnml:foo"}, then outgoing messages will be stored in
11102 Messages will be saved in all those groups.
11104 an alist of regexps, functions and forms
11105 When a key ``matches'', the result is used.
11108 No message archiving will take place. This is the default.
11113 Just saving to a single group called @samp{MisK}:
11115 (setq gnus-message-archive-group "MisK")
11118 Saving to two groups, @samp{MisK} and @samp{safe}:
11120 (setq gnus-message-archive-group '("MisK" "safe"))
11123 Save to different groups based on what group you are in:
11125 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11126 '(("^alt" "sent-to-alt")
11127 ("mail" "sent-to-mail")
11128 (".*" "sent-to-misc")))
11131 More complex stuff:
11133 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11134 '((if (message-news-p)
11139 How about storing all news messages in one file, but storing all mail
11140 messages in one file per month:
11143 (setq gnus-message-archive-group
11144 '((if (message-news-p)
11146 (concat "mail." (format-time-string "%Y-%m")))))
11149 @c (XEmacs 19.13 doesn't have @code{format-time-string}, so you'll have to
11150 @c use a different value for @code{gnus-message-archive-group} there.)
11152 Now, when you send a message off, it will be stored in the appropriate
11153 group. (If you want to disable storing for just one particular message,
11154 you can just remove the @code{Gcc} header that has been inserted.) The
11155 archive group will appear in the group buffer the next time you start
11156 Gnus, or the next time you press @kbd{F} in the group buffer. You can
11157 enter it and read the articles in it just like you'd read any other
11158 group. If the group gets really big and annoying, you can simply rename
11159 if (using @kbd{G r} in the group buffer) to something
11160 nice---@samp{misc-mail-september-1995}, or whatever. New messages will
11161 continue to be stored in the old (now empty) group.
11163 That's the default method of archiving sent messages. Gnus offers a
11164 different way for the people who don't like the default method. In that
11165 case you should set @code{gnus-message-archive-group} to @code{nil};
11166 this will disable archiving.
11169 @item gnus-outgoing-message-group
11170 @vindex gnus-outgoing-message-group
11171 All outgoing messages will be put in this group. If you want to store
11172 all your outgoing mail and articles in the group @samp{nnml:archive},
11173 you set this variable to that value. This variable can also be a list of
11176 If you want to have greater control over what group to put each
11177 message in, you can set this variable to a function that checks the
11178 current newsgroup name and then returns a suitable group name (or list
11181 This variable can be used instead of @code{gnus-message-archive-group},
11182 but the latter is the preferred method.
11184 @item gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11185 @vindex gnus-gcc-mark-as-read
11186 If non-@code{nil}, automatically mark @code{Gcc} articles as read.
11188 @item gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11189 @vindex gnus-gcc-externalize-attachments
11190 If @code{nil}, attach files as normal parts in Gcc copies; if a regexp
11191 and matches the Gcc group name, attach files as external parts; if it is
11192 @code{all}, attach local files as external parts; if it is other
11193 non-@code{nil}, the behavior is the same as @code{all}, but it may be
11194 changed in the future.
11199 @node Posting Styles
11200 @section Posting Styles
11201 @cindex posting styles
11204 All them variables, they make my head swim.
11206 So what if you want a different @code{Organization} and signature based
11207 on what groups you post to? And you post both from your home machine
11208 and your work machine, and you want different @code{From} lines, and so
11211 @vindex gnus-posting-styles
11212 One way to do stuff like that is to write clever hooks that change the
11213 variables you need to have changed. That's a bit boring, so somebody
11214 came up with the bright idea of letting the user specify these things in
11215 a handy alist. Here's an example of a @code{gnus-posting-styles}
11220 (signature "Peace and happiness")
11221 (organization "What me?"))
11223 (signature "Death to everybody"))
11224 ("comp.emacs.i-love-it"
11225 (organization "Emacs is it")))
11228 As you might surmise from this example, this alist consists of several
11229 @dfn{styles}. Each style will be applicable if the first element
11230 ``matches'', in some form or other. The entire alist will be iterated
11231 over, from the beginning towards the end, and each match will be
11232 applied, which means that attributes in later styles that match override
11233 the same attributes in earlier matching styles. So
11234 @samp{comp.programming.literate} will have the @samp{Death to everybody}
11235 signature and the @samp{What me?} @code{Organization} header.
11237 The first element in each style is called the @code{match}. If it's a
11238 string, then Gnus will try to regexp match it against the group name.
11239 If it is the form @code{(header MATCH REGEXP)}, then Gnus will look in
11240 the original article for a header whose name is MATCH and compare that
11241 REGEXP. MATCH and REGEXP are strings. (There original article is the
11242 one you are replying or following up to. If you are not composing a
11243 reply or a followup, then there is nothing to match against.) If the
11244 @code{match} is a function symbol, that function will be called with no
11245 arguments. If it's a variable symbol, then the variable will be
11246 referenced. If it's a list, then that list will be @code{eval}ed. In
11247 any case, if this returns a non-@code{nil} value, then the style is said
11250 Each style may contain an arbitrary amount of @dfn{attributes}. Each
11251 attribute consists of a @code{(@var{name} @var{value})} pair. The
11252 attribute name can be one of @code{signature}, @code{signature-file},
11253 @code{x-face-file}, @code{address} (overriding
11254 @code{user-mail-address}), @code{name} (overriding
11255 @code{(user-full-name)}) or @code{body}. The attribute name can also
11256 be a string or a symbol. In that case, this will be used as a header
11257 name, and the value will be inserted in the headers of the article; if
11258 the value is @code{nil}, the header name will be removed. If the
11259 attribute name is @code{eval}, the form is evaluated, and the result
11262 The attribute value can be a string (used verbatim), a function with
11263 zero arguments (the return value will be used), a variable (its value
11264 will be used) or a list (it will be @code{eval}ed and the return value
11265 will be used). The functions and sexps are called/@code{eval}ed in the
11266 message buffer that is being set up. The headers of the current article
11267 are available through the @code{message-reply-headers} variable, which
11268 is a vector of the following headers: number subject from date id
11269 references chars lines xref extra.
11271 @vindex message-reply-headers
11273 If you wish to check whether the message you are about to compose is
11274 meant to be a news article or a mail message, you can check the values
11275 of the @code{message-news-p} and @code{message-mail-p} functions.
11277 @findex message-mail-p
11278 @findex message-news-p
11280 So here's a new example:
11283 (setq gnus-posting-styles
11285 (signature-file "~/.signature")
11287 ("X-Home-Page" (getenv "WWW_HOME"))
11288 (organization "People's Front Against MWM"))
11290 (signature my-funny-signature-randomizer))
11291 ((equal (system-name) "gnarly") ;; A form
11292 (signature my-quote-randomizer))
11293 (message-news-p ;; A function symbol
11294 (signature my-news-signature))
11295 (window-system ;; A value symbol
11296 ("X-Window-System" (format "%s" window-system)))
11297 ;; If I'm replying to Larsi, set the Organization header.
11298 ((header "from" "larsi.*org")
11299 (Organization "Somewhere, Inc."))
11300 ((posting-from-work-p) ;; A user defined function
11301 (signature-file "~/.work-signature")
11302 (address "user@@bar.foo")
11303 (body "You are fired.\n\nSincerely, your boss.")
11304 (organization "Important Work, Inc"))
11306 (From (save-excursion
11307 (set-buffer gnus-article-buffer)
11308 (message-fetch-field "to"))))
11310 (signature-file "~/.mail-signature"))))
11313 The @samp{nnml:.*} rule means that you use the @code{To} address as the
11314 @code{From} address in all your outgoing replies, which might be handy
11315 if you fill many roles.
11322 If you are writing a message (mail or news) and suddenly remember that
11323 you have a steak in the oven (or some pesto in the food processor, you
11324 craaazy vegetarians), you'll probably wish there was a method to save
11325 the message you are writing so that you can continue editing it some
11326 other day, and send it when you feel its finished.
11328 Well, don't worry about it. Whenever you start composing a message of
11329 some sort using the Gnus mail and post commands, the buffer you get will
11330 automatically associate to an article in a special @dfn{draft} group.
11331 If you save the buffer the normal way (@kbd{C-x C-s}, for instance), the
11332 article will be saved there. (Auto-save files also go to the draft
11336 @vindex nndraft-directory
11337 The draft group is a special group (which is implemented as an
11338 @code{nndraft} group, if you absolutely have to know) called
11339 @samp{nndraft:drafts}. The variable @code{nndraft-directory} says where
11340 @code{nndraft} is to store its files. What makes this group special is
11341 that you can't tick any articles in it or mark any articles as
11342 read---all articles in the group are permanently unread.
11344 If the group doesn't exist, it will be created and you'll be subscribed
11345 to it. The only way to make it disappear from the Group buffer is to
11348 @c @findex gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft
11349 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Mail)
11350 @c @kindex C-c M-d (Post)
11351 @c @findex gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft
11352 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Mail)
11353 @c @kindex C-c C-d (Post)
11354 @c If you're writing some super-secret message that you later want to
11355 @c encode with PGP before sending, you may wish to turn the auto-saving
11356 @c (and association with the draft group) off. You never know who might be
11357 @c interested in reading all your extremely valuable and terribly horrible
11358 @c and interesting secrets. The @kbd{C-c M-d}
11359 @c (@code{gnus-dissociate-buffer-from-draft}) command does that for you.
11360 @c If you change your mind and want to turn the auto-saving back on again,
11361 @c @kbd{C-c C-d} (@code{gnus-associate-buffer-with-draft} does that.
11363 @c @vindex gnus-use-draft
11364 @c To leave association with the draft group off by default, set
11365 @c @code{gnus-use-draft} to @code{nil}. It is @code{t} by default.
11367 @findex gnus-draft-edit-message
11368 @kindex D e (Draft)
11369 When you want to continue editing the article, you simply enter the
11370 draft group and push @kbd{D e} (@code{gnus-draft-edit-message}) to do
11371 that. You will be placed in a buffer where you left off.
11373 Rejected articles will also be put in this draft group (@pxref{Rejected
11376 @findex gnus-draft-send-all-messages
11377 @findex gnus-draft-send-message
11378 If you have lots of rejected messages you want to post (or mail) without
11379 doing further editing, you can use the @kbd{D s} command
11380 (@code{gnus-draft-send-message}). This command understands the
11381 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}). The @kbd{D S}
11382 command (@code{gnus-draft-send-all-messages}) will ship off all messages
11385 If you have some messages that you wish not to send, you can use the
11386 @kbd{D t} (@code{gnus-draft-toggle-sending}) command to mark the message
11387 as unsendable. This is a toggling command.
11390 @node Rejected Articles
11391 @section Rejected Articles
11392 @cindex rejected articles
11394 Sometimes a news server will reject an article. Perhaps the server
11395 doesn't like your face. Perhaps it just feels miserable. Perhaps
11396 @emph{there be demons}. Perhaps you have included too much cited text.
11397 Perhaps the disk is full. Perhaps the server is down.
11399 These situations are, of course, totally beyond the control of Gnus.
11400 (Gnus, of course, loves the way you look, always feels great, has angels
11401 fluttering around inside of it, doesn't care about how much cited text
11402 you include, never runs full and never goes down.) So Gnus saves these
11403 articles until some later time when the server feels better.
11405 The rejected articles will automatically be put in a special draft group
11406 (@pxref{Drafts}). When the server comes back up again, you'd then
11407 typically enter that group and send all the articles off.
11409 @node Signing and encrypting
11410 @section Signing and encrypting
11412 @cindex using s/mime
11413 @cindex using smime
11415 Gnus can digitally sign and encrypt your messages, using vanilla PGP
11416 format or @sc{pgp/mime} or @sc{s/mime}. For decoding such messages,
11417 see the @code{mm-verify-option} and @code{mm-decrypt-option} options
11418 (@pxref{Security}).
11420 For PGP, Gnus supports two external libraries, @sc{gpg.el} and
11421 @sc{Mailcrypt}, you need to install at least one of them. The
11422 @sc{s/mime} support in Gnus requires the external program OpenSSL.
11424 Often, you would like to sign replies to people who send you signed
11425 messages. Even more often, you might want to encrypt messages which
11426 are in reply to encrypted messages. Gnus offers
11427 @code{gnus-message-replysign} to enable the former, and
11428 @code{gnus-message-replyencrypt} for the latter. In addition, setting
11429 @code{gnus-message-replysignencrypted} (on by default) will sign
11430 automatically encrypted messages.
11432 Instructing MML to perform security operations on a @sc{mime} part is
11433 done using the @kbd{C-c C-m s} key map for signing and the @kbd{C-c
11434 C-m c} key map for encryption, as follows.
11439 @kindex C-c C-m s s
11440 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-smime
11442 Digitally sign current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11445 @kindex C-c C-m s o
11446 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11448 Digitally sign current message using PGP.
11451 @kindex C-c C-m s p
11452 @findex mml-secure-message-sign-pgp
11454 Digitally sign current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11457 @kindex C-c C-m c s
11458 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-smime
11460 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{s/mime}.
11463 @kindex C-c C-m c o
11464 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgp
11466 Digitally encrypt current message using PGP.
11469 @kindex C-c C-m c p
11470 @findex mml-secure-message-encrypt-pgpmime
11472 Digitally encrypt current message using @sc{pgp/mime}.
11475 @kindex C-c C-m C-n
11476 @findex mml-unsecure-message
11477 Remove security related MML tags from message.
11481 Also @xref{Security, ,Security, message, Message Manual}.
11483 @node Select Methods
11484 @chapter Select Methods
11485 @cindex foreign groups
11486 @cindex select methods
11488 A @dfn{foreign group} is a group not read by the usual (or
11489 default) means. It could be, for instance, a group from a different
11490 @sc{nntp} server, it could be a virtual group, or it could be your own
11491 personal mail group.
11493 A foreign group (or any group, really) is specified by a @dfn{name} and
11494 a @dfn{select method}. To take the latter first, a select method is a
11495 list where the first element says what back end to use (e.g. @code{nntp},
11496 @code{nnspool}, @code{nnml}) and the second element is the @dfn{server
11497 name}. There may be additional elements in the select method, where the
11498 value may have special meaning for the back end in question.
11500 One could say that a select method defines a @dfn{virtual server}---so
11501 we do just that (@pxref{Server Buffer}).
11503 The @dfn{name} of the group is the name the back end will recognize the
11506 For instance, the group @samp{soc.motss} on the @sc{nntp} server
11507 @samp{some.where.edu} will have the name @samp{soc.motss} and select
11508 method @code{(nntp "some.where.edu")}. Gnus will call this group
11509 @samp{nntp+some.where.edu:soc.motss}, even though the @code{nntp}
11510 back end just knows this group as @samp{soc.motss}.
11512 The different methods all have their peculiarities, of course.
11515 * Server Buffer:: Making and editing virtual servers.
11516 * Getting News:: Reading USENET news with Gnus.
11517 * Getting Mail:: Reading your personal mail with Gnus.
11518 * Browsing the Web:: Getting messages from a plethora of Web sources.
11519 * IMAP:: Using Gnus as a @sc{imap} client.
11520 * Other Sources:: Reading directories, files, SOUP packets.
11521 * Combined Groups:: Combining groups into one group.
11522 * Gnus Unplugged:: Reading news and mail offline.
11526 @node Server Buffer
11527 @section Server Buffer
11529 Traditionally, a @dfn{server} is a machine or a piece of software that
11530 one connects to, and then requests information from. Gnus does not
11531 connect directly to any real servers, but does all transactions through
11532 one back end or other. But that's just putting one layer more between
11533 the actual media and Gnus, so we might just as well say that each
11534 back end represents a virtual server.
11536 For instance, the @code{nntp} back end may be used to connect to several
11537 different actual @sc{nntp} servers, or, perhaps, to many different ports
11538 on the same actual @sc{nntp} server. You tell Gnus which back end to
11539 use, and what parameters to set by specifying a @dfn{select method}.
11541 These select method specifications can sometimes become quite
11542 complicated---say, for instance, that you want to read from the
11543 @sc{nntp} server @samp{news.funet.fi} on port number 13, which
11544 hangs if queried for @sc{nov} headers and has a buggy select. Ahem.
11545 Anyway, if you had to specify that for each group that used this
11546 server, that would be too much work, so Gnus offers a way of naming
11547 select methods, which is what you do in the server buffer.
11549 To enter the server buffer, use the @kbd{^}
11550 (@code{gnus-group-enter-server-mode}) command in the group buffer.
11553 * Server Buffer Format:: You can customize the look of this buffer.
11554 * Server Commands:: Commands to manipulate servers.
11555 * Example Methods:: Examples server specifications.
11556 * Creating a Virtual Server:: An example session.
11557 * Server Variables:: Which variables to set.
11558 * Servers and Methods:: You can use server names as select methods.
11559 * Unavailable Servers:: Some servers you try to contact may be down.
11562 @vindex gnus-server-mode-hook
11563 @code{gnus-server-mode-hook} is run when creating the server buffer.
11566 @node Server Buffer Format
11567 @subsection Server Buffer Format
11568 @cindex server buffer format
11570 @vindex gnus-server-line-format
11571 You can change the look of the server buffer lines by changing the
11572 @code{gnus-server-line-format} variable. This is a @code{format}-like
11573 variable, with some simple extensions:
11578 How the news is fetched---the back end name.
11581 The name of this server.
11584 Where the news is to be fetched from---the address.
11587 The opened/closed/denied status of the server.
11590 @vindex gnus-server-mode-line-format
11591 The mode line can also be customized by using the
11592 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format} variable (@pxref{Mode Line
11593 Formatting}). The following specs are understood:
11603 Also @pxref{Formatting Variables}.
11606 @node Server Commands
11607 @subsection Server Commands
11608 @cindex server commands
11614 @findex gnus-server-add-server
11615 Add a new server (@code{gnus-server-add-server}).
11619 @findex gnus-server-edit-server
11620 Edit a server (@code{gnus-server-edit-server}).
11623 @kindex SPACE (Server)
11624 @findex gnus-server-read-server
11625 Browse the current server (@code{gnus-server-read-server}).
11629 @findex gnus-server-exit
11630 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-server-exit}).
11634 @findex gnus-server-kill-server
11635 Kill the current server (@code{gnus-server-kill-server}).
11639 @findex gnus-server-yank-server
11640 Yank the previously killed server (@code{gnus-server-yank-server}).
11644 @findex gnus-server-copy-server
11645 Copy the current server (@code{gnus-server-copy-server}).
11649 @findex gnus-server-list-servers
11650 List all servers (@code{gnus-server-list-servers}).
11654 @findex gnus-server-scan-server
11655 Request that the server scan its sources for new articles
11656 (@code{gnus-server-scan-server}). This is mainly sensible with mail
11661 @findex gnus-server-regenerate-server
11662 Request that the server regenerate all its data structures
11663 (@code{gnus-server-regenerate-server}). This can be useful if you have
11664 a mail back end that has gotten out of sync.
11669 @node Example Methods
11670 @subsection Example Methods
11672 Most select methods are pretty simple and self-explanatory:
11675 (nntp "news.funet.fi")
11678 Reading directly from the spool is even simpler:
11684 As you can see, the first element in a select method is the name of the
11685 back end, and the second is the @dfn{address}, or @dfn{name}, if you
11688 After these two elements, there may be an arbitrary number of
11689 @code{(@var{variable} @var{form})} pairs.
11691 To go back to the first example---imagine that you want to read from
11692 port 15 on that machine. This is what the select method should
11696 (nntp "news.funet.fi" (nntp-port-number 15))
11699 You should read the documentation to each back end to find out what
11700 variables are relevant, but here's an @code{nnmh} example:
11702 @code{nnmh} is a mail back end that reads a spool-like structure. Say
11703 you have two structures that you wish to access: One is your private
11704 mail spool, and the other is a public one. Here's the possible spec for
11708 (nnmh "private" (nnmh-directory "~/private/mail/"))
11711 (This server is then called @samp{private}, but you may have guessed
11714 Here's the method for a public spool:
11718 (nnmh-directory "/usr/information/spool/")
11719 (nnmh-get-new-mail nil))
11725 If you are behind a firewall and only have access to the @sc{nntp}
11726 server from the firewall machine, you can instruct Gnus to @code{rlogin}
11727 on the firewall machine and telnet from there to the @sc{nntp} server.
11728 Doing this can be rather fiddly, but your virtual server definition
11729 should probably look something like this:
11733 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet)
11734 (nntp-via-address "the.firewall.machine")
11735 (nntp-address "the.real.nntp.host")
11736 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11739 If you want to use the wonderful @code{ssh} program to provide a
11740 compressed connection over the modem line, you could add the following
11741 configuration to the example above:
11744 (nntp-via-rlogin-command "ssh")
11747 See also @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches}.
11749 If you're behind a firewall, but have direct access to the outside world
11750 through a wrapper command like "runsocks", you could open a socksified
11751 telnet connection to the news server as follows:
11755 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
11756 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-via-telnet)
11757 (nntp-address "the.news.server")
11758 (nntp-end-of-line "\n"))
11761 This means that you have to have set up @code{ssh-agent} correctly to
11762 provide automatic authorization, of course. And to get a compressed
11763 connection, you have to have the @samp{Compression} option in the
11764 @code{ssh} @file{config} file.
11767 @node Creating a Virtual Server
11768 @subsection Creating a Virtual Server
11770 If you're saving lots of articles in the cache by using persistent
11771 articles, you may want to create a virtual server to read the cache.
11773 First you need to add a new server. The @kbd{a} command does that. It
11774 would probably be best to use @code{nnspool} to read the cache. You
11775 could also use @code{nnml} or @code{nnmh}, though.
11777 Type @kbd{a nnspool RET cache RET}.
11779 You should now have a brand new @code{nnspool} virtual server called
11780 @samp{cache}. You now need to edit it to have the right definitions.
11781 Type @kbd{e} to edit the server. You'll be entered into a buffer that
11782 will contain the following:
11792 (nnspool-spool-directory "~/News/cache/")
11793 (nnspool-nov-directory "~/News/cache/")
11794 (nnspool-active-file "~/News/cache/active"))
11797 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to return to the server buffer. If you now press
11798 @kbd{RET} over this virtual server, you should be entered into a browse
11799 buffer, and you should be able to enter any of the groups displayed.
11802 @node Server Variables
11803 @subsection Server Variables
11805 One sticky point when defining variables (both on back ends and in Emacs
11806 in general) is that some variables are typically initialized from other
11807 variables when the definition of the variables is being loaded. If you
11808 change the "base" variable after the variables have been loaded, you
11809 won't change the "derived" variables.
11811 This typically affects directory and file variables. For instance,
11812 @code{nnml-directory} is @file{~/Mail/} by default, and all @code{nnml}
11813 directory variables are initialized from that variable, so
11814 @code{nnml-active-file} will be @file{~/Mail/active}. If you define a
11815 new virtual @code{nnml} server, it will @emph{not} suffice to set just
11816 @code{nnml-directory}---you have to explicitly set all the file
11817 variables to be what you want them to be. For a complete list of
11818 variables for each back end, see each back end's section later in this
11819 manual, but here's an example @code{nnml} definition:
11823 (nnml-directory "~/my-mail/")
11824 (nnml-active-file "~/my-mail/active")
11825 (nnml-newsgroups-file "~/my-mail/newsgroups"))
11829 @node Servers and Methods
11830 @subsection Servers and Methods
11832 Wherever you would normally use a select method
11833 (e.g. @code{gnus-secondary-select-method}, in the group select method,
11834 when browsing a foreign server) you can use a virtual server name
11835 instead. This could potentially save lots of typing. And it's nice all
11839 @node Unavailable Servers
11840 @subsection Unavailable Servers
11842 If a server seems to be unreachable, Gnus will mark that server as
11843 @code{denied}. That means that any subsequent attempt to make contact
11844 with that server will just be ignored. ``It can't be opened,'' Gnus
11845 will tell you, without making the least effort to see whether that is
11846 actually the case or not.
11848 That might seem quite naughty, but it does make sense most of the time.
11849 Let's say you have 10 groups subscribed to on server
11850 @samp{nephelococcygia.com}. This server is located somewhere quite far
11851 away from you and the machine is quite slow, so it takes 1 minute just
11852 to find out that it refuses connection to you today. If Gnus were to
11853 attempt to do that 10 times, you'd be quite annoyed, so Gnus won't
11854 attempt to do that. Once it has gotten a single ``connection refused'',
11855 it will regard that server as ``down''.
11857 So, what happens if the machine was only feeling unwell temporarily?
11858 How do you test to see whether the machine has come up again?
11860 You jump to the server buffer (@pxref{Server Buffer}) and poke it
11861 with the following commands:
11867 @findex gnus-server-open-server
11868 Try to establish connection to the server on the current line
11869 (@code{gnus-server-open-server}).
11873 @findex gnus-server-close-server
11874 Close the connection (if any) to the server
11875 (@code{gnus-server-close-server}).
11879 @findex gnus-server-deny-server
11880 Mark the current server as unreachable
11881 (@code{gnus-server-deny-server}).
11884 @kindex M-o (Server)
11885 @findex gnus-server-open-all-servers
11886 Open the connections to all servers in the buffer
11887 (@code{gnus-server-open-all-servers}).
11890 @kindex M-c (Server)
11891 @findex gnus-server-close-all-servers
11892 Close the connections to all servers in the buffer
11893 (@code{gnus-server-close-all-servers}).
11897 @findex gnus-server-remove-denials
11898 Remove all marks to whether Gnus was denied connection from any servers
11899 (@code{gnus-server-remove-denials}).
11903 @findex gnus-server-offline-server
11904 Set server status to offline (@code{gnus-server-offline-server}).
11910 @section Getting News
11911 @cindex reading news
11912 @cindex news back ends
11914 A newsreader is normally used for reading news. Gnus currently provides
11915 only two methods of getting news---it can read from an @sc{nntp} server,
11916 or it can read from a local spool.
11919 * NNTP:: Reading news from an @sc{nntp} server.
11920 * News Spool:: Reading news from the local spool.
11928 Subscribing to a foreign group from an @sc{nntp} server is rather easy.
11929 You just specify @code{nntp} as method and the address of the @sc{nntp}
11930 server as the, uhm, address.
11932 If the @sc{nntp} server is located at a non-standard port, setting the
11933 third element of the select method to this port number should allow you
11934 to connect to the right port. You'll have to edit the group info for
11935 that (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
11937 The name of the foreign group can be the same as a native group. In
11938 fact, you can subscribe to the same group from as many different servers
11939 you feel like. There will be no name collisions.
11941 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nntp}
11946 @item nntp-server-opened-hook
11947 @vindex nntp-server-opened-hook
11948 @cindex @sc{mode reader}
11950 @cindex authentification
11951 @cindex nntp authentification
11952 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11953 @findex nntp-send-mode-reader
11954 is run after a connection has been made. It can be used to send
11955 commands to the @sc{nntp} server after it has been contacted. By
11956 default it sends the command @code{MODE READER} to the server with the
11957 @code{nntp-send-mode-reader} function. This function should always be
11958 present in this hook.
11960 @item nntp-authinfo-function
11961 @vindex nntp-authinfo-function
11962 @findex nntp-send-authinfo
11963 @vindex nntp-authinfo-file
11964 This function will be used to send @samp{AUTHINFO} to the @sc{nntp}
11965 server. The default function is @code{nntp-send-authinfo}, which looks
11966 through your @file{~/.authinfo} (or whatever you've set the
11967 @code{nntp-authinfo-file} variable to) for applicable entries. If none
11968 are found, it will prompt you for a login name and a password. The
11969 format of the @file{~/.authinfo} file is (almost) the same as the
11970 @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file, which is defined in the @code{ftp}
11971 manual page, but here are the salient facts:
11975 The file contains one or more line, each of which define one server.
11978 Each line may contain an arbitrary number of token/value pairs.
11980 The valid tokens include @samp{machine}, @samp{login}, @samp{password},
11981 @samp{default}. In addition Gnus introduces two new tokens, not present
11982 in the original @file{.netrc}/@code{ftp} syntax, namely @samp{port} and
11983 @samp{force}. (This is the only way the @file{.authinfo} file format
11984 deviates from the @file{.netrc} file format.) @samp{port} is used to
11985 indicate what port on the server the credentials apply to and
11986 @samp{force} is explained below.
11990 Here's an example file:
11993 machine news.uio.no login larsi password geheimnis
11994 machine nntp.ifi.uio.no login larsi force yes
11997 The token/value pairs may appear in any order; @samp{machine} doesn't
11998 have to be first, for instance.
12000 In this example, both login name and password have been supplied for the
12001 former server, while the latter has only the login name listed, and the
12002 user will be prompted for the password. The latter also has the
12003 @samp{force} tag, which means that the authinfo will be sent to the
12004 @var{nntp} server upon connection; the default (i.e., when there is not
12005 @samp{force} tag) is to not send authinfo to the @var{nntp} server
12006 until the @var{nntp} server asks for it.
12008 You can also add @samp{default} lines that will apply to all servers
12009 that don't have matching @samp{machine} lines.
12015 This will force sending @samp{AUTHINFO} commands to all servers not
12016 previously mentioned.
12018 Remember to not leave the @file{~/.authinfo} file world-readable.
12020 @item nntp-server-action-alist
12021 @vindex nntp-server-action-alist
12022 This is a list of regexps to match on server types and actions to be
12023 taken when matches are made. For instance, if you want Gnus to beep
12024 every time you connect to innd, you could say something like:
12027 (setq nntp-server-action-alist
12028 '(("innd" (ding))))
12031 You probably don't want to do that, though.
12033 The default value is
12036 '(("nntpd 1\\.5\\.11t"
12037 (remove-hook 'nntp-server-opened-hook
12038 'nntp-send-mode-reader)))
12041 This ensures that Gnus doesn't send the @code{MODE READER} command to
12042 nntpd 1.5.11t, since that command chokes that server, I've been told.
12044 @item nntp-maximum-request
12045 @vindex nntp-maximum-request
12046 If the @sc{nntp} server doesn't support @sc{nov} headers, this back end
12047 will collect headers by sending a series of @code{head} commands. To
12048 speed things up, the back end sends lots of these commands without
12049 waiting for reply, and then reads all the replies. This is controlled
12050 by the @code{nntp-maximum-request} variable, and is 400 by default. If
12051 your network is buggy, you should set this to 1.
12053 @item nntp-connection-timeout
12054 @vindex nntp-connection-timeout
12055 If you have lots of foreign @code{nntp} groups that you connect to
12056 regularly, you're sure to have problems with @sc{nntp} servers not
12057 responding properly, or being too loaded to reply within reasonable
12058 time. This is can lead to awkward problems, which can be helped
12059 somewhat by setting @code{nntp-connection-timeout}. This is an integer
12060 that says how many seconds the @code{nntp} back end should wait for a
12061 connection before giving up. If it is @code{nil}, which is the default,
12062 no timeouts are done.
12064 @c @item nntp-command-timeout
12065 @c @vindex nntp-command-timeout
12066 @c @cindex PPP connections
12067 @c @cindex dynamic IP addresses
12068 @c If you're running Gnus on a machine that has a dynamically assigned
12069 @c address, Gnus may become confused. If the address of your machine
12070 @c changes after connecting to the @sc{nntp} server, Gnus will simply sit
12071 @c waiting forever for replies from the server. To help with this
12072 @c unfortunate problem, you can set this command to a number. Gnus will
12073 @c then, if it sits waiting for a reply from the server longer than that
12074 @c number of seconds, shut down the connection, start a new one, and resend
12075 @c the command. This should hopefully be transparent to the user. A
12076 @c likely number is 30 seconds.
12078 @c @item nntp-retry-on-break
12079 @c @vindex nntp-retry-on-break
12080 @c If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you can also @kbd{C-g} if Gnus
12081 @c hangs. This will have much the same effect as the command timeout
12082 @c described above.
12084 @item nntp-server-hook
12085 @vindex nntp-server-hook
12086 This hook is run as the last step when connecting to an @sc{nntp}
12089 @item nntp-buggy-select
12090 @vindex nntp-buggy-select
12091 Set this to non-@code{nil} if your select routine is buggy.
12093 @item nntp-nov-is-evil
12094 @vindex nntp-nov-is-evil
12095 If the @sc{nntp} server does not support @sc{nov}, you could set this
12096 variable to @code{t}, but @code{nntp} usually checks automatically whether @sc{nov}
12099 @item nntp-xover-commands
12100 @vindex nntp-xover-commands
12103 List of strings used as commands to fetch @sc{nov} lines from a
12104 server. The default value of this variable is @code{("XOVER"
12108 @vindex nntp-nov-gap
12109 @code{nntp} normally sends just one big request for @sc{nov} lines to
12110 the server. The server responds with one huge list of lines. However,
12111 if you have read articles 2-5000 in the group, and only want to read
12112 article 1 and 5001, that means that @code{nntp} will fetch 4999 @sc{nov}
12113 lines that you will not need. This variable says how
12114 big a gap between two consecutive articles is allowed to be before the
12115 @code{XOVER} request is split into several request. Note that if your
12116 network is fast, setting this variable to a really small number means
12117 that fetching will probably be slower. If this variable is @code{nil},
12118 @code{nntp} will never split requests. The default is 5.
12120 @item nntp-prepare-server-hook
12121 @vindex nntp-prepare-server-hook
12122 A hook run before attempting to connect to an @sc{nntp} server.
12124 @item nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12125 @vindex nntp-warn-about-losing-connection
12126 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, some noise will be made when a
12127 server closes connection.
12129 @item nntp-record-commands
12130 @vindex nntp-record-commands
12131 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nntp} will log all commands it sends to the
12132 @sc{nntp} server (along with a timestamp) in the @samp{*nntp-log*}
12133 buffer. This is useful if you are debugging a Gnus/@sc{nntp} connection
12134 that doesn't seem to work.
12136 @item nntp-open-connection-function
12137 @vindex nntp-open-connection-function
12138 It is possible to customize how the connection to the nntp server will
12139 be opened. If you specify an @code{nntp-open-connection-function}
12140 parameter, Gnus will use that function to establish the connection.
12141 Five pre-made functions are supplied. These functions can be grouped in
12142 two categories: direct connection functions (three pre-made), and
12143 indirect ones (two pre-made).
12145 @item nntp-prepare-post-hook
12146 @vindex nntp-prepare-post-hook
12147 A hook run just before posting an article. If there is no
12148 @code{Message-ID} header in the article and the news server provides the
12149 recommended ID, it will be added to the article before running this
12150 hook. It is useful to make @code{Cancel-Lock} headers even if you
12151 inhibit Gnus to add a @code{Message-ID} header, you could say:
12154 (add-hook 'nntp-prepare-post-hook 'canlock-insert-header)
12157 Note that not all servers support the recommended ID. This works for
12158 INN versions 2.3.0 and later, for instance.
12162 * Direct Functions:: Connecting directly to the server.
12163 * Indirect Functions:: Connecting indirectly to the server.
12164 * Common Variables:: Understood by several connection functions.
12168 @node Direct Functions
12169 @subsubsection Direct Functions
12170 @cindex direct connection functions
12172 These functions are called direct because they open a direct connection
12173 between your machine and the @sc{nntp} server. The behavior of these
12174 functions is also affected by commonly understood variables
12175 (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12178 @findex nntp-open-network-stream
12179 @item nntp-open-network-stream
12180 This is the default, and simply connects to some port or other on the
12183 @findex nntp-open-ssl-stream
12184 @item nntp-open-ssl-stream
12185 Opens a connection to a server over a @dfn{secure} channel. To use
12186 this you must have OpenSSL (@uref{http://www.openssl.org}) or SSLeay
12187 installed (@uref{ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL}, and you also
12188 need @file{ssl.el} (from the W3 distribution, for instance). You then
12189 define a server as follows:
12192 ;; Type `C-c C-c' after you've finished editing.
12194 ;; "snews" is port 563 and is predefined in our /etc/services
12195 ;; however, openssl s_client -port doesn't like named ports
12197 (nntp "snews.bar.com"
12198 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-ssl-stream)
12199 (nntp-port-number 563)
12200 (nntp-address "snews.bar.com"))
12203 @findex nntp-open-telnet-stream
12204 @item nntp-open-telnet-stream
12205 Opens a connection to an @sc{nntp} server by simply @samp{telnet}'ing
12206 it. You might wonder why this function exists, since we have the
12207 default @code{nntp-open-network-stream} which would do the job. (One
12208 of) the reason(s) is that if you are behind a firewall but have direct
12209 connections to the outside world thanks to a command wrapper like
12210 @code{runsocks}, you can use it like this:
12214 (nntp-pre-command "runsocks")
12215 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-telnet-stream)
12216 (nntp-address "the.news.server"))
12219 With the default method, you would need to wrap your whole Emacs
12220 session, which is not a good idea.
12224 @node Indirect Functions
12225 @subsubsection Indirect Functions
12226 @cindex indirect connection functions
12228 These functions are called indirect because they connect to an
12229 intermediate host before actually connecting to the @sc{nntp} server.
12230 All of these functions and related variables are also said to belong to
12231 the "via" family of connection: they're all prefixed with "via" to make
12232 things cleaner. The behavior of these functions is also affected by
12233 commonly understood variables (@pxref{Common Variables}).
12236 @item nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12237 @findex nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet
12238 Does an @samp{rlogin} on a remote system, and then does a @samp{telnet}
12239 to the real @sc{nntp} server from there. This is useful for instance if
12240 you need to connect to a firewall machine first.
12242 @code{nntp-open-via-rlogin-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12245 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command
12246 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command
12247 Command used to log in on the intermediate host. The default is
12248 @samp{rsh}, but @samp{ssh} is a popular alternative.
12250 @item nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12251 @vindex nntp-via-rlogin-command-switches
12252 List of strings to be used as the switches to
12253 @code{nntp-via-rlogin-command}. The default is @code{nil}. If you use
12254 @samp{ssh} for `nntp-via-rlogin-command', you may set this to
12255 @samp{("-C")} in order to compress all data connections, otherwise set
12256 this to @samp{("-t")} or @samp{("-C" "-t")} if the telnet command
12257 requires a pseudo-tty allocation on an intermediate host.
12260 @item nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12261 @findex nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet
12262 Does essentially the same, but uses @samp{telnet} instead of
12263 @samp{rlogin} to connect to the intermediate host.
12265 @code{nntp-open-via-telnet-and-telnet}-specific variables:
12268 @item nntp-via-telnet-command
12269 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-command
12270 Command used to @code{telnet} the intermediate host. The default is
12273 @item nntp-via-telnet-switches
12274 @vindex nntp-via-telnet-switches
12275 List of strings to be used as the switches to the
12276 @code{nntp-via-telnet-command} command. The default is @samp{("-8")}.
12278 @item nntp-via-user-password
12279 @vindex nntp-via-user-password
12280 Password to use when logging in on the intermediate host.
12282 @item nntp-via-envuser
12283 @vindex nntp-via-envuser
12284 If non-@code{nil}, the intermediate @code{telnet} session (client and
12285 server both) will support the @code{ENVIRON} option and not prompt for
12286 login name. This works for Solaris @code{telnet}, for instance.
12288 @item nntp-via-shell-prompt
12289 @vindex nntp-via-shell-prompt
12290 Regexp matching the shell prompt on the intermediate host. The default
12291 is @samp{bash\\|\$ *\r?$\\|> *\r?}.
12298 Here are some additional variables that are understood by all the above
12303 @item nntp-via-user-name
12304 @vindex nntp-via-user-name
12305 User name to use when connecting to the intermediate host.
12307 @item nntp-via-address
12308 @vindex nntp-via-address
12309 Address of the intermediate host to connect to.
12314 @node Common Variables
12315 @subsubsection Common Variables
12317 The following variables affect the behavior of all, or several of the
12318 pre-made connection functions. When not specified, all functions are
12323 @item nntp-pre-command
12324 @vindex nntp-pre-command
12325 A command wrapper to use when connecting through a non native connection
12326 function (all except @code{nntp-open-network-stream} and
12327 @code{nntp-open-ssl-stream}. This is where you would put a @samp{SOCKS}
12328 wrapper for instance.
12331 @vindex nntp-address
12332 The address of the @sc{nntp} server.
12334 @item nntp-port-number
12335 @vindex nntp-port-number
12336 Port number to connect to the @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{nntp}.
12337 If you use @sc{nntp} over @sc{ssl}, you may want to use integer ports rather
12338 than named ports (i.e, use @samp{563} instead of @samp{snews}), because
12339 external SSL tools may not work with named ports.
12341 @item nntp-end-of-line
12342 @vindex nntp-end-of-line
12343 String to use as end-of-line marker when talking to the @sc{nntp}
12344 server. This is @samp{\r\n} by default, but should be @samp{\n} when
12345 using a non native connection function.
12347 @item nntp-telnet-command
12348 @vindex nntp-telnet-command
12349 Command to use when connecting to the @sc{nntp} server through
12350 @samp{telnet}. This is NOT for an intermediate host. This is just for
12351 the real @sc{nntp} server. The default is @samp{telnet}.
12353 @item nntp-telnet-switches
12354 @vindex nntp-telnet-switches
12355 A list of switches to pass to @code{nntp-telnet-command}. The default
12362 @subsection News Spool
12366 Subscribing to a foreign group from the local spool is extremely easy,
12367 and might be useful, for instance, to speed up reading groups that
12368 contain very big articles---@samp{alt.binaries.pictures.furniture}, for
12371 Anyway, you just specify @code{nnspool} as the method and @code{""} (or
12372 anything else) as the address.
12374 If you have access to a local spool, you should probably use that as the
12375 native select method (@pxref{Finding the News}). It is normally faster
12376 than using an @code{nntp} select method, but might not be. It depends.
12377 You just have to try to find out what's best at your site.
12381 @item nnspool-inews-program
12382 @vindex nnspool-inews-program
12383 Program used to post an article.
12385 @item nnspool-inews-switches
12386 @vindex nnspool-inews-switches
12387 Parameters given to the inews program when posting an article.
12389 @item nnspool-spool-directory
12390 @vindex nnspool-spool-directory
12391 Where @code{nnspool} looks for the articles. This is normally
12392 @file{/usr/spool/news/}.
12394 @item nnspool-nov-directory
12395 @vindex nnspool-nov-directory
12396 Where @code{nnspool} will look for @sc{nov} files. This is normally
12397 @file{/usr/spool/news/over.view/}.
12399 @item nnspool-lib-dir
12400 @vindex nnspool-lib-dir
12401 Where the news lib dir is (@file{/usr/lib/news/} by default).
12403 @item nnspool-active-file
12404 @vindex nnspool-active-file
12405 The path to the active file.
12407 @item nnspool-newsgroups-file
12408 @vindex nnspool-newsgroups-file
12409 The path to the group descriptions file.
12411 @item nnspool-history-file
12412 @vindex nnspool-history-file
12413 The path to the news history file.
12415 @item nnspool-active-times-file
12416 @vindex nnspool-active-times-file
12417 The path to the active date file.
12419 @item nnspool-nov-is-evil
12420 @vindex nnspool-nov-is-evil
12421 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnspool} won't try to use any @sc{nov} files
12424 @item nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12425 @vindex nnspool-sift-nov-with-sed
12427 If non-@code{nil}, which is the default, use @code{sed} to get the
12428 relevant portion from the overview file. If nil, @code{nnspool} will
12429 load the entire file into a buffer and process it there.
12435 @section Getting Mail
12436 @cindex reading mail
12439 Reading mail with a newsreader---isn't that just plain WeIrD? But of
12443 * Mail in a Newsreader:: Important introductory notes.
12444 * Getting Started Reading Mail:: A simple cookbook example.
12445 * Splitting Mail:: How to create mail groups.
12446 * Mail Sources:: How to tell Gnus where to get mail from.
12447 * Mail Back End Variables:: Variables for customizing mail handling.
12448 * Fancy Mail Splitting:: Gnus can do hairy splitting of incoming mail.
12449 * Group Mail Splitting:: Use group customize to drive mail splitting.
12450 * Incorporating Old Mail:: What about the old mail you have?
12451 * Expiring Mail:: Getting rid of unwanted mail.
12452 * Washing Mail:: Removing gruft from the mail you get.
12453 * Duplicates:: Dealing with duplicated mail.
12454 * Not Reading Mail:: Using mail back ends for reading other files.
12455 * Choosing a Mail Back End:: Gnus can read a variety of mail formats.
12459 @node Mail in a Newsreader
12460 @subsection Mail in a Newsreader
12462 If you are used to traditional mail readers, but have decided to switch
12463 to reading mail with Gnus, you may find yourself experiencing something
12464 of a culture shock.
12466 Gnus does not behave like traditional mail readers. If you want to make
12467 it behave that way, you can, but it's an uphill battle.
12469 Gnus, by default, handles all its groups using the same approach. This
12470 approach is very newsreaderly---you enter a group, see the new/unread
12471 messages, and when you read the messages, they get marked as read, and
12472 you don't see them any more. (Unless you explicitly ask for them.)
12474 In particular, you do not do anything explicitly to delete messages.
12476 Does this mean that all the messages that have been marked as read are
12477 deleted? How awful!
12479 But, no, it means that old messages are @dfn{expired} according to some
12480 scheme or other. For news messages, the expire process is controlled by
12481 the news administrator; for mail, the expire process is controlled by
12482 you. The expire process for mail is covered in depth in @pxref{Expiring
12485 What many Gnus users find, after using it a while for both news and
12486 mail, is that the transport mechanism has very little to do with how
12487 they want to treat a message.
12489 Many people subscribe to several mailing lists. These are transported
12490 via @sc{smtp}, and are therefore mail. But we might go for weeks without
12491 answering, or even reading these messages very carefully. We may not
12492 need to save them because if we should need to read one again, they are
12493 archived somewhere else.
12495 Some people have local news groups which have only a handful of readers.
12496 These are transported via @sc{nntp}, and are therefore news. But we may need
12497 to read and answer a large fraction of the messages very carefully in
12498 order to do our work. And there may not be an archive, so we may need
12499 to save the interesting messages the same way we would personal mail.
12501 The important distinction turns out to be not the transport mechanism,
12502 but other factors such as how interested we are in the subject matter,
12503 or how easy it is to retrieve the message if we need to read it again.
12505 Gnus provides many options for sorting mail into ``groups'' which behave
12506 like newsgroups, and for treating each group (whether mail or news)
12509 Some users never get comfortable using the Gnus (ahem) paradigm and wish
12510 that Gnus should grow up and be a male, er, mail reader. It is possible
12511 to whip Gnus into a more mailreaderly being, but, as said before, it's
12512 not easy. People who prefer proper mail readers should try @sc{vm}
12513 instead, which is an excellent, and proper, mail reader.
12515 I don't mean to scare anybody off, but I want to make it clear that you
12516 may be required to learn a new way of thinking about messages. After
12517 you've been subjected to The Gnus Way, you will come to love it. I can
12518 guarantee it. (At least the guy who sold me the Emacs Subliminal
12519 Brain-Washing Functions that I've put into Gnus did guarantee it. You
12520 Will Be Assimilated. You Love Gnus. You Love The Gnus Mail Way.
12524 @node Getting Started Reading Mail
12525 @subsection Getting Started Reading Mail
12527 It's quite easy to use Gnus to read your new mail. You just plonk the
12528 mail back end of your choice into @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods},
12529 and things will happen automatically.
12531 For instance, if you want to use @code{nnml} (which is a "one file per
12532 mail" back end), you could put the following in your @file{.gnus} file:
12535 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
12538 Now, the next time you start Gnus, this back end will be queried for new
12539 articles, and it will move all the messages in your spool file to its
12540 directory, which is @code{~/Mail/} by default. The new group that will
12541 be created (@samp{mail.misc}) will be subscribed, and you can read it
12542 like any other group.
12544 You will probably want to split the mail into several groups, though:
12547 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12548 '(("junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12549 ("crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12553 This will result in three new @code{nnml} mail groups being created:
12554 @samp{nnml:junk}, @samp{nnml:crazy}, and @samp{nnml:other}. All the
12555 mail that doesn't fit into the first two groups will be placed in the
12558 This should be sufficient for reading mail with Gnus. You might want to
12559 give the other sections in this part of the manual a perusal, though.
12560 Especially @pxref{Choosing a Mail Back End} and @pxref{Expiring Mail}.
12563 @node Splitting Mail
12564 @subsection Splitting Mail
12565 @cindex splitting mail
12566 @cindex mail splitting
12568 @vindex nnmail-split-methods
12569 The @code{nnmail-split-methods} variable says how the incoming mail is
12570 to be split into groups.
12573 (setq nnmail-split-methods
12574 '(("mail.junk" "^From:.*Lars Ingebrigtsen")
12575 ("mail.crazy" "^Subject:.*die\\|^Organization:.*flabby")
12576 ("mail.other" "")))
12579 This variable is a list of lists, where the first element of each of
12580 these lists is the name of the mail group (they do not have to be called
12581 something beginning with @samp{mail}, by the way), and the second
12582 element is a regular expression used on the header of each mail to
12583 determine if it belongs in this mail group. The first string may
12584 contain @samp{\\1} forms, like the ones used by @code{replace-match} to
12585 insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For instance:
12588 ("list.\\1" "From:.* \\(.*\\)-list@@majordomo.com")
12591 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
12592 called narrowed to the headers with the first element of the rule as the
12593 argument. It should return a non-@code{nil} value if it thinks that the
12594 mail belongs in that group.
12596 The last of these groups should always be a general one, and the regular
12597 expression should @emph{always} be @samp{} so that it matches any mails
12598 that haven't been matched by any of the other regexps. (These rules are
12599 processed from the beginning of the alist toward the end. The first
12600 rule to make a match will "win", unless you have crossposting enabled.
12601 In that case, all matching rules will "win".)
12603 If you like to tinker with this yourself, you can set this variable to a
12604 function of your choice. This function will be called without any
12605 arguments in a buffer narrowed to the headers of an incoming mail
12606 message. The function should return a list of group names that it
12607 thinks should carry this mail message.
12609 Note that the mail back ends are free to maul the poor, innocent,
12610 incoming headers all they want to. They all add @code{Lines} headers;
12611 some add @code{X-Gnus-Group} headers; most rename the Unix mbox
12612 @code{From<SPACE>} line to something else.
12614 @vindex nnmail-crosspost
12615 The mail back ends all support cross-posting. If several regexps match,
12616 the mail will be ``cross-posted'' to all those groups.
12617 @code{nnmail-crosspost} says whether to use this mechanism or not. Note
12618 that no articles are crossposted to the general (@samp{}) group.
12620 @vindex nnmail-crosspost-link-function
12623 @code{nnmh} and @code{nnml} makes crossposts by creating hard links to
12624 the crossposted articles. However, not all file systems support hard
12625 links. If that's the case for you, set
12626 @code{nnmail-crosspost-link-function} to @code{copy-file}. (This
12627 variable is @code{add-name-to-file} by default.)
12629 @kindex M-x nnmail-split-history
12630 @kindex nnmail-split-history
12631 If you wish to see where the previous mail split put the messages, you
12632 can use the @kbd{M-x nnmail-split-history} command. If you wish to see
12633 where re-spooling messages would put the messages, you can use
12634 @code{gnus-summary-respool-trace} and related commands (@pxref{Mail
12637 @vindex nnmail-split-header-length-limit
12638 Header lines longer than the value of
12639 @code{nnmail-split-header-length-limit} are excluded from the split
12642 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-charset
12643 @vindex nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes
12644 By default the splitting codes MIME decodes headers so you can match
12645 on non-ASCII strings. The @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-charset}
12646 variable specifies the default charset for decoding. The behaviour
12647 can be turned off completely by binding
12648 @code{nnmail-mail-splitting-decodes} to nil, which is useful if you
12649 want to match articles based on the raw header data.
12651 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12652 By default, splitting is performed on all incoming messages. If
12653 you specify a @code{directory} entry for the variable
12654 @code{mail-sources} @pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}, however, then
12655 splitting does @emph{not} happen by default. You can set the variable
12656 @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming} to a non-nil value to make splitting
12657 happen even in this case. (This variable has no effect on other kinds
12660 Gnus gives you all the opportunity you could possibly want for shooting
12661 yourself in the foot. Let's say you create a group that will contain
12662 all the mail you get from your boss. And then you accidentally
12663 unsubscribe from the group. Gnus will still put all the mail from your
12664 boss in the unsubscribed group, and so, when your boss mails you ``Have
12665 that report ready by Monday or you're fired!'', you'll never see it and,
12666 come Tuesday, you'll still believe that you're gainfully employed while
12667 you really should be out collecting empty bottles to save up for next
12668 month's rent money.
12672 @subsection Mail Sources
12674 Mail can be gotten from many different sources---the mail spool, from a
12675 POP mail server, from a procmail directory, or from a maildir, for
12679 * Mail Source Specifiers:: How to specify what a mail source is.
12680 * Mail Source Customization:: Some variables that influence things.
12681 * Fetching Mail:: Using the mail source specifiers.
12685 @node Mail Source Specifiers
12686 @subsubsection Mail Source Specifiers
12688 @cindex mail server
12691 @cindex mail source
12693 You tell Gnus how to fetch mail by setting @code{mail-sources}
12694 (@pxref{Fetching Mail}) to a @dfn{mail source specifier}.
12699 (pop :server "pop3.mailserver.com" :user "myname")
12702 As can be observed, a mail source specifier is a list where the first
12703 element is a @dfn{mail source type}, followed by an arbitrary number of
12704 @dfn{keywords}. Keywords that are not explicitly specified are given
12707 The following mail source types are available:
12711 Get mail from a single file; typically from the mail spool.
12717 The path of the file. Defaults to the value of the @code{MAIL}
12718 environment variable or the value of @code{rmail-spool-directory}
12719 (usually something like @file{/usr/mail/spool/user-name}).
12722 An example file mail source:
12725 (file :path "/usr/spool/mail/user-name")
12728 Or using the default path:
12734 If the mail spool file is not located on the local machine, it's best to
12735 use POP or @sc{imap} or the like to fetch the mail. You can not use ange-ftp
12736 file names here---it has no way to lock the mail spool while moving the
12739 If it's impossible to set up a proper server, you can use ssh instead.
12743 '((file :prescript "ssh host bin/getmail >%t")))
12746 The @samp{getmail} script would look something like the following:
12750 # getmail - move mail from spool to stdout
12753 MOVEMAIL=/usr/lib/emacs/20.3/i386-redhat-linux/movemail
12755 rm -f $TMP; $MOVEMAIL $MAIL $TMP >/dev/null && cat $TMP
12758 Alter this script to fit find the @samp{movemail} you want to use.
12762 @vindex nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once
12763 Get mail from several files in a directory. This is typically used when
12764 you have procmail split the incoming mail into several files. That is,
12765 there is a one-to-one correspondence between files in that directory and
12766 groups, so that mail from the file @file{foo.bar.spool} will be put in
12767 the group @code{foo.bar}. (You can change the suffix to be used instead
12768 of @code{.spool}.) Setting
12769 @code{nnmail-scan-directory-mail-source-once} to non-nil forces Gnus to
12770 scan the mail source only once. This is particularly useful if you want
12771 to scan mail groups at a specified level.
12773 @vindex nnmail-resplit-incoming
12774 There is also the variable @code{nnmail-resplit-incoming}, if you set
12775 that to a non-nil value, then the normal splitting process is applied
12776 to all the files from the directory, @ref{Splitting Mail}.
12782 The path of the directory where the files are. There is no default
12786 Only files ending with this suffix are used. The default is
12790 Only files that have this predicate return non-@code{nil} are returned.
12791 The default is @code{identity}. This is used as an additional
12792 filter---only files that have the right suffix @emph{and} satisfy this
12793 predicate are considered.
12797 Script run before/after fetching mail.
12801 An example directory mail source:
12804 (directory :path "/home/user-name/procmail-dir/"
12809 Get mail from a POP server.
12815 The name of the POP server. The default is taken from the
12816 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12819 The port number of the POP server. This can be a number (eg,
12820 @samp{:port 1234}) or a string (eg, @samp{:port "pop3"}). If it is a
12821 string, it should be a service name as listed in @file{/etc/services} on
12822 Unix systems. The default is @samp{"pop3"}. On some systems you might
12823 need to specify it as @samp{"pop-3"} instead.
12826 The user name to give to the POP server. The default is the login
12830 The password to give to the POP server. If not specified, the user is
12834 The program to use to fetch mail from the POP server. This should be
12835 a @code{format}-like string. Here's an example:
12838 fetchmail %u@@%s -P %p %t
12841 The valid format specifier characters are:
12845 The name of the file the mail is to be moved to. This must always be
12846 included in this string.
12849 The name of the server.
12852 The port number of the server.
12855 The user name to use.
12858 The password to use.
12861 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
12862 corresponding keywords.
12865 A script to be run before fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12866 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12869 A script to be run after fetching the mail. The syntax is the same as
12870 the @code{:program} keyword. This can also be a function to be run.
12873 The function to use to fetch mail from the POP server. The function is
12874 called with one parameter---the name of the file where the mail should
12877 @item :authentication
12878 This can be either the symbol @code{password} or the symbol @code{apop}
12879 and says what authentication scheme to use. The default is
12884 If the @code{:program} and @code{:function} keywords aren't specified,
12885 @code{pop3-movemail} will be used.
12887 Here are some examples. Fetch from the default POP server, using the
12888 default user name, and default fetcher:
12894 Fetch from a named server with a named user and password:
12897 (pop :server "my.pop.server"
12898 :user "user-name" :password "secret")
12901 Use @samp{movemail} to move the mail:
12904 (pop :program "movemail po:%u %t %p")
12908 Get mail from a maildir. This is a type of mailbox that is supported by
12909 at least qmail and postfix, where each file in a special directory
12910 contains exactly one mail.
12916 The path of the directory where the mails are stored. The default is
12917 taken from the @code{MAILDIR} environment variable or
12920 The subdirectories of the Maildir. The default is
12921 @samp{("new" "cur")}.
12923 @c If you sometimes look at your mail through a pop3 daemon before fetching
12924 @c them with Gnus, you may also have to fetch your mails from the
12925 @c @code{cur} directory inside the maildir, like in the first example
12928 You can also get mails from remote hosts (because maildirs don't suffer
12929 from locking problems).
12933 Two example maildir mail sources:
12936 (maildir :path "/home/user-name/Maildir/"
12937 :subdirs ("cur" "new"))
12941 (maildir :path "/user@@remotehost.org:~/Maildir/"
12946 Get mail from a @sc{imap} server. If you don't want to use @sc{imap}
12947 as intended, as a network mail reading protocol (ie with nnimap), for
12948 some reason or other, Gnus let you treat it similar to a POP server
12949 and fetches articles from a given @sc{imap} mailbox. @xref{IMAP}, for
12952 Note that for the Kerberos, GSSAPI, SSL/TLS and STARTTLS support you
12953 may need external programs and libraries, @xref{IMAP}.
12959 The name of the @sc{imap} server. The default is taken from the
12960 @code{MAILHOST} environment variable.
12963 The port number of the @sc{imap} server. The default is @samp{143}, or
12964 @samp{993} for SSL/TLS connections.
12967 The user name to give to the @sc{imap} server. The default is the login
12971 The password to give to the @sc{imap} server. If not specified, the user is
12975 What stream to use for connecting to the server, this is one of the
12976 symbols in @code{imap-stream-alist}. Right now, this means
12977 @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{starttls}, @samp{ssl},
12978 @samp{shell} or the default @samp{network}.
12980 @item :authentication
12981 Which authenticator to use for authenticating to the server, this is
12982 one of the symbols in @code{imap-authenticator-alist}. Right now,
12983 this means @samp{gssapi}, @samp{kerberos4}, @samp{digest-md5},
12984 @samp{cram-md5}, @samp{anonymous} or the default @samp{login}.
12987 When using the `shell' :stream, the contents of this variable is
12988 mapped into the `imap-shell-program' variable. This should be a
12989 @code{format}-like string (or list of strings). Here's an example:
12995 The valid format specifier characters are:
12999 The name of the server.
13002 User name from `imap-default-user'.
13005 The port number of the server.
13008 The values used for these specs are taken from the values you give the
13009 corresponding keywords.
13012 The name of the mailbox to get mail from. The default is @samp{INBOX}
13013 which normally is the mailbox which receive incoming mail.
13016 The predicate used to find articles to fetch. The default, @samp{UNSEEN
13017 UNDELETED}, is probably the best choice for most people, but if you
13018 sometimes peek in your mailbox with a @sc{imap} client and mark some
13019 articles as read (or; SEEN) you might want to set this to @samp{1:*}.
13020 Then all articles in the mailbox is fetched, no matter what. For a
13021 complete list of predicates, see RFC 2060 section 6.4.4.
13024 How to flag fetched articles on the server, the default @samp{\Deleted}
13025 will mark them as deleted, an alternative would be @samp{\Seen} which
13026 would simply mark them as read. These are the two most likely choices,
13027 but more flags are defined in RFC 2060 section 2.3.2.
13030 If non-nil, don't remove all articles marked as deleted in the mailbox
13031 after finishing the fetch.
13035 An example @sc{imap} mail source:
13038 (imap :server "mail.mycorp.com"
13040 :fetchflag "\\Seen")
13044 Get mail from a webmail server, such as @uref{www.hotmail.com},
13045 @uref{webmail.netscape.com}, @uref{www.netaddress.com},
13046 @uref{mail.yahoo..com}.
13048 NOTE: Webmail largely depends cookies. A "one-line-cookie" patch is
13049 required for url "4.0pre.46".
13051 WARNING: Mails may be lost. NO WARRANTY.
13057 The type of the webmail server. The default is @code{hotmail}. The
13058 alternatives are @code{netscape}, @code{netaddress}, @code{my-deja}.
13061 The user name to give to the webmail server. The default is the login
13065 The password to give to the webmail server. If not specified, the user is
13069 If non-nil, only fetch unread articles and don't move them to trash
13070 folder after finishing the fetch.
13074 An example webmail source:
13077 (webmail :subtype 'hotmail
13079 :password "secret")
13084 @item Common Keywords
13085 Common keywords can be used in any type of mail source.
13091 If non-nil, fetch the mail even when Gnus is unplugged. If you use
13092 directory source to get mail, you can specify it as in this example:
13096 '((directory :path "/home/pavel/.Spool/"
13101 Gnus will then fetch your mail even when you are unplugged. This is
13102 useful when you use local mail and news.
13107 @subsubsection Function Interface
13109 Some of the above keywords specify a Lisp function to be executed.
13110 For each keyword @code{:foo}, the Lisp variable @code{foo} is bound to
13111 the value of the keyword while the function is executing. For example,
13112 consider the following mail-source setting:
13115 (setq mail-sources '((pop :user "jrl"
13116 :server "pophost" :function fetchfunc)))
13119 While the function @code{fetchfunc} is executing, the symbol @code{user}
13120 is bound to @code{"jrl"}, and the symbol @code{server} is bound to
13121 @code{"pophost"}. The symbols @code{port}, @code{password},
13122 @code{program}, @code{prescript}, @code{postscript}, @code{function},
13123 and @code{authentication} are also bound (to their default values).
13125 See above for a list of keywords for each type of mail source.
13128 @node Mail Source Customization
13129 @subsubsection Mail Source Customization
13131 The following is a list of variables that influence how the mail is
13132 fetched. You would normally not need to set or change any of these
13136 @item mail-source-crash-box
13137 @vindex mail-source-crash-box
13138 File where mail will be stored while processing it. The default is
13139 @file{~/.emacs-mail-crash-box}.
13141 @item mail-source-delete-incoming
13142 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
13143 If non-@code{nil}, delete incoming files after handling them.
13145 @item mail-source-directory
13146 @vindex mail-source-directory
13147 Directory where files (if any) will be stored. The default is
13148 @file{~/Mail/}. At present, the only thing this is used for is to say
13149 where the incoming files will be stored if the previous variable is
13152 @item mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13153 @vindex mail-source-incoming-file-prefix
13154 Prefix for file name for storing incoming mail. The default is
13155 @file{Incoming}, in which case files will end up with names like
13156 @file{Incoming30630D_} or @file{Incoming298602ZD}. This is really only
13157 relevant if @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} is @code{nil}.
13159 @item mail-source-default-file-modes
13160 @vindex mail-source-default-file-modes
13161 All new mail files will get this file mode. The default is 384.
13163 @item mail-source-movemail-program
13164 @vindex mail-source-movemail-program
13165 If non-nil, name of program for fetching new mail. If nil,
13166 @code{movemail} in @var{exec-directory}.
13171 @node Fetching Mail
13172 @subsubsection Fetching Mail
13174 @vindex mail-sources
13175 @vindex nnmail-spool-file
13176 The way to actually tell Gnus where to get new mail from is to set
13177 @code{mail-sources} to a list of mail source specifiers
13178 (@pxref{Mail Source Specifiers}).
13180 If this variable (and the obsolescent @code{nnmail-spool-file}) is
13181 @code{nil}, the mail back ends will never attempt to fetch mail by
13184 If you want to fetch mail both from your local spool as well as a POP
13185 mail server, you'd say something like:
13190 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13191 :password "secret")))
13194 Or, if you don't want to use any of the keyword defaults:
13198 '((file :path "/var/spool/mail/user-name")
13199 (pop :server "pop3.mail.server"
13202 :password "secret")))
13206 When you use a mail back end, Gnus will slurp all your mail from your
13207 inbox and plonk it down in your home directory. Gnus doesn't move any
13208 mail if you're not using a mail back end---you have to do a lot of magic
13209 invocations first. At the time when you have finished drawing the
13210 pentagram, lightened the candles, and sacrificed the goat, you really
13211 shouldn't be too surprised when Gnus moves your mail.
13215 @node Mail Back End Variables
13216 @subsection Mail Back End Variables
13218 These variables are (for the most part) pertinent to all the various
13222 @vindex nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13223 @item nnmail-read-incoming-hook
13224 The mail back ends all call this hook after reading new mail. You can
13225 use this hook to notify any mail watch programs, if you want to.
13227 @vindex nnmail-split-hook
13228 @item nnmail-split-hook
13229 @findex article-decode-encoded-words
13230 @findex RFC 1522 decoding
13231 @findex RFC 2047 decoding
13232 Hook run in the buffer where the mail headers of each message is kept
13233 just before the splitting based on these headers is done. The hook is
13234 free to modify the buffer contents in any way it sees fit---the buffer
13235 is discarded after the splitting has been done, and no changes performed
13236 in the buffer will show up in any files.
13237 @code{gnus-article-decode-encoded-words} is one likely function to add
13240 @vindex nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13241 @vindex nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13242 @item nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13243 @itemx nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13244 These are two useful hooks executed when treating new incoming
13245 mail---@code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook} (is called just before
13246 starting to handle the new mail) and
13247 @code{nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook} (is called when the mail handling
13248 is done). Here's and example of using these two hooks to change the
13249 default file modes the new mail files get:
13252 (add-hook 'nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook
13253 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 511)))
13255 (add-hook 'nnmail-post-get-new-mail-hook
13256 (lambda () (set-default-file-modes 551)))
13259 @item nnmail-use-long-file-names
13260 @vindex nnmail-use-long-file-names
13261 If non-@code{nil}, the mail back ends will use long file and directory
13262 names. Groups like @samp{mail.misc} will end up in directories
13263 (assuming use of @code{nnml} back end) or files (assuming use of
13264 @code{nnfolder} back end) like @file{mail.misc}. If it is @code{nil},
13265 the same group will end up in @file{mail/misc}.
13267 @item nnmail-delete-file-function
13268 @vindex nnmail-delete-file-function
13269 @findex delete-file
13270 Function called to delete files. It is @code{delete-file} by default.
13272 @item nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13273 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13274 If non-@code{nil}, put the @code{Message-ID}s of articles imported into
13275 the back end (via @code{Gcc}, for instance) into the mail duplication
13276 discovery cache. The default is @code{nil}.
13278 @item nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13279 @vindex nnmail-cache-ignore-groups
13280 This can be a regular expression or a list of regular expressions.
13281 Group names that match any of the regular expressions will never be
13282 recorded in the @code{Message-ID} cache.
13284 This can be useful, for example, when using Fancy Splitting
13285 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}) together with the function
13286 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent}.
13291 @node Fancy Mail Splitting
13292 @subsection Fancy Mail Splitting
13293 @cindex mail splitting
13294 @cindex fancy mail splitting
13296 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy
13297 @findex nnmail-split-fancy
13298 If the rather simple, standard method for specifying how to split mail
13299 doesn't allow you to do what you want, you can set
13300 @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy}. Then you can
13301 play with the @code{nnmail-split-fancy} variable.
13303 Let's look at an example value of this variable first:
13306 ;; Messages from the mailer daemon are not crossposted to any of
13307 ;; the ordinary groups. Warnings are put in a separate group
13308 ;; from real errors.
13309 (| ("from" mail (| ("subject" "warn.*" "mail.warning")
13311 ;; Non-error messages are crossposted to all relevant
13312 ;; groups, but we don't crosspost between the group for the
13313 ;; (ding) list and the group for other (ding) related mail.
13314 (& (| (any "ding@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "ding.list")
13315 ("subject" "ding" "ding.misc"))
13316 ;; Other mailing lists...
13317 (any "procmail@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "procmail.list")
13318 (any "SmartList@@informatik\\.rwth-aachen\\.de" "SmartList.list")
13319 ;; Both lists below have the same suffix, so prevent
13320 ;; cross-posting to mkpkg.list of messages posted only to
13321 ;; the bugs- list, but allow cross-posting when the
13322 ;; message was really cross-posted.
13323 (any "bugs-mypackage@@somewhere" "mypkg.bugs")
13324 (any "mypackage@@somewhere\" - "bugs-mypackage" "mypkg.list")
13326 (any "larsi@@ifi\\.uio\\.no" "people.Lars_Magne_Ingebrigtsen"))
13327 ;; Unmatched mail goes to the catch all group.
13331 This variable has the format of a @dfn{split}. A split is a (possibly)
13332 recursive structure where each split may contain other splits. Here are
13333 the five possible split syntaxes:
13338 @samp{group}: If the split is a string, that will be taken as a group
13339 name. Normal regexp match expansion will be done. See below for
13343 @code{(@var{field} @var{value} @code{[-} @var{restrict}
13344 @code{[@dots{}]}@code{]} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, the
13345 first element of which is a string, then store the message as
13346 specified by @var{split}, if header @var{field} (a regexp) contains
13347 @var{value} (also a regexp). If @var{restrict} (yet another regexp)
13348 matches some string after @var{field} and before the end of the
13349 matched @var{value}, the @var{split} is ignored. If none of the
13350 @var{restrict} clauses match, @var{split} is processed.
13353 @code{(| @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13354 element is @code{|} (vertical bar), then process each @var{split} until
13355 one of them matches. A @var{split} is said to match if it will cause
13356 the mail message to be stored in one or more groups.
13359 @code{(& @var{split}@dots{})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13360 element is @code{&}, then process all @var{split}s in the list.
13363 @code{junk}: If the split is the symbol @code{junk}, then don't save
13364 (i.e., delete) this message. Use with extreme caution.
13367 @code{(: @var{function} @var{arg1} @var{arg2} @dots{})}: If the split is
13368 a list, and the first element is @code{:}, then the second element will
13369 be called as a function with @var{args} given as arguments. The
13370 function should return a @var{split}.
13373 For instance, the following function could be used to split based on the
13374 body of the messages:
13377 (defun split-on-body ()
13379 (set-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
13380 (goto-char (point-min))
13381 (when (re-search-forward "Some.*string" nil t)
13385 The @samp{" *nnmail incoming*"} is narrowed to the message in question
13386 when the @code{:} function is run.
13389 @code{(! @var{func} @var{split})}: If the split is a list, and the first
13390 element is @code{!}, then SPLIT will be processed, and FUNC will be
13391 called as a function with the result of SPLIT as argument. FUNC should
13395 @code{nil}: If the split is @code{nil}, it is ignored.
13399 In these splits, @var{field} must match a complete field name.
13400 @var{value} must match a complete word according to the fundamental mode
13401 syntax table. You can use @code{.*} in the regexps to match partial
13402 field names or words. In other words, all @var{value}'s are wrapped in
13403 @samp{\<} and @samp{\>} pairs.
13405 @vindex nnmail-split-abbrev-alist
13406 @var{field} and @var{value} can also be lisp symbols, in that case they
13407 are expanded as specified by the variable
13408 @code{nnmail-split-abbrev-alist}. This is an alist of cons cells, where
13409 the @code{car} of a cell contains the key, and the @code{cdr} contains the associated
13412 @vindex nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table
13413 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-syntax-table} is the syntax table in effect
13414 when all this splitting is performed.
13416 If you want to have Gnus create groups dynamically based on some
13417 information in the headers (i.e., do @code{replace-match}-like
13418 substitutions in the group names), you can say things like:
13421 (any "debian-\\b\\(\\w+\\)@@lists.debian.org" "mail.debian.\\1")
13424 In this example, messages sent to @samp{debian-foo@@lists.debian.org}
13425 will be filed in @samp{mail.debian.foo}.
13427 If the string contains the element @samp{\&}, then the previously
13428 matched string will be substituted. Similarly, the elements @samp{\\1}
13429 up to @samp{\\9} will be substituted with the text matched by the
13430 groupings 1 through 9.
13432 @findex nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent
13433 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} is a function which allows you to
13434 split followups into the same groups their parents are in. Sometimes
13435 you can't make splitting rules for all your mail. For example, your
13436 boss might send you personal mail regarding different projects you are
13437 working on, and as you can't tell your boss to put a distinguishing
13438 string into the subject line, you have to resort to manually moving the
13439 messages into the right group. With this function, you only have to do
13440 it once per thread.
13442 To use this feature, you have to set @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} and
13443 @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} to a non-nil value. And then
13444 you can include @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} using the colon
13447 (setq nnmail-treat-duplicates 'warn ; or 'delete
13448 nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids t
13450 '(| (: nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent)
13451 ;; other splits go here
13455 This feature works as follows: when @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} is
13456 non-nil, Gnus records the message id of every message it sees in the
13457 file specified by the variable @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file},
13458 together with the group it is in (the group is omitted for non-mail
13459 messages). When mail splitting is invoked, the function
13460 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent} then looks at the References (and
13461 In-Reply-To) header of each message to split and searches the file
13462 specified by @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file} for the message ids.
13463 When it has found a parent, it returns the corresponding group name
13464 unless the group name matches the regexp
13465 @code{nnmail-split-fancy-with-parent-ignore-groups}. It is recommended
13466 that you set @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length} to a somewhat higher
13467 number than the default so that the message ids are still in the cache.
13468 (A value of 5000 appears to create a file some 300 kBytes in size.)
13469 @vindex nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids
13470 When @code{nnmail-cache-accepted-message-ids} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus
13471 also records the message ids of moved articles, so that the followup
13472 messages goes into the new group.
13474 Also see the variable @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} if you don't
13475 want certain groups to be recorded in the cache. For example, if all
13476 outgoing messages are written to an `outgoing' group, you could set
13477 @code{nnmail-cache-ignore-groups} to match that group name.
13478 Otherwise, answers to all your messages would end up in the
13482 @node Group Mail Splitting
13483 @subsection Group Mail Splitting
13484 @cindex mail splitting
13485 @cindex group mail splitting
13487 @findex gnus-group-split
13488 If you subscribe to dozens of mailing lists but you don't want to
13489 maintain mail splitting rules manually, group mail splitting is for you.
13490 You just have to set @var{to-list} and/or @var{to-address} in group
13491 parameters or group customization and set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to
13492 @code{gnus-group-split}. This splitting function will scan all groups
13493 for those parameters and split mail accordingly, i.e., messages posted
13494 from or to the addresses specified in the parameters @var{to-list} or
13495 @var{to-address} of a mail group will be stored in that group.
13497 Sometimes, mailing lists have multiple addresses, and you may want mail
13498 splitting to recognize them all: just set the @var{extra-aliases} group
13499 parameter to the list of additional addresses and it's done. If you'd
13500 rather use a regular expression, set @var{split-regexp}.
13502 All these parameters in a group will be used to create an
13503 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split, in which the @var{field} is @samp{any},
13504 the @var{value} is a single regular expression that matches
13505 @var{to-list}, @var{to-address}, all of @var{extra-aliases} and all
13506 matches of @var{split-regexp}, and the @var{split} is the name of the
13507 group. @var{restrict}s are also supported: just set the
13508 @var{split-exclude} parameter to a list of regular expressions.
13510 If you can't get the right split to be generated using all these
13511 parameters, or you just need something fancier, you can set the
13512 parameter @var{split-spec} to an @code{nnmail-split-fancy} split. In
13513 this case, all other aforementioned parameters will be ignored by
13514 @code{gnus-group-split}. In particular, @var{split-spec} may be set to
13515 @code{nil}, in which case the group will be ignored by
13516 @code{gnus-group-split}.
13518 @vindex gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group
13519 @code{gnus-group-split} will do cross-posting on all groups that match,
13520 by defining a single @code{&} fancy split containing one split for each
13521 group. If a message doesn't match any split, it will be stored in the
13522 group named in @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}, unless
13523 some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all}, in which case
13524 that group is used as the catch-all group. Even though this variable is
13525 often used just to name a group, it may also be set to an arbitrarily
13526 complex fancy split (after all, a group name is a fancy split), and this
13527 may be useful to split mail that doesn't go to any mailing list to
13528 personal mail folders. Note that this fancy split is added as the last
13529 element of a @code{|} split list that also contains a @code{&} split
13530 with the rules extracted from group parameters.
13532 It's time for an example. Assume the following group parameters have
13537 ((to-address . "bar@@femail.com")
13538 (split-regexp . ".*@@femail\\.com"))
13540 ((to-list . "foo@@nowhere.gov")
13541 (extra-aliases "foo@@localhost" "foo-redist@@home")
13542 (split-exclude "bugs-foo" "rambling-foo")
13543 (admin-address . "foo-request@@nowhere.gov"))
13545 ((split-spec . catch-all))
13548 Setting @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{gnus-group-split} will
13549 behave as if @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been selected and variable
13550 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} had been set as follows:
13553 (| (& (any "\\(bar@@femail\\.com\\|.*@@femail\\.com\\)" "mail.bar")
13554 (any "\\(foo@@nowhere\\.gov\\|foo@@localhost\\|foo-redist@@home\\)"
13555 - "bugs-foo" - "rambling-foo" "mail.foo"))
13559 @findex gnus-group-split-fancy
13560 If you'd rather not use group splitting for all your mail groups, you
13561 may use it for only some of them, by using @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
13565 (: gnus-group-split-fancy GROUPS NO-CROSSPOST CATCH-ALL)
13568 @var{groups} may be a regular expression or a list of group names whose
13569 parameters will be scanned to generate the output split.
13570 @var{no-crosspost} can be used to disable cross-posting; in this case, a
13571 single @code{|} split will be output. @var{catch-all} is the fallback
13572 fancy split, used like @var{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group}.
13573 If @var{catch-all} is @code{nil}, or if @var{split-regexp} matches the
13574 empty string in any selected group, no catch-all split will be issued.
13575 Otherwise, if some group has @var{split-spec} set to @code{catch-all},
13576 this group will override the value of the @var{catch-all} argument.
13578 @findex gnus-group-split-setup
13579 Unfortunately, scanning all groups and their parameters can be quite
13580 slow, especially considering that it has to be done for every message.
13581 But don't despair! The function @code{gnus-group-split-setup} can be
13582 used to enable @code{gnus-group-split} in a much more efficient way. It
13583 sets @code{nnmail-split-methods} to @code{nnmail-split-fancy} and sets
13584 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} to the split produced by
13585 @code{gnus-group-split-fancy}. Thus, the group parameters are only
13586 scanned once, no matter how many messages are split.
13588 @findex gnus-group-split-update
13589 However, if you change group parameters, you'd have to update
13590 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} manually. You can do it by running
13591 @code{gnus-group-split-update}. If you'd rather have it updated
13592 automatically, just tell @code{gnus-group-split-setup} to do it for
13593 you. For example, add to your @file{.gnus}:
13596 (gnus-group-split-setup AUTO-UPDATE CATCH-ALL)
13599 If @var{auto-update} is non-@code{nil}, @code{gnus-group-split-update}
13600 will be added to @code{nnmail-pre-get-new-mail-hook}, so you won't ever
13601 have to worry about updating @code{nnmail-split-fancy} again. If you
13602 don't omit @var{catch-all} (it's optional, equivalent to @code{nil}),
13603 @code{gnus-group-split-default-catch-all-group} will be set to its
13606 @vindex gnus-group-split-updated-hook
13607 Because you may want to change @code{nnmail-split-fancy} after it is set
13608 by @code{gnus-group-split-update}, this function will run
13609 @code{gnus-group-split-updated-hook} just before finishing.
13611 @node Incorporating Old Mail
13612 @subsection Incorporating Old Mail
13613 @cindex incorporating old mail
13614 @cindex import old mail
13616 Most people have lots of old mail stored in various file formats. If
13617 you have set up Gnus to read mail using one of the spiffy Gnus mail
13618 back ends, you'll probably wish to have that old mail incorporated into
13621 Doing so can be quite easy.
13623 To take an example: You're reading mail using @code{nnml}
13624 (@pxref{Mail Spool}), and have set @code{nnmail-split-methods} to a
13625 satisfactory value (@pxref{Splitting Mail}). You have an old Unix mbox
13626 file filled with important, but old, mail. You want to move it into
13627 your @code{nnml} groups.
13633 Go to the group buffer.
13636 Type `G f' and give the path to the mbox file when prompted to create an
13637 @code{nndoc} group from the mbox file (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
13640 Type `SPACE' to enter the newly created group.
13643 Type `M P b' to process-mark all articles in this group's buffer
13644 (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
13647 Type `B r' to respool all the process-marked articles, and answer
13648 @samp{nnml} when prompted (@pxref{Mail Group Commands}).
13651 All the mail messages in the mbox file will now also be spread out over
13652 all your @code{nnml} groups. Try entering them and check whether things
13653 have gone without a glitch. If things look ok, you may consider
13654 deleting the mbox file, but I wouldn't do that unless I was absolutely
13655 sure that all the mail has ended up where it should be.
13657 Respooling is also a handy thing to do if you're switching from one mail
13658 back end to another. Just respool all the mail in the old mail groups
13659 using the new mail back end.
13662 @node Expiring Mail
13663 @subsection Expiring Mail
13664 @cindex article expiry
13666 Traditional mail readers have a tendency to remove mail articles when
13667 you mark them as read, in some way. Gnus takes a fundamentally
13668 different approach to mail reading.
13670 Gnus basically considers mail just to be news that has been received in
13671 a rather peculiar manner. It does not think that it has the power to
13672 actually change the mail, or delete any mail messages. If you enter a
13673 mail group, and mark articles as ``read'', or kill them in some other
13674 fashion, the mail articles will still exist on the system. I repeat:
13675 Gnus will not delete your old, read mail. Unless you ask it to, of
13678 To make Gnus get rid of your unwanted mail, you have to mark the
13679 articles as @dfn{expirable}. (With the default keybindings, this means
13680 that you have to type @kbd{E}.) This does not mean that the articles
13681 will disappear right away, however. In general, a mail article will be
13682 deleted from your system if, 1) it is marked as expirable, AND 2) it is
13683 more than one week old. If you do not mark an article as expirable, it
13684 will remain on your system until hell freezes over. This bears
13685 repeating one more time, with some spurious capitalizations: IF you do
13686 NOT mark articles as EXPIRABLE, Gnus will NEVER delete those ARTICLES.
13688 You do not have to mark articles as expirable by hand. Gnus provides
13689 two features, called `auto-expire' and `total-expire', that can help you
13690 with this. In a nutshell, `auto-expire' means that Gnus hits @kbd{E}
13691 for you when you select an article. And `total-expire' means that Gnus
13692 considers all articles as expirable that are read. So, in addition to
13693 the articles marked @samp{E}, also the articles marked @samp{r},
13694 @samp{R}, @samp{O}, @samp{K}, @samp{Y} and so on are considered
13697 When should either auto-expire or total-expire be used? Most people
13698 who are subscribed to mailing lists split each list into its own group
13699 and then turn on auto-expire or total-expire for those groups.
13700 (@xref{Splitting Mail}, for more information on splitting each list
13701 into its own group.)
13703 Which one is better, auto-expire or total-expire? It's not easy to
13704 answer. Generally speaking, auto-expire is probably faster. Another
13705 advantage of auto-expire is that you get more marks to work with: for
13706 the articles that are supposed to stick around, you can still choose
13707 between tick and dormant and read marks. But with total-expire, you
13708 only have dormant and ticked to choose from. The advantage of
13709 total-expire is that it works well with adaptive scoring @pxref{Adaptive
13710 Scoring}. Auto-expire works with normal scoring but not with adaptive
13713 @vindex gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13714 Groups that match the regular expression
13715 @code{gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups} will have all articles that you
13716 read marked as expirable automatically. All articles marked as
13717 expirable have an @samp{E} in the first column in the summary buffer.
13719 By default, if you have auto expiry switched on, Gnus will mark all the
13720 articles you read as expirable, no matter if they were read or unread
13721 before. To avoid having articles marked as read marked as expirable
13722 automatically, you can put something like the following in your
13725 @vindex gnus-mark-article-hook
13727 (remove-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook
13728 'gnus-summary-mark-read-and-unread-as-read)
13729 (add-hook 'gnus-mark-article-hook 'gnus-summary-mark-unread-as-read)
13732 Note that making a group auto-expirable doesn't mean that all read
13733 articles are expired---only the articles marked as expirable
13734 will be expired. Also note that using the @kbd{d} command won't make
13735 articles expirable---only semi-automatic marking of articles as read will
13736 mark the articles as expirable in auto-expirable groups.
13738 Let's say you subscribe to a couple of mailing lists, and you want the
13739 articles you have read to disappear after a while:
13742 (setq gnus-auto-expirable-newsgroups
13743 "mail.nonsense-list\\|mail.nice-list")
13746 Another way to have auto-expiry happen is to have the element
13747 @code{auto-expire} in the group parameters of the group.
13749 If you use adaptive scoring (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}) and
13750 auto-expiring, you'll have problems. Auto-expiring and adaptive scoring
13751 don't really mix very well.
13753 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait
13754 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable supplies the default time an
13755 expirable article has to live. Gnus starts counting days from when the
13756 message @emph{arrived}, not from when it was sent. The default is seven
13759 Gnus also supplies a function that lets you fine-tune how long articles
13760 are to live, based on what group they are in. Let's say you want to
13761 have one month expiry period in the @samp{mail.private} group, a one day
13762 expiry period in the @samp{mail.junk} group, and a six day expiry period
13765 @vindex nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13767 (setq nnmail-expiry-wait-function
13769 (cond ((string= group "mail.private")
13771 ((string= group "mail.junk")
13773 ((string= group "important")
13779 The group names this function is fed are ``unadorned'' group
13780 names---no @samp{nnml:} prefixes and the like.
13782 The @code{nnmail-expiry-wait} variable and
13783 @code{nnmail-expiry-wait-function} function can either be a number (not
13784 necessarily an integer) or one of the symbols @code{immediate} or
13787 You can also use the @code{expiry-wait} group parameter to selectively
13788 change the expiry period (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
13790 @vindex nnmail-expiry-target
13791 The normal action taken when expiring articles is to delete them.
13792 However, in some circumstances it might make more sense to move them
13793 to other groups instead of deleting them. The variable
13794 @code{nnmail-expiry-target} (and the @code{expiry-target} group
13795 parameter) controls this. The variable supplies a default value for
13796 all groups, which can be overridden for specific groups by the group
13797 parameter. default value is @code{delete}, but this can also be a
13798 string (which should be the name of the group the message should be
13799 moved to), or a function (which will be called in a buffer narrowed to
13800 the message in question, and with the name of the group being moved
13801 from as its parameter) which should return a target -- either a group
13802 name or @code{delete}.
13804 Here's an example for specifying a group name:
13806 (setq nnmail-expiry-target "nnml:expired")
13809 @findex nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13810 @vindex nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13811 Gnus provides a function @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-target} which will
13812 expire mail to groups according to the variable
13813 @code{nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets}. Here's an example:
13816 (setq nnmail-expiry-target 'nnmail-fancy-expiry-target
13817 nnmail-fancy-expiry-targets
13818 '((to-from "boss" "nnfolder:Work")
13819 ("subject" "IMPORTANT" "nnfolder:IMPORTANT.%Y.%b")
13820 ("from" ".*" "nnfolder:Archive-%Y")))
13823 With this setup, any mail that has @code{IMPORTANT} in its Subject
13824 header and was sent in the year @code{YYYY} and month @code{MMM}, will
13825 get expired to the group @code{nnfolder:IMPORTANT.YYYY.MMM}. If its
13826 From or To header contains the string @code{boss}, it will get expired
13827 to @code{nnfolder:Work}. All other mail will get expired to
13828 @code{nnfolder:Archive-YYYY}.
13830 @vindex nnmail-keep-last-article
13831 If @code{nnmail-keep-last-article} is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will never
13832 expire the final article in a mail newsgroup. This is to make life
13833 easier for procmail users.
13835 @vindex gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups
13836 By the way: That line up there, about Gnus never expiring non-expirable
13837 articles, is a lie. If you put @code{total-expire} in the group
13838 parameters, articles will not be marked as expirable, but all read
13839 articles will be put through the expiry process. Use with extreme
13840 caution. Even more dangerous is the
13841 @code{gnus-total-expirable-newsgroups} variable. All groups that match
13842 this regexp will have all read articles put through the expiry process,
13843 which means that @emph{all} old mail articles in the groups in question
13844 will be deleted after a while. Use with extreme caution, and don't come
13845 crying to me when you discover that the regexp you used matched the
13846 wrong group and all your important mail has disappeared. Be a
13847 @emph{man}! Or a @emph{woman}! Whatever you feel more comfortable
13850 Most people make most of their mail groups total-expirable, though.
13852 @vindex gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire
13853 If @code{gnus-inhibit-user-auto-expire} is non-@code{nil}, user marking
13854 commands will not mark an article as expirable, even if the group has
13855 auto-expire turned on.
13859 @subsection Washing Mail
13860 @cindex mail washing
13861 @cindex list server brain damage
13862 @cindex incoming mail treatment
13864 Mailers and list servers are notorious for doing all sorts of really,
13865 really stupid things with mail. ``Hey, RFC 822 doesn't explicitly
13866 prohibit us from adding the string @code{wE aRe ElItE!!!!!1!!} to the
13867 end of all lines passing through our server, so let's do that!!!!1!''
13868 Yes, but RFC 822 wasn't designed to be read by morons. Things that were
13869 considered to be self-evident were not discussed. So. Here we are.
13871 Case in point: The German version of Microsoft Exchange adds @samp{AW:
13872 } to the subjects of replies instead of @samp{Re: }. I could pretend to
13873 be shocked and dismayed by this, but I haven't got the energy. It is to
13876 Gnus provides a plethora of functions for washing articles while
13877 displaying them, but it might be nicer to do the filtering before
13878 storing the mail to disc. For that purpose, we have three hooks and
13879 various functions that can be put in these hooks.
13882 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13883 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-hook
13884 This hook is called before doing anything with the mail and is meant for
13885 grand, sweeping gestures. It is called in a buffer that contains all
13886 the new, incoming mail. Functions to be used include:
13889 @item nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13890 @findex nnheader-ms-strip-cr
13891 Remove trailing carriage returns from each line. This is default on
13892 Emacs running on MS machines.
13896 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13897 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-header-hook
13898 This hook is called narrowed to each header. It can be used when
13899 cleaning up the headers. Functions that can be used include:
13902 @item nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13903 @findex nnmail-remove-leading-whitespace
13904 Clear leading white space that ``helpful'' listservs have added to the
13905 headers to make them look nice. Aaah.
13907 (Note that this function works on both the header on the body of all
13908 messages, so it is a potentially dangerous function to use (if a body
13909 of a message contains something that looks like a header line). So
13910 rather than fix the bug, it is of course the right solution to make it
13911 into a feature by documenting it.)
13913 @item nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13914 @findex nnmail-remove-list-identifiers
13915 Some list servers add an identifier---for example, @samp{(idm)}---to the
13916 beginning of all @code{Subject} headers. I'm sure that's nice for
13917 people who use stone age mail readers. This function will remove
13918 strings that match the @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} regexp, which can
13919 also be a list of regexp. @code{nnmail-list-identifiers} may not contain
13922 For instance, if you want to remove the @samp{(idm)} and the
13923 @samp{nagnagnag} identifiers:
13926 (setq nnmail-list-identifiers
13927 '("(idm)" "nagnagnag"))
13930 This can also be done non-destructively with
13931 @code{gnus-list-identifiers}, @xref{Article Hiding}.
13933 @item nnmail-remove-tabs
13934 @findex nnmail-remove-tabs
13935 Translate all @samp{TAB} characters into @samp{SPACE} characters.
13937 @item nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13938 @findex nnmail-fix-eudora-headers
13940 Eudora produces broken @code{References} headers, but OK
13941 @code{In-Reply-To} headers. This function will get rid of the
13942 @code{References} headers.
13946 @item nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13947 @vindex nnmail-prepare-incoming-message-hook
13948 This hook is called narrowed to each message. Functions to be used
13952 @item article-de-quoted-unreadable
13953 @findex article-de-quoted-unreadable
13954 Decode Quoted Readable encoding.
13961 @subsection Duplicates
13963 @vindex nnmail-treat-duplicates
13964 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-length
13965 @vindex nnmail-message-id-cache-file
13966 @cindex duplicate mails
13967 If you are a member of a couple of mailing lists, you will sometimes
13968 receive two copies of the same mail. This can be quite annoying, so
13969 @code{nnmail} checks for and treats any duplicates it might find. To do
13970 this, it keeps a cache of old @code{Message-ID}s---
13971 @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-file}, which is @file{~/.nnmail-cache} by
13972 default. The approximate maximum number of @code{Message-ID}s stored
13973 there is controlled by the @code{nnmail-message-id-cache-length}
13974 variable, which is 1000 by default. (So 1000 @code{Message-ID}s will be
13975 stored.) If all this sounds scary to you, you can set
13976 @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} to @code{warn} (which is what it is by
13977 default), and @code{nnmail} won't delete duplicate mails. Instead it
13978 will insert a warning into the head of the mail saying that it thinks
13979 that this is a duplicate of a different message.
13981 This variable can also be a function. If that's the case, the function
13982 will be called from a buffer narrowed to the message in question with
13983 the @code{Message-ID} as a parameter. The function must return either
13984 @code{nil}, @code{warn}, or @code{delete}.
13986 You can turn this feature off completely by setting the variable to
13989 If you want all the duplicate mails to be put into a special
13990 @dfn{duplicates} group, you could do that using the normal mail split
13994 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
13995 '(| ;; Messages duplicates go to a separate group.
13996 ("gnus-warning" "duplicat\\(e\\|ion\\) of message" "duplicate")
13997 ;; Message from daemons, postmaster, and the like to another.
13998 (any mail "mail.misc")
14005 (setq nnmail-split-methods
14006 '(("duplicates" "^Gnus-Warning:.*duplicate")
14011 Here's a neat feature: If you know that the recipient reads her mail
14012 with Gnus, and that she has @code{nnmail-treat-duplicates} set to
14013 @code{delete}, you can send her as many insults as you like, just by
14014 using a @code{Message-ID} of a mail that you know that she's already
14015 received. Think of all the fun! She'll never see any of it! Whee!
14018 @node Not Reading Mail
14019 @subsection Not Reading Mail
14021 If you start using any of the mail back ends, they have the annoying
14022 habit of assuming that you want to read mail with them. This might not
14023 be unreasonable, but it might not be what you want.
14025 If you set @code{mail-sources} and @code{nnmail-spool-file} to
14026 @code{nil}, none of the back ends will ever attempt to read incoming
14027 mail, which should help.
14029 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14030 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14031 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14032 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14033 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14034 This might be too much, if, for instance, you are reading mail quite
14035 happily with @code{nnml} and just want to peek at some old @sc{rmail}
14036 file you have stashed away with @code{nnbabyl}. All back ends have
14037 variables called back-end-@code{get-new-mail}. If you want to disable
14038 the @code{nnbabyl} mail reading, you edit the virtual server for the
14039 group to have a setting where @code{nnbabyl-get-new-mail} to @code{nil}.
14041 All the mail back ends will call @code{nn}*@code{-prepare-save-mail-hook}
14042 narrowed to the article to be saved before saving it when reading
14046 @node Choosing a Mail Back End
14047 @subsection Choosing a Mail Back End
14049 Gnus will read the mail spool when you activate a mail group. The mail
14050 file is first copied to your home directory. What happens after that
14051 depends on what format you want to store your mail in.
14053 There are six different mail back ends in the standard Gnus, and more
14054 back ends are available separately. The mail back end most people use
14055 (because it is possibly the fastest) is @code{nnml} (@pxref{Mail
14056 Spool}). You might notice that only five back ends are listed below;
14057 @code{nnmaildir}'s documentation has not yet been completely
14058 incorporated into this manual. Until it is, you can find it at
14059 @uref{http://multivac.cwru.edu./nnmaildir/}.
14062 * Unix Mail Box:: Using the (quite) standard Un*x mbox.
14063 * Rmail Babyl:: Emacs programs use the rmail babyl format.
14064 * Mail Spool:: Store your mail in a private spool?
14065 * MH Spool:: An mhspool-like back end.
14066 * Mail Folders:: Having one file for each group.
14067 * Comparing Mail Back Ends:: An in-depth looks at pros and cons.
14071 @node Unix Mail Box
14072 @subsubsection Unix Mail Box
14074 @cindex unix mail box
14076 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14077 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14078 The @dfn{nnmbox} back end will use the standard Un*x mbox file to store
14079 mail. @code{nnmbox} will add extra headers to each mail article to say
14080 which group it belongs in.
14082 Virtual server settings:
14085 @item nnmbox-mbox-file
14086 @vindex nnmbox-mbox-file
14087 The name of the mail box in the user's home directory. Default is
14090 @item nnmbox-active-file
14091 @vindex nnmbox-active-file
14092 The name of the active file for the mail box. Default is
14093 @file{~/.mbox-active}.
14095 @item nnmbox-get-new-mail
14096 @vindex nnmbox-get-new-mail
14097 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmbox} will read incoming mail and split it
14098 into groups. Default is @code{t}.
14103 @subsubsection Rmail Babyl
14107 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14108 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14109 The @dfn{nnbabyl} back end will use a babyl mail box (aka. @dfn{rmail
14110 mbox}) to store mail. @code{nnbabyl} will add extra headers to each
14111 mail article to say which group it belongs in.
14113 Virtual server settings:
14116 @item nnbabyl-mbox-file
14117 @vindex nnbabyl-mbox-file
14118 The name of the rmail mbox file. The default is @file{~/RMAIL}
14120 @item nnbabyl-active-file
14121 @vindex nnbabyl-active-file
14122 The name of the active file for the rmail box. The default is
14123 @file{~/.rmail-active}
14125 @item nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14126 @vindex nnbabyl-get-new-mail
14127 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnbabyl} will read incoming mail. Default is
14133 @subsubsection Mail Spool
14135 @cindex mail @sc{nov} spool
14137 The @dfn{nnml} spool mail format isn't compatible with any other known
14138 format. It should be used with some caution.
14140 @vindex nnml-directory
14141 If you use this back end, Gnus will split all incoming mail into files,
14142 one file for each mail, and put the articles into the corresponding
14143 directories under the directory specified by the @code{nnml-directory}
14144 variable. The default value is @file{~/Mail/}.
14146 You do not have to create any directories beforehand; Gnus will take
14149 If you have a strict limit as to how many files you are allowed to store
14150 in your account, you should not use this back end. As each mail gets its
14151 own file, you might very well occupy thousands of inodes within a few
14152 weeks. If this is no problem for you, and it isn't a problem for you
14153 having your friendly systems administrator walking around, madly,
14154 shouting ``Who is eating all my inodes?! Who? Who!?!'', then you should
14155 know that this is probably the fastest format to use. You do not have
14156 to trudge through a big mbox file just to read your new mail.
14158 @code{nnml} is probably the slowest back end when it comes to article
14159 splitting. It has to create lots of files, and it also generates
14160 @sc{nov} databases for the incoming mails. This makes it possibly the
14161 fastest back end when it comes to reading mail.
14163 @cindex self contained nnml servers
14165 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnml}
14166 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14167 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14168 proper @code{nnml} server) and have all your marks be preserved. Marks
14169 for a group is usually stored in the @code{.marks} file (but see
14170 @code{nnml-marks-file-name}) within each @code{nnml} group's directory.
14171 Individual @code{nnml} groups are also possible to backup, use @kbd{G m}
14172 to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the nnml
14175 If for some reason you believe your @file{.marks} files are screwed
14176 up, you can just delete them all. Gnus will then correctly regenerate
14177 them next time it starts.
14179 Virtual server settings:
14182 @item nnml-directory
14183 @vindex nnml-directory
14184 All @code{nnml} directories will be placed under this directory.
14185 The default is the value of `message-directory' (whose default value is
14188 @item nnml-active-file
14189 @vindex nnml-active-file
14190 The active file for the @code{nnml} server. The default is
14191 @file{~/Mail/active"}.
14193 @item nnml-newsgroups-file
14194 @vindex nnml-newsgroups-file
14195 The @code{nnml} group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14196 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}.
14198 @item nnml-get-new-mail
14199 @vindex nnml-get-new-mail
14200 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will read incoming mail. The default is
14203 @item nnml-nov-is-evil
14204 @vindex nnml-nov-is-evil
14205 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14206 default is @code{nil}.
14208 @item nnml-nov-file-name
14209 @vindex nnml-nov-file-name
14210 The name of the @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.overview}.
14212 @item nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14213 @vindex nnml-prepare-save-mail-hook
14214 Hook run narrowed to an article before saving.
14216 @item nnml-marks-is-evil
14217 @vindex nnml-marks-is-evil
14218 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14219 default is @code{nil}.
14221 @item nnml-marks-file-name
14222 @vindex nnml-marks-file-name
14223 The name of the @dfn{marks} files. The default is @file{.marks}.
14225 @item nnml-use-compressed-files
14226 @vindex nnml-use-compressed-files
14227 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnml} will allow using compressed message
14232 @findex nnml-generate-nov-databases
14233 If your @code{nnml} groups and @sc{nov} files get totally out of whack,
14234 you can do a complete update by typing @kbd{M-x
14235 nnml-generate-nov-databases}. This command will trawl through the
14236 entire @code{nnml} hierarchy, looking at each and every article, so it
14237 might take a while to complete. A better interface to this
14238 functionality can be found in the server buffer (@pxref{Server
14243 @subsubsection MH Spool
14245 @cindex mh-e mail spool
14247 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, except that is doesn't generate
14248 @sc{nov} databases and it doesn't keep an active file or marks file.
14249 This makes @code{nnmh} a @emph{much} slower back end than @code{nnml},
14250 but it also makes it easier to write procmail scripts for.
14252 Virtual server settings:
14255 @item nnmh-directory
14256 @vindex nnmh-directory
14257 All @code{nnmh} directories will be located under this directory. The
14258 default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14261 @item nnmh-get-new-mail
14262 @vindex nnmh-get-new-mail
14263 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will read incoming mail. The default is
14267 @vindex nnmh-be-safe
14268 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnmh} will go to ridiculous lengths to make
14269 sure that the articles in the folder are actually what Gnus thinks they
14270 are. It will check date stamps and stat everything in sight, so
14271 setting this to @code{t} will mean a serious slow-down. If you never
14272 use anything but Gnus to read the @code{nnmh} articles, you do not have
14273 to set this variable to @code{t}. The default is @code{nil}.
14278 @subsubsection Mail Folders
14280 @cindex mbox folders
14281 @cindex mail folders
14283 @code{nnfolder} is a back end for storing each mail group in a separate
14284 file. Each file is in the standard Un*x mbox format. @code{nnfolder}
14285 will add extra headers to keep track of article numbers and arrival
14288 @cindex self contained nnfolder servers
14290 When the marks file is used (which it is by default), @code{nnfolder}
14291 servers have the property that you may backup them using @code{tar} or
14292 similar, and later be able to restore them into Gnus (by adding the
14293 proper @code{nnfolder} server) and have all your marks be preserved.
14294 Marks for a group is usually stored in a file named as the mbox file
14295 with @code{.mrk} concatenated to it (but see
14296 @code{nnfolder-marks-file-suffix}) within the @code{nnfolder} directory.
14297 Individual @code{nnfolder} groups are also possible to backup, use
14298 @kbd{G m} to restore the group (after restoring the backup into the
14299 @code{nnfolder} directory).
14301 Virtual server settings:
14304 @item nnfolder-directory
14305 @vindex nnfolder-directory
14306 All the @code{nnfolder} mail boxes will be stored under this directory.
14307 The default is the value of @code{message-directory} (whose default is
14310 @item nnfolder-active-file
14311 @vindex nnfolder-active-file
14312 The name of the active file. The default is @file{~/Mail/active}.
14314 @item nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14315 @vindex nnfolder-newsgroups-file
14316 The name of the group descriptions file. @xref{Newsgroups File
14317 Format}. The default is @file{~/Mail/newsgroups"}
14319 @item nnfolder-get-new-mail
14320 @vindex nnfolder-get-new-mail
14321 If non-@code{nil}, @code{nnfolder} will read incoming mail. The default
14324 @item nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14325 @vindex nnfolder-save-buffer-hook
14326 @cindex backup files
14327 Hook run before saving the folders. Note that Emacs does the normal
14328 backup renaming of files even with the @code{nnfolder} buffers. If you
14329 wish to switch this off, you could say something like the following in
14330 your @file{.emacs} file:
14333 (defun turn-off-backup ()
14334 (set (make-local-variable 'backup-inhibited) t))
14336 (add-hook 'nnfolder-save-buffer-hook 'turn-off-backup)
14339 @item nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14340 @vindex nnfolder-delete-mail-hook
14341 Hook run in a buffer narrowed to the message that is to be deleted.
14342 This function can be used to copy the message to somewhere else, or to
14343 extract some information from it before removing it.
14345 @item nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14346 @vindex nnfolder-nov-is-evil
14347 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{nov} files. The
14348 default is @code{nil}.
14350 @item nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14351 @vindex nnfolder-nov-file-suffix
14352 The extension for @sc{nov} files. The default is @file{.nov}.
14354 @item nnfolder-nov-directory
14355 @vindex nnfolder-nov-directory
14356 The directory where the @sc{nov} files should be stored. If nil,
14357 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14359 @item nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14360 @vindex nnfolder-marks-is-evil
14361 If non-@code{nil}, this back end will ignore any @sc{marks} files. The
14362 default is @code{nil}.
14364 @item nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14365 @vindex nnfolder-marks-file-suffix
14366 The extension for @sc{marks} files. The default is @file{.mrk}.
14368 @item nnfolder-marks-directory
14369 @vindex nnfolder-marks-directory
14370 The directory where the @sc{marks} files should be stored. If nil,
14371 @code{nnfolder-directory} is used.
14376 @findex nnfolder-generate-active-file
14377 @kindex M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file
14378 If you have lots of @code{nnfolder}-like files you'd like to read with
14379 @code{nnfolder}, you can use the @kbd{M-x nnfolder-generate-active-file}
14380 command to make @code{nnfolder} aware of all likely files in
14381 @code{nnfolder-directory}. This only works if you use long file names,
14384 @node Comparing Mail Back Ends
14385 @subsubsection Comparing Mail Back Ends
14387 First, just for terminology, the @dfn{back end} is the common word for a
14388 low-level access method---a transport, if you will, by which something
14389 is acquired. The sense is that one's mail has to come from somewhere,
14390 and so selection of a suitable back end is required in order to get that
14391 mail within spitting distance of Gnus.
14393 The same concept exists for Usenet itself: Though access to articles is
14394 typically done by @sc{nntp} these days, once upon a midnight dreary, everyone
14395 in the world got at Usenet by running a reader on the machine where the
14396 articles lay (the machine which today we call an @sc{nntp} server), and
14397 access was by the reader stepping into the articles' directory spool
14398 area directly. One can still select between either the @code{nntp} or
14399 @code{nnspool} back ends, to select between these methods, if one happens
14400 actually to live on the server (or can see its spool directly, anyway,
14403 The goal in selecting a mail back end is to pick one which
14404 simultaneously represents a suitable way of dealing with the original
14405 format plus leaving mail in a form that is convenient to use in the
14406 future. Here are some high and low points on each:
14411 UNIX systems have historically had a single, very common, and well-
14412 defined format. All messages arrive in a single @dfn{spool file}, and
14413 they are delineated by a line whose regular expression matches
14414 @samp{^From_}. (My notational use of @samp{_} is to indicate a space,
14415 to make it clear in this instance that this is not the RFC-specified
14416 @samp{From:} header.) Because Emacs and therefore Gnus emanate
14417 historically from the Unix environment, it is simplest if one does not
14418 mess a great deal with the original mailbox format, so if one chooses
14419 this back end, Gnus' primary activity in getting mail from the real spool
14420 area to Gnus' preferred directory is simply to copy it, with no
14421 (appreciable) format change in the process. It is the ``dumbest'' way
14422 to move mail into availability in the Gnus environment. This makes it
14423 fast to move into place, but slow to parse, when Gnus has to look at
14428 Once upon a time, there was the DEC-10 and DEC-20, running operating
14429 systems called TOPS and related things, and the usual (only?) mail
14430 reading environment was a thing called Babyl. I don't know what format
14431 was used for mail landing on the system, but Babyl had its own internal
14432 format to which mail was converted, primarily involving creating a
14433 spool-file-like entity with a scheme for inserting Babyl-specific
14434 headers and status bits above the top of each message in the file.
14435 RMAIL was Emacs' first mail reader, it was written by Richard Stallman,
14436 and Stallman came out of that TOPS/Babyl environment, so he wrote RMAIL
14437 to understand the mail files folks already had in existence. Gnus (and
14438 VM, for that matter) continue to support this format because it's
14439 perceived as having some good qualities in those mailer-specific
14440 headers/status bits stuff. RMAIL itself still exists as well, of
14441 course, and is still maintained by Stallman.
14443 Both of the above forms leave your mail in a single file on your
14444 filesystem, and they must parse that entire file each time you take a
14449 @code{nnml} is the back end which smells the most as though you were
14450 actually operating with an @code{nnspool}-accessed Usenet system. (In
14451 fact, I believe @code{nnml} actually derived from @code{nnspool} code,
14452 lo these years ago.) One's mail is taken from the original spool file,
14453 and is then cut up into individual message files, 1:1. It maintains a
14454 Usenet-style active file (analogous to what one finds in an INN- or
14455 CNews-based news system in (for instance) @file{/var/lib/news/active},
14456 or what is returned via the @samp{NNTP LIST} verb) and also creates
14457 @dfn{overview} files for efficient group entry, as has been defined for
14458 @sc{nntp} servers for some years now. It is slower in mail-splitting,
14459 due to the creation of lots of files, updates to the @code{nnml} active
14460 file, and additions to overview files on a per-message basis, but it is
14461 extremely fast on access because of what amounts to the indexing support
14462 provided by the active file and overviews.
14464 @code{nnml} costs @dfn{inodes} in a big way; that is, it soaks up the
14465 resource which defines available places in the filesystem to put new
14466 files. Sysadmins take a dim view of heavy inode occupation within
14467 tight, shared filesystems. But if you live on a personal machine where
14468 the filesystem is your own and space is not at a premium, @code{nnml}
14471 It is also problematic using this back end if you are living in a
14472 FAT16-based Windows world, since much space will be wasted on all these
14477 The Rand MH mail-reading system has been around UNIX systems for a very
14478 long time; it operates by splitting one's spool file of messages into
14479 individual files, but with little or no indexing support -- @code{nnmh}
14480 is considered to be semantically equivalent to ``@code{nnml} without
14481 active file or overviews''. This is arguably the worst choice, because
14482 one gets the slowness of individual file creation married to the
14483 slowness of access parsing when learning what's new in one's groups.
14487 Basically the effect of @code{nnfolder} is @code{nnmbox} (the first
14488 method described above) on a per-group basis. That is, @code{nnmbox}
14489 itself puts *all* one's mail in one file; @code{nnfolder} provides a
14490 little bit of optimization to this so that each of one's mail groups has
14491 a Unix mail box file. It's faster than @code{nnmbox} because each group
14492 can be parsed separately, and still provides the simple Unix mail box
14493 format requiring minimal effort in moving the mail around. In addition,
14494 it maintains an ``active'' file making it much faster for Gnus to figure
14495 out how many messages there are in each separate group.
14497 If you have groups that are expected to have a massive amount of
14498 messages, @code{nnfolder} is not the best choice, but if you receive
14499 only a moderate amount of mail, @code{nnfolder} is probably the most
14500 friendly mail back end all over.
14504 @code{nnmaildir} is largely similar to @code{nnml}, with some notable
14505 differences. Each message is stored in a separate file, but the
14506 filename is unrelated to the article number in Gnus. @code{nnmaildir}
14507 also stores the equivalent of @code{nnml}'s overview files in one file
14508 per article, so it uses about twice as many inodes as @code{nnml}. (Use
14509 @code{df -i} to see how plentiful your inode supply is.) If this slows
14510 you down or takes up very much space, consider switching to ReiserFS
14511 (@uref{http://www.namesys.com/}) or another non-block-structured
14514 Since maildirs don't require locking for delivery, the maildirs you use
14515 as groups can also be the maildirs your mail is directly delivered to.
14516 This means you can skip Gnus's mail splitting if your mail is already
14517 organized into different mailboxes during delivery. A @code{directory}
14518 entry in @code{mail-sources} would have a similar effect, but would
14519 require one set of mailboxes for spooling deliveries (in mbox format,
14520 thus damaging message bodies), and another set to be used as groups (in
14521 whatever format you like). A maildir has a built-in spool, in the
14522 @code{new/} subdirectory. Beware that currently, mail moved from
14523 @code{new/} to @code{cur/} instead of via mail splitting will undergo
14524 treatment such as duplicate checking.
14526 An article will not necessarily keep the same number across Gnus
14527 sessions; articles are renumbered starting from 1 for each Gnus session
14528 (more precisely, each time you open the @code{nnmaildir} server). This
14529 way, you don't get gaps in your article number ranges, and when entering
14530 large groups, Gnus is likely to give a more accurate article count. The
14531 price is that @code{nnmaildir} doesn't work with the cache or agent.
14532 This will probably be changed in the future.
14534 @code{nnmaildir} stores article marks for a given group in the
14535 corresponding maildir, in a way designed so that it's easy to manipulate
14536 them from outside Gnus. You can tar up a maildir, unpack it somewhere
14537 else, and still have your marks. @code{nnml} also stores marks, but
14538 it's not as easy to work with them from outside Gnus as with
14541 For configuring expiry and other things, @code{nnmaildir} uses group
14542 parameters slightly different from those of other mail back ends.
14544 @code{nnmaildir} uses a significant amount of memory to speed things up.
14545 (It keeps in memory some of the things that @code{nnml} stores in files
14546 and that @code{nnmh} repeatedly parses out of message files.) If this
14547 is a problem for you, you can set the @code{nov-cache-size} group
14548 parameter to somthing small (0 would probably not work, but 1 probably
14549 would) to make it use less memory.
14551 Startup and shutdown are likely to be slower with @code{nnmaildir} than
14552 with other back ends. Everything in between is likely to be faster,
14553 depending in part on your filesystem.
14555 @code{nnmaildir} does not use @code{nnoo}, so you cannot use @code{nnoo}
14556 to write an @code{nnmaildir}-derived back end.
14561 @node Browsing the Web
14562 @section Browsing the Web
14564 @cindex browsing the web
14568 Web-based discussion forums are getting more and more popular. On many
14569 subjects, the web-based forums have become the most important forums,
14570 eclipsing the importance of mailing lists and news groups. The reason
14571 is easy to understand---they are friendly to new users; you just point
14572 and click, and there's the discussion. With mailing lists, you have to
14573 go through a cumbersome subscription procedure, and most people don't
14574 even know what a news group is.
14576 The problem with this scenario is that web browsers are not very good at
14577 being newsreaders. They do not keep track of what articles you've read;
14578 they do not allow you to score on subjects you're interested in; they do
14579 not allow off-line browsing; they require you to click around and drive
14580 you mad in the end.
14582 So---if web browsers suck at reading discussion forums, why not use Gnus
14585 Gnus has been getting a bit of a collection of back ends for providing
14586 interfaces to these sources.
14590 * Web Searches:: Creating groups from articles that match a string.
14591 * Slashdot:: Reading the Slashdot comments.
14592 * Ultimate:: The Ultimate Bulletin Board systems.
14593 * Web Archive:: Reading mailing list archived on web.
14594 * RSS:: Reading RDF site summary.
14595 * Customizing w3:: Doing stuff to Emacs/w3 from Gnus.
14598 All the web sources require Emacs/w3 and the url library to work.
14600 The main caveat with all these web sources is that they probably won't
14601 work for a very long time. Gleaning information from the @sc{html} data
14602 is guesswork at best, and when the layout is altered, the Gnus back end
14603 will fail. If you have reasonably new versions of these back ends,
14604 though, you should be ok.
14606 One thing all these Web methods have in common is that the Web sources
14607 are often down, unavailable or just plain too slow to be fun. In those
14608 cases, it makes a lot of sense to let the Gnus Agent (@pxref{Gnus
14609 Unplugged}) handle downloading articles, and then you can read them at
14610 leisure from your local disk. No more World Wide Wait for you.
14612 @node Archiving Mail
14613 @subsection Archiving Mail
14614 @cindex archiving mail
14615 @cindex backup of mail
14617 Some of the back ends, notably @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, and
14618 @code{nnmaildir}, now actually store the article marks with each group.
14619 For these servers, archiving and restoring a group while preserving
14620 marks is fairly simple.
14622 (Preserving the group level and group parameters as well still
14623 requires ritual dancing and sacrifices to the @file{.newsrc.eld} deity
14626 To archive an entire @code{nnml}, @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir}
14627 server, take a recursive copy of the server directory. There is no need
14628 to shut down Gnus, so archiving may be invoked by @code{cron} or
14629 similar. You restore the data by restoring the directory tree, and
14630 adding a server definition pointing to that directory in Gnus. The
14631 @ref{Article Backlog}, @ref{Asynchronous Fetching} and other things
14632 might interfer with overwriting data, so you may want to shut down Gnus
14633 before you restore the data.
14635 It is also possible to archive individual @code{nnml},
14636 @code{nnfolder}, or @code{nnmaildir} groups, while preserving marks.
14637 For @code{nnml} or @code{nnmaildir}, you copy all files in the group's
14638 directory. For @code{nnfolder} you need to copy both the base folder
14639 file itself (@file{FOO}, say), and the marks file (@file{FOO.mrk} in
14640 this example). Restoring the group is done with @kbd{G m} from the Group
14641 buffer. The last step makes Gnus notice the new directory.
14642 @code{nnmaildir} notices the new directory automatically, so @kbd{G m}
14643 is unnecessary in that case.
14646 @subsection Web Searches
14651 @cindex Usenet searches
14652 @cindex searching the Usenet
14654 It's, like, too neat to search the Usenet for articles that match a
14655 string, but it, like, totally @emph{sucks}, like, totally, to use one of
14656 those, like, Web browsers, and you, like, have to, rilly, like, look at
14657 the commercials, so, like, with Gnus you can do @emph{rad}, rilly,
14658 searches without having to use a browser.
14660 The @code{nnweb} back end allows an easy interface to the mighty search
14661 engine. You create an @code{nnweb} group, enter a search pattern, and
14662 then enter the group and read the articles like you would any normal
14663 group. The @kbd{G w} command in the group buffer (@pxref{Foreign
14664 Groups}) will do this in an easy-to-use fashion.
14666 @code{nnweb} groups don't really lend themselves to being solid
14667 groups---they have a very fleeting idea of article numbers. In fact,
14668 each time you enter an @code{nnweb} group (not even changing the search
14669 pattern), you are likely to get the articles ordered in a different
14670 manner. Not even using duplicate suppression (@pxref{Duplicate
14671 Suppression}) will help, since @code{nnweb} doesn't even know the
14672 @code{Message-ID} of the articles before reading them using some search
14673 engines (Google, for instance). The only possible way to keep track
14674 of which articles you've read is by scoring on the @code{Date}
14675 header---mark all articles posted before the last date you read the
14678 If the search engine changes its output substantially, @code{nnweb}
14679 won't be able to parse it and will fail. One could hardly fault the Web
14680 providers if they were to do this---their @emph{raison d'être} is to
14681 make money off of advertisements, not to provide services to the
14682 community. Since @code{nnweb} washes the ads off all the articles, one
14683 might think that the providers might be somewhat miffed. We'll see.
14685 You must have the @code{url} and @code{w3} package installed to be able
14686 to use @code{nnweb}.
14688 Virtual server variables:
14693 What search engine type is being used. The currently supported types
14694 are @code{google}, @code{dejanews}, and @code{gmane}. Note that
14695 @code{dejanews} is an alias to @code{google}.
14698 @vindex nnweb-search
14699 The search string to feed to the search engine.
14701 @item nnweb-max-hits
14702 @vindex nnweb-max-hits
14703 Advisory maximum number of hits per search to display. The default is
14706 @item nnweb-type-definition
14707 @vindex nnweb-type-definition
14708 Type-to-definition alist. This alist says what @code{nnweb} should do
14709 with the various search engine types. The following elements must be
14714 Function to decode the article and provide something that Gnus
14718 Function to create an article number to message header and URL alist.
14721 Function to send the search string to the search engine.
14724 The address the aforementioned function should send the search string
14728 Format string URL to fetch an article by @code{Message-ID}.
14735 @subsection Slashdot
14739 Slashdot (@uref{http://slashdot.org/}) is a popular news site, with
14740 lively discussion following the news articles. @code{nnslashdot} will
14741 let you read this forum in a convenient manner.
14743 The easiest way to read this source is to put something like the
14744 following in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
14747 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
14748 '((nnslashdot "")))
14751 This will make Gnus query the @code{nnslashdot} back end for new comments
14752 and groups. The @kbd{F} command will subscribe each new news article as
14753 a new Gnus group, and you can read the comments by entering these
14754 groups. (Note that the default subscription method is to subscribe new
14755 groups as zombies. Other methods are available (@pxref{Subscription
14758 If you want to remove an old @code{nnslashdot} group, the @kbd{G DEL}
14759 command is the most handy tool (@pxref{Foreign Groups}).
14761 When following up to @code{nnslashdot} comments (or posting new
14762 comments), some light @sc{html}izations will be performed. In
14763 particular, text quoted with @samp{> } will be quoted with
14764 @code{blockquote} instead, and signatures will have @code{br} added to
14765 the end of each line. Other than that, you can just write @sc{html}
14766 directly into the message buffer. Note that Slashdot filters out some
14769 The following variables can be altered to change its behavior:
14772 @item nnslashdot-threaded
14773 Whether @code{nnslashdot} should display threaded groups or not. The
14774 default is @code{t}. To be able to display threads, @code{nnslashdot}
14775 has to retrieve absolutely all comments in a group upon entry. If a
14776 threaded display is not required, @code{nnslashdot} will only retrieve
14777 the comments that are actually wanted by the user. Threading is nicer,
14778 but much, much slower than untreaded.
14780 @item nnslashdot-login-name
14781 @vindex nnslashdot-login-name
14782 The login name to use when posting.
14784 @item nnslashdot-password
14785 @vindex nnslashdot-password
14786 The password to use when posting.
14788 @item nnslashdot-directory
14789 @vindex nnslashdot-directory
14790 Where @code{nnslashdot} will store its files. The default is
14791 @samp{~/News/slashdot/}.
14793 @item nnslashdot-active-url
14794 @vindex nnslashdot-active-url
14795 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the information on
14796 news articles and comments. The default is
14797 @samp{http://slashdot.org/search.pl?section=&min=%d}.
14799 @item nnslashdot-comments-url
14800 @vindex nnslashdot-comments-url
14801 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch comments. The
14803 @samp{http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=%s&threshold=%d&commentsort=%d&mode=flat&startat=%d}.
14805 @item nnslashdot-article-url
14806 @vindex nnslashdot-article-url
14807 The @sc{url} format string that will be used to fetch the news article. The
14809 @samp{http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=%s&mode=nocomment}.
14811 @item nnslashdot-threshold
14812 @vindex nnslashdot-threshold
14813 The score threshold. The default is -1.
14815 @item nnslashdot-group-number
14816 @vindex nnslashdot-group-number
14817 The number of old groups, in addition to the ten latest, to keep
14818 updated. The default is 0.
14825 @subsection Ultimate
14827 @cindex Ultimate Bulletin Board
14829 The Ultimate Bulletin Board (@uref{http://www.ultimatebb.com/}) is
14830 probably the most popular Web bulletin board system used. It has a
14831 quite regular and nice interface, and it's possible to get the
14832 information Gnus needs to keep groups updated.
14834 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnultimate} is to say
14835 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnultimate RET
14836 http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/ RET}. (Substitute the @sc{url}
14837 (not including @samp{Ultimate.cgi} or the like at the end) for a forum
14838 you're interested in; there's quite a list of them on the Ultimate web
14839 site.) Then subscribe to the groups you're interested in from the
14840 server buffer, and read them from the group buffer.
14842 The following @code{nnultimate} variables can be altered:
14845 @item nnultimate-directory
14846 @vindex nnultimate-directory
14847 The directory where @code{nnultimate} stores its files. The default is
14848 @samp{~/News/ultimate/}.
14853 @subsection Web Archive
14855 @cindex Web Archive
14857 Some mailing lists only have archives on Web servers, such as
14858 @uref{http://www.egroups.com/} and
14859 @uref{http://www.mail-archive.com/}. It has a quite regular and nice
14860 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14863 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnwarchive} is to say
14864 something like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{M-x
14865 gnus-group-make-warchive-group RET an_egroup RET egroups RET
14866 www.egroups.com RET your@@email.address RET}. (Substitute the
14867 @sc{an_egroup} with the mailing list you subscribed, the
14868 @sc{your@@email.address} with your email address.), or to browse the
14869 back end by @kbd{B nnwarchive RET mail-archive RET}.
14871 The following @code{nnwarchive} variables can be altered:
14874 @item nnwarchive-directory
14875 @vindex nnwarchive-directory
14876 The directory where @code{nnwarchive} stores its files. The default is
14877 @samp{~/News/warchive/}.
14879 @item nnwarchive-login
14880 @vindex nnwarchive-login
14881 The account name on the web server.
14883 @item nnwarchive-passwd
14884 @vindex nnwarchive-passwd
14885 The password for your account on the web server.
14893 Some sites have RDF site summary (RSS)
14894 @uref{http://purl.org/rss/1.0/spec}. It has a quite regular and nice
14895 interface, and it's possible to get the information Gnus needs to keep
14898 The easiest way to get started with @code{nnrss} is to say something
14899 like the following in the group buffer: @kbd{B nnrss RET RET}, then
14902 The following @code{nnrss} variables can be altered:
14905 @item nnrss-directory
14906 @vindex nnrss-directory
14907 The directory where @code{nnrss} stores its files. The default is
14908 @samp{~/News/rss/}.
14912 The following code may be helpful, if you want to show the description in
14913 the summary buffer.
14916 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-description-field)
14917 (setq gnus-summary-line-format "%U%R%z%I%(%[%4L: %-15,15f%]%) %s%uX\n")
14919 (defun gnus-user-format-function-X (header)
14921 (assq nnrss-description-field (mail-header-extra header))))
14922 (if descr (concat "\n\t" (cdr descr)) "")))
14925 The following code may be useful to open an nnrss url directly from the
14928 (require 'browse-url)
14930 (defun browse-nnrss-url( arg )
14932 (let ((url (assq nnrss-url-field
14935 (assq (gnus-summary-article-number)
14936 gnus-newsgroup-data))))))
14939 (browse-url (cdr url))
14940 (gnus-summary-mark-as-read-forward 1))
14941 (gnus-summary-scroll-up arg))))
14943 (eval-after-load "gnus"
14944 #'(define-key gnus-summary-mode-map
14945 (kbd "<RET>") 'browse-nnrss-url))
14946 (add-to-list 'nnmail-extra-headers nnrss-url-field)
14949 @node Customizing w3
14950 @subsection Customizing w3
14956 Gnus uses the url library to fetch web pages and Emacs/w3 to display web
14957 pages. Emacs/w3 is documented in its own manual, but there are some
14958 things that may be more relevant for Gnus users.
14960 For instance, a common question is how to make Emacs/w3 follow links
14961 using the @code{browse-url} functions (which will call some external web
14962 browser like Netscape). Here's one way:
14965 (eval-after-load "w3"
14967 (fset 'w3-fetch-orig (symbol-function 'w3-fetch))
14968 (defun w3-fetch (&optional url target)
14969 (interactive (list (w3-read-url-with-default)))
14970 (if (eq major-mode 'gnus-article-mode)
14972 (w3-fetch-orig url target)))))
14975 Put that in your @file{.emacs} file, and hitting links in w3-rendered
14976 @sc{html} in the Gnus article buffers will use @code{browse-url} to
14985 @sc{imap} is a network protocol for reading mail (or news, or ...),
14986 think of it as a modernized @sc{nntp}. Connecting to a @sc{imap}
14987 server is much similar to connecting to a news server, you just
14988 specify the network address of the server.
14990 @sc{imap} has two properties. First, @sc{imap} can do everything that
14991 POP can, it can hence be viewed as a POP++. Secondly, @sc{imap} is a
14992 mail storage protocol, similar to @sc{nntp} being a news storage
14993 protocol -- however, @sc{imap} offers more features than @sc{nntp}
14994 because news is more or less read-only whereas mail is read-write.
14996 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a POP++, use an imap entry in
14997 @code{mail-sources}. With this, Gnus will fetch mails from the
14998 @sc{imap} server and store them on the local disk. This is not the
14999 usage described in this section--@xref{Mail Sources}.
15001 If you want to use @sc{imap} as a mail storage protocol, use an nnimap
15002 entry in @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods}. With this, Gnus will
15003 manipulate mails stored on the @sc{imap} server. This is the kind of
15004 usage explained in this section.
15006 A server configuration in @code{~/.gnus} with a few @sc{imap} servers
15007 might look something like the following. (Note that for SSL/TLS, you
15008 need external programs and libraries, see below.)
15011 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods
15012 '((nnimap "simpleserver") ; no special configuration
15013 ; perhaps a ssh port forwarded server:
15015 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15016 (nnimap-server-port 1430))
15017 ; a UW server running on localhost
15019 (nnimap-server-port 143)
15020 (nnimap-address "localhost")
15021 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "mail/*")))
15022 ; anonymous public cyrus server:
15023 (nnimap "cyrus.andrew.cmu.edu"
15024 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous)
15025 (nnimap-list-pattern "archive.*")
15026 (nnimap-stream network))
15027 ; a ssl server on a non-standard port:
15029 (nnimap-address "vic20.somewhere.com")
15030 (nnimap-server-port 9930)
15031 (nnimap-stream ssl))))
15034 The following variables can be used to create a virtual @code{nnimap}
15039 @item nnimap-address
15040 @vindex nnimap-address
15042 The address of the remote @sc{imap} server. Defaults to the virtual
15043 server name if not specified.
15045 @item nnimap-server-port
15046 @vindex nnimap-server-port
15047 Port on server to contact. Defaults to port 143, or 993 for SSL.
15049 Note that this should be an integer, example server specification:
15052 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15053 (nnimap-server-port 4711))
15056 @item nnimap-list-pattern
15057 @vindex nnimap-list-pattern
15058 String or list of strings of mailboxes to limit available groups to.
15059 This is used when the server has very many mailboxes and you're only
15060 interested in a few -- some servers export your home directory via
15061 @sc{imap}, you'll probably want to limit the mailboxes to those in
15062 @file{~/Mail/*} then.
15064 The string can also be a cons of REFERENCE and the string as above, what
15065 REFERENCE is used for is server specific, but on the University of
15066 Washington server it's a directory that will be concatenated with the
15069 Example server specification:
15072 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15073 (nnimap-list-pattern ("INBOX" "Mail/*" "alt.sex.*"
15074 ("~friend/Mail/" . "list/*"))))
15077 @item nnimap-stream
15078 @vindex nnimap-stream
15079 The type of stream used to connect to your server. By default, nnimap
15080 will detect and automatically use all of the below, with the exception
15081 of SSL/TLS. (@sc{imap} over SSL/TLS is being replaced by STARTTLS, which
15082 can be automatically detected, but it's not widely deployed yet.)
15084 Example server specification:
15087 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15088 (nnimap-stream ssl))
15091 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-stream} is a symbol!
15095 @dfn{gssapi:} Connect with GSSAPI (usually Kerberos 5). Requires the
15096 @samp{imtest} program.
15098 @dfn{kerberos4:} Connect with Kerberos 4. Requires the @samp{imtest} program.
15100 @dfn{starttls:} Connect via the STARTTLS extension (similar to
15101 SSL). Requires the external library @samp{starttls.el} and program
15104 @dfn{ssl:} Connect through SSL. Requires OpenSSL (the program
15105 @samp{openssl}) or SSLeay (@samp{s_client}) as well as the external
15106 library @samp{ssl.el}.
15108 @dfn{shell:} Use a shell command to start @sc{imap} connection.
15110 @dfn{network:} Plain, TCP/IP network connection.
15113 @vindex imap-kerberos4-program
15114 The @samp{imtest} program is shipped with Cyrus IMAPD. If you're
15115 using @samp{imtest} from Cyrus IMAPD < 2.0.14 (which includes version
15116 1.5.x and 1.6.x) you need to frob @code{imap-process-connection-type}
15117 to make @code{imap.el} use a pty instead of a pipe when communicating
15118 with @samp{imtest}. You will then suffer from a line length
15119 restrictions on @sc{imap} commands, which might make Gnus seem to hang
15120 indefinitely if you have many articles in a mailbox. The variable
15121 @code{imap-kerberos4-program} contain parameters to pass to the imtest
15124 @vindex imap-ssl-program
15125 For SSL connections, the OpenSSL program is available from
15126 @uref{http://www.openssl.org/}. OpenSSL was formerly known as SSLeay,
15127 and nnimap support it too - altough the most recent versions of
15128 SSLeay, 0.9.x, are known to have serious bugs making it
15129 useless. Earlier versions, especially 0.8.x, of SSLeay are known to
15130 work. The variable @code{imap-ssl-program} contain parameters to pass
15131 to OpenSSL/SSLeay. You also need @samp{ssl.el} (from the W3
15132 distribution, for instance).
15134 @vindex imap-shell-program
15135 @vindex imap-shell-host
15136 For @sc{imap} connections using the @code{shell} stream, the variable
15137 @code{imap-shell-program} specify what program to call.
15139 @item nnimap-authenticator
15140 @vindex nnimap-authenticator
15142 The authenticator used to connect to the server. By default, nnimap
15143 will use the most secure authenticator your server is capable of.
15145 Example server specification:
15148 (nnimap "mail.server.com"
15149 (nnimap-authenticator anonymous))
15152 Please note that the value of @code{nnimap-authenticator} is a symbol!
15156 @dfn{gssapi:} GSSAPI (usually kerberos 5) authentication. Requires
15157 external program @code{imtest}.
15159 @dfn{kerberos4:} Kerberos 4 authentication. Requires external program
15162 @dfn{digest-md5:} Encrypted username/password via DIGEST-MD5. Requires
15163 external library @code{digest-md5.el}.
15165 @dfn{cram-md5:} Encrypted username/password via CRAM-MD5.
15167 @dfn{login:} Plain-text username/password via LOGIN.
15169 @dfn{anonymous:} Login as `anonymous', supplying your emailadress as password.
15172 @item nnimap-expunge-on-close
15174 @vindex nnimap-expunge-on-close
15175 Unlike Parmenides the @sc{imap} designers has decided that things that
15176 doesn't exist actually does exist. More specifically, @sc{imap} has
15177 this concept of marking articles @code{Deleted} which doesn't actually
15178 delete them, and this (marking them @code{Deleted}, that is) is what
15179 nnimap does when you delete a article in Gnus (with @kbd{B DEL} or
15182 Since the articles aren't really removed when we mark them with the
15183 @code{Deleted} flag we'll need a way to actually delete them. Feel like
15184 running in circles yet?
15186 Traditionally, nnimap has removed all articles marked as @code{Deleted}
15187 when closing a mailbox but this is now configurable by this server
15190 The possible options are:
15195 The default behavior, delete all articles marked as "Deleted" when
15198 Never actually delete articles. Currently there is no way of showing
15199 the articles marked for deletion in nnimap, but other @sc{imap} clients
15200 may allow you to do this. If you ever want to run the EXPUNGE command
15201 manually, @xref{Expunging mailboxes}.
15203 When closing mailboxes, nnimap will ask if you wish to expunge deleted
15208 @item nnimap-importantize-dormant
15209 @vindex nnimap-importantize-dormant
15211 If non-nil (the default), marks dormant articles as ticked (as well),
15212 for other @sc{imap} clients. Within Gnus, dormant articles will
15213 naturally still (only) be marked as dormant. This is to make dormant
15214 articles stand out, just like ticked articles, in other @sc{imap}
15215 clients. (In other words, Gnus has two ``Tick'' marks and @sc{imap}
15218 Probably the only reason for frobing this would be if you're trying
15219 enable per-user persistant dormant flags, using something like:
15222 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-flag-alist)
15223 (format "gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15224 (setcdr (assq 'dormant nnimap-mark-to-predicate-alist)
15225 (format "KEYWORD gnus-dormant-%s" (user-login-name)))
15228 In this case, you would not want the per-user dormant flag showing up
15229 as ticked for other users.
15231 @item nnimap-expunge-search-string
15233 @vindex nnimap-expunge-search-string
15235 This variable contain the @sc{imap} search command sent to server when
15236 searching for articles eligible for expiring. The default is
15237 @code{"UID %s NOT SINCE %s"}, where the first @code{%s} is replaced by
15238 UID set and the second @code{%s} is replaced by a date.
15240 Probably the only useful value to change this to is
15241 @code{"UID %s NOT SENTSINCE %s"}, which makes nnimap use the Date: in
15242 messages instead of the internal article date. See section 6.4.4 of
15243 RFC 2060 for more information on valid strings.
15245 @item nnimap-authinfo-file
15246 @vindex nnimap-authinfo-file
15248 A file containing credentials used to log in on servers. The format is
15249 (almost) the same as the @code{ftp} @file{~/.netrc} file. See the
15250 variable @code{nntp-authinfo-file} for exact syntax; also see
15256 * Splitting in IMAP:: Splitting mail with nnimap.
15257 * Expiring in IMAP:: Expiring mail with nnimap.
15258 * Editing IMAP ACLs:: Limiting/enabling other users access to a mailbox.
15259 * Expunging mailboxes:: Equivalent of a "compress mailbox" button.
15260 * A note on namespaces:: How to (not) use IMAP namespace in Gnus.
15265 @node Splitting in IMAP
15266 @subsection Splitting in IMAP
15267 @cindex splitting imap mail
15269 Splitting is something Gnus users has loved and used for years, and now
15270 the rest of the world is catching up. Yeah, dream on, not many
15271 @sc{imap} server has server side splitting and those that have splitting
15272 seem to use some non-standard protocol. This means that @sc{imap}
15273 support for Gnus has to do it's own splitting.
15277 Here are the variables of interest:
15281 @item nnimap-split-crosspost
15282 @cindex splitting, crosspost
15284 @vindex nnimap-split-crosspost
15286 If non-nil, do crossposting if several split methods match the mail. If
15287 nil, the first match in @code{nnimap-split-rule} found will be used.
15289 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-crosspost}.
15291 @item nnimap-split-inbox
15292 @cindex splitting, inbox
15294 @vindex nnimap-split-inbox
15296 A string or a list of strings that gives the name(s) of @sc{imap}
15297 mailboxes to split from. Defaults to nil, which means that splitting is
15301 (setq nnimap-split-inbox
15302 '("INBOX" ("~/friend/Mail" . "lists/*") "lists.imap"))
15305 No nnmail equivalent.
15307 @item nnimap-split-rule
15308 @cindex Splitting, rules
15309 @vindex nnimap-split-rule
15311 New mail found in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be split according to
15314 This variable contains a list of lists, where the first element in the
15315 sublist gives the name of the @sc{imap} mailbox to move articles
15316 matching the regexp in the second element in the sublist. Got that?
15317 Neither did I, we need examples.
15320 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15322 "^Sender: owner-nnimap@@vic20.globalcom.se")
15323 ("INBOX.junk" "^Subject:.*MAKE MONEY")
15324 ("INBOX.private" "")))
15327 This will put all articles from the nnimap mailing list into mailbox
15328 INBOX.nnimap, all articles containing MAKE MONEY in the Subject: line
15329 into INBOX.junk and everything else in INBOX.private.
15331 The first string may contain `\\1' forms, like the ones used by
15332 replace-match to insert sub-expressions from the matched text. For
15336 ("INBOX.lists.\\1" "^Sender: owner-\\([a-z-]+\\)@@")
15339 The first element can also be the symbol @code{junk} to indicate that
15340 matching messages should simply be deleted. Use with care.
15342 The second element can also be a function. In that case, it will be
15343 called with the first element of the rule as the argument, in a buffer
15344 containing the headers of the article. It should return a non-nil value
15345 if it thinks that the mail belongs in that group.
15347 Nnmail users might recollect that the last regexp had to be empty to
15348 match all articles (like in the example above). This is not required in
15349 nnimap. Articles not matching any of the regexps will not be moved out
15350 of your inbox. (This might affect performance if you keep lots of
15351 unread articles in your inbox, since the splitting code would go over
15352 them every time you fetch new mail.)
15354 These rules are processed from the beginning of the alist toward the
15355 end. The first rule to make a match will "win", unless you have
15356 crossposting enabled. In that case, all matching rules will "win".
15358 This variable can also have a function as its value, the function will
15359 be called with the headers narrowed and should return a group where it
15360 thinks the article should be split to. See @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15362 The splitting code tries to create mailboxes if it needs to.
15364 To allow for different split rules on different virtual servers, and
15365 even different split rules in different inboxes on the same server,
15366 the syntax of this variable have been extended along the lines of:
15369 (setq nnimap-split-rule
15370 '(("my1server" (".*" (("ding" "ding@@gnus.org")
15371 ("junk" "From:.*Simon")))
15372 ("my2server" ("INBOX" nnimap-split-fancy))
15373 ("my[34]server" (".*" (("private" "To:.*Simon")
15374 ("junk" my-junk-func)))))
15377 The virtual server name is in fact a regexp, so that the same rules
15378 may apply to several servers. In the example, the servers
15379 @code{my3server} and @code{my4server} both use the same rules.
15380 Similarly, the inbox string is also a regexp. The actual splitting
15381 rules are as before, either a function, or a list with group/regexp or
15382 group/function elements.
15384 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
15386 @item nnimap-split-predicate
15388 @vindex nnimap-split-predicate
15390 Mail matching this predicate in @code{nnimap-split-inbox} will be
15391 split, it is a string and the default is @samp{UNSEEN UNDELETED}.
15393 This might be useful if you use another @sc{imap} client to read mail in
15394 your inbox but would like Gnus to split all articles in the inbox
15395 regardless of readedness. Then you might change this to
15398 @item nnimap-split-fancy
15399 @cindex splitting, fancy
15400 @findex nnimap-split-fancy
15401 @vindex nnimap-split-fancy
15403 It's possible to set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15404 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} if you want to use fancy
15405 splitting. @xref{Fancy Mail Splitting}.
15407 However, to be able to have different fancy split rules for nnmail and
15408 nnimap back ends you can set @code{nnimap-split-rule} to
15409 @code{nnimap-split-fancy} and define the nnimap specific fancy split
15410 rule in @code{nnimap-split-fancy}.
15415 (setq nnimap-split-rule 'nnimap-split-fancy
15416 nnimap-split-fancy ...)
15419 Nnmail equivalent: @code{nnmail-split-fancy}.
15423 @node Expiring in IMAP
15424 @subsection Expiring in IMAP
15425 @cindex expiring imap mail
15427 Even though @sc{nnimap} is not a proper @sc{nnmail} derived back end,
15428 it supports most features in regular expiring (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
15429 Unlike splitting in IMAP (@pxref{Splitting in IMAP}) it do not clone
15430 the @sc{nnmail} variables (i.e., creating @var{nnimap-expiry-wait})
15431 but reuse the @sc{nnmail} variables. What follows below are the
15432 variables used by the @sc{nnimap} expiry process.
15434 A note on how the expire mark is stored on the @sc{imap} server is
15435 appropriate here as well. The expire mark is translated into a
15436 @sc{imap} client specific mark, @code{gnus-expire}, and stored on the
15437 message. This means that likely only Gnus will understand and treat
15438 the @code{gnus-expire} mark properly, although other clients may allow
15439 you to view client specific flags on the message. It also means that
15440 your server must support permanent storage of client specific flags on
15441 messages. Most do, fortunately.
15445 @item nnmail-expiry-wait
15446 @item nnmail-expiry-wait-function
15448 These variables are fully supported. The expire value can be a
15449 number, the symbol @var{immediate} or @var{never}.
15451 @item nnmail-expiry-target
15453 This variable is supported, and internally implemented by calling the
15454 @sc{nnmail} functions that handle this. It contains an optimization
15455 that if the destination is a IMAP group on the same server, the
15456 article is copied instead of appended (that is, uploaded again).
15460 @node Editing IMAP ACLs
15461 @subsection Editing IMAP ACLs
15462 @cindex editing imap acls
15463 @cindex Access Control Lists
15464 @cindex Editing @sc{imap} ACLs
15466 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-edit-acl
15468 ACL stands for Access Control List. ACLs are used in @sc{imap} for
15469 limiting (or enabling) other users access to your mail boxes. Not all
15470 @sc{imap} servers support this, this function will give an error if it
15473 To edit a ACL for a mailbox, type @kbd{G l}
15474 (@code{gnus-group-edit-nnimap-acl}) and you'll be presented with a ACL
15475 editing window with detailed instructions.
15477 Some possible uses:
15481 Giving "anyone" the "lrs" rights (lookup, read, keep seen/unseen flags)
15482 on your mailing list mailboxes enables other users on the same server to
15483 follow the list without subscribing to it.
15485 At least with the Cyrus server, you are required to give the user
15486 "anyone" posting ("p") capabilities to have "plussing" work (that is,
15487 mail sent to user+mailbox@@domain ending up in the @sc{imap} mailbox
15491 @node Expunging mailboxes
15492 @subsection Expunging mailboxes
15496 @cindex Manual expunging
15498 @findex gnus-group-nnimap-expunge
15500 If you're using the @code{never} setting of @code{nnimap-expunge-on-close},
15501 you may want the option of expunging all deleted articles in a mailbox
15502 manually. This is exactly what @kbd{G x} does.
15504 Currently there is no way of showing deleted articles, you can just
15507 @node A note on namespaces
15508 @subsection A note on namespaces
15509 @cindex IMAP namespace
15512 The IMAP protocol has a concept called namespaces, described by the
15513 following text in the RFC:
15516 5.1.2. Mailbox Namespace Naming Convention
15518 By convention, the first hierarchical element of any mailbox name
15519 which begins with "#" identifies the "namespace" of the remainder of
15520 the name. This makes it possible to disambiguate between different
15521 types of mailbox stores, each of which have their own namespaces.
15523 For example, implementations which offer access to USENET
15524 newsgroups MAY use the "#news" namespace to partition the USENET
15525 newsgroup namespace from that of other mailboxes. Thus, the
15526 comp.mail.misc newsgroup would have an mailbox name of
15527 "#news.comp.mail.misc", and the name "comp.mail.misc" could refer
15528 to a different object (e.g. a user's private mailbox).
15531 While there is nothing in this text that warrants concern for the IMAP
15532 implementation in Gnus, some servers use namespace prefixes in a way
15533 that does not work with how Gnus uses mailbox names.
15535 Specifically, University of Washington's IMAP server uses mailbox
15536 names like @code{#driver.mbx/read-mail} which are valid only in the
15537 @sc{create} and @sc{append} commands. After the mailbox is created
15538 (or a messages is appended to a mailbox), it must be accessed without
15539 the namespace prefix, i.e @code{read-mail}. Since Gnus do not make it
15540 possible for the user to guarantee that user entered mailbox names
15541 will only be used with the CREATE and APPEND commands, you should
15542 simply not use the namespace prefixed mailbox names in Gnus.
15544 See the UoW @sc{imapd} documentation for the @code{#driver.*/} prefix
15545 for more information on how to use the prefixes. They are a power
15546 tool and should be used only if you are sure what the effects are.
15548 @node Other Sources
15549 @section Other Sources
15551 Gnus can do more than just read news or mail. The methods described
15552 below allow Gnus to view directories and files as if they were
15556 * Directory Groups:: You can read a directory as if it was a newsgroup.
15557 * Anything Groups:: Dired? Who needs dired?
15558 * Document Groups:: Single files can be the basis of a group.
15559 * SOUP:: Reading @sc{soup} packets ``offline''.
15560 * Mail-To-News Gateways:: Posting articles via mail-to-news gateways.
15564 @node Directory Groups
15565 @subsection Directory Groups
15567 @cindex directory groups
15569 If you have a directory that has lots of articles in separate files in
15570 it, you might treat it as a newsgroup. The files have to have numerical
15573 This might be an opportune moment to mention @code{ange-ftp} (and its
15574 successor @code{efs}), that most wonderful of all wonderful Emacs
15575 packages. When I wrote @code{nndir}, I didn't think much about it---a
15576 back end to read directories. Big deal.
15578 @code{ange-ftp} changes that picture dramatically. For instance, if you
15579 enter the @code{ange-ftp} file name
15580 @file{/ftp.hpc.uh.edu:/pub/emacs/ding-list/} as the directory name,
15581 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs} will actually allow you to read this
15582 directory over at @samp{sina} as a newsgroup. Distributed news ahoy!
15584 @code{nndir} will use @sc{nov} files if they are present.
15586 @code{nndir} is a ``read-only'' back end---you can't delete or expire
15587 articles with this method. You can use @code{nnmh} or @code{nnml} for
15588 whatever you use @code{nndir} for, so you could switch to any of those
15589 methods if you feel the need to have a non-read-only @code{nndir}.
15592 @node Anything Groups
15593 @subsection Anything Groups
15596 From the @code{nndir} back end (which reads a single spool-like
15597 directory), it's just a hop and a skip to @code{nneething}, which
15598 pretends that any arbitrary directory is a newsgroup. Strange, but
15601 When @code{nneething} is presented with a directory, it will scan this
15602 directory and assign article numbers to each file. When you enter such
15603 a group, @code{nneething} must create ``headers'' that Gnus can use.
15604 After all, Gnus is a newsreader, in case you're forgetting.
15605 @code{nneething} does this in a two-step process. First, it snoops each
15606 file in question. If the file looks like an article (i.e., the first
15607 few lines look like headers), it will use this as the head. If this is
15608 just some arbitrary file without a head (e.g. a C source file),
15609 @code{nneething} will cobble up a header out of thin air. It will use
15610 file ownership, name and date and do whatever it can with these
15613 All this should happen automatically for you, and you will be presented
15614 with something that looks very much like a newsgroup. Totally like a
15615 newsgroup, to be precise. If you select an article, it will be displayed
15616 in the article buffer, just as usual.
15618 If you select a line that represents a directory, Gnus will pop you into
15619 a new summary buffer for this @code{nneething} group. And so on. You can
15620 traverse the entire disk this way, if you feel like, but remember that
15621 Gnus is not dired, really, and does not intend to be, either.
15623 There are two overall modes to this action---ephemeral or solid. When
15624 doing the ephemeral thing (i.e., @kbd{G D} from the group buffer), Gnus
15625 will not store information on what files you have read, and what files
15626 are new, and so on. If you create a solid @code{nneething} group the
15627 normal way with @kbd{G m}, Gnus will store a mapping table between
15628 article numbers and file names, and you can treat this group like any
15629 other groups. When you activate a solid @code{nneething} group, you will
15630 be told how many unread articles it contains, etc., etc.
15635 @item nneething-map-file-directory
15636 @vindex nneething-map-file-directory
15637 All the mapping files for solid @code{nneething} groups will be stored
15638 in this directory, which defaults to @file{~/.nneething/}.
15640 @item nneething-exclude-files
15641 @vindex nneething-exclude-files
15642 All files that match this regexp will be ignored. Nice to use to exclude
15643 auto-save files and the like, which is what it does by default.
15645 @item nneething-include-files
15646 @vindex nneething-include-files
15647 Regexp saying what files to include in the group. If this variable is
15648 non-@code{nil}, only files matching this regexp will be included.
15650 @item nneething-map-file
15651 @vindex nneething-map-file
15652 Name of the map files.
15656 @node Document Groups
15657 @subsection Document Groups
15659 @cindex documentation group
15662 @code{nndoc} is a cute little thing that will let you read a single file
15663 as a newsgroup. Several files types are supported:
15670 The babyl (rmail) mail box.
15675 The standard Unix mbox file.
15677 @cindex MMDF mail box
15679 The MMDF mail box format.
15682 Several news articles appended into a file.
15685 @cindex rnews batch files
15686 The rnews batch transport format.
15687 @cindex forwarded messages
15690 Forwarded articles.
15693 Netscape mail boxes.
15696 @sc{mime} multipart messages.
15698 @item standard-digest
15699 The standard (RFC 1153) digest format.
15702 A @sc{mime} digest of messages.
15704 @item lanl-gov-announce
15705 Announcement messages from LANL Gov Announce.
15707 @item rfc822-forward
15708 A message forwarded according to RFC822.
15711 The Outlook mail box.
15714 The Outlook Express dbx mail box.
15717 A bounce message from the Exim MTA.
15720 A message forwarded according to informal rules.
15723 An RFC934-forwarded message.
15729 A digest of Clarinet brief news items.
15732 Non-standard digest format---matches most things, but does it badly.
15738 You can also use the special ``file type'' @code{guess}, which means
15739 that @code{nndoc} will try to guess what file type it is looking at.
15740 @code{digest} means that @code{nndoc} should guess what digest type the
15743 @code{nndoc} will not try to change the file or insert any extra headers into
15744 it---it will simply, like, let you use the file as the basis for a
15745 group. And that's it.
15747 If you have some old archived articles that you want to insert into your
15748 new & spiffy Gnus mail back end, @code{nndoc} can probably help you with
15749 that. Say you have an old @file{RMAIL} file with mail that you now want
15750 to split into your new @code{nnml} groups. You look at that file using
15751 @code{nndoc} (using the @kbd{G f} command in the group buffer
15752 (@pxref{Foreign Groups})), set the process mark on all the articles in
15753 the buffer (@kbd{M P b}, for instance), and then re-spool (@kbd{B r})
15754 using @code{nnml}. If all goes well, all the mail in the @file{RMAIL}
15755 file is now also stored in lots of @code{nnml} directories, and you can
15756 delete that pesky @file{RMAIL} file. If you have the guts!
15758 Virtual server variables:
15761 @item nndoc-article-type
15762 @vindex nndoc-article-type
15763 This should be one of @code{mbox}, @code{babyl}, @code{digest},
15764 @code{news}, @code{rnews}, @code{mmdf}, @code{forward}, @code{rfc934},
15765 @code{rfc822-forward}, @code{mime-parts}, @code{standard-digest},
15766 @code{slack-digest}, @code{clari-briefs}, @code{nsmail}, @code{outlook},
15767 @code{oe-dbx}, @code{mailman}, and @code{mail-in-mail} or @code{guess}.
15769 @item nndoc-post-type
15770 @vindex nndoc-post-type
15771 This variable says whether Gnus is to consider the group a news group or
15772 a mail group. There are two valid values: @code{mail} (the default)
15777 * Document Server Internals:: How to add your own document types.
15781 @node Document Server Internals
15782 @subsubsection Document Server Internals
15784 Adding new document types to be recognized by @code{nndoc} isn't
15785 difficult. You just have to whip up a definition of what the document
15786 looks like, write a predicate function to recognize that document type,
15787 and then hook into @code{nndoc}.
15789 First, here's an example document type definition:
15793 (article-begin . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n")
15794 (body-end . "^\^A\^A\^A\^A\n"))
15797 The definition is simply a unique @dfn{name} followed by a series of
15798 regexp pseudo-variable settings. Below are the possible
15799 variables---don't be daunted by the number of variables; most document
15800 types can be defined with very few settings:
15803 @item first-article
15804 If present, @code{nndoc} will skip past all text until it finds
15805 something that match this regexp. All text before this will be
15808 @item article-begin
15809 This setting has to be present in all document type definitions. It
15810 says what the beginning of each article looks like.
15812 @item head-begin-function
15813 If present, this should be a function that moves point to the head of
15816 @item nndoc-head-begin
15817 If present, this should be a regexp that matches the head of the
15820 @item nndoc-head-end
15821 This should match the end of the head of the article. It defaults to
15822 @samp{^$}---the empty line.
15824 @item body-begin-function
15825 If present, this function should move point to the beginning of the body
15829 This should match the beginning of the body of the article. It defaults
15832 @item body-end-function
15833 If present, this function should move point to the end of the body of
15837 If present, this should match the end of the body of the article.
15840 If present, this should match the end of the file. All text after this
15841 regexp will be totally ignored.
15845 So, using these variables @code{nndoc} is able to dissect a document
15846 file into a series of articles, each with a head and a body. However, a
15847 few more variables are needed since not all document types are all that
15848 news-like---variables needed to transform the head or the body into
15849 something that's palatable for Gnus:
15852 @item prepare-body-function
15853 If present, this function will be called when requesting an article. It
15854 will be called with point at the start of the body, and is useful if the
15855 document has encoded some parts of its contents.
15857 @item article-transform-function
15858 If present, this function is called when requesting an article. It's
15859 meant to be used for more wide-ranging transformation of both head and
15860 body of the article.
15862 @item generate-head-function
15863 If present, this function is called to generate a head that Gnus can
15864 understand. It is called with the article number as a parameter, and is
15865 expected to generate a nice head for the article in question. It is
15866 called when requesting the headers of all articles.
15870 Let's look at the most complicated example I can come up with---standard
15875 (first-article . ,(concat "^" (make-string 70 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15876 (article-begin . ,(concat "\n\n" (make-string 30 ?-) "\n\n+"))
15877 (prepare-body-function . nndoc-unquote-dashes)
15878 (body-end-function . nndoc-digest-body-end)
15879 (head-end . "^ ?$")
15880 (body-begin . "^ ?\n")
15881 (file-end . "^End of .*digest.*[0-9].*\n\\*\\*\\|^End of.*Digest *$")
15882 (subtype digest guess))
15885 We see that all text before a 70-width line of dashes is ignored; all
15886 text after a line that starts with that @samp{^End of} is also ignored;
15887 each article begins with a 30-width line of dashes; the line separating
15888 the head from the body may contain a single space; and that the body is
15889 run through @code{nndoc-unquote-dashes} before being delivered.
15891 To hook your own document definition into @code{nndoc}, use the
15892 @code{nndoc-add-type} function. It takes two parameters---the first is
15893 the definition itself and the second (optional) parameter says where in
15894 the document type definition alist to put this definition. The alist is
15895 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
15896 is of @code{mmdf} type, and so on. These type predicates should return
15897 @code{nil} if the document is not of the correct type; @code{t} if it is
15898 of the correct type; and a number if the document might be of the
15899 correct type. A high number means high probability; a low number means
15900 low probability with @samp{0} being the lowest valid number.
15908 In the PC world people often talk about ``offline'' newsreaders. These
15909 are thingies that are combined reader/news transport monstrosities.
15910 With built-in modem programs. Yecchh!
15912 Of course, us Unix Weenie types of human beans use things like
15913 @code{uucp} and, like, @code{nntpd} and set up proper news and mail
15914 transport things like Ghod intended. And then we just use normal
15917 However, it can sometimes be convenient to do something that's a bit
15918 easier on the brain if you have a very slow modem, and you're not really
15919 that interested in doing things properly.
15921 A file format called @sc{soup} has been developed for transporting news
15922 and mail from servers to home machines and back again. It can be a bit
15925 First some terminology:
15930 This is the machine that is connected to the outside world and where you
15931 get news and/or mail from.
15934 This is the machine that you want to do the actual reading and responding
15935 on. It is typically not connected to the rest of the world in any way.
15938 Something that contains messages and/or commands. There are two kinds
15942 @item message packets
15943 These are packets made at the server, and typically contain lots of
15944 messages for you to read. These are called @file{SoupoutX.tgz} by
15945 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15947 @item response packets
15948 These are packets made at the home machine, and typically contains
15949 replies that you've written. These are called @file{SoupinX.tgz} by
15950 default, where @var{x} is a number.
15960 You log in on the server and create a @sc{soup} packet. You can either
15961 use a dedicated @sc{soup} thingie (like the @code{awk} program), or you
15962 can use Gnus to create the packet with its @sc{soup} commands (@kbd{O
15963 s} and/or @kbd{G s b}; and then @kbd{G s p}) (@pxref{SOUP Commands}).
15966 You transfer the packet home. Rail, boat, car or modem will do fine.
15969 You put the packet in your home directory.
15972 You fire up Gnus on your home machine using the @code{nnsoup} back end as
15973 the native or secondary server.
15976 You read articles and mail and answer and followup to the things you
15977 want (@pxref{SOUP Replies}).
15980 You do the @kbd{G s r} command to pack these replies into a @sc{soup}
15984 You transfer this packet to the server.
15987 You use Gnus to mail this packet out with the @kbd{G s s} command.
15990 You then repeat until you die.
15994 So you basically have a bipartite system---you use @code{nnsoup} for
15995 reading and Gnus for packing/sending these @sc{soup} packets.
15998 * SOUP Commands:: Commands for creating and sending @sc{soup} packets
15999 * SOUP Groups:: A back end for reading @sc{soup} packets.
16000 * SOUP Replies:: How to enable @code{nnsoup} to take over mail and news.
16004 @node SOUP Commands
16005 @subsubsection SOUP Commands
16007 These are commands for creating and manipulating @sc{soup} packets.
16011 @kindex G s b (Group)
16012 @findex gnus-group-brew-soup
16013 Pack all unread articles in the current group
16014 (@code{gnus-group-brew-soup}). This command understands the
16015 process/prefix convention.
16018 @kindex G s w (Group)
16019 @findex gnus-soup-save-areas
16020 Save all @sc{soup} data files (@code{gnus-soup-save-areas}).
16023 @kindex G s s (Group)
16024 @findex gnus-soup-send-replies
16025 Send all replies from the replies packet
16026 (@code{gnus-soup-send-replies}).
16029 @kindex G s p (Group)
16030 @findex gnus-soup-pack-packet
16031 Pack all files into a @sc{soup} packet (@code{gnus-soup-pack-packet}).
16034 @kindex G s r (Group)
16035 @findex nnsoup-pack-replies
16036 Pack all replies into a replies packet (@code{nnsoup-pack-replies}).
16039 @kindex O s (Summary)
16040 @findex gnus-soup-add-article
16041 This summary-mode command adds the current article to a @sc{soup} packet
16042 (@code{gnus-soup-add-article}). It understands the process/prefix
16043 convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16048 There are a few variables to customize where Gnus will put all these
16053 @item gnus-soup-directory
16054 @vindex gnus-soup-directory
16055 Directory where Gnus will save intermediate files while composing
16056 @sc{soup} packets. The default is @file{~/SoupBrew/}.
16058 @item gnus-soup-replies-directory
16059 @vindex gnus-soup-replies-directory
16060 This is what Gnus will use as a temporary directory while sending our
16061 reply packets. @file{~/SoupBrew/SoupReplies/} is the default.
16063 @item gnus-soup-prefix-file
16064 @vindex gnus-soup-prefix-file
16065 Name of the file where Gnus stores the last used prefix. The default is
16066 @samp{gnus-prefix}.
16068 @item gnus-soup-packer
16069 @vindex gnus-soup-packer
16070 A format string command for packing a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16071 @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupout%d.tgz}.
16073 @item gnus-soup-unpacker
16074 @vindex gnus-soup-unpacker
16075 Format string command for unpacking a @sc{soup} packet. The default is
16076 @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16078 @item gnus-soup-packet-directory
16079 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-directory
16080 Where Gnus will look for reply packets. The default is @file{~/}.
16082 @item gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16083 @vindex gnus-soup-packet-regexp
16084 Regular expression matching @sc{soup} reply packets in
16085 @code{gnus-soup-packet-directory}.
16091 @subsubsection SOUP Groups
16094 @code{nnsoup} is the back end for reading @sc{soup} packets. It will
16095 read incoming packets, unpack them, and put them in a directory where
16096 you can read them at leisure.
16098 These are the variables you can use to customize its behavior:
16102 @item nnsoup-tmp-directory
16103 @vindex nnsoup-tmp-directory
16104 When @code{nnsoup} unpacks a @sc{soup} packet, it does it in this
16105 directory. (@file{/tmp/} by default.)
16107 @item nnsoup-directory
16108 @vindex nnsoup-directory
16109 @code{nnsoup} then moves each message and index file to this directory.
16110 The default is @file{~/SOUP/}.
16112 @item nnsoup-replies-directory
16113 @vindex nnsoup-replies-directory
16114 All replies will be stored in this directory before being packed into a
16115 reply packet. The default is @file{~/SOUP/replies/"}.
16117 @item nnsoup-replies-format-type
16118 @vindex nnsoup-replies-format-type
16119 The @sc{soup} format of the replies packets. The default is @samp{?n}
16120 (rnews), and I don't think you should touch that variable. I probably
16121 shouldn't even have documented it. Drats! Too late!
16123 @item nnsoup-replies-index-type
16124 @vindex nnsoup-replies-index-type
16125 The index type of the replies packet. The default is @samp{?n}, which
16126 means ``none''. Don't fiddle with this one either!
16128 @item nnsoup-active-file
16129 @vindex nnsoup-active-file
16130 Where @code{nnsoup} stores lots of information. This is not an ``active
16131 file'' in the @code{nntp} sense; it's an Emacs Lisp file. If you lose
16132 this file or mess it up in any way, you're dead. The default is
16133 @file{~/SOUP/active}.
16135 @item nnsoup-packer
16136 @vindex nnsoup-packer
16137 Format string command for packing a reply @sc{soup} packet. The default
16138 is @samp{tar cf - %s | gzip > $HOME/Soupin%d.tgz}.
16140 @item nnsoup-unpacker
16141 @vindex nnsoup-unpacker
16142 Format string command for unpacking incoming @sc{soup} packets. The
16143 default is @samp{gunzip -c %s | tar xvf -}.
16145 @item nnsoup-packet-directory
16146 @vindex nnsoup-packet-directory
16147 Where @code{nnsoup} will look for incoming packets. The default is
16150 @item nnsoup-packet-regexp
16151 @vindex nnsoup-packet-regexp
16152 Regular expression matching incoming @sc{soup} packets. The default is
16155 @item nnsoup-always-save
16156 @vindex nnsoup-always-save
16157 If non-@code{nil}, save the replies buffer after each posted message.
16163 @subsubsection SOUP Replies
16165 Just using @code{nnsoup} won't mean that your postings and mailings end
16166 up in @sc{soup} reply packets automagically. You have to work a bit
16167 more for that to happen.
16169 @findex nnsoup-set-variables
16170 The @code{nnsoup-set-variables} command will set the appropriate
16171 variables to ensure that all your followups and replies end up in the
16174 In specific, this is what it does:
16177 (setq message-send-news-function 'nnsoup-request-post)
16178 (setq message-send-mail-function 'nnsoup-request-mail)
16181 And that's it, really. If you only want news to go into the @sc{soup}
16182 system you just use the first line. If you only want mail to be
16183 @sc{soup}ed you use the second.
16186 @node Mail-To-News Gateways
16187 @subsection Mail-To-News Gateways
16188 @cindex mail-to-news gateways
16191 If your local @code{nntp} server doesn't allow posting, for some reason
16192 or other, you can post using one of the numerous mail-to-news gateways.
16193 The @code{nngateway} back end provides the interface.
16195 Note that you can't read anything from this back end---it can only be
16201 @item nngateway-address
16202 @vindex nngateway-address
16203 This is the address of the mail-to-news gateway.
16205 @item nngateway-header-transformation
16206 @vindex nngateway-header-transformation
16207 News headers often have to be transformed in some odd way or other
16208 for the mail-to-news gateway to accept it. This variable says what
16209 transformation should be called, and defaults to
16210 @code{nngateway-simple-header-transformation}. The function is called
16211 narrowed to the headers to be transformed and with one parameter---the
16214 This default function just inserts a new @code{To} header based on the
16215 @code{Newsgroups} header and the gateway address.
16216 For instance, an article with this @code{Newsgroups} header:
16219 Newsgroups: alt.religion.emacs
16222 will get this @code{To} header inserted:
16225 To: alt-religion-emacs@@GATEWAY
16228 The following pre-defined functions exist:
16230 @findex nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16233 @item nngateway-simple-header-transformation
16234 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16235 @var{newsgroup}@@@code{nngateway-address}.
16237 @findex nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16239 @item nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation
16240 Creates a @code{To} header that looks like
16241 @code{nngateway-address}.
16246 (setq gnus-post-method
16248 "mail2news@@replay.com"
16249 (nngateway-header-transformation
16250 nngateway-mail2news-header-transformation)))
16258 So, to use this, simply say something like:
16261 (setq gnus-post-method '(nngateway "GATEWAY.ADDRESS"))
16266 @node Combined Groups
16267 @section Combined Groups
16269 Gnus allows combining a mixture of all the other group types into bigger
16273 * Virtual Groups:: Combining articles from many groups.
16274 * Kibozed Groups:: Looking through parts of the newsfeed for articles.
16278 @node Virtual Groups
16279 @subsection Virtual Groups
16281 @cindex virtual groups
16282 @cindex merging groups
16284 An @dfn{nnvirtual group} is really nothing more than a collection of
16287 For instance, if you are tired of reading many small groups, you can
16288 put them all in one big group, and then grow tired of reading one
16289 big, unwieldy group. The joys of computing!
16291 You specify @code{nnvirtual} as the method. The address should be a
16292 regexp to match component groups.
16294 All marks in the virtual group will stick to the articles in the
16295 component groups. So if you tick an article in a virtual group, the
16296 article will also be ticked in the component group from whence it
16297 came. (And vice versa---marks from the component groups will also be
16298 shown in the virtual group.). To create an empty virtual group, run
16299 @kbd{G V} (@code{gnus-group-make-empty-virtual}) in the group buffer
16300 and edit the method regexp with @kbd{M-e}
16301 (@code{gnus-group-edit-group-method})
16303 Here's an example @code{nnvirtual} method that collects all Andrea Dworkin
16304 newsgroups into one, big, happy newsgroup:
16307 (nnvirtual "^alt\\.fan\\.andrea-dworkin$\\|^rec\\.dworkin.*")
16310 The component groups can be native or foreign; everything should work
16311 smoothly, but if your computer explodes, it was probably my fault.
16313 Collecting the same group from several servers might actually be a good
16314 idea if users have set the Distribution header to limit distribution.
16315 If you would like to read @samp{soc.motss} both from a server in Japan
16316 and a server in Norway, you could use the following as the group regexp:
16319 "^nntp\\+server\\.jp:soc\\.motss$\\|^nntp\\+server\\.no:soc\\.motss$"
16322 (Remember, though, that if you're creating the group with @kbd{G m}, you
16323 shouldn't double the backslashes, and you should leave off the quote
16324 characters at the beginning and the end of the string.)
16326 This should work kinda smoothly---all articles from both groups should
16327 end up in this one, and there should be no duplicates. Threading (and
16328 the rest) will still work as usual, but there might be problems with the
16329 sequence of articles. Sorting on date might be an option here
16330 (@pxref{Selecting a Group}).
16332 One limitation, however---all groups included in a virtual
16333 group have to be alive (i.e., subscribed or unsubscribed). Killed or
16334 zombie groups can't be component groups for @code{nnvirtual} groups.
16336 @vindex nnvirtual-always-rescan
16337 If the @code{nnvirtual-always-rescan} is non-@code{nil},
16338 @code{nnvirtual} will always scan groups for unread articles when
16339 entering a virtual group. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
16340 default) and you read articles in a component group after the virtual
16341 group has been activated, the read articles from the component group
16342 will show up when you enter the virtual group. You'll also see this
16343 effect if you have two virtual groups that have a component group in
16344 common. If that's the case, you should set this variable to @code{t}.
16345 Or you can just tap @code{M-g} on the virtual group every time before
16346 you enter it---it'll have much the same effect.
16348 @code{nnvirtual} can have both mail and news groups as component groups.
16349 When responding to articles in @code{nnvirtual} groups, @code{nnvirtual}
16350 has to ask the back end of the component group the article comes from
16351 whether it is a news or mail back end. However, when you do a @kbd{^},
16352 there is typically no sure way for the component back end to know this,
16353 and in that case @code{nnvirtual} tells Gnus that the article came from a
16354 not-news back end. (Just to be on the safe side.)
16356 @kbd{C-c C-n} in the message buffer will insert the @code{Newsgroups}
16357 line from the article you respond to in these cases.
16359 @code{nnvirtual} groups do not inherit anything but articles and marks
16360 from component groups---group parameters, for instance, are not
16364 @node Kibozed Groups
16365 @subsection Kibozed Groups
16369 @dfn{Kibozing} is defined by @sc{oed} as ``grepping through (parts of)
16370 the news feed''. @code{nnkiboze} is a back end that will do this for
16371 you. Oh joy! Now you can grind any @sc{nntp} server down to a halt
16372 with useless requests! Oh happiness!
16374 @kindex G k (Group)
16375 To create a kibozed group, use the @kbd{G k} command in the group
16378 The address field of the @code{nnkiboze} method is, as with
16379 @code{nnvirtual}, a regexp to match groups to be ``included'' in the
16380 @code{nnkiboze} group. That's where most similarities between @code{nnkiboze}
16381 and @code{nnvirtual} end.
16383 In addition to this regexp detailing component groups, an @code{nnkiboze} group
16384 must have a score file to say what articles are to be included in
16385 the group (@pxref{Scoring}).
16387 @kindex M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups
16388 @findex nnkiboze-generate-groups
16389 You must run @kbd{M-x nnkiboze-generate-groups} after creating the
16390 @code{nnkiboze} groups you want to have. This command will take time. Lots of
16391 time. Oodles and oodles of time. Gnus has to fetch the headers from
16392 all the articles in all the component groups and run them through the
16393 scoring process to determine if there are any articles in the groups
16394 that are to be part of the @code{nnkiboze} groups.
16396 Please limit the number of component groups by using restrictive
16397 regexps. Otherwise your sysadmin may become annoyed with you, and the
16398 @sc{nntp} site may throw you off and never let you back in again.
16399 Stranger things have happened.
16401 @code{nnkiboze} component groups do not have to be alive---they can be dead,
16402 and they can be foreign. No restrictions.
16404 @vindex nnkiboze-directory
16405 The generation of an @code{nnkiboze} group means writing two files in
16406 @code{nnkiboze-directory}, which is @file{~/News/} by default. One
16407 contains the @sc{nov} header lines for all the articles in the group,
16408 and the other is an additional @file{.newsrc} file to store information
16409 on what groups have been searched through to find component articles.
16411 Articles marked as read in the @code{nnkiboze} group will have
16412 their @sc{nov} lines removed from the @sc{nov} file.
16415 @node Gnus Unplugged
16416 @section Gnus Unplugged
16421 @cindex Gnus Unplugged
16423 In olden times (ca. February '88), people used to run their newsreaders
16424 on big machines with permanent connections to the net. News transport
16425 was dealt with by news servers, and all the newsreaders had to do was to
16426 read news. Believe it or not.
16428 Nowadays most people read news and mail at home, and use some sort of
16429 modem to connect to the net. To avoid running up huge phone bills, it
16430 would be nice to have a way to slurp down all the news and mail, hang up
16431 the phone, read for several hours, and then upload any responses you
16432 have to make. And then you repeat the procedure.
16434 Of course, you can use news servers for doing this as well. I've used
16435 @code{inn} together with @code{slurp}, @code{pop} and @code{sendmail}
16436 for some years, but doing that's a bore. Moving the news server
16437 functionality up to the newsreader makes sense if you're the only person
16438 reading news on a machine.
16440 Setting up Gnus as an ``offline'' newsreader is quite simple. In
16441 fact, you don't even have to configure anything.
16443 Of course, to use it as such, you have to learn a few new commands.
16446 * Agent Basics:: How it all is supposed to work.
16447 * Agent Categories:: How to tell the Gnus Agent what to download.
16448 * Agent Commands:: New commands for all the buffers.
16449 * Agent as Cache:: The Agent is a big cache too.
16450 * Agent Expiry:: How to make old articles go away.
16451 * Agent and IMAP:: How to use the Agent with IMAP.
16452 * Outgoing Messages:: What happens when you post/mail something?
16453 * Agent Variables:: Customizing is fun.
16454 * Example Setup:: An example @file{.gnus.el} file for offline people.
16455 * Batching Agents:: How to fetch news from a @code{cron} job.
16456 * Agent Caveats:: What you think it'll do and what it does.
16461 @subsection Agent Basics
16463 First, let's get some terminology out of the way.
16465 The Gnus Agent is said to be @dfn{unplugged} when you have severed the
16466 connection to the net (and notified the Agent that this is the case).
16467 When the connection to the net is up again (and Gnus knows this), the
16468 Agent is @dfn{plugged}.
16470 The @dfn{local} machine is the one you're running on, and which isn't
16471 connected to the net continuously.
16473 @dfn{Downloading} means fetching things from the net to your local
16474 machine. @dfn{Uploading} is doing the opposite.
16476 Let's take a typical Gnus session using the Agent.
16481 You start Gnus with @code{gnus-unplugged}. This brings up the Gnus
16482 Agent in a disconnected state. You can read all the news that you have
16483 already fetched while in this mode.
16486 You then decide to see whether any new news has arrived. You connect
16487 your machine to the net (using PPP or whatever), and then hit @kbd{J j}
16488 to make Gnus become @dfn{plugged} and use @kbd{g} to check for new mail
16489 as usual. To check for new mail in unplugged mode, see (@pxref{Mail
16490 Source Specifiers}).
16493 You can then read the new news immediately, or you can download the news
16494 onto your local machine. If you want to do the latter, you press @kbd{g}
16495 to check if there are any new news and then @kbd{J
16496 s} to fetch all the eligible articles in all the groups. (To let Gnus
16497 know which articles you want to download, @pxref{Agent Categories}.)
16500 After fetching the articles, you press @kbd{J j} to make Gnus become
16501 unplugged again, and you shut down the PPP thing (or whatever). And
16502 then you read the news offline.
16505 And then you go to step 2.
16508 Here are some things you should do the first time (or so) that you use
16514 Decide which servers should be covered by the Agent. If you have a mail
16515 back end, it would probably be nonsensical to have it covered by the
16516 Agent. Go to the server buffer (@kbd{^} in the group buffer) and press
16517 @kbd{J a} on the server (or servers) that you wish to have covered by the
16518 Agent (@pxref{Server Agent Commands}), or @kbd{J r} on automatically
16519 added servers you do not wish to have covered by the Agent. By default,
16520 all @code{nntp} and @code{nnimap} groups in @code{gnus-select-method} and
16521 @code{gnus-secondary-select-methods} are agentized.
16524 Decide on download policy. @xref{Agent Categories}.
16531 @node Agent Categories
16532 @subsection Agent Categories
16534 One of the main reasons to integrate the news transport layer into the
16535 newsreader is to allow greater control over what articles to download.
16536 There's not much point in downloading huge amounts of articles, just to
16537 find out that you're not interested in reading any of them. It's better
16538 to be somewhat more conservative in choosing what to download, and then
16539 mark the articles for downloading manually if it should turn out that
16540 you're interested in the articles anyway.
16542 The main way to control what is to be downloaded is to create a
16543 @dfn{category} and then assign some (or all) groups to this category.
16544 Groups that do not belong in any other category belong to the
16545 @code{default} category. Gnus has its own buffer for creating and
16546 managing categories.
16549 * Category Syntax:: What a category looks like.
16550 * Category Buffer:: A buffer for maintaining categories.
16551 * Category Variables:: Customize'r'Us.
16555 @node Category Syntax
16556 @subsubsection Category Syntax
16558 A category consists of two things.
16562 A predicate which (generally) gives a rough outline of which articles
16563 are eligible for downloading; and
16566 a score rule which (generally) gives you a finer granularity when
16567 deciding what articles to download. (Note that this @dfn{download
16568 score} is not necessarily related to normal scores.)
16571 A predicate in its simplest form can be a single predicate such as
16572 @code{true} or @code{false}. These two will download every available
16573 article or nothing respectively. In the case of these two special
16574 predicates an additional score rule is superfluous.
16576 Predicates of @code{high} or @code{low} download articles in respect of
16577 their scores in relationship to @code{gnus-agent-high-score} and
16578 @code{gnus-agent-low-score} as described below.
16580 To gain even finer control of what is to be regarded eligible for
16581 download a predicate can consist of a number of predicates with logical
16582 operators sprinkled in between.
16584 Perhaps some examples are in order.
16586 Here's a simple predicate. (It's the default predicate, in fact, used
16587 for all groups that don't belong to any other category.)
16593 Quite simple, eh? This predicate is true if and only if the article is
16594 short (for some value of ``short'').
16596 Here's a more complex predicate:
16605 This means that an article should be downloaded if it has a high score,
16606 or if the score is not low and the article is not long. You get the
16609 The available logical operators are @code{or}, @code{and} and
16610 @code{not}. (If you prefer, you can use the more ``C''-ish operators
16611 @samp{|}, @code{&} and @code{!} instead.)
16613 The following predicates are pre-defined, but if none of these fit what
16614 you want to do, you can write your own.
16618 True iff the article is shorter than @code{gnus-agent-short-article}
16619 lines; default 100.
16622 True iff the article is longer than @code{gnus-agent-long-article}
16623 lines; default 200.
16626 True iff the article has a download score less than
16627 @code{gnus-agent-low-score}; default 0.
16630 True iff the article has a download score greater than
16631 @code{gnus-agent-high-score}; default 0.
16634 True iff the Gnus Agent guesses that the article is spam. The
16635 heuristics may change over time, but at present it just computes a
16636 checksum and sees whether articles match.
16645 If you want to create your own predicate function, here's what you have
16646 to know: The functions are called with no parameters, but the
16647 @code{gnus-headers} and @code{gnus-score} dynamic variables are bound to
16650 For example, you could decide that you don't want to download articles
16651 that were posted more than a certain number of days ago (e.g. posted
16652 more than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} ago) you might write a function
16653 something along the lines of the following:
16656 (defun my-article-old-p ()
16657 "Say whether an article is old."
16658 (< (time-to-days (date-to-time (mail-header-date gnus-headers)))
16659 (- (time-to-days (current-time)) gnus-agent-expire-days)))
16662 with the predicate then defined as:
16665 (not my-article-old-p)
16668 or you could append your predicate to the predefined
16669 @code{gnus-category-predicate-alist} in your @file{~/.gnus.el} or
16673 (require 'gnus-agent)
16674 (setq gnus-category-predicate-alist
16675 (append gnus-category-predicate-alist
16676 '((old . my-article-old-p))))
16679 and simply specify your predicate as:
16685 If/when using something like the above, be aware that there are many
16686 misconfigured systems/mailers out there and so an article's date is not
16687 always a reliable indication of when it was posted. Hell, some people
16688 just don't give a damn.
16690 The above predicates apply to *all* the groups which belong to the
16691 category. However, if you wish to have a specific predicate for an
16692 individual group within a category, or you're just too lazy to set up a
16693 new category, you can enter a group's individual predicate in it's group
16694 parameters like so:
16697 (agent-predicate . short)
16700 This is the group parameter equivalent of the agent category default.
16701 Note that when specifying a single word predicate like this, the
16702 @code{agent-predicate} specification must be in dotted pair notation.
16704 The equivalent of the longer example from above would be:
16707 (agent-predicate or high (and (not low) (not long)))
16710 The outer parenthesis required in the category specification are not
16711 entered here as, not being in dotted pair notation, the value of the
16712 predicate is assumed to be a list.
16715 Now, the syntax of the download score is the same as the syntax of
16716 normal score files, except that all elements that require actually
16717 seeing the article itself are verboten. This means that only the
16718 following headers can be scored on: @code{Subject}, @code{From},
16719 @code{Date}, @code{Message-ID}, @code{References}, @code{Chars},
16720 @code{Lines}, and @code{Xref}.
16722 As with predicates, the specification of the @code{download score rule}
16723 to use in respect of a group can be in either the category definition if
16724 it's to be applicable to all groups in therein, or a group's parameters
16725 if it's to be specific to that group.
16727 In both of these places the @code{download score rule} can take one of
16734 This has the same syntax as a normal gnus score file except only a
16735 subset of scoring keywords are available as mentioned above.
16741 Category specification
16745 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16751 Group Parameter specification
16754 (agent-score ("from"
16755 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" 1000000 nil s))
16760 Again, note the omission of the outermost parenthesis here.
16766 These score files must *only* contain the permitted scoring keywords
16773 Category specification
16776 ("~/News/agent.SCORE")
16782 ("~/News/agent.SCORE" "~/News/agent.group.SCORE")
16786 Group Parameter specification
16789 (agent-score "~/News/agent.SCORE")
16792 Additional score files can be specified as above. Need I say anything
16797 Use @code{normal} score files
16799 If you don't want to maintain two sets of scoring rules for a group, and
16800 your desired @code{downloading} criteria for a group are the same as your
16801 @code{reading} criteria then you can tell the agent to refer to your
16802 @code{normal} score files when deciding what to download.
16804 These directives in either the category definition or a group's
16805 parameters will cause the agent to read in all the applicable score
16806 files for a group, *filtering out* those sections that do not
16807 relate to one of the permitted subset of scoring keywords.
16811 Category Specification
16818 Group Parameter specification
16821 (agent-score . file)
16826 @node Category Buffer
16827 @subsubsection Category Buffer
16829 You'd normally do all category maintenance from the category buffer.
16830 When you enter it for the first time (with the @kbd{J c} command from
16831 the group buffer), you'll only see the @code{default} category.
16833 The following commands are available in this buffer:
16837 @kindex q (Category)
16838 @findex gnus-category-exit
16839 Return to the group buffer (@code{gnus-category-exit}).
16842 @kindex k (Category)
16843 @findex gnus-category-kill
16844 Kill the current category (@code{gnus-category-kill}).
16847 @kindex c (Category)
16848 @findex gnus-category-copy
16849 Copy the current category (@code{gnus-category-copy}).
16852 @kindex a (Category)
16853 @findex gnus-category-add
16854 Add a new category (@code{gnus-category-add}).
16857 @kindex p (Category)
16858 @findex gnus-category-edit-predicate
16859 Edit the predicate of the current category
16860 (@code{gnus-category-edit-predicate}).
16863 @kindex g (Category)
16864 @findex gnus-category-edit-groups
16865 Edit the list of groups belonging to the current category
16866 (@code{gnus-category-edit-groups}).
16869 @kindex s (Category)
16870 @findex gnus-category-edit-score
16871 Edit the download score rule of the current category
16872 (@code{gnus-category-edit-score}).
16875 @kindex l (Category)
16876 @findex gnus-category-list
16877 List all the categories (@code{gnus-category-list}).
16881 @node Category Variables
16882 @subsubsection Category Variables
16885 @item gnus-category-mode-hook
16886 @vindex gnus-category-mode-hook
16887 Hook run in category buffers.
16889 @item gnus-category-line-format
16890 @vindex gnus-category-line-format
16891 Format of the lines in the category buffer (@pxref{Formatting
16892 Variables}). Valid elements are:
16896 The name of the category.
16899 The number of groups in the category.
16902 @item gnus-category-mode-line-format
16903 @vindex gnus-category-mode-line-format
16904 Format of the category mode line (@pxref{Mode Line Formatting}).
16906 @item gnus-agent-short-article
16907 @vindex gnus-agent-short-article
16908 Articles that have fewer lines than this are short. Default 100.
16910 @item gnus-agent-long-article
16911 @vindex gnus-agent-long-article
16912 Articles that have more lines than this are long. Default 200.
16914 @item gnus-agent-low-score
16915 @vindex gnus-agent-low-score
16916 Articles that have a score lower than this have a low score. Default
16919 @item gnus-agent-high-score
16920 @vindex gnus-agent-high-score
16921 Articles that have a score higher than this have a high score. Default
16927 @node Agent Commands
16928 @subsection Agent Commands
16930 All the Gnus Agent commands are on the @kbd{J} submap. The @kbd{J j}
16931 (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-plugged}) command works in all modes, and
16932 toggles the plugged/unplugged state of the Gnus Agent.
16936 * Group Agent Commands::
16937 * Summary Agent Commands::
16938 * Server Agent Commands::
16941 You can run a complete batch command from the command line with the
16942 following incantation:
16944 @cindex gnus-agent-batch
16946 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-agent-batch
16951 @node Group Agent Commands
16952 @subsubsection Group Agent Commands
16956 @kindex J u (Agent Group)
16957 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-groups
16958 Fetch all eligible articles in the current group
16959 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-groups}).
16962 @kindex J c (Agent Group)
16963 @findex gnus-enter-category-buffer
16964 Enter the Agent category buffer (@code{gnus-enter-category-buffer}).
16967 @kindex J s (Agent Group)
16968 @findex gnus-agent-fetch-session
16969 Fetch all eligible articles in all groups
16970 (@code{gnus-agent-fetch-session}).
16973 @kindex J S (Agent Group)
16974 @findex gnus-group-send-queue
16975 Send all sendable messages in the queue group
16976 (@code{gnus-group-send-queue}). @xref{Drafts}.
16979 @kindex J a (Agent Group)
16980 @findex gnus-agent-add-group
16981 Add the current group to an Agent category
16982 (@code{gnus-agent-add-group}). This command understands the
16983 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16986 @kindex J r (Agent Group)
16987 @findex gnus-agent-remove-group
16988 Remove the current group from its category, if any
16989 (@code{gnus-agent-remove-group}). This command understands the
16990 process/prefix convention (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
16993 @kindex J Y (Agent Group)
16994 @findex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
16995 Synchronize flags changed while unplugged with remote server, if any.
17001 @node Summary Agent Commands
17002 @subsubsection Summary Agent Commands
17006 @kindex J # (Agent Summary)
17007 @findex gnus-agent-mark-article
17008 Mark the article for downloading (@code{gnus-agent-mark-article}).
17011 @kindex J M-# (Agent Summary)
17012 @findex gnus-agent-unmark-article
17013 Remove the downloading mark from the article
17014 (@code{gnus-agent-unmark-article}).
17017 @kindex @@ (Agent Summary)
17018 @findex gnus-agent-toggle-mark
17019 Toggle whether to download the article (@code{gnus-agent-toggle-mark}).
17022 @kindex J c (Agent Summary)
17023 @findex gnus-agent-catchup
17024 Mark all undownloaded articles as read (@code{gnus-agent-catchup}).
17027 @kindex J u (Agent Summary)
17028 @findex gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group
17029 Download all downloadable articles in the current group
17030 (@code{gnus-agent-summary-fetch-group}).
17035 @node Server Agent Commands
17036 @subsubsection Server Agent Commands
17040 @kindex J a (Agent Server)
17041 @findex gnus-agent-add-server
17042 Add the current server to the list of servers covered by the Gnus Agent
17043 (@code{gnus-agent-add-server}).
17046 @kindex J r (Agent Server)
17047 @findex gnus-agent-remove-server
17048 Remove the current server from the list of servers covered by the Gnus
17049 Agent (@code{gnus-agent-remove-server}).
17054 @node Agent as Cache
17055 @subsection Agent as Cache
17057 When Gnus is plugged, it is not efficient to download headers or
17058 articles from the server again, if they are already stored in the
17059 Agent. So, Gnus normally only downloads headers once, and stores them
17060 in the Agent. These headers are later used when generating the summary
17061 buffer, regardless of whether you are plugged or unplugged. Articles
17062 are not cached in the Agent by default though (that would potentially
17063 consume lots of disk space), but if you have already downloaded an
17064 article into the Agent, Gnus will not download the article from the
17065 server again but use the locally stored copy instead.
17067 This behaviour can be controlled by @code{gnus-agent-cache}
17068 (@pxref{Agent Variables}).
17071 @subsection Agent Expiry
17073 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-days
17074 @findex gnus-agent-expire
17075 @kindex M-x gnus-agent-expire
17076 @cindex Agent expiry
17077 @cindex Gnus Agent expiry
17080 @code{nnagent} doesn't handle expiry. Instead, there's a special
17081 @code{gnus-agent-expire} command that will expire all read articles that
17082 are older than @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} days. It can be run
17083 whenever you feel that you're running out of space. It's not
17084 particularly fast or efficient, and it's not a particularly good idea to
17085 interrupt it (with @kbd{C-g} or anything else) once you've started it.
17087 @code{gnus-agent-expire-days} can also be a list of regexp/day pairs.
17088 The regexps will be matched against group names to allow differing
17089 expiry in different groups.
17092 (setq gnus-agent-expire-days
17098 If you use the list form, the last element must always be the default
17099 method---it must always match all groups.
17101 @vindex gnus-agent-expire-all
17102 If @code{gnus-agent-expire-all} is non-@code{nil}, this command will
17103 expire all articles---unread, read, ticked and dormant. If @code{nil}
17104 (which is the default), only read articles are eligible for expiry, and
17105 unread, ticked and dormant articles will be kept indefinitely.
17107 @findex gnus-agent-regenerate
17108 If you find that some articles eligible for expiry are never expired,
17109 perhaps some Gnus Agent files are corrupted. There's a special
17110 @code{gnus-agent-regenerate} command to fix possible problems.
17112 @node Agent and IMAP
17113 @subsection Agent and IMAP
17115 The Agent work with any Gnus back end, including nnimap. However,
17116 since there are some conceptual differences between @sc{nntp} and
17117 @sc{imap}, this section (should) provide you with some information to
17118 make Gnus Agent work smoother as a @sc{imap} Disconnected Mode client.
17120 The first thing to keep in mind is that all flags (read, ticked, etc)
17121 are kept on the @sc{imap} server, rather than in @code{.newsrc} as is the
17122 case for nntp. Thus Gnus need to remember flag changes when
17123 disconnected, and synchronize these flags when you plug back in.
17125 Gnus keeps track of flag changes when reading nnimap groups under the
17126 Agent. When you plug back in, Gnus will check if you have any changed
17127 any flags and ask if you wish to synchronize these with the server.
17128 The behavior is customizable by @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags}.
17130 @vindex gnus-agent-synchronize-flags
17131 If @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} is @code{nil}, the Agent will
17132 never automatically synchronize flags. If it is @code{ask}, which is
17133 the default, the Agent will check if you made any changes and if so
17134 ask if you wish to synchronize these when you re-connect. If it has
17135 any other value, all flags will be synchronized automatically.
17137 If you do not wish to synchronize flags automatically when you
17138 re-connect, you can do it manually with the
17139 @code{gnus-agent-synchronize-flags} command that is bound to @kbd{J Y}
17140 in the group buffer.
17142 Some things are currently not implemented in the Agent that you'd might
17143 expect from a disconnected @sc{imap} client, including:
17148 Copying/moving articles into nnimap groups when unplugged.
17151 Creating/deleting nnimap groups when unplugged.
17155 Technical note: the synchronization algorithm does not work by "pushing"
17156 all local flags to the server, but rather incrementally update the
17157 server view of flags by changing only those flags that were changed by
17158 the user. Thus, if you set one flag on a article, quit the group and
17159 re-select the group and remove the flag; the flag will be set and
17160 removed from the server when you "synchronize". The queued flag
17161 operations can be found in the per-server @code{flags} file in the Agent
17162 directory. It's emptied when you synchronize flags.
17165 @node Outgoing Messages
17166 @subsection Outgoing Messages
17168 When Gnus is unplugged, all outgoing messages (both mail and news) are
17169 stored in the draft group ``queue'' (@pxref{Drafts}). You can view
17170 them there after posting, and edit them at will.
17172 When Gnus is plugged again, you can send the messages either from the
17173 draft group with the special commands available there, or you can use
17174 the @kbd{J S} command in the group buffer to send all the sendable
17175 messages in the draft group.
17179 @node Agent Variables
17180 @subsection Agent Variables
17183 @item gnus-agent-directory
17184 @vindex gnus-agent-directory
17185 Where the Gnus Agent will store its files. The default is
17186 @file{~/News/agent/}.
17188 @item gnus-agent-handle-level
17189 @vindex gnus-agent-handle-level
17190 Groups on levels (@pxref{Group Levels}) higher than this variable will
17191 be ignored by the Agent. The default is @code{gnus-level-subscribed},
17192 which means that only subscribed group will be considered by the Agent
17195 @item gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17196 @vindex gnus-agent-plugged-hook
17197 Hook run when connecting to the network.
17199 @item gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17200 @vindex gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
17201 Hook run when disconnecting from the network.
17203 @item gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17204 @vindex gnus-agent-fetched-hook
17205 Hook run when after finishing fetching articles.
17207 @item gnus-agent-cache
17208 @vindex gnus-agent-cache
17209 Variable to control whether use the locally stored @sc{nov} and
17210 articles when plugged, e.g. essentially using the Agent as a cache.
17211 The default is non-nil, which means to use the Agent as a cache.
17213 @item gnus-agent-go-online
17214 @vindex gnus-agent-go-online
17215 If @code{gnus-agent-go-online} is @code{nil}, the Agent will never
17216 automatically switch offline servers into online status. If it is
17217 @code{ask}, the default, the Agent will ask if you wish to switch
17218 offline servers into online status when you re-connect. If it has any
17219 other value, all offline servers will be automatically switched into
17222 @item gnus-server-unopen-status
17223 @vindex gnus-server-unopen-status
17224 Perhaps not a Agent variable, but closely related to the Agent, this
17225 variable says what will happen if Gnus cannot open a server. If the
17226 Agent is enabled, the default, @code{nil}, makes Gnus ask the user
17227 whether to deny the server or whether to unplug the agent. If the
17228 Agent is disabled, Gnus always simply deny the server. Other choices
17229 for this variable include @code{denied} and @code{offline} the latter
17230 is only valid if the Agent is used.
17235 @node Example Setup
17236 @subsection Example Setup
17238 If you don't want to read this manual, and you have a fairly standard
17239 setup, you may be able to use something like the following as your
17240 @file{.gnus.el} file to get started.
17243 ;;; Define how Gnus is to fetch news. We do this over @sc{nntp}
17244 ;;; from your ISP's server.
17245 (setq gnus-select-method '(nntp "news.your-isp.com"))
17247 ;;; Define how Gnus is to read your mail. We read mail from
17248 ;;; your ISP's POP server.
17249 (setq mail-sources '((pop :server "pop.your-isp.com")))
17251 ;;; Say how Gnus is to store the mail. We use nnml groups.
17252 (setq gnus-secondary-select-methods '((nnml "")))
17254 ;;; Make Gnus into an offline newsreader.
17255 ;;; (gnus-agentize) ; The obsolete setting.
17256 ;;; (setq gnus-agent t) ; Now the default.
17259 That should be it, basically. Put that in your @file{~/.gnus.el} file,
17260 edit to suit your needs, start up PPP (or whatever), and type @kbd{M-x
17263 If this is the first time you've run Gnus, you will be subscribed
17264 automatically to a few default newsgroups. You'll probably want to
17265 subscribe to more groups, and to do that, you have to query the
17266 @sc{nntp} server for a complete list of groups with the @kbd{A A}
17267 command. This usually takes quite a while, but you only have to do it
17270 After reading and parsing a while, you'll be presented with a list of
17271 groups. Subscribe to the ones you want to read with the @kbd{u}
17272 command. @kbd{l} to make all the killed groups disappear after you've
17273 subscribe to all the groups you want to read. (@kbd{A k} will bring
17274 back all the killed groups.)
17276 You can now read the groups at once, or you can download the articles
17277 with the @kbd{J s} command. And then read the rest of this manual to
17278 find out which of the other gazillion things you want to customize.
17281 @node Batching Agents
17282 @subsection Batching Agents
17284 Having the Gnus Agent fetch articles (and post whatever messages you've
17285 written) is quite easy once you've gotten things set up properly. The
17286 following shell script will do everything that is necessary:
17290 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -f gnus-agent-batch >/dev/null
17294 @node Agent Caveats
17295 @subsection Agent Caveats
17297 The Gnus Agent doesn't seem to work like most other offline
17298 newsreaders. Here are some common questions that some imaginary people
17302 @item If I read an article while plugged, do they get entered into the Agent?
17306 @item If I read an article while plugged, and the article already exists in the Agent, will it get downloaded once more?
17308 @strong{No}, unless @code{gnus-agent-cache} is `nil'.
17312 In short, when Gnus is unplugged, it only looks into the locally stored
17313 articles; when it's plugged, it only talks to your ISP and also uses the
17314 locally stored articles.
17321 Other people use @dfn{kill files}, but we here at Gnus Towers like
17322 scoring better than killing, so we'd rather switch than fight. They do
17323 something completely different as well, so sit up straight and pay
17326 @vindex gnus-summary-mark-below
17327 All articles have a default score (@code{gnus-summary-default-score}),
17328 which is 0 by default. This score may be raised or lowered either
17329 interactively or by score files. Articles that have a score lower than
17330 @code{gnus-summary-mark-below} are marked as read.
17332 Gnus will read any @dfn{score files} that apply to the current group
17333 before generating the summary buffer.
17335 There are several commands in the summary buffer that insert score
17336 entries based on the current article. You can, for instance, ask Gnus to
17337 lower or increase the score of all articles with a certain subject.
17339 There are two sorts of scoring entries: Permanent and temporary.
17340 Temporary score entries are self-expiring entries. Any entries that are
17341 temporary and have not been used for, say, a week, will be removed
17342 silently to help keep the sizes of the score files down.
17345 * Summary Score Commands:: Adding score entries for the current group.
17346 * Group Score Commands:: General score commands.
17347 * Score Variables:: Customize your scoring. (My, what terminology).
17348 * Score File Format:: What a score file may contain.
17349 * Score File Editing:: You can edit score files by hand as well.
17350 * Adaptive Scoring:: Big Sister Gnus knows what you read.
17351 * Home Score File:: How to say where new score entries are to go.
17352 * Followups To Yourself:: Having Gnus notice when people answer you.
17353 * Scoring On Other Headers:: Scoring on non-standard headers.
17354 * Scoring Tips:: How to score effectively.
17355 * Reverse Scoring:: That problem child of old is not problem.
17356 * Global Score Files:: Earth-spanning, ear-splitting score files.
17357 * Kill Files:: They are still here, but they can be ignored.
17358 * Converting Kill Files:: Translating kill files to score files.
17359 * GroupLens:: Getting predictions on what you like to read.
17360 * Advanced Scoring:: Using logical expressions to build score rules.
17361 * Score Decays:: It can be useful to let scores wither away.
17365 @node Summary Score Commands
17366 @section Summary Score Commands
17367 @cindex score commands
17369 The score commands that alter score entries do not actually modify real
17370 score files. That would be too inefficient. Gnus maintains a cache of
17371 previously loaded score files, one of which is considered the
17372 @dfn{current score file alist}. The score commands simply insert
17373 entries into this list, and upon group exit, this list is saved.
17375 The current score file is by default the group's local score file, even
17376 if no such score file actually exists. To insert score commands into
17377 some other score file (e.g. @file{all.SCORE}), you must first make this
17378 score file the current one.
17380 General score commands that don't actually change the score file:
17385 @kindex V s (Summary)
17386 @findex gnus-summary-set-score
17387 Set the score of the current article (@code{gnus-summary-set-score}).
17390 @kindex V S (Summary)
17391 @findex gnus-summary-current-score
17392 Display the score of the current article
17393 (@code{gnus-summary-current-score}).
17396 @kindex V t (Summary)
17397 @findex gnus-score-find-trace
17398 Display all score rules that have been used on the current article
17399 (@code{gnus-score-find-trace}).
17402 @kindex V w (Summary)
17403 @findex gnus-score-find-favourite-words
17404 List words used in scoring (@code{gnus-score-find-favourite-words}).
17407 @kindex V R (Summary)
17408 @findex gnus-summary-rescore
17409 Run the current summary through the scoring process
17410 (@code{gnus-summary-rescore}). This might be useful if you're playing
17411 around with your score files behind Gnus' back and want to see the
17412 effect you're having.
17415 @kindex V c (Summary)
17416 @findex gnus-score-change-score-file
17417 Make a different score file the current
17418 (@code{gnus-score-change-score-file}).
17421 @kindex V e (Summary)
17422 @findex gnus-score-edit-current-scores
17423 Edit the current score file (@code{gnus-score-edit-current-scores}).
17424 You will be popped into a @code{gnus-score-mode} buffer (@pxref{Score
17428 @kindex V f (Summary)
17429 @findex gnus-score-edit-file
17430 Edit a score file and make this score file the current one
17431 (@code{gnus-score-edit-file}).
17434 @kindex V F (Summary)
17435 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17436 Flush the score cache (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}). This is useful
17437 after editing score files.
17440 @kindex V C (Summary)
17441 @findex gnus-score-customize
17442 Customize a score file in a visually pleasing manner
17443 (@code{gnus-score-customize}).
17447 The rest of these commands modify the local score file.
17452 @kindex V m (Summary)
17453 @findex gnus-score-set-mark-below
17454 Prompt for a score, and mark all articles with a score below this as
17455 read (@code{gnus-score-set-mark-below}).
17458 @kindex V x (Summary)
17459 @findex gnus-score-set-expunge-below
17460 Prompt for a score, and add a score rule to the current score file to
17461 expunge all articles below this score
17462 (@code{gnus-score-set-expunge-below}).
17465 The keystrokes for actually making score entries follow a very regular
17466 pattern, so there's no need to list all the commands. (Hundreds of
17469 @findex gnus-summary-increase-score
17470 @findex gnus-summary-lower-score
17474 The first key is either @kbd{I} (upper case i) for increasing the score
17475 or @kbd{L} for lowering the score.
17477 The second key says what header you want to score on. The following
17478 keys are available:
17482 Score on the author name.
17485 Score on the subject line.
17488 Score on the @code{Xref} line---i.e., the cross-posting line.
17491 Score on the @code{References} line.
17497 Score on the number of lines.
17500 Score on the @code{Message-ID} header.
17503 Score on an "extra" header, that is, one of those in gnus-extra-headers,
17504 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks additional header data in overviews.
17507 Score on followups---this matches the author name, and adds scores to
17508 the followups to this author. (Using this key leads to the creation of
17509 @file{ADAPT} files.)
17518 Score on thread. (Using this key leads to the creation of @file{ADAPT}
17524 The third key is the match type. Which match types are valid depends on
17525 what headers you are scoring on.
17537 Substring matching.
17540 Fuzzy matching (@pxref{Fuzzy Matching}).
17569 Greater than number.
17574 The fourth and usually final key says whether this is a temporary (i.e.,
17575 expiring) score entry, or a permanent (i.e., non-expiring) score entry,
17576 or whether it is to be done immediately, without adding to the score
17581 Temporary score entry.
17584 Permanent score entry.
17587 Immediately scoring.
17591 If you are scoring on `e' (extra) headers, you will then be prompted for
17592 the header name on which you wish to score. This must be a header named
17593 in gnus-extra-headers, and @samp{TAB} completion is available.
17597 So, let's say you want to increase the score on the current author with
17598 exact matching permanently: @kbd{I a e p}. If you want to lower the
17599 score based on the subject line, using substring matching, and make a
17600 temporary score entry: @kbd{L s s t}. Pretty easy.
17602 To make things a bit more complicated, there are shortcuts. If you use
17603 a capital letter on either the second or third keys, Gnus will use
17604 defaults for the remaining one or two keystrokes. The defaults are
17605 ``substring'' and ``temporary''. So @kbd{I A} is the same as @kbd{I a s
17606 t}, and @kbd{I a R} is the same as @kbd{I a r t}.
17608 These functions take both the numerical prefix and the symbolic prefix
17609 (@pxref{Symbolic Prefixes}). A numerical prefix says how much to lower
17610 (or increase) the score of the article. A symbolic prefix of @code{a}
17611 says to use the @file{all.SCORE} file for the command instead of the
17612 current score file.
17614 @vindex gnus-score-mimic-keymap
17615 The @code{gnus-score-mimic-keymap} says whether these commands will
17616 pretend they are keymaps or not.
17619 @node Group Score Commands
17620 @section Group Score Commands
17621 @cindex group score commands
17623 There aren't many of these as yet, I'm afraid.
17628 @kindex W f (Group)
17629 @findex gnus-score-flush-cache
17630 Gnus maintains a cache of score alists to avoid having to reload them
17631 all the time. This command will flush the cache
17632 (@code{gnus-score-flush-cache}).
17636 You can do scoring from the command line by saying something like:
17638 @findex gnus-batch-score
17639 @cindex batch scoring
17641 $ emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -l ~/.gnus.el -f gnus-batch-score
17645 @node Score Variables
17646 @section Score Variables
17647 @cindex score variables
17651 @item gnus-use-scoring
17652 @vindex gnus-use-scoring
17653 If @code{nil}, Gnus will not check for score files, and will not, in
17654 general, do any score-related work. This is @code{t} by default.
17656 @item gnus-kill-killed
17657 @vindex gnus-kill-killed
17658 If this variable is @code{nil}, Gnus will never apply score files to
17659 articles that have already been through the kill process. While this
17660 may save you lots of time, it also means that if you apply a kill file
17661 to a group, and then change the kill file and want to run it over you
17662 group again to kill more articles, it won't work. You have to set this
17663 variable to @code{t} to do that. (It is @code{t} by default.)
17665 @item gnus-kill-files-directory
17666 @vindex gnus-kill-files-directory
17667 All kill and score files will be stored in this directory, which is
17668 initialized from the @code{SAVEDIR} environment variable by default.
17669 This is @file{~/News/} by default.
17671 @item gnus-score-file-suffix
17672 @vindex gnus-score-file-suffix
17673 Suffix to add to the group name to arrive at the score file name
17674 (@samp{SCORE} by default.)
17676 @item gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17677 @vindex gnus-score-uncacheable-files
17678 @cindex score cache
17679 All score files are normally cached to avoid excessive re-loading of
17680 score files. However, if this might make your Emacs grow big and
17681 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
17682 @file{all.SCORE}, while it might be a good idea to not cache
17683 @file{comp.infosystems.www.authoring.misc.ADAPT}. In fact, this
17684 variable is @samp{ADAPT$} by default, so no adaptive score files will
17687 @item gnus-save-score
17688 @vindex gnus-save-score
17689 If you have really complicated score files, and do lots of batch
17690 scoring, then you might set this variable to @code{t}. This will make
17691 Gnus save the scores into the @file{.newsrc.eld} file.
17693 If you do not set this to @code{t}, then manual scores (like those set
17694 with @kbd{V s} (@code{gnus-summary-set-score})) will not be preserved
17695 across group visits.
17697 @item gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17698 @vindex gnus-score-interactive-default-score
17699 Score used by all the interactive raise/lower commands to raise/lower
17700 score with. Default is 1000, which may seem excessive, but this is to
17701 ensure that the adaptive scoring scheme gets enough room to play with.
17702 We don't want the small changes from the adaptive scoring to overwrite
17703 manually entered data.
17705 @item gnus-summary-default-score
17706 @vindex gnus-summary-default-score
17707 Default score of an article, which is 0 by default.
17709 @item gnus-summary-expunge-below
17710 @vindex gnus-summary-expunge-below
17711 Don't display the summary lines of articles that have scores lower than
17712 this variable. This is @code{nil} by default, which means that no
17713 articles will be hidden. This variable is local to the summary buffers,
17714 and has to be set from @code{gnus-summary-mode-hook}.
17716 @item gnus-score-over-mark
17717 @vindex gnus-score-over-mark
17718 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score over the
17719 default. Default is @samp{+}.
17721 @item gnus-score-below-mark
17722 @vindex gnus-score-below-mark
17723 Mark (in the third column) used for articles with a score below the
17724 default. Default is @samp{-}.
17726 @item gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17727 @vindex gnus-score-find-score-files-function
17728 Function used to find score files for the current group. This function
17729 is called with the name of the group as the argument.
17731 Predefined functions available are:
17734 @item gnus-score-find-single
17735 @findex gnus-score-find-single
17736 Only apply the group's own score file.
17738 @item gnus-score-find-bnews
17739 @findex gnus-score-find-bnews
17740 Apply all score files that match, using bnews syntax. This is the
17741 default. If the current group is @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}, for instance,
17742 @file{all.emacs.all.SCORE}, @file{not.alt.all.SCORE} and
17743 @file{gnu.all.SCORE} would all apply. In short, the instances of
17744 @samp{all} in the score file names are translated into @samp{.*}, and
17745 then a regexp match is done.
17747 This means that if you have some score entries that you want to apply to
17748 all groups, then you put those entries in the @file{all.SCORE} file.
17750 The score files are applied in a semi-random order, although Gnus will
17751 try to apply the more general score files before the more specific score
17752 files. It does this by looking at the number of elements in the score
17753 file names---discarding the @samp{all} elements.
17755 @item gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17756 @findex gnus-score-find-hierarchical
17757 Apply all score files from all the parent groups. This means that you
17758 can't have score files like @file{all.SCORE}, but you can have
17759 @file{SCORE}, @file{comp.SCORE} and @file{comp.emacs.SCORE} for each
17763 This variable can also be a list of functions. In that case, all
17764 these functions will be called with the group name as argument, and
17765 all the returned lists of score files will be applied. These
17766 functions can also return lists of lists of score alists directly. In
17767 that case, the functions that return these non-file score alists
17768 should probably be placed before the ``real'' score file functions, to
17769 ensure that the last score file returned is the local score file.
17772 For example, to do hierarchical scoring but use a non-server-specific
17773 overall score file, you could use the value
17775 (list (lambda (group) ("all.SCORE"))
17776 'gnus-score-find-hierarchical)
17779 @item gnus-score-expiry-days
17780 @vindex gnus-score-expiry-days
17781 This variable says how many days should pass before an unused score file
17782 entry is expired. If this variable is @code{nil}, no score file entries
17783 are expired. It's 7 by default.
17785 @item gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17786 @vindex gnus-update-score-entry-dates
17787 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, temporary score entries that have
17788 been triggered (matched) will have their dates updated. (This is how Gnus
17789 controls expiry---all non-matched-entries will become too old while
17790 matched entries will stay fresh and young.) However, if you set this
17791 variable to @code{nil}, even matched entries will grow old and will
17792 have to face that oh-so grim reaper.
17794 @item gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17795 @vindex gnus-score-after-write-file-function
17796 Function called with the name of the score file just written.
17798 @item gnus-score-thread-simplify
17799 @vindex gnus-score-thread-simplify
17800 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, article subjects will be simplified
17801 for subject scoring purposes in the same manner as with
17802 threading---according to the current value of
17803 gnus-simplify-subject-functions. If the scoring entry uses
17804 @code{substring} or @code{exact} matching, the match will also be
17805 simplified in this manner.
17810 @node Score File Format
17811 @section Score File Format
17812 @cindex score file format
17814 A score file is an @code{emacs-lisp} file that normally contains just a
17815 single form. Casual users are not expected to edit these files;
17816 everything can be changed from the summary buffer.
17818 Anyway, if you'd like to dig into it yourself, here's an example:
17822 ("Lars Ingebrigtsen" -10000)
17824 ("larsi\\|lmi" -50000 nil R))
17826 ("Ding is Badd" nil 728373))
17828 ("alt.politics" -1000 728372 s))
17833 (mark-and-expunge -10)
17837 (files "/hom/larsi/News/gnu.SCORE")
17838 (exclude-files "all.SCORE")
17839 (local (gnus-newsgroup-auto-expire t)
17840 (gnus-summary-make-false-root empty))
17844 This example demonstrates most score file elements. For a different
17845 approach, see @pxref{Advanced Scoring}.
17847 Even though this looks much like lisp code, nothing here is actually
17848 @code{eval}ed. The lisp reader is used to read this form, though, so it
17849 has to be valid syntactically, if not semantically.
17851 Six keys are supported by this alist:
17856 If the key is a string, it is the name of the header to perform the
17857 match on. Scoring can only be performed on these eight headers:
17858 @code{From}, @code{Subject}, @code{References}, @code{Message-ID},
17859 @code{Xref}, @code{Lines}, @code{Chars} and @code{Date}. In addition to
17860 these headers, there are three strings to tell Gnus to fetch the entire
17861 article and do the match on larger parts of the article: @code{Body}
17862 will perform the match on the body of the article, @code{Head} will
17863 perform the match on the head of the article, and @code{All} will
17864 perform the match on the entire article. Note that using any of these
17865 last three keys will slow down group entry @emph{considerably}. The
17866 final ``header'' you can score on is @code{Followup}. These score
17867 entries will result in new score entries being added for all follow-ups
17868 to articles that matches these score entries.
17870 Following this key is a arbitrary number of score entries, where each
17871 score entry has one to four elements.
17875 The first element is the @dfn{match element}. On most headers this will
17876 be a string, but on the Lines and Chars headers, this must be an
17880 If the second element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{score
17881 element}. This number should be an integer in the neginf to posinf
17882 interval. This number is added to the score of the article if the match
17883 is successful. If this element is not present, the
17884 @code{gnus-score-interactive-default-score} number will be used
17885 instead. This is 1000 by default.
17888 If the third element is present, it should be a number---the @dfn{date
17889 element}. This date says when the last time this score entry matched,
17890 which provides a mechanism for expiring the score entries. It this
17891 element is not present, the score entry is permanent. The date is
17892 represented by the number of days since December 31, 1 BCE.
17895 If the fourth element is present, it should be a symbol---the @dfn{type
17896 element}. This element specifies what function should be used to see
17897 whether this score entry matches the article. What match types that can
17898 be used depends on what header you wish to perform the match on.
17901 @item From, Subject, References, Xref, Message-ID
17902 For most header types, there are the @code{r} and @code{R} (regexp), as
17903 well as @code{s} and @code{S} (substring) types, and @code{e} and
17904 @code{E} (exact match), and @code{w} (word match) types. If this
17905 element is not present, Gnus will assume that substring matching should
17906 be used. @code{R}, @code{S}, and @code{E} differ from the others in
17907 that the matches will be done in a case-sensitive manner. All these
17908 one-letter types are really just abbreviations for the @code{regexp},
17909 @code{string}, @code{exact}, and @code{word} types, which you can use
17910 instead, if you feel like.
17913 Just as for the standard string overview headers, if you are using
17914 gnus-extra-headers, you can score on these headers' values. In this
17915 case, there is a 5th element in the score entry, being the name of the
17916 header to be scored. The following entry is useful in your
17917 @file{all.SCORE} file in case of spam attacks from a single origin host,
17918 if your @sc{nntp} server tracks NNTP-Posting-Host in overviews:
17921 ("111.222.333.444" -1000 nil s "NNTP-Posting-Host")
17925 These two headers use different match types: @code{<}, @code{>},
17926 @code{=}, @code{>=} and @code{<=}.
17928 These predicates are true if
17931 (PREDICATE HEADER MATCH)
17934 evaluates to non-@code{nil}. For instance, the advanced match
17935 @code{("lines" 4 <)} (@pxref{Advanced Scoring}) will result in the
17942 Or to put it another way: When using @code{<} on @code{Lines} with 4 as
17943 the match, we get the score added if the article has less than 4 lines.
17944 (It's easy to get confused and think it's the other way around. But
17945 it's not. I think.)
17947 When matching on @code{Lines}, be careful because some back ends (like
17948 @code{nndir}) do not generate @code{Lines} header, so every article ends
17949 up being marked as having 0 lines. This can lead to strange results if
17950 you happen to lower score of the articles with few lines.
17953 For the Date header we have three kinda silly match types:
17954 @code{before}, @code{at} and @code{after}. I can't really imagine this
17955 ever being useful, but, like, it would feel kinda silly not to provide
17956 this function. Just in case. You never know. Better safe than sorry.
17957 Once burnt, twice shy. Don't judge a book by its cover. Never not have
17958 sex on a first date. (I have been told that at least one person, and I
17959 quote, ``found this function indispensable'', however.)
17963 A more useful match type is @code{regexp}. With it, you can match the
17964 date string using a regular expression. The date is normalized to
17965 ISO8601 compact format first---@var{YYYYMMDD}@code{T}@var{HHMMSS}. If
17966 you want to match all articles that have been posted on April 1st in
17967 every year, you could use @samp{....0401.........} as a match string,
17968 for instance. (Note that the date is kept in its original time zone, so
17969 this will match articles that were posted when it was April 1st where
17970 the article was posted from. Time zones are such wholesome fun for the
17973 @item Head, Body, All
17974 These three match keys use the same match types as the @code{From} (etc)
17978 This match key is somewhat special, in that it will match the
17979 @code{From} header, and affect the score of not only the matching
17980 articles, but also all followups to the matching articles. This allows
17981 you e.g. increase the score of followups to your own articles, or
17982 decrease the score of followups to the articles of some known
17983 trouble-maker. Uses the same match types as the @code{From} header
17984 uses. (Using this match key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT}
17988 This match key works along the same lines as the @code{Followup} match
17989 key. If you say that you want to score on a (sub-)thread started by an
17990 article with a @code{Message-ID} @var{x}, then you add a @samp{thread}
17991 match. This will add a new @samp{thread} match for each article that
17992 has @var{x} in its @code{References} header. (These new @samp{thread}
17993 matches will use the @code{Message-ID}s of these matching articles.)
17994 This will ensure that you can raise/lower the score of an entire thread,
17995 even though some articles in the thread may not have complete
17996 @code{References} headers. Note that using this may lead to
17997 undeterministic scores of the articles in the thread. (Using this match
17998 key will lead to creation of @file{ADAPT} files.)
18002 @cindex Score File Atoms
18004 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18005 lower than this number will be marked as read.
18008 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18009 lower than this number will be removed from the summary buffer.
18011 @item mark-and-expunge
18012 The value of this entry should be a number. Any articles with a score
18013 lower than this number will be marked as read and removed from the
18016 @item thread-mark-and-expunge
18017 The value of this entry should be a number. All articles that belong to
18018 a thread that has a total score below this number will be marked as read
18019 and removed from the summary buffer. @code{gnus-thread-score-function}
18020 says how to compute the total score for a thread.
18023 The value of this entry should be any number of file names. These files
18024 are assumed to be score files as well, and will be loaded the same way
18027 @item exclude-files
18028 The clue of this entry should be any number of files. These files will
18029 not be loaded, even though they would normally be so, for some reason or
18033 The value of this entry will be @code{eval}el. This element will be
18034 ignored when handling global score files.
18037 Read-only score files will not be updated or saved. Global score files
18038 should feature this atom (@pxref{Global Score Files}). (Note:
18039 @dfn{Global} here really means @dfn{global}; not your personal
18040 apply-to-all-groups score files.)
18043 The value of this entry should be a number. Articles that do not have
18044 parents will get this number added to their scores. Imagine you follow
18045 some high-volume newsgroup, like @samp{comp.lang.c}. Most likely you
18046 will only follow a few of the threads, also want to see any new threads.
18048 You can do this with the following two score file entries:
18052 (mark-and-expunge -100)
18055 When you enter the group the first time, you will only see the new
18056 threads. You then raise the score of the threads that you find
18057 interesting (with @kbd{I T} or @kbd{I S}), and ignore (@kbd{C y}) the
18058 rest. Next time you enter the group, you will see new articles in the
18059 interesting threads, plus any new threads.
18061 I.e.---the orphan score atom is for high-volume groups where a few
18062 interesting threads which can't be found automatically by ordinary
18063 scoring rules exist.
18066 This entry controls the adaptive scoring. If it is @code{t}, the
18067 default adaptive scoring rules will be used. If it is @code{ignore}, no
18068 adaptive scoring will be performed on this group. If it is a list, this
18069 list will be used as the adaptive scoring rules. If it isn't present,
18070 or is something other than @code{t} or @code{ignore}, the default
18071 adaptive scoring rules will be used. If you want to use adaptive
18072 scoring on most groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18073 @code{t}, and insert an @code{(adapt ignore)} in the groups where you do
18074 not want adaptive scoring. If you only want adaptive scoring in a few
18075 groups, you'd set @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to @code{nil}, and
18076 insert @code{(adapt t)} in the score files of the groups where you want
18080 All adaptive score entries will go to the file named by this entry. It
18081 will also be applied when entering the group. This atom might be handy
18082 if you want to adapt on several groups at once, using the same adaptive
18083 file for a number of groups.
18086 @cindex local variables
18087 The value of this entry should be a list of @code{(VAR VALUE)} pairs.
18088 Each @var{var} will be made buffer-local to the current summary buffer,
18089 and set to the value specified. This is a convenient, if somewhat
18090 strange, way of setting variables in some groups if you don't like hooks
18091 much. Note that the @var{value} won't be evaluated.
18095 @node Score File Editing
18096 @section Score File Editing
18098 You normally enter all scoring commands from the summary buffer, but you
18099 might feel the urge to edit them by hand as well, so we've supplied you
18100 with a mode for that.
18102 It's simply a slightly customized @code{emacs-lisp} mode, with these
18103 additional commands:
18108 @kindex C-c C-c (Score)
18109 @findex gnus-score-edit-done
18110 Save the changes you have made and return to the summary buffer
18111 (@code{gnus-score-edit-done}).
18114 @kindex C-c C-d (Score)
18115 @findex gnus-score-edit-insert-date
18116 Insert the current date in numerical format
18117 (@code{gnus-score-edit-insert-date}). This is really the day number, if
18118 you were wondering.
18121 @kindex C-c C-p (Score)
18122 @findex gnus-score-pretty-print
18123 The adaptive score files are saved in an unformatted fashion. If you
18124 intend to read one of these files, you want to @dfn{pretty print} it
18125 first. This command (@code{gnus-score-pretty-print}) does that for
18130 Type @kbd{M-x gnus-score-mode} to use this mode.
18132 @vindex gnus-score-mode-hook
18133 @code{gnus-score-menu-hook} is run in score mode buffers.
18135 In the summary buffer you can use commands like @kbd{V f} and @kbd{V
18136 e} to begin editing score files.
18139 @node Adaptive Scoring
18140 @section Adaptive Scoring
18141 @cindex adaptive scoring
18143 If all this scoring is getting you down, Gnus has a way of making it all
18144 happen automatically---as if by magic. Or rather, as if by artificial
18145 stupidity, to be precise.
18147 @vindex gnus-use-adaptive-scoring
18148 When you read an article, or mark an article as read, or kill an
18149 article, you leave marks behind. On exit from the group, Gnus can sniff
18150 these marks and add score elements depending on what marks it finds.
18151 You turn on this ability by setting @code{gnus-use-adaptive-scoring} to
18152 @code{t} or @code{(line)}. If you want score adaptively on separate
18153 words appearing in the subjects, you should set this variable to
18154 @code{(word)}. If you want to use both adaptive methods, set this
18155 variable to @code{(word line)}.
18157 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18158 To give you complete control over the scoring process, you can customize
18159 the @code{gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist} variable. For instance, it
18160 might look something like this:
18163 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-score-alist
18164 '((gnus-unread-mark)
18165 (gnus-ticked-mark (from 4))
18166 (gnus-dormant-mark (from 5))
18167 (gnus-del-mark (from -4) (subject -1))
18168 (gnus-read-mark (from 4) (subject 2))
18169 (gnus-expirable-mark (from -1) (subject -1))
18170 (gnus-killed-mark (from -1) (subject -3))
18171 (gnus-kill-file-mark)
18172 (gnus-ancient-mark)
18173 (gnus-low-score-mark)
18174 (gnus-catchup-mark (from -1) (subject -1))))
18177 As you see, each element in this alist has a mark as a key (either a
18178 variable name or a ``real'' mark---a character). Following this key is
18179 a arbitrary number of header/score pairs. If there are no header/score
18180 pairs following the key, no adaptive scoring will be done on articles
18181 that have that key as the article mark. For instance, articles with
18182 @code{gnus-unread-mark} in the example above will not get adaptive score
18185 Each article can have only one mark, so just a single of these rules
18186 will be applied to each article.
18188 To take @code{gnus-del-mark} as an example---this alist says that all
18189 articles that have that mark (i.e., are marked with @samp{D}) will have a
18190 score entry added to lower based on the @code{From} header by -4, and
18191 lowered by @code{Subject} by -1. Change this to fit your prejudices.
18193 If you have marked 10 articles with the same subject with
18194 @code{gnus-del-mark}, the rule for that mark will be applied ten times.
18195 That means that that subject will get a score of ten times -1, which
18196 should be, unless I'm much mistaken, -10.
18198 If you have auto-expirable (mail) groups (@pxref{Expiring Mail}), all
18199 the read articles will be marked with the @samp{E} mark. This'll
18200 probably make adaptive scoring slightly impossible, so auto-expiring and
18201 adaptive scoring doesn't really mix very well.
18203 The headers you can score on are @code{from}, @code{subject},
18204 @code{message-id}, @code{references}, @code{xref}, @code{lines},
18205 @code{chars} and @code{date}. In addition, you can score on
18206 @code{followup}, which will create an adaptive score entry that matches
18207 on the @code{References} header using the @code{Message-ID} of the
18208 current article, thereby matching the following thread.
18210 You can also score on @code{thread}, which will try to score all
18211 articles that appear in a thread. @code{thread} matches uses a
18212 @code{Message-ID} to match on the @code{References} header of the
18213 article. If the match is made, the @code{Message-ID} of the article is
18214 added to the @code{thread} rule. (Think about it. I'd recommend two
18215 aspirins afterwards.)
18217 If you use this scheme, you should set the score file atom @code{mark}
18218 to something small---like -300, perhaps, to avoid having small random
18219 changes result in articles getting marked as read.
18221 After using adaptive scoring for a week or so, Gnus should start to
18222 become properly trained and enhance the authors you like best, and kill
18223 the authors you like least, without you having to say so explicitly.
18225 You can control what groups the adaptive scoring is to be performed on
18226 by using the score files (@pxref{Score File Format}). This will also
18227 let you use different rules in different groups.
18229 @vindex gnus-adaptive-file-suffix
18230 The adaptive score entries will be put into a file where the name is the
18231 group name with @code{gnus-adaptive-file-suffix} appended. The default
18234 @vindex gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit
18235 When doing adaptive scoring, substring or fuzzy matching would probably
18236 give you the best results in most cases. However, if the header one
18237 matches is short, the possibility for false positives is great, so if
18238 the length of the match is less than
18239 @code{gnus-score-exact-adapt-limit}, exact matching will be used. If
18240 this variable is @code{nil}, exact matching will always be used to avoid
18243 @vindex gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18244 As mentioned above, you can adapt either on individual words or entire
18245 headers. If you adapt on words, the
18246 @code{gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist} variable says what score
18247 each instance of a word should add given a mark.
18250 (setq gnus-default-adaptive-word-score-alist
18251 `((,gnus-read-mark . 30)
18252 (,gnus-catchup-mark . -10)
18253 (,gnus-killed-mark . -20)
18254 (,gnus-del-mark . -15)))
18257 This is the default value. If you have adaption on words enabled, every
18258 word that appears in subjects of articles marked with
18259 @code{gnus-read-mark} will result in a score rule that increase the
18260 score with 30 points.
18262 @vindex gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words
18263 @vindex gnus-ignored-adaptive-words
18264 Words that appear in the @code{gnus-default-ignored-adaptive-words} list
18265 will be ignored. If you wish to add more words to be ignored, use the
18266 @code{gnus-ignored-adaptive-words} list instead.
18268 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit
18269 Some may feel that short words shouldn't count when doing adaptive
18270 scoring. If so, you may set @code{gnus-adaptive-word-length-limit} to
18271 an integer. Words shorter than this number will be ignored. This
18272 variable defaults til @code{nil}.
18274 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table
18275 When the scoring is done, @code{gnus-adaptive-word-syntax-table} is the
18276 syntax table in effect. It is similar to the standard syntax table, but
18277 it considers numbers to be non-word-constituent characters.
18279 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-minimum
18280 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} is set to a number, the adaptive
18281 word scoring process will never bring down the score of an article to
18282 below this number. The default is @code{nil}.
18284 @vindex gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words
18285 If @code{gnus-adaptive-word-no-group-words} is set to @code{t}, gnus
18286 won't adaptively word score any of the words in the group name. Useful
18287 for groups like @samp{comp.editors.emacs}, where most of the subject
18288 lines contain the word @samp{emacs}.
18290 After using this scheme for a while, it might be nice to write a
18291 @code{gnus-psychoanalyze-user} command to go through the rules and see
18292 what words you like and what words you don't like. Or perhaps not.
18294 Note that the adaptive word scoring thing is highly experimental and is
18295 likely to change in the future. Initial impressions seem to indicate
18296 that it's totally useless as it stands. Some more work (involving more
18297 rigorous statistical methods) will have to be done to make this useful.
18300 @node Home Score File
18301 @section Home Score File
18303 The score file where new score file entries will go is called the
18304 @dfn{home score file}. This is normally (and by default) the score file
18305 for the group itself. For instance, the home score file for
18306 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} is @file{gnu.emacs.gnus.SCORE}.
18308 However, this may not be what you want. It is often convenient to share
18309 a common home score file among many groups---all @samp{emacs} groups
18310 could perhaps use the same home score file.
18312 @vindex gnus-home-score-file
18313 The variable that controls this is @code{gnus-home-score-file}. It can
18318 A string. Then this file will be used as the home score file for all
18322 A function. The result of this function will be used as the home score
18323 file. The function will be called with the name of the group as the
18327 A list. The elements in this list can be:
18331 @code{(@var{regexp} @var{file-name})}. If the @var{regexp} matches the
18332 group name, the @var{file-name} will be used as the home score file.
18335 A function. If the function returns non-nil, the result will be used as
18336 the home score file.
18339 A string. Use the string as the home score file.
18342 The list will be traversed from the beginning towards the end looking
18347 So, if you want to use just a single score file, you could say:
18350 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18351 "my-total-score-file.SCORE")
18354 If you want to use @file{gnu.SCORE} for all @samp{gnu} groups and
18355 @file{rec.SCORE} for all @samp{rec} groups (and so on), you can say:
18357 @findex gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file
18359 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18360 'gnus-hierarchial-home-score-file)
18363 This is a ready-made function provided for your convenience.
18364 Other functions include
18367 @item gnus-current-home-score-file
18368 @findex gnus-current-home-score-file
18369 Return the ``current'' regular score file. This will make scoring
18370 commands add entry to the ``innermost'' matching score file.
18374 If you want to have one score file for the @samp{emacs} groups and
18375 another for the @samp{comp} groups, while letting all other groups use
18376 their own home score files:
18379 (setq gnus-home-score-file
18380 ;; All groups that match the regexp "\\.emacs"
18381 '(("\\.emacs" "emacs.SCORE")
18382 ;; All the comp groups in one score file
18383 ("^comp" "comp.SCORE")))
18386 @vindex gnus-home-adapt-file
18387 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file} works exactly the same way as
18388 @code{gnus-home-score-file}, but says what the home adaptive score file
18389 is instead. All new adaptive file entries will go into the file
18390 specified by this variable, and the same syntax is allowed.
18392 In addition to using @code{gnus-home-score-file} and
18393 @code{gnus-home-adapt-file}, you can also use group parameters
18394 (@pxref{Group Parameters}) and topic parameters (@pxref{Topic
18395 Parameters}) to achieve much the same. Group and topic parameters take
18396 precedence over this variable.
18399 @node Followups To Yourself
18400 @section Followups To Yourself
18402 Gnus offers two commands for picking out the @code{Message-ID} header in
18403 the current buffer. Gnus will then add a score rule that scores using
18404 this @code{Message-ID} on the @code{References} header of other
18405 articles. This will, in effect, increase the score of all articles that
18406 respond to the article in the current buffer. Quite useful if you want
18407 to easily note when people answer what you've said.
18411 @item gnus-score-followup-article
18412 @findex gnus-score-followup-article
18413 This will add a score to articles that directly follow up your own
18416 @item gnus-score-followup-thread
18417 @findex gnus-score-followup-thread
18418 This will add a score to all articles that appear in a thread ``below''
18422 @vindex message-sent-hook
18423 These two functions are both primarily meant to be used in hooks like
18424 @code{message-sent-hook}, like this:
18426 (add-hook 'message-sent-hook 'gnus-score-followup-thread)
18430 If you look closely at your own @code{Message-ID}, you'll notice that
18431 the first two or three characters are always the same. Here's two of
18435 <x6u3u47icf.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18436 <x6sp9o7ibw.fsf@@eyesore.no>
18439 So ``my'' ident on this machine is @samp{x6}. This can be
18440 exploited---the following rule will raise the score on all followups to
18445 ("<x6[0-9a-z]+\\.fsf\\(_-_\\)?@@.*eyesore\\.no>"
18449 Whether it's the first two or first three characters that are ``yours''
18450 is system-dependent.
18453 @node Scoring On Other Headers
18454 @section Scoring On Other Headers
18455 @cindex scoring on other headers
18457 Gnus is quite fast when scoring the ``traditional''
18458 headers---@samp{From}, @samp{Subject} and so on. However, scoring
18459 other headers requires writing a @code{head} scoring rule, which means
18460 that Gnus has to request every single article from the back end to find
18461 matches. This takes a long time in big groups.
18463 Now, there's not much you can do about this for news groups, but for
18464 mail groups, you have greater control. In the @pxref{To From
18465 Newsgroups} section of the manual, it's explained in greater detail what
18466 this mechanism does, but here's a cookbook example for @code{nnml} on
18467 how to allow scoring on the @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} headers.
18469 Put the following in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
18472 (setq gnus-extra-headers '(To Cc Newsgroups Keywords)
18473 nnmail-extra-headers gnus-extra-headers)
18476 Restart Gnus and rebuild your @code{nnml} overview files with the
18477 @kbd{M-x nnml-generate-nov-databases} command. This will take a long
18478 time if you have much mail.
18480 Now you can score on @samp{To} and @samp{Cc} as ``extra headers'' like
18481 so: @kbd{I e s p To RET <your name> RET}.
18487 @section Scoring Tips
18488 @cindex scoring tips
18494 @cindex scoring crossposts
18495 If you want to lower the score of crossposts, the line to match on is
18496 the @code{Xref} header.
18498 ("xref" (" talk.politics.misc:" -1000))
18501 @item Multiple crossposts
18502 If you want to lower the score of articles that have been crossposted to
18503 more than, say, 3 groups:
18506 ("[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+ +[^:\n]+:[0-9]+"
18510 @item Matching on the body
18511 This is generally not a very good idea---it takes a very long time.
18512 Gnus actually has to fetch each individual article from the server. But
18513 you might want to anyway, I guess. Even though there are three match
18514 keys (@code{Head}, @code{Body} and @code{All}), you should choose one
18515 and stick with it in each score file. If you use any two, each article
18516 will be fetched @emph{twice}. If you want to match a bit on the
18517 @code{Head} and a bit on the @code{Body}, just use @code{All} for all
18520 @item Marking as read
18521 You will probably want to mark articles that have scores below a certain
18522 number as read. This is most easily achieved by putting the following
18523 in your @file{all.SCORE} file:
18527 You may also consider doing something similar with @code{expunge}.
18529 @item Negated character classes
18530 If you say stuff like @code{[^abcd]*}, you may get unexpected results.
18531 That will match newlines, which might lead to, well, The Unknown. Say
18532 @code{[^abcd\n]*} instead.
18536 @node Reverse Scoring
18537 @section Reverse Scoring
18538 @cindex reverse scoring
18540 If you want to keep just articles that have @samp{Sex with Emacs} in the
18541 subject header, and expunge all other articles, you could put something
18542 like this in your score file:
18546 ("Sex with Emacs" 2))
18551 So, you raise all articles that match @samp{Sex with Emacs} and mark the
18552 rest as read, and expunge them to boot.
18555 @node Global Score Files
18556 @section Global Score Files
18557 @cindex global score files
18559 Sure, other newsreaders have ``global kill files''. These are usually
18560 nothing more than a single kill file that applies to all groups, stored
18561 in the user's home directory. Bah! Puny, weak newsreaders!
18563 What I'm talking about here are Global Score Files. Score files from
18564 all over the world, from users everywhere, uniting all nations in one
18565 big, happy score file union! Ange-score! New and untested!
18567 @vindex gnus-global-score-files
18568 All you have to do to use other people's score files is to set the
18569 @code{gnus-global-score-files} variable. One entry for each score file,
18570 or each score file directory. Gnus will decide by itself what score
18571 files are applicable to which group.
18573 To use the score file
18574 @file{/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE} and
18575 all score files in the @file{/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score} directory,
18579 (setq gnus-global-score-files
18580 '("/ftp@@ftp.gnus.org:/pub/larsi/ding/score/soc.motss.SCORE"
18581 "/ftp@@ftp.some-where:/pub/score/"))
18584 @findex gnus-score-search-global-directories
18586 Simple, eh? Directory names must end with a @samp{/}. These
18587 directories are typically scanned only once during each Gnus session.
18588 If you feel the need to manually re-scan the remote directories, you can
18589 use the @code{gnus-score-search-global-directories} command.
18591 Note that, at present, using this option will slow down group entry
18592 somewhat. (That is---a lot.)
18594 If you want to start maintaining score files for other people to use,
18595 just put your score file up for anonymous ftp and announce it to the
18596 world. Become a retro-moderator! Participate in the retro-moderator
18597 wars sure to ensue, where retro-moderators battle it out for the
18598 sympathy of the people, luring them to use their score files on false
18599 premises! Yay! The net is saved!
18601 Here are some tips for the would-be retro-moderator, off the top of my
18607 Articles heavily crossposted are probably junk.
18609 To lower a single inappropriate article, lower by @code{Message-ID}.
18611 Particularly brilliant authors can be raised on a permanent basis.
18613 Authors that repeatedly post off-charter for the group can safely be
18614 lowered out of existence.
18616 Set the @code{mark} and @code{expunge} atoms to obliterate the nastiest
18617 articles completely.
18620 Use expiring score entries to keep the size of the file down. You
18621 should probably have a long expiry period, though, as some sites keep
18622 old articles for a long time.
18625 ... I wonder whether other newsreaders will support global score files
18626 in the future. @emph{Snicker}. Yup, any day now, newsreaders like Blue
18627 Wave, xrn and 1stReader are bound to implement scoring. Should we start
18628 holding our breath yet?
18632 @section Kill Files
18635 Gnus still supports those pesky old kill files. In fact, the kill file
18636 entries can now be expiring, which is something I wrote before Daniel
18637 Quinlan thought of doing score files, so I've left the code in there.
18639 In short, kill processing is a lot slower (and I do mean @emph{a lot})
18640 than score processing, so it might be a good idea to rewrite your kill
18641 files into score files.
18643 Anyway, a kill file is a normal @code{emacs-lisp} file. You can put any
18644 forms into this file, which means that you can use kill files as some
18645 sort of primitive hook function to be run on group entry, even though
18646 that isn't a very good idea.
18648 Normal kill files look like this:
18651 (gnus-kill "From" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
18652 (gnus-kill "Subject" "ding")
18656 This will mark every article written by me as read, and remove the
18657 marked articles from the summary buffer. Very useful, you'll agree.
18659 Other programs use a totally different kill file syntax. If Gnus
18660 encounters what looks like a @code{rn} kill file, it will take a stab at
18663 Two summary functions for editing a GNUS kill file:
18668 @kindex M-k (Summary)
18669 @findex gnus-summary-edit-local-kill
18670 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-local-kill}).
18673 @kindex M-K (Summary)
18674 @findex gnus-summary-edit-global-kill
18675 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-summary-edit-global-kill}).
18678 Two group mode functions for editing the kill files:
18683 @kindex M-k (Group)
18684 @findex gnus-group-edit-local-kill
18685 Edit this group's kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-local-kill}).
18688 @kindex M-K (Group)
18689 @findex gnus-group-edit-global-kill
18690 Edit the general kill file (@code{gnus-group-edit-global-kill}).
18693 Kill file variables:
18696 @item gnus-kill-file-name
18697 @vindex gnus-kill-file-name
18698 A kill file for the group @samp{soc.motss} is normally called
18699 @file{soc.motss.KILL}. The suffix appended to the group name to get
18700 this file name is detailed by the @code{gnus-kill-file-name} variable.
18701 The ``global'' kill file (not in the score file sense of ``global'', of
18702 course) is just called @file{KILL}.
18704 @vindex gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18705 @item gnus-kill-save-kill-file
18706 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, Gnus will save the
18707 kill file after processing, which is necessary if you use expiring
18710 @item gnus-apply-kill-hook
18711 @vindex gnus-apply-kill-hook
18712 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored
18713 @findex gnus-apply-kill-file
18714 A hook called to apply kill files to a group. It is
18715 @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file)} by default. If you want to ignore the
18716 kill file if you have a score file for the same group, you can set this
18717 hook to @code{(gnus-apply-kill-file-unless-scored)}. If you don't want
18718 kill files to be processed, you should set this variable to @code{nil}.
18720 @item gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18721 @vindex gnus-kill-file-mode-hook
18722 A hook called in kill-file mode buffers.
18727 @node Converting Kill Files
18728 @section Converting Kill Files
18730 @cindex converting kill files
18732 If you have loads of old kill files, you may want to convert them into
18733 score files. If they are ``regular'', you can use
18734 the @file{gnus-kill-to-score.el} package; if not, you'll have to do it
18737 The kill to score conversion package isn't included in Gnus by default.
18738 You can fetch it from
18739 @uref{http://www.stud.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/ding-various/gnus-kill-to-score.el}.
18741 If your old kill files are very complex---if they contain more
18742 non-@code{gnus-kill} forms than not, you'll have to convert them by
18743 hand. Or just let them be as they are. Gnus will still use them as
18751 GroupLens (@uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/}) is a
18752 collaborative filtering system that helps you work together with other
18753 people to find the quality news articles out of the huge volume of
18754 news articles generated every day.
18756 To accomplish this the GroupLens system combines your opinions about
18757 articles you have already read with the opinions of others who have done
18758 likewise and gives you a personalized prediction for each unread news
18759 article. Think of GroupLens as a matchmaker. GroupLens watches how you
18760 rate articles, and finds other people that rate articles the same way.
18761 Once it has found some people you agree with it tells you, in the form
18762 of a prediction, what they thought of the article. You can use this
18763 prediction to help you decide whether or not you want to read the
18766 @sc{Note:} Unfortunately the GroupLens system seems to have shut down,
18767 so this section is mostly of historical interest.
18770 * Using GroupLens:: How to make Gnus use GroupLens.
18771 * Rating Articles:: Letting GroupLens know how you rate articles.
18772 * Displaying Predictions:: Displaying predictions given by GroupLens.
18773 * GroupLens Variables:: Customizing GroupLens.
18777 @node Using GroupLens
18778 @subsection Using GroupLens
18780 To use GroupLens you must register a pseudonym with your local Better
18782 @uref{http://www.cs.umn.edu/Research/GroupLens/bbb.html} is the only
18783 better bit in town at the moment.
18785 Once you have registered you'll need to set a couple of variables.
18789 @item gnus-use-grouplens
18790 @vindex gnus-use-grouplens
18791 Setting this variable to a non-@code{nil} value will make Gnus hook into
18792 all the relevant GroupLens functions.
18794 @item grouplens-pseudonym
18795 @vindex grouplens-pseudonym
18796 This variable should be set to the pseudonym you got when registering
18797 with the Better Bit Bureau.
18799 @item grouplens-newsgroups
18800 @vindex grouplens-newsgroups
18801 A list of groups that you want to get GroupLens predictions for.
18805 That's the minimum of what you need to get up and running with GroupLens.
18806 Once you've registered, GroupLens will start giving you scores for
18807 articles based on the average of what other people think. But, to get
18808 the real benefit of GroupLens you need to start rating articles
18809 yourself. Then the scores GroupLens gives you will be personalized for
18810 you, based on how the people you usually agree with have already rated.
18813 @node Rating Articles
18814 @subsection Rating Articles
18816 In GroupLens, an article is rated on a scale from 1 to 5, inclusive.
18817 Where 1 means something like this article is a waste of bandwidth and 5
18818 means that the article was really good. The basic question to ask
18819 yourself is, "on a scale from 1 to 5 would I like to see more articles
18822 There are four ways to enter a rating for an article in GroupLens.
18827 @kindex r (GroupLens)
18828 @findex bbb-summary-rate-article
18829 This function will prompt you for a rating on a scale of one to five.
18832 @kindex k (GroupLens)
18833 @findex grouplens-score-thread
18834 This function will prompt you for a rating, and rate all the articles in
18835 the thread. This is really useful for some of those long running giant
18836 threads in rec.humor.
18840 The next two commands, @kbd{n} and @kbd{,} take a numerical prefix to be
18841 the score of the article you're reading.
18846 @kindex n (GroupLens)
18847 @findex grouplens-next-unread-article
18848 Rate the article and go to the next unread article.
18851 @kindex , (GroupLens)
18852 @findex grouplens-best-unread-article
18853 Rate the article and go to the next unread article with the highest score.
18857 If you want to give the current article a score of 4 and then go to the
18858 next article, just type @kbd{4 n}.
18861 @node Displaying Predictions
18862 @subsection Displaying Predictions
18864 GroupLens makes a prediction for you about how much you will like a
18865 news article. The predictions from GroupLens are on a scale from 1 to
18866 5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. You can use the predictions
18867 from GroupLens in one of three ways controlled by the variable
18868 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring}.
18870 @vindex gnus-grouplens-override-scoring
18871 There are three ways to display predictions in grouplens. You may
18872 choose to have the GroupLens scores contribute to, or override the
18873 regular gnus scoring mechanism. override is the default; however, some
18874 people prefer to see the Gnus scores plus the grouplens scores. To get
18875 the separate scoring behavior you need to set
18876 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'separate}. To have the
18877 GroupLens predictions combined with the grouplens scores set it to
18878 @code{'override} and to combine the scores set
18879 @code{gnus-grouplens-override-scoring} to @code{'combine}. When you use
18880 the combine option you will also want to set the values for
18881 @code{grouplens-prediction-offset} and
18882 @code{grouplens-score-scale-factor}.
18884 @vindex grouplens-prediction-display
18885 In either case, GroupLens gives you a few choices for how you would like
18886 to see your predictions displayed. The display of predictions is
18887 controlled by the @code{grouplens-prediction-display} variable.
18889 The following are valid values for that variable.
18892 @item prediction-spot
18893 The higher the prediction, the further to the right an @samp{*} is
18896 @item confidence-interval
18897 A numeric confidence interval.
18899 @item prediction-bar
18900 The higher the prediction, the longer the bar.
18902 @item confidence-bar
18903 Numerical confidence.
18905 @item confidence-spot
18906 The spot gets bigger with more confidence.
18908 @item prediction-num
18909 Plain-old numeric value.
18911 @item confidence-plus-minus
18912 Prediction +/- confidence.
18917 @node GroupLens Variables
18918 @subsection GroupLens Variables
18922 @item gnus-summary-grouplens-line-format
18923 The summary line format used in GroupLens-enhanced summary buffers. It
18924 accepts the same specs as the normal summary line format (@pxref{Summary
18925 Buffer Lines}). The default is @samp{%U%R%z%l%I%(%[%4L: %-23,23n%]%)
18928 @item grouplens-bbb-host
18929 Host running the bbbd server. @samp{grouplens.cs.umn.edu} is the
18932 @item grouplens-bbb-port
18933 Port of the host running the bbbd server. The default is 9000.
18935 @item grouplens-score-offset
18936 Offset the prediction by this value. In other words, subtract the
18937 prediction value by this number to arrive at the effective score. The
18940 @item grouplens-score-scale-factor
18941 This variable allows the user to magnify the effect of GroupLens scores.
18942 The scale factor is applied after the offset. The default is 1.
18947 @node Advanced Scoring
18948 @section Advanced Scoring
18950 Scoring on Subjects and From headers is nice enough, but what if you're
18951 really interested in what a person has to say only when she's talking
18952 about a particular subject? Or what if you really don't want to
18953 read what person A has to say when she's following up to person B, but
18954 want to read what she says when she's following up to person C?
18956 By using advanced scoring rules you may create arbitrarily complex
18960 * Advanced Scoring Syntax:: A definition.
18961 * Advanced Scoring Examples:: What they look like.
18962 * Advanced Scoring Tips:: Getting the most out of it.
18966 @node Advanced Scoring Syntax
18967 @subsection Advanced Scoring Syntax
18969 Ordinary scoring rules have a string as the first element in the rule.
18970 Advanced scoring rules have a list as the first element. The second
18971 element is the score to be applied if the first element evaluated to a
18972 non-@code{nil} value.
18974 These lists may consist of three logical operators, one redirection
18975 operator, and various match operators.
18982 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18983 one that evaluates to @code{false}, and then it'll stop. If all arguments
18984 evaluate to @code{true} values, then this operator will return
18989 This logical operator will evaluate each of its arguments until it finds
18990 one that evaluates to @code{true}. If no arguments are @code{true},
18991 then this operator will return @code{false}.
18996 This logical operator only takes a single argument. It returns the
18997 logical negation of the value of its argument.
19001 There is an @dfn{indirection operator} that will make its arguments
19002 apply to the ancestors of the current article being scored. For
19003 instance, @code{1-} will make score rules apply to the parent of the
19004 current article. @code{2-} will make score rules apply to the
19005 grandparent of the current article. Alternatively, you can write
19006 @code{^^}, where the number of @code{^}s (carets) says how far back into
19007 the ancestry you want to go.
19009 Finally, we have the match operators. These are the ones that do the
19010 real work. Match operators are header name strings followed by a match
19011 and a match type. A typical match operator looks like @samp{("from"
19012 "Lars Ingebrigtsen" s)}. The header names are the same as when using
19013 simple scoring, and the match types are also the same.
19016 @node Advanced Scoring Examples
19017 @subsection Advanced Scoring Examples
19019 Please note that the following examples are score file rules. To
19020 make a complete score file from them, surround them with another pair
19023 Let's say you want to increase the score of articles written by Lars
19024 when he's talking about Gnus:
19028 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19029 ("subject" "Gnus"))
19035 When he writes long articles, he sometimes has something nice to say:
19039 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19046 However, when he responds to things written by Reig Eigil Logge, you
19047 really don't want to read what he's written:
19051 ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen")
19052 (1- ("from" "Reig Eigir Logge")))
19056 Everybody that follows up Redmondo when he writes about disappearing
19057 socks should have their scores raised, but only when they talk about
19058 white socks. However, when Lars talks about socks, it's usually not
19065 ("from" "redmondo@@.*no" r)
19066 ("body" "disappearing.*socks" t)))
19067 (! ("from" "Lars Ingebrigtsen"))
19068 ("body" "white.*socks"))
19072 The possibilities are endless.
19075 @node Advanced Scoring Tips
19076 @subsection Advanced Scoring Tips
19078 The @code{&} and @code{|} logical operators do short-circuit logic.
19079 That is, they stop processing their arguments when it's clear what the
19080 result of the operation will be. For instance, if one of the arguments
19081 of an @code{&} evaluates to @code{false}, there's no point in evaluating
19082 the rest of the arguments. This means that you should put slow matches
19083 (@samp{body}, @samp{header}) last and quick matches (@samp{from},
19084 @samp{subject}) first.
19086 The indirection arguments (@code{1-} and so on) will make their
19087 arguments work on previous generations of the thread. If you say
19098 Then that means "score on the from header of the grandparent of the
19099 current article". An indirection is quite fast, but it's better to say:
19105 ("subject" "Gnus")))
19112 (1- ("from" "Lars"))
19113 (1- ("subject" "Gnus")))
19118 @section Score Decays
19119 @cindex score decays
19122 You may find that your scores have a tendency to grow without
19123 bounds, especially if you're using adaptive scoring. If scores get too
19124 big, they lose all meaning---they simply max out and it's difficult to
19125 use them in any sensible way.
19127 @vindex gnus-decay-scores
19128 @findex gnus-decay-score
19129 @vindex gnus-decay-score-function
19130 Gnus provides a mechanism for decaying scores to help with this problem.
19131 When score files are loaded and @code{gnus-decay-scores} is
19132 non-@code{nil}, Gnus will run the score files through the decaying
19133 mechanism thereby lowering the scores of all non-permanent score rules.
19134 The decay itself if performed by the @code{gnus-decay-score-function}
19135 function, which is @code{gnus-decay-score} by default. Here's the
19136 definition of that function:
19139 (defun gnus-decay-score (score)
19141 This is done according to `gnus-score-decay-constant'
19142 and `gnus-score-decay-scale'."
19145 (* (if (< score 0) 1 -1)
19147 (max gnus-score-decay-constant
19149 gnus-score-decay-scale)))))))
19152 @vindex gnus-score-decay-scale
19153 @vindex gnus-score-decay-constant
19154 @code{gnus-score-decay-constant} is 3 by default and
19155 @code{gnus-score-decay-scale} is 0.05. This should cause the following:
19159 Scores between -3 and 3 will be set to 0 when this function is called.
19162 Scores with magnitudes between 3 and 60 will be shrunk by 3.
19165 Scores with magnitudes greater than 60 will be shrunk by 5% of the
19169 If you don't like this decay function, write your own. It is called
19170 with the score to be decayed as its only parameter, and it should return
19171 the new score, which should be an integer.
19173 Gnus will try to decay scores once a day. If you haven't run Gnus for
19174 four days, Gnus will decay the scores four times, for instance.
19179 @include message.texi
19180 @chapter Emacs MIME
19181 @include emacs-mime.texi
19183 @include sieve.texi
19193 * Process/Prefix:: A convention used by many treatment commands.
19194 * Interactive:: Making Gnus ask you many questions.
19195 * Symbolic Prefixes:: How to supply some Gnus functions with options.
19196 * Formatting Variables:: You can specify what buffers should look like.
19197 * Window Layout:: Configuring the Gnus buffer windows.
19198 * Faces and Fonts:: How to change how faces look.
19199 * Compilation:: How to speed Gnus up.
19200 * Mode Lines:: Displaying information in the mode lines.
19201 * Highlighting and Menus:: Making buffers look all nice and cozy.
19202 * Buttons:: Get tendinitis in ten easy steps!
19203 * Daemons:: Gnus can do things behind your back.
19204 * NoCeM:: How to avoid spam and other fatty foods.
19205 * Undo:: Some actions can be undone.
19206 * Predicate Specifiers:: Specifying predicates.
19207 * Moderation:: What to do if you're a moderator.
19208 * Image Enhancements:: Modern versions of Emacs/XEmacs can display images.
19209 * Fuzzy Matching:: What's the big fuzz?
19210 * Thwarting Email Spam:: A how-to on avoiding unsolicited commercial email.
19211 * Various Various:: Things that are really various.
19215 @node Process/Prefix
19216 @section Process/Prefix
19217 @cindex process/prefix convention
19219 Many functions, among them functions for moving, decoding and saving
19220 articles, use what is known as the @dfn{Process/Prefix convention}.
19222 This is a method for figuring out what articles the user wants the
19223 command to be performed on.
19227 If the numeric prefix is N, perform the operation on the next N
19228 articles, starting with the current one. If the numeric prefix is
19229 negative, perform the operation on the previous N articles, starting
19230 with the current one.
19232 @vindex transient-mark-mode
19233 If @code{transient-mark-mode} in non-@code{nil} and the region is
19234 active, all articles in the region will be worked upon.
19236 If there is no numeric prefix, but some articles are marked with the
19237 process mark, perform the operation on the articles marked with
19240 If there is neither a numeric prefix nor any articles marked with the
19241 process mark, just perform the operation on the current article.
19243 Quite simple, really, but it needs to be made clear so that surprises
19246 Commands that react to the process mark will push the current list of
19247 process marked articles onto a stack and will then clear all process
19248 marked articles. You can restore the previous configuration with the
19249 @kbd{M P y} command (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
19251 @vindex gnus-summary-goto-unread
19252 One thing that seems to shock & horrify lots of people is that, for
19253 instance, @kbd{3 d} does exactly the same as @kbd{d} @kbd{d} @kbd{d}.
19254 Since each @kbd{d} (which marks the current article as read) by default
19255 goes to the next unread article after marking, this means that @kbd{3 d}
19256 will mark the next three unread articles as read, no matter what the
19257 summary buffer looks like. Set @code{gnus-summary-goto-unread} to
19258 @code{nil} for a more straightforward action.
19260 Many commands do not use the process/prefix convention. All commands
19261 that do explicitly say so in this manual. To apply the process/prefix
19262 convention to commands that do not use it, you can use the @kbd{M-&}
19263 command. For instance, to mark all the articles in the group as
19264 expirable, you could say `M P b M-& E'.
19268 @section Interactive
19269 @cindex interaction
19273 @item gnus-novice-user
19274 @vindex gnus-novice-user
19275 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you are either a newcomer to the
19276 World of Usenet, or you are very cautious, which is a nice thing to be,
19277 really. You will be given questions of the type ``Are you sure you want
19278 to do this?'' before doing anything dangerous. This is @code{t} by
19281 @item gnus-expert-user
19282 @vindex gnus-expert-user
19283 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, you will seldom be asked any
19284 questions by Gnus. It will simply assume you know what you're doing, no
19285 matter how strange.
19287 @item gnus-interactive-catchup
19288 @vindex gnus-interactive-catchup
19289 Require confirmation before catching up a group if non-@code{nil}. It
19290 is @code{t} by default.
19292 @item gnus-interactive-exit
19293 @vindex gnus-interactive-exit
19294 Require confirmation before exiting Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
19299 @node Symbolic Prefixes
19300 @section Symbolic Prefixes
19301 @cindex symbolic prefixes
19303 Quite a lot of Emacs commands react to the (numeric) prefix. For
19304 instance, @kbd{C-u 4 C-f} moves point four characters forward, and
19305 @kbd{C-u 9 0 0 I s s p} adds a permanent @code{Subject} substring score
19306 rule of 900 to the current article.
19308 This is all nice and well, but what if you want to give a command some
19309 additional information? Well, what most commands do is interpret the
19310 ``raw'' prefix in some special way. @kbd{C-u 0 C-x C-s} means that one
19311 doesn't want a backup file to be created when saving the current buffer,
19312 for instance. But what if you want to save without making a backup
19313 file, and you want Emacs to flash lights and play a nice tune at the
19314 same time? You can't, and you're probably perfectly happy that way.
19316 @kindex M-i (Summary)
19317 @findex gnus-symbolic-argument
19318 I'm not, so I've added a second prefix---the @dfn{symbolic prefix}. The
19319 prefix key is @kbd{M-i} (@code{gnus-symbolic-argument}), and the next
19320 character typed in is the value. You can stack as many @kbd{M-i}
19321 prefixes as you want. @kbd{M-i a C-M-u} means ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u}
19322 command the symbolic prefix @code{a}''. @kbd{M-i a M-i b C-M-u} means
19323 ``feed the @kbd{C-M-u} command the symbolic prefixes @code{a} and
19324 @code{b}''. You get the drift.
19326 Typing in symbolic prefixes to commands that don't accept them doesn't
19327 hurt, but it doesn't do any good either. Currently not many Gnus
19328 functions make use of the symbolic prefix.
19330 If you're interested in how Gnus implements this, @pxref{Extended
19334 @node Formatting Variables
19335 @section Formatting Variables
19336 @cindex formatting variables
19338 Throughout this manual you've probably noticed lots of variables called
19339 things like @code{gnus-group-line-format} and
19340 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}. These control how Gnus is to
19341 output lines in the various buffers. There's quite a lot of them.
19342 Fortunately, they all use the same syntax, so there's not that much to
19345 Here's an example format spec (from the group buffer): @samp{%M%S%5y:
19346 %(%g%)\n}. We see that it is indeed extremely ugly, and that there are
19347 lots of percentages everywhere.
19350 * Formatting Basics:: A formatting variable is basically a format string.
19351 * Mode Line Formatting:: Some rules about mode line formatting variables.
19352 * Advanced Formatting:: Modifying output in various ways.
19353 * User-Defined Specs:: Having Gnus call your own functions.
19354 * Formatting Fonts:: Making the formatting look colorful and nice.
19355 * Positioning Point:: Moving point to a position after an operation.
19356 * Tabulation:: Tabulating your output.
19357 * Wide Characters:: Dealing with wide characters.
19360 Currently Gnus uses the following formatting variables:
19361 @code{gnus-group-line-format}, @code{gnus-summary-line-format},
19362 @code{gnus-server-line-format}, @code{gnus-topic-line-format},
19363 @code{gnus-group-mode-line-format},
19364 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format},
19365 @code{gnus-article-mode-line-format},
19366 @code{gnus-server-mode-line-format}, and
19367 @code{gnus-summary-pick-line-format}.
19369 All these format variables can also be arbitrary elisp forms. In that
19370 case, they will be @code{eval}ed to insert the required lines.
19372 @kindex M-x gnus-update-format
19373 @findex gnus-update-format
19374 Gnus includes a command to help you while creating your own format
19375 specs. @kbd{M-x gnus-update-format} will @code{eval} the current form,
19376 update the spec in question and pop you to a buffer where you can
19377 examine the resulting lisp code to be run to generate the line.
19381 @node Formatting Basics
19382 @subsection Formatting Basics
19384 Each @samp{%} element will be replaced by some string or other when the
19385 buffer in question is generated. @samp{%5y} means ``insert the @samp{y}
19386 spec, and pad with spaces to get a 5-character field''.
19388 As with normal C and Emacs Lisp formatting strings, the numerical
19389 modifier between the @samp{%} and the formatting type character will
19390 @dfn{pad} the output so that it is always at least that long.
19391 @samp{%5y} will make the field always (at least) five characters wide by
19392 padding with spaces to the left. If you say @samp{%-5y}, it will pad to
19395 You may also wish to limit the length of the field to protect against
19396 particularly wide values. For that you can say @samp{%4,6y}, which
19397 means that the field will never be more than 6 characters wide and never
19398 less than 4 characters wide.
19400 Also Gnus supports some extended format specifications, such as
19401 @samp{%&user-date;}.
19404 @node Mode Line Formatting
19405 @subsection Mode Line Formatting
19407 Mode line formatting variables (e.g.,
19408 @code{gnus-summary-mode-line-format}) follow the same rules as other,
19409 buffer line oriented formatting variables (@pxref{Formatting Basics})
19410 with the following two differences:
19415 There must be no newline (@samp{\n}) at the end.
19418 The special @samp{%%b} spec can be used to display the buffer name.
19419 Well, it's no spec at all, really---@samp{%%} is just a way to quote
19420 @samp{%} to allow it to pass through the formatting machinery unmangled,
19421 so that Emacs receives @samp{%b}, which is something the Emacs mode line
19422 display interprets to mean ``show the buffer name''. For a full list of
19423 mode line specs Emacs understands, see the documentation of the
19424 @code{mode-line-format} variable.
19429 @node Advanced Formatting
19430 @subsection Advanced Formatting
19432 It is frequently useful to post-process the fields in some way.
19433 Padding, limiting, cutting off parts and suppressing certain values can
19434 be achieved by using @dfn{tilde modifiers}. A typical tilde spec might
19435 look like @samp{%~(cut 3)~(ignore "0")y}.
19437 These are the valid modifiers:
19442 Pad the field to the left with spaces until it reaches the required
19446 Pad the field to the right with spaces until it reaches the required
19451 Cut off characters from the left until it reaches the specified length.
19454 Cut off characters from the right until it reaches the specified
19459 Cut off the specified number of characters from the left.
19462 Cut off the specified number of characters from the right.
19465 Return an empty string if the field is equal to the specified value.
19468 Use the specified form as the field value when the @samp{@@} spec is
19474 "~(form (current-time-string))@@"
19479 Let's take an example. The @samp{%o} spec in the summary mode lines
19480 will return a date in compact ISO8601 format---@samp{19960809T230410}.
19481 This is quite a mouthful, so we want to shave off the century number and
19482 the time, leaving us with a six-character date. That would be
19483 @samp{%~(cut-left 2)~(max-right 6)~(pad 6)o}. (Cutting is done before
19484 maxing, and we need the padding to ensure that the date is never less
19485 than 6 characters to make it look nice in columns.)
19487 Ignoring is done first; then cutting; then maxing; and then as the very
19488 last operation, padding.
19490 If you use lots of these advanced thingies, you'll find that Gnus gets
19491 quite slow. This can be helped enormously by running @kbd{M-x
19492 gnus-compile} when you are satisfied with the look of your lines.
19493 @xref{Compilation}.
19496 @node User-Defined Specs
19497 @subsection User-Defined Specs
19499 All the specs allow for inserting user defined specifiers---@samp{u}.
19500 The next character in the format string should be a letter. Gnus
19501 will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{X}, where
19502 @samp{X} is the letter following @samp{%u}. The function will be passed
19503 a single parameter---what the parameter means depends on what buffer
19504 it's being called from. The function should return a string, which will
19505 be inserted into the buffer just like information from any other
19506 specifier. This function may also be called with dummy values, so it
19507 should protect against that.
19509 Also Gnus supports extended user-defined specs, such as @samp{%u&foo;}.
19510 Gnus will call the function @code{gnus-user-format-function-}@samp{foo}.
19512 You can also use tilde modifiers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting} to achieve
19513 much the same without defining new functions. Here's an example:
19514 @samp{%~(form (count-lines (point-min) (point)))@@}. The form
19515 given here will be evaluated to yield the current line number, and then
19519 @node Formatting Fonts
19520 @subsection Formatting Fonts
19522 There are specs for highlighting, and these are shared by all the format
19523 variables. Text inside the @samp{%(} and @samp{%)} specifiers will get
19524 the special @code{mouse-face} property set, which means that it will be
19525 highlighted (with @code{gnus-mouse-face}) when you put the mouse pointer
19528 Text inside the @samp{%@{} and @samp{%@}} specifiers will have their
19529 normal faces set using @code{gnus-face-0}, which is @code{bold} by
19530 default. If you say @samp{%1@{}, you'll get @code{gnus-face-1} instead,
19531 and so on. Create as many faces as you wish. The same goes for the
19532 @code{mouse-face} specs---you can say @samp{%3(hello%)} to have
19533 @samp{hello} mouse-highlighted with @code{gnus-mouse-face-3}.
19535 Text inside the @samp{%<<} and @samp{%>>} specifiers will get the
19536 special @code{balloon-help} property set to @code{gnus-balloon-face-0}.
19537 If you say @samp{%1<<}, you'll get @code{gnus-balloon-face-1} and so on.
19538 The @code{gnus-balloon-face-*} variables should be either strings or
19539 symbols naming functions that return a string. When the mouse passes
19540 over text with this property set, a balloon window will appear and
19541 display the string. Please refer to @ref{(emacs)Help Echo} (in GNU
19542 Emacs) or the doc string of @code{balloon-help-mode} (in XEmacs) for
19543 more information on this. (For technical reasons, the guillemets have
19544 been approximated as @samp{<<} and @samp{>>} in this paragraph.)
19546 Here's an alternative recipe for the group buffer:
19549 ;; Create three face types.
19550 (setq gnus-face-1 'bold)
19551 (setq gnus-face-3 'italic)
19553 ;; We want the article count to be in
19554 ;; a bold and green face. So we create
19555 ;; a new face called `my-green-bold'.
19556 (copy-face 'bold 'my-green-bold)
19558 (set-face-foreground 'my-green-bold "ForestGreen")
19559 (setq gnus-face-2 'my-green-bold)
19561 ;; Set the new & fancy format.
19562 (setq gnus-group-line-format
19563 "%M%S%3@{%5y%@}%2[:%] %(%1@{%g%@}%)\n")
19566 I'm sure you'll be able to use this scheme to create totally unreadable
19567 and extremely vulgar displays. Have fun!
19569 Note that the @samp{%(} specs (and friends) do not make any sense on the
19570 mode-line variables.
19572 @node Positioning Point
19573 @subsection Positioning Point
19575 Gnus usually moves point to a pre-defined place on each line in most
19576 buffers. By default, point move to the first colon character on the
19577 line. You can customize this behaviour in three different ways.
19579 You can move the colon character to somewhere else on the line.
19581 @findex gnus-goto-colon
19582 You can redefine the function that moves the point to the colon. The
19583 function is called @code{gnus-goto-colon}.
19585 But perhaps the most convenient way to deal with this, if you don't want
19586 to have a colon in your line, is to use the @samp{%C} specifier. If you
19587 put a @samp{%C} somewhere in your format line definition, Gnus will
19592 @subsection Tabulation
19594 You can usually line up your displays by padding and cutting your
19595 strings. However, when combining various strings of different size, it
19596 can often be more convenient to just output the strings, and then worry
19597 about lining up the following text afterwards.
19599 To do that, Gnus supplies tabulator specs--@samp{%=}. There are two
19600 different types---@dfn{hard tabulators} and @dfn{soft tabulators}.
19602 @samp{%50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19603 50. If the text is already past column 50, nothing will be inserted.
19604 This is the soft tabulator.
19606 @samp{%-50=} will insert space characters to pad the line up to column
19607 50. If the text is already past column 50, the excess text past column
19608 50 will be removed. This is the hard tabulator.
19611 @node Wide Characters
19612 @subsection Wide Characters
19614 Proportional fonts in most countries have characters of the same width.
19615 Some countries, however, use Latin characters mixed with wider
19616 characters---most notable East Asian countries.
19618 The problem is that when formatting, Gnus assumes that if a string is 10
19619 characters wide, it'll be 10 Latin characters wide on the screen. In
19620 these coutries, that's not true.
19622 @vindex gnus-use-correct-string-widths
19623 To help fix this, you can set @code{gnus-use-correct-string-widths} to
19624 @code{t}. This makes buffer generation slower, but the results will be
19625 prettieer. The default value under XEmacs is @code{t} but @code{nil}
19629 @node Window Layout
19630 @section Window Layout
19631 @cindex window layout
19633 No, there's nothing here about X, so be quiet.
19635 @vindex gnus-use-full-window
19636 If @code{gnus-use-full-window} non-@code{nil}, Gnus will delete all
19637 other windows and occupy the entire Emacs screen by itself. It is
19638 @code{t} by default.
19640 Setting this variable to @code{nil} kinda works, but there are
19641 glitches. Use at your own peril.
19643 @vindex gnus-buffer-configuration
19644 @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} describes how much space each Gnus
19645 buffer should be given. Here's an excerpt of this variable:
19648 ((group (vertical 1.0 (group 1.0 point)
19649 (if gnus-carpal (group-carpal 4))))
19650 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19654 This is an alist. The @dfn{key} is a symbol that names some action or
19655 other. For instance, when displaying the group buffer, the window
19656 configuration function will use @code{group} as the key. A full list of
19657 possible names is listed below.
19659 The @dfn{value} (i.e., the @dfn{split}) says how much space each buffer
19660 should occupy. To take the @code{article} split as an example -
19663 (article (vertical 1.0 (summary 0.25 point)
19667 This @dfn{split} says that the summary buffer should occupy 25% of upper
19668 half of the screen, and that it is placed over the article buffer. As
19669 you may have noticed, 100% + 25% is actually 125% (yup, I saw y'all
19670 reaching for that calculator there). However, the special number
19671 @code{1.0} is used to signal that this buffer should soak up all the
19672 rest of the space available after the rest of the buffers have taken
19673 whatever they need. There should be only one buffer with the @code{1.0}
19674 size spec per split.
19676 Point will be put in the buffer that has the optional third element
19677 @code{point}. In a @code{frame} split, the last subsplit having a leaf
19678 split where the tag @code{frame-focus} is a member (i.e. is the third or
19679 fourth element in the list, depending on whether the @code{point} tag is
19680 present) gets focus.
19682 Here's a more complicated example:
19685 (article (vertical 1.0 (group 4)
19686 (summary 0.25 point)
19687 (if gnus-carpal (summary-carpal 4))
19691 If the size spec is an integer instead of a floating point number,
19692 then that number will be used to say how many lines a buffer should
19693 occupy, not a percentage.
19695 If the @dfn{split} looks like something that can be @code{eval}ed (to be
19696 precise---if the @code{car} of the split is a function or a subr), this
19697 split will be @code{eval}ed. If the result is non-@code{nil}, it will
19698 be used as a split. This means that there will be three buffers if
19699 @code{gnus-carpal} is @code{nil}, and four buffers if @code{gnus-carpal}
19702 Not complicated enough for you? Well, try this on for size:
19705 (article (horizontal 1.0
19710 (summary 0.25 point)
19715 Whoops. Two buffers with the mystery 100% tag. And what's that
19716 @code{horizontal} thingie?
19718 If the first element in one of the split is @code{horizontal}, Gnus will
19719 split the window horizontally, giving you two windows side-by-side.
19720 Inside each of these strips you may carry on all you like in the normal
19721 fashion. The number following @code{horizontal} says what percentage of
19722 the screen is to be given to this strip.
19724 For each split, there @emph{must} be one element that has the 100% tag.
19725 The splitting is never accurate, and this buffer will eat any leftover
19726 lines from the splits.
19728 To be slightly more formal, here's a definition of what a valid split
19732 split = frame | horizontal | vertical | buffer | form
19733 frame = "(frame " size *split ")"
19734 horizontal = "(horizontal " size *split ")"
19735 vertical = "(vertical " size *split ")"
19736 buffer = "(" buf-name " " size *[ "point" ] *[ "frame-focus"] ")"
19737 size = number | frame-params
19738 buf-name = group | article | summary ...
19741 The limitations are that the @code{frame} split can only appear as the
19742 top-level split. @var{form} should be an Emacs Lisp form that should
19743 return a valid split. We see that each split is fully recursive, and
19744 may contain any number of @code{vertical} and @code{horizontal} splits.
19746 @vindex gnus-window-min-width
19747 @vindex gnus-window-min-height
19748 @cindex window height
19749 @cindex window width
19750 Finding the right sizes can be a bit complicated. No window may be less
19751 than @code{gnus-window-min-height} (default 1) characters high, and all
19752 windows must be at least @code{gnus-window-min-width} (default 1)
19753 characters wide. Gnus will try to enforce this before applying the
19754 splits. If you want to use the normal Emacs window width/height limit,
19755 you can just set these two variables to @code{nil}.
19757 If you're not familiar with Emacs terminology, @code{horizontal} and
19758 @code{vertical} splits may work the opposite way of what you'd expect.
19759 Windows inside a @code{horizontal} split are shown side-by-side, and
19760 windows within a @code{vertical} split are shown above each other.
19762 @findex gnus-configure-frame
19763 If you want to experiment with window placement, a good tip is to call
19764 @code{gnus-configure-frame} directly with a split. This is the function
19765 that does all the real work when splitting buffers. Below is a pretty
19766 nonsensical configuration with 5 windows; two for the group buffer and
19767 three for the article buffer. (I said it was nonsensical.) If you
19768 @code{eval} the statement below, you can get an idea of how that would
19769 look straight away, without going through the normal Gnus channels.
19770 Play with it until you're satisfied, and then use
19771 @code{gnus-add-configuration} to add your new creation to the buffer
19772 configuration list.
19775 (gnus-configure-frame
19779 (article 0.3 point))
19787 You might want to have several frames as well. No prob---just use the
19788 @code{frame} split:
19791 (gnus-configure-frame
19794 (summary 0.25 point frame-focus)
19796 (vertical ((height . 5) (width . 15)
19797 (user-position . t)
19798 (left . -1) (top . 1))
19803 This split will result in the familiar summary/article window
19804 configuration in the first (or ``main'') frame, while a small additional
19805 frame will be created where picons will be shown. As you can see,
19806 instead of the normal @code{1.0} top-level spec, each additional split
19807 should have a frame parameter alist as the size spec.
19808 @xref{Frame Parameters, , Frame Parameters, elisp, The GNU Emacs Lisp
19809 Reference Manual}. Under XEmacs, a frame property list will be
19810 accepted, too---for instance, @code{(height 5 width 15 left -1 top 1)}
19812 The list of all possible keys for @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} can
19813 be found in its default value.
19815 Note that the @code{message} key is used for both
19816 @code{gnus-group-mail} and @code{gnus-summary-mail-other-window}. If
19817 it is desirable to distinguish between the two, something like this
19821 (message (horizontal 1.0
19822 (vertical 1.0 (message 1.0 point))
19824 (if (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer)
19829 One common desire for a multiple frame split is to have a separate frame
19830 for composing mail and news while leaving the original frame intact. To
19831 accomplish that, something like the following can be done:
19836 (if (not (buffer-live-p gnus-summary-buffer))
19837 (car (cdr (assoc 'group gnus-buffer-configuration)))
19838 (car (cdr (assoc 'summary gnus-buffer-configuration))))
19839 (vertical ((user-position . t) (top . 1) (left . 1)
19840 (name . "Message"))
19841 (message 1.0 point))))
19844 @findex gnus-add-configuration
19845 Since the @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} variable is so long and
19846 complicated, there's a function you can use to ease changing the config
19847 of a single setting: @code{gnus-add-configuration}. If, for instance,
19848 you want to change the @code{article} setting, you could say:
19851 (gnus-add-configuration
19852 '(article (vertical 1.0
19854 (summary .25 point)
19858 You'd typically stick these @code{gnus-add-configuration} calls in your
19859 @file{.gnus.el} file or in some startup hook---they should be run after
19860 Gnus has been loaded.
19862 @vindex gnus-always-force-window-configuration
19863 If all windows mentioned in the configuration are already visible, Gnus
19864 won't change the window configuration. If you always want to force the
19865 ``right'' window configuration, you can set
19866 @code{gnus-always-force-window-configuration} to non-@code{nil}.
19868 If you're using tree displays (@pxref{Tree Display}), and the tree
19869 window is displayed vertically next to another window, you may also want
19870 to fiddle with @code{gnus-tree-minimize-window} to avoid having the
19873 @subsection Example Window Configurations
19877 Narrow left hand side occupied by group buffer. Right hand side split
19878 between summary buffer (top one-sixth) and article buffer (bottom).
19893 (gnus-add-configuration
19896 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19898 (summary 0.16 point)
19901 (gnus-add-configuration
19904 (vertical 25 (group 1.0))
19905 (vertical 1.0 (summary 1.0 point)))))
19911 @node Faces and Fonts
19912 @section Faces and Fonts
19917 Fiddling with fonts and faces used to be very difficult, but these days
19918 it is very simple. You simply say @kbd{M-x customize-face}, pick out
19919 the face you want to alter, and alter it via the standard Customize
19924 @section Compilation
19925 @cindex compilation
19926 @cindex byte-compilation
19928 @findex gnus-compile
19930 Remember all those line format specification variables?
19931 @code{gnus-summary-line-format}, @code{gnus-group-line-format}, and so
19932 on. Now, Gnus will of course heed whatever these variables are, but,
19933 unfortunately, changing them will mean a quite significant slow-down.
19934 (The default values of these variables have byte-compiled functions
19935 associated with them, while the user-generated versions do not, of
19938 To help with this, you can run @kbd{M-x gnus-compile} after you've
19939 fiddled around with the variables and feel that you're (kind of)
19940 satisfied. This will result in the new specs being byte-compiled, and
19941 you'll get top speed again. Gnus will save these compiled specs in the
19942 @file{.newsrc.eld} file. (User-defined functions aren't compiled by
19943 this function, though---you should compile them yourself by sticking
19944 them into the @code{.gnus.el} file and byte-compiling that file.)
19948 @section Mode Lines
19951 @vindex gnus-updated-mode-lines
19952 @code{gnus-updated-mode-lines} says what buffers should keep their mode
19953 lines updated. It is a list of symbols. Supported symbols include
19954 @code{group}, @code{article}, @code{summary}, @code{server},
19955 @code{browse}, and @code{tree}. If the corresponding symbol is present,
19956 Gnus will keep that mode line updated with information that may be
19957 pertinent. If this variable is @code{nil}, screen refresh may be
19960 @cindex display-time
19962 @vindex gnus-mode-non-string-length
19963 By default, Gnus displays information on the current article in the mode
19964 lines of the summary and article buffers. The information Gnus wishes
19965 to display (e.g. the subject of the article) is often longer than the
19966 mode lines, and therefore have to be cut off at some point. The
19967 @code{gnus-mode-non-string-length} variable says how long the other
19968 elements on the line is (i.e., the non-info part). If you put
19969 additional elements on the mode line (e.g. a clock), you should modify
19972 @c Hook written by Francesco Potorti` <pot@cnuce.cnr.it>
19974 (add-hook 'display-time-hook
19975 (lambda () (setq gnus-mode-non-string-length
19977 (if line-number-mode 5 0)
19978 (if column-number-mode 4 0)
19979 (length display-time-string)))))
19982 If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the default), the mode line
19983 strings won't be chopped off, and they won't be padded either. Note
19984 that the default is unlikely to be desirable, as even the percentage
19985 complete in the buffer may be crowded off the mode line; the user should
19986 configure this variable appropriately for her configuration.
19989 @node Highlighting and Menus
19990 @section Highlighting and Menus
19992 @cindex highlighting
19995 @vindex gnus-visual
19996 The @code{gnus-visual} variable controls most of the Gnus-prettifying
19997 aspects. If @code{nil}, Gnus won't attempt to create menus or use fancy
19998 colors or fonts. This will also inhibit loading the @file{gnus-vis.el}
20001 This variable can be a list of visual properties that are enabled. The
20002 following elements are valid, and are all included by default:
20005 @item group-highlight
20006 Do highlights in the group buffer.
20007 @item summary-highlight
20008 Do highlights in the summary buffer.
20009 @item article-highlight
20010 Do highlights in the article buffer.
20012 Turn on highlighting in all buffers.
20014 Create menus in the group buffer.
20016 Create menus in the summary buffers.
20018 Create menus in the article buffer.
20020 Create menus in the browse buffer.
20022 Create menus in the server buffer.
20024 Create menus in the score buffers.
20026 Create menus in all buffers.
20029 So if you only want highlighting in the article buffer and menus in all
20030 buffers, you could say something like:
20033 (setq gnus-visual '(article-highlight menu))
20036 If you want highlighting only and no menus whatsoever, you'd say:
20039 (setq gnus-visual '(highlight))
20042 If @code{gnus-visual} is @code{t}, highlighting and menus will be used
20043 in all Gnus buffers.
20045 Other general variables that influence the look of all buffers include:
20048 @item gnus-mouse-face
20049 @vindex gnus-mouse-face
20050 This is the face (i.e., font) used for mouse highlighting in Gnus. No
20051 mouse highlights will be done if @code{gnus-visual} is @code{nil}.
20055 There are hooks associated with the creation of all the different menus:
20059 @item gnus-article-menu-hook
20060 @vindex gnus-article-menu-hook
20061 Hook called after creating the article mode menu.
20063 @item gnus-group-menu-hook
20064 @vindex gnus-group-menu-hook
20065 Hook called after creating the group mode menu.
20067 @item gnus-summary-menu-hook
20068 @vindex gnus-summary-menu-hook
20069 Hook called after creating the summary mode menu.
20071 @item gnus-server-menu-hook
20072 @vindex gnus-server-menu-hook
20073 Hook called after creating the server mode menu.
20075 @item gnus-browse-menu-hook
20076 @vindex gnus-browse-menu-hook
20077 Hook called after creating the browse mode menu.
20079 @item gnus-score-menu-hook
20080 @vindex gnus-score-menu-hook
20081 Hook called after creating the score mode menu.
20092 Those new-fangled @dfn{mouse} contraptions is very popular with the
20093 young, hep kids who don't want to learn the proper way to do things
20094 these days. Why, I remember way back in the summer of '89, when I was
20095 using Emacs on a Tops 20 system. Three hundred users on one single
20096 machine, and every user was running Simula compilers. Bah!
20100 @vindex gnus-carpal
20101 Well, you can make Gnus display bufferfuls of buttons you can click to
20102 do anything by setting @code{gnus-carpal} to @code{t}. Pretty simple,
20103 really. Tell the chiropractor I sent you.
20108 @item gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20109 @vindex gnus-carpal-mode-hook
20110 Hook run in all carpal mode buffers.
20112 @item gnus-carpal-button-face
20113 @vindex gnus-carpal-button-face
20114 Face used on buttons.
20116 @item gnus-carpal-header-face
20117 @vindex gnus-carpal-header-face
20118 Face used on carpal buffer headers.
20120 @item gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20121 @vindex gnus-carpal-group-buffer-buttons
20122 Buttons in the group buffer.
20124 @item gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20125 @vindex gnus-carpal-summary-buffer-buttons
20126 Buttons in the summary buffer.
20128 @item gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20129 @vindex gnus-carpal-server-buffer-buttons
20130 Buttons in the server buffer.
20132 @item gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20133 @vindex gnus-carpal-browse-buffer-buttons
20134 Buttons in the browse buffer.
20137 All the @code{buttons} variables are lists. The elements in these list
20138 are either cons cells where the @code{car} contains a text to be displayed and
20139 the @code{cdr} contains a function symbol, or a simple string.
20147 Gnus, being larger than any program ever written (allegedly), does lots
20148 of strange stuff that you may wish to have done while you're not
20149 present. For instance, you may want it to check for new mail once in a
20150 while. Or you may want it to close down all connections to all servers
20151 when you leave Emacs idle. And stuff like that.
20153 Gnus will let you do stuff like that by defining various
20154 @dfn{handlers}. Each handler consists of three elements: A
20155 @var{function}, a @var{time}, and an @var{idle} parameter.
20157 Here's an example of a handler that closes connections when Emacs has
20158 been idle for thirty minutes:
20161 (gnus-demon-close-connections nil 30)
20164 Here's a handler that scans for PGP headers every hour when Emacs is
20168 (gnus-demon-scan-pgp 60 t)
20171 This @var{time} parameter and than @var{idle} parameter work together
20172 in a strange, but wonderful fashion. Basically, if @var{idle} is
20173 @code{nil}, then the function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20175 If @var{idle} is @code{t}, then the function will be called after
20176 @var{time} minutes only if Emacs is idle. So if Emacs is never idle,
20177 the function will never be called. But once Emacs goes idle, the
20178 function will be called every @var{time} minutes.
20180 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is a number, the function will
20181 be called every @var{time} minutes only when Emacs has been idle for
20182 @var{idle} minutes.
20184 If @var{idle} is a number and @var{time} is @code{nil}, the function
20185 will be called once every time Emacs has been idle for @var{idle}
20188 And if @var{time} is a string, it should look like @samp{07:31}, and
20189 the function will then be called once every day somewhere near that
20190 time. Modified by the @var{idle} parameter, of course.
20192 @vindex gnus-demon-timestep
20193 (When I say ``minute'' here, I really mean @code{gnus-demon-timestep}
20194 seconds. This is 60 by default. If you change that variable,
20195 all the timings in the handlers will be affected.)
20197 So, if you want to add a handler, you could put something like this in
20198 your @file{.gnus} file:
20200 @findex gnus-demon-add-handler
20202 (gnus-demon-add-handler 'gnus-demon-close-connections 30 t)
20205 @findex gnus-demon-add-nocem
20206 @findex gnus-demon-add-scanmail
20207 @findex gnus-demon-add-rescan
20208 @findex gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps
20209 @findex gnus-demon-add-disconnection
20210 Some ready-made functions to do this have been created:
20211 @code{gnus-demon-add-nocem}, @code{gnus-demon-add-disconnection},
20212 @code{gnus-demon-add-nntp-close-connection},
20213 @code{gnus-demon-add-scan-timestamps}, @code{gnus-demon-add-rescan}, and
20214 @code{gnus-demon-add-scanmail}. Just put those functions in your
20215 @file{.gnus} if you want those abilities.
20217 @findex gnus-demon-init
20218 @findex gnus-demon-cancel
20219 @vindex gnus-demon-handlers
20220 If you add handlers to @code{gnus-demon-handlers} directly, you should
20221 run @code{gnus-demon-init} to make the changes take hold. To cancel all
20222 daemons, you can use the @code{gnus-demon-cancel} function.
20224 Note that adding daemons can be pretty naughty if you over do it. Adding
20225 functions that scan all news and mail from all servers every two seconds
20226 is a sure-fire way of getting booted off any respectable system. So
20235 @dfn{Spamming} is posting the same article lots and lots of times.
20236 Spamming is bad. Spamming is evil.
20238 Spamming is usually canceled within a day or so by various anti-spamming
20239 agencies. These agencies usually also send out @dfn{NoCeM} messages.
20240 NoCeM is pronounced ``no see-'em'', and means what the name
20241 implies---these are messages that make the offending articles, like, go
20244 What use are these NoCeM messages if the articles are canceled anyway?
20245 Some sites do not honor cancel messages and some sites just honor cancels
20246 from a select few people. Then you may wish to make use of the NoCeM
20247 messages, which are distributed in the @samp{alt.nocem.misc} newsgroup.
20249 Gnus can read and parse the messages in this group automatically, and
20250 this will make spam disappear.
20252 There are some variables to customize, of course:
20255 @item gnus-use-nocem
20256 @vindex gnus-use-nocem
20257 Set this variable to @code{t} to set the ball rolling. It is @code{nil}
20260 @item gnus-nocem-groups
20261 @vindex gnus-nocem-groups
20262 Gnus will look for NoCeM messages in the groups in this list. The
20263 default is @code{("news.lists.filters" "news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins"
20264 "alt.nocem.misc" "news.admin.net-abuse.announce")}.
20266 @item gnus-nocem-issuers
20267 @vindex gnus-nocem-issuers
20268 There are many people issuing NoCeM messages. This list says what
20269 people you want to listen to. The default is @code{("Automoose-1"
20270 "clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" "cosmo.roadkill" "SpamHippo"
20271 "hweede@@snafu.de")}; fine, upstanding citizens all of them.
20273 Known despammers that you can put in this list are listed at
20274 @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~rosalind/nocemreg/nocemreg.html}.
20276 You do not have to heed NoCeM messages from all these people---just the
20277 ones you want to listen to. You also don't have to accept all NoCeM
20278 messages from the people you like. Each NoCeM message has a @dfn{type}
20279 header that gives the message a (more or less, usually less) rigorous
20280 definition. Common types are @samp{spam}, @samp{spew}, @samp{mmf},
20281 @samp{binary}, and @samp{troll}. To specify this, you have to use
20282 @code{(@var{issuer} @var{conditions} @dots{})} elements in the list.
20283 Each condition is either a string (which is a regexp that matches types
20284 you want to use) or a list on the form @code{(not @var{string})}, where
20285 @var{string} is a regexp that matches types you don't want to use.
20287 For instance, if you want all NoCeM messages from Chris Lewis except his
20288 @samp{troll} messages, you'd say:
20291 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" ".*" (not "troll"))
20294 On the other hand, if you just want nothing but his @samp{spam} and
20295 @samp{spew} messages, you'd say:
20298 ("clewis@@ferret.ocunix.on.ca" (not ".*") "spew" "spam")
20301 The specs are applied left-to-right.
20304 @item gnus-nocem-verifyer
20305 @vindex gnus-nocem-verifyer
20307 This should be a function for verifying that the NoCeM issuer is who she
20308 says she is. The default is @code{mc-verify}, which is a Mailcrypt
20309 function. If this is too slow and you don't care for verification
20310 (which may be dangerous), you can set this variable to @code{nil}.
20312 If you want signed NoCeM messages to be verified and unsigned messages
20313 not to be verified (but used anyway), you could do something like:
20316 (setq gnus-nocem-verifyer 'my-gnus-mc-verify)
20318 (defun my-gnus-mc-verify ()
20326 This might be dangerous, though.
20328 @item gnus-nocem-directory
20329 @vindex gnus-nocem-directory
20330 This is where Gnus will store its NoCeM cache files. The default is
20331 @file{~/News/NoCeM/}.
20333 @item gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20334 @vindex gnus-nocem-expiry-wait
20335 The number of days before removing old NoCeM entries from the cache.
20336 The default is 15. If you make it shorter Gnus will be faster, but you
20337 might then see old spam.
20339 @item gnus-nocem-check-from
20340 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-from
20341 Non-@code{nil} means check for valid issuers in message bodies.
20342 Otherwise don't bother fetching articles unless their author matches a
20343 valid issuer; that is much faster if you are selective about the
20346 @item gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20347 @vindex gnus-nocem-check-article-limit
20348 If non-@code{nil}, the maximum number of articles to check in any NoCeM
20349 group. NoCeM groups can be huge and very slow to process.
20353 Using NoCeM could potentially be a memory hog. If you have many living
20354 (i. e., subscribed or unsubscribed groups), your Emacs process will grow
20355 big. If this is a problem, you should kill off all (or most) of your
20356 unsubscribed groups (@pxref{Subscription Commands}).
20363 It is very useful to be able to undo actions one has done. In normal
20364 Emacs buffers, it's easy enough---you just push the @code{undo} button.
20365 In Gnus buffers, however, it isn't that simple.
20367 The things Gnus displays in its buffer is of no value whatsoever to
20368 Gnus---it's all just data designed to look nice to the user.
20369 Killing a group in the group buffer with @kbd{C-k} makes the line
20370 disappear, but that's just a side-effect of the real action---the
20371 removal of the group in question from the internal Gnus structures.
20372 Undoing something like that can't be done by the normal Emacs
20373 @code{undo} function.
20375 Gnus tries to remedy this somewhat by keeping track of what the user
20376 does and coming up with actions that would reverse the actions the user
20377 takes. When the user then presses the @code{undo} key, Gnus will run
20378 the code to reverse the previous action, or the previous actions.
20379 However, not all actions are easily reversible, so Gnus currently offers
20380 a few key functions to be undoable. These include killing groups,
20381 yanking groups, and changing the list of read articles of groups.
20382 That's it, really. More functions may be added in the future, but each
20383 added function means an increase in data to be stored, so Gnus will
20384 never be totally undoable.
20386 @findex gnus-undo-mode
20387 @vindex gnus-use-undo
20389 The undoability is provided by the @code{gnus-undo-mode} minor mode. It
20390 is used if @code{gnus-use-undo} is non-@code{nil}, which is the
20391 default. The @kbd{C-M-_} key performs the @code{gnus-undo}
20392 command, which should feel kinda like the normal Emacs @code{undo}
20396 @node Predicate Specifiers
20397 @section Predicate Specifiers
20398 @cindex predicate specifiers
20400 Some Gnus variables are @dfn{predicate specifiers}. This is a special
20401 form that allows flexible specification of predicates without having
20402 to type all that much.
20404 These specifiers are lists consisting of functions, symbols and lists.
20409 (or gnus-article-unseen-p
20410 gnus-article-unread-p)
20413 The available symbols are @code{or}, @code{and} and @code{not}. The
20414 functions all take one parameter.
20416 @findex gnus-make-predicate
20417 Internally, Gnus calls @code{gnus-make-predicate} on these specifiers
20418 to create a function that can be called. This input parameter to this
20419 function will be passed along to all the functions in the predicate
20424 @section Moderation
20427 If you are a moderator, you can use the @file{gnus-mdrtn.el} package.
20428 It is not included in the standard Gnus package. Write a mail to
20429 @samp{larsi@@gnus.org} and state what group you moderate, and you'll
20432 The moderation package is implemented as a minor mode for summary
20436 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-moderate)
20439 in your @file{.gnus.el} file.
20441 If you are the moderator of @samp{rec.zoofle}, this is how it's
20446 You split your incoming mail by matching on
20447 @samp{Newsgroups:.*rec.zoofle}, which will put all the to-be-posted
20448 articles in some mail group---for instance, @samp{nnml:rec.zoofle}.
20451 You enter that group once in a while and post articles using the @kbd{e}
20452 (edit-and-post) or @kbd{s} (just send unedited) commands.
20455 If, while reading the @samp{rec.zoofle} newsgroup, you happen upon some
20456 articles that weren't approved by you, you can cancel them with the
20460 To use moderation mode in these two groups, say:
20463 (setq gnus-moderated-list
20464 "^nnml:rec.zoofle$\\|^rec.zoofle$")
20468 @node Image Enhancements
20469 @section Image Enhancements
20471 XEmacs, as well as Emacs 21, is able to display pictures and stuff, so
20472 Gnus has taken advantage of that.
20475 * Picons:: How to display pictures of what you're reading.
20476 * Smileys:: Show all those happy faces the way they were meant to be shown.
20477 * X-Face:: Display a funky, teensy black-and-white image.
20478 * Toolbar:: Click'n'drool.
20479 * XVarious:: Other XEmacsy Gnusey variables.
20492 So@dots{} You want to slow down your news reader even more! This is a
20493 good way to do so. Its also a great way to impress people staring
20494 over your shoulder as you read news.
20497 * Picon Basics:: What are picons and How do I get them.
20498 * Picon Requirements:: Don't go further if you aren't using XEmacs.
20499 * Easy Picons:: Displaying Picons---the easy way.
20500 * Hard Picons:: The way you should do it. You'll learn something.
20501 * Picon Useless Configuration:: Other variables you can trash/tweak/munge/play with.
20506 @subsubsection Picon Basics
20508 What are Picons? To quote directly from the Picons Web site:
20517 @dfn{Picons} is short for ``personal icons''. They're small,
20518 constrained images used to represent users and domains on the net,
20519 organized into databases so that the appropriate image for a given
20520 e-mail address can be found. Besides users and domains, there are picon
20521 databases for Usenet newsgroups and weather forecasts. The picons are
20522 in either monochrome @code{XBM} format or color @code{XPM} and
20523 @code{GIF} formats.
20526 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20527 If you have a permanent connection to the Internet you can use Steve
20528 Kinzler's Picons Search engine by setting
20529 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} to the string @*
20530 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/search.html}.
20532 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20533 Otherwise you need a local copy of his database. For instructions on
20534 obtaining and installing the picons databases, point your Web browser at @*
20535 @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu/picons/ftp/index.html}. Gnus expects
20536 picons to be installed into a location pointed to by
20537 @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20539 If you are using Debian GNU/Linux, saying @samp{apt-get install
20540 picons.*} will install the picons where Gnus can find them.
20543 @node Picon Requirements
20544 @subsubsection Picon Requirements
20546 To have Gnus display Picons for you, you must have @code{x} support
20547 compiled into XEmacs. To display color picons which are much nicer
20548 than the black & white one, you also need one of @code{xpm} or
20549 @code{gif} compiled into XEmacs.
20551 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20552 If you want to display faces from @code{X-Face} headers, you should have
20553 the @code{xface} support compiled into XEmacs. Otherwise you must have
20554 the @code{netpbm} utilities installed, or munge the
20555 @code{gnus-picons-convert-x-face} variable to use something else.
20556 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20559 @subsubsection Easy Picons
20561 To enable displaying picons, simply put the following line in your
20562 @file{~/.gnus} file and start Gnus.
20565 (setq gnus-use-picons t)
20566 (setq gnus-treat-display-picons t)
20569 and make sure @code{gnus-picons-database} points to the directory
20570 containing the Picons databases.
20572 Alternatively if you want to use the web piconsearch engine add this:
20575 (setq gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20576 "http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch")
20581 @subsubsection Hard Picons
20589 Gnus can display picons for you as you enter and leave groups and
20590 articles. It knows how to interact with three sections of the picons
20591 database. Namely, it can display the picons newsgroup pictures,
20592 author's face picture(s), and the authors domain. To enable this
20593 feature, you need to select where to get the picons from, and where to
20598 @item gnus-picons-database
20599 @vindex gnus-picons-database
20600 The location of the picons database. Should point to a directory
20601 containing the @file{news}, @file{domains}, @file{users} (and so on)
20602 subdirectories. This is only useful if
20603 @code{gnus-picons-piconsearch-url} is @code{nil}. Defaults to
20604 @file{/usr/local/faces/}.
20606 @item gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20607 @vindex gnus-picons-piconsearch-url
20608 The URL for the web picons search engine. The only currently known
20609 engine is @uref{http://www.cs.indiana.edu:800/piconsearch}. To
20610 workaround network delays, icons will be fetched in the background. If
20611 this is @code{nil} 'the default), then picons are fetched from local
20612 database indicated by @code{gnus-picons-database}.
20614 @item gnus-picons-display-where
20615 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20616 Where the picon images should be displayed. It is @code{picons} by
20617 default (which by default maps to the buffer @samp{*Picons*}). Other
20618 valid places could be @code{article}, @code{summary}, or
20619 @samp{*scratch*} for all I care. Just make sure that you've made the
20620 buffer visible using the standard Gnus window configuration
20621 routines---@pxref{Window Layout}.
20623 @item gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20624 @vindex gnus-picons-group-excluded-groups
20625 Groups that are matched by this regexp won't have their group icons
20630 Note: If you set @code{gnus-use-picons} to @code{t}, it will set up your
20631 window configuration for you to include the @code{picons} buffer.
20633 Now that you've made those decision, you need to add the following
20634 functions to the appropriate hooks so these pictures will get displayed
20637 @vindex gnus-picons-display-where
20639 @item gnus-article-display-picons
20640 @findex gnus-article-display-picons
20641 Looks up and displays the picons for the author and the author's domain
20642 in the @code{gnus-picons-display-where} buffer.
20644 @item gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20645 @findex gnus-picons-article-display-x-face
20646 Decodes and displays the X-Face header if present.
20647 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the function name, not @code{xface})
20653 @node Picon Useless Configuration
20654 @subsubsection Picon Useless Configuration
20662 The following variables offer further control over how things are
20663 done, where things are located, and other useless stuff you really
20664 don't need to worry about.
20668 @item gnus-picons-news-directories
20669 @vindex gnus-picons-news-directories
20670 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20671 newsgroups faces. @code{("news")} is the default.
20673 @item gnus-picons-user-directories
20674 @vindex gnus-picons-user-directories
20675 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for user
20676 faces. @code{("local" "users" "usenix" "misc")} is the default.
20678 @item gnus-picons-domain-directories
20679 @vindex gnus-picons-domain-directories
20680 List of subdirectories to search in @code{gnus-picons-database} for
20681 domain name faces. Defaults to @code{("domains")}. Some people may
20682 want to add @samp{"unknown"} to this list.
20684 @item gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20685 @vindex gnus-picons-convert-x-face
20686 If you don't have @code{xface} support builtin XEmacs, this is the
20687 command to use to convert the @code{X-Face} header to an X bitmap
20688 (@code{xbm}). Defaults to @code{(format "@{ echo '/* Width=48,
20689 Height=48 */'; uncompface; @} | icontopbm | pbmtoxbm > %s"
20690 gnus-picons-x-face-file-name)}
20691 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20693 @item gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20694 @vindex gnus-picons-x-face-file-name
20695 Names a temporary file to store the @code{X-Face} bitmap in. Defaults
20696 to @code{(format "/tmp/picon-xface.%s.xbm" (user-login-name))}.
20697 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable name, not @code{xface})
20699 @item gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20700 @vindex gnus-picons-has-modeline-p
20701 If you have set @code{gnus-picons-display-where} to @code{picons}, your
20702 XEmacs frame will become really cluttered. To alleviate this a bit you
20703 can set @code{gnus-picons-has-modeline-p} to @code{nil}; this will
20704 remove the mode line from the Picons buffer. This is only useful if
20705 @code{gnus-picons-display-where} is @code{picons}.
20707 @item gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20708 @vindex gnus-picons-refresh-before-display
20709 If non-nil, display the article buffer before computing the picons.
20710 Defaults to @code{nil}.
20712 @item gnus-picons-display-as-address
20713 @vindex gnus-picons-display-as-address
20714 If @code{t} display textual email addresses along with pictures.
20715 Defaults to @code{t}.
20717 @item gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20718 @vindex gnus-picons-file-suffixes
20719 Ordered list of suffixes on picon file names to try. Defaults to
20720 @code{("xpm" "gif" "xbm")} minus those not builtin your XEmacs.
20722 @item gnus-picons-setup-hook
20723 @vindex gnus-picons-setup-hook
20724 Hook run in the picon buffer, if that is displayed.
20726 @item gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20727 @vindex gnus-picons-display-article-move-p
20728 Whether to move point to first empty line when displaying picons. This
20729 has only an effect if `gnus-picons-display-where' has value `article'.
20731 If @code{nil}, display the picons in the @code{From} and
20732 @code{Newsgroups} lines. This is the default.
20734 @item gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20735 @vindex gnus-picons-clear-cache-on-shutdown
20736 Whether to clear the picons cache when exiting gnus. Gnus caches every
20737 picons it finds while it is running. This saves some time in the search
20738 process but eats some memory. If this variable is set to @code{nil},
20739 Gnus will never clear the cache itself; you will have to manually call
20740 @code{gnus-picons-clear-cache} to clear it. Otherwise the cache will be
20741 cleared every time you exit Gnus. Defaults to @code{t}.
20752 @subsection Smileys
20757 \gnusfig{-3cm}{0.5cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/BigFace,height=20cm}}
20762 @dfn{Smiley} is a package separate from Gnus, but since Gnus is
20763 currently the only package that uses Smiley, it is documented here.
20765 In short---to use Smiley in Gnus, put the following in your
20766 @file{.gnus.el} file:
20769 (setq gnus-treat-display-smileys t)
20772 Smiley maps text smiley faces---@samp{:-)}, @samp{:-=}, @samp{:-(} and
20773 the like---to pictures and displays those instead of the text smiley
20774 faces. The conversion is controlled by a list of regexps that matches
20775 text and maps that to file names.
20777 @vindex smiley-nosey-regexp-alist
20778 @vindex smiley-deformed-regexp-alist
20779 Smiley supplies two example conversion alists by default:
20780 @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist} (which matches @samp{:)}, @samp{:(}
20781 and so on), and @code{smiley-nosey-regexp-alist} (which matches
20782 @samp{:-)}, @samp{:-(} and so on).
20784 The alist used is specified by the @code{smiley-regexp-alist} variable,
20785 which defaults to the value of @code{smiley-deformed-regexp-alist}.
20787 The first item in each element is the regexp to be matched; the second
20788 element is the regexp match group that is to be replaced by the picture;
20789 and the third element is the name of the file to be displayed.
20791 The following variables customize where Smiley will look for these
20792 files, as well as the color to be used and stuff:
20796 @item smiley-data-directory
20797 @vindex smiley-data-directory
20798 Where Smiley will look for smiley faces files.
20800 @item smiley-flesh-color
20801 @vindex smiley-flesh-color
20802 Skin color. The default is @samp{yellow}, which is really racist.
20804 @item smiley-features-color
20805 @vindex smiley-features-color
20806 Color of the features of the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20808 @item smiley-tongue-color
20809 @vindex smiley-tongue-color
20810 Color of the tongue. The default is @samp{red}.
20812 @item smiley-circle-color
20813 @vindex smiley-circle-color
20814 Color of the circle around the face. The default is @samp{black}.
20816 @item smiley-mouse-face
20817 @vindex smiley-mouse-face
20818 Face used for mouse highlighting over the smiley face.
20827 @code{X-Face} headers describe a 48x48 pixel black-and-white (1 bit
20828 depth) image that's supposed to represent the author of the message.
20829 It seems to be supported by an ever-growing number of mail and news
20833 @findex gnus-article-display-x-face
20834 @findex gnus-article-x-face-command
20835 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-command
20836 @vindex gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly
20844 Decoding an @code{X-Face} header either requires an Emacs that has
20845 @samp{compface} support (which most XEmacs versions has), or that you
20846 have @samp{compface} installed on your system. If either is true,
20847 Gnus will default to displaying @code{X-Face} headers.
20849 The variable that controls this is the
20850 @code{gnus-article-x-face-command} variable. If this variable is a
20851 string, this string will be executed in a sub-shell. If it is a
20852 function, this function will be called with the face as the argument.
20853 If the @code{gnus-article-x-face-too-ugly} (which is a regexp) matches
20854 the @code{From} header, the face will not be shown.
20856 The default action under Emacs 20 is to fork off the @code{display}
20857 program@footnote{@code{display} is from the ImageMagick package. For
20858 the @code{uncompface} and @code{icontopbm} programs look for a package
20859 like @code{compface} or @code{faces-xface} on a GNU/Linux system.} to
20862 Under XEmacs or Emacs 21+ with suitable image support, the default
20863 action is to display the face before the @code{From} header. (It's
20864 nicer if XEmacs has been compiled with @code{X-Face} support---that
20865 will make display somewhat faster. If there's no native @code{X-Face}
20866 support, Gnus will try to convert the @code{X-Face} header using
20867 external programs from the @code{pbmplus} package and
20868 friends.@footnote{On a GNU/Linux system look for packages with names
20869 like @code{netpbm}, @code{libgr-progs} and @code{compface}.})
20871 (NOTE: @code{x-face} is used in the variable/function names, not
20874 Gnus provides a few convenience functions and variables to allow
20875 easier insertion of X-Face headers in outgoing messages.
20877 @findex gnus-random-x-face
20878 @code{gnus-random-x-face} goes through all the @samp{pbm} files
20879 in @code{gnus-x-face-directory} and picks one at random, and then
20880 converts it to the X-Face format by using the
20881 @code{gnus-convert-pbm-to-x-face-command} shell command. The
20882 @samp{pbm} files should be 48x48 pixels big.
20884 @code{gnus-x-face-from-file} takes a GIF file as the parameter, and then
20885 converts the file to X-Face format by using the
20886 @code{gnus-convert-image-to-x-face-command} shell command.
20888 Here's how you would typically use the former function. Put something
20889 like the folllowing in your @file{.gnus.el} file:
20892 (setq message-required-news-headers
20893 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20894 (list '(X-Face . gnus-random-x-face))))
20897 Using the latter function would be something like this:
20900 (setq message-required-news-headers
20901 (nconc message-required-news-headers
20902 (list '(X-Face . (lambda ()
20903 (gnus-x-face-from-file
20904 "~/My-face.gif"))))))
20909 @subsection Toolbar
20919 @item gnus-use-toolbar
20920 @vindex gnus-use-toolbar
20921 If @code{nil}, don't display toolbars. If non-@code{nil}, it should be
20922 one of @code{default-toolbar}, @code{top-toolbar}, @code{bottom-toolbar},
20923 @code{right-toolbar}, or @code{left-toolbar}.
20925 @item gnus-group-toolbar
20926 @vindex gnus-group-toolbar
20927 The toolbar in the group buffer.
20929 @item gnus-summary-toolbar
20930 @vindex gnus-summary-toolbar
20931 The toolbar in the summary buffer.
20933 @item gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20934 @vindex gnus-summary-mail-toolbar
20935 The toolbar in the summary buffer of mail groups.
20941 @subsection Various XEmacs Variables
20944 @item gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20945 @vindex gnus-xmas-glyph-directory
20946 This is where Gnus will look for pictures. Gnus will normally
20947 auto-detect this directory, but you may set it manually if you have an
20948 unusual directory structure.
20950 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20951 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-alist
20952 This is an alist where the key is a type symbol and the values are the
20953 foreground and background color of the splash page glyph.
20955 @item gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20956 @vindex gnus-xmas-logo-color-style
20957 This is the key used to look up the color in the alist described above.
20958 Valid values include @code{flame}, @code{pine}, @code{moss},
20959 @code{irish}, @code{sky}, @code{tin}, @code{velvet}, @code{grape},
20960 @code{labia}, @code{berry}, @code{neutral}, and @code{september}.
20962 @item gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20963 @vindex gnus-xmas-modeline-glyph
20964 A glyph displayed in all Gnus mode lines. It is a tiny gnu head by
20978 @node Fuzzy Matching
20979 @section Fuzzy Matching
20980 @cindex fuzzy matching
20982 Gnus provides @dfn{fuzzy matching} of @code{Subject} lines when doing
20983 things like scoring, thread gathering and thread comparison.
20985 As opposed to regular expression matching, fuzzy matching is very fuzzy.
20986 It's so fuzzy that there's not even a definition of what @dfn{fuzziness}
20987 means, and the implementation has changed over time.
20989 Basically, it tries to remove all noise from lines before comparing.
20990 @samp{Re: }, parenthetical remarks, white space, and so on, are filtered
20991 out of the strings before comparing the results. This often leads to
20992 adequate results---even when faced with strings generated by text
20993 manglers masquerading as newsreaders.
20996 @node Thwarting Email Spam
20997 @section Thwarting Email Spam
21001 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21003 In these last days of the Usenet, commercial vultures are hanging about
21004 and grepping through news like crazy to find email addresses they can
21005 foist off their scams and products to. As a reaction to this, many
21006 people have started putting nonsense addresses into their @code{From}
21007 lines. I think this is counterproductive---it makes it difficult for
21008 people to send you legitimate mail in response to things you write, as
21009 well as making it difficult to see who wrote what. This rewriting may
21010 perhaps be a bigger menace than the unsolicited commercial email itself
21013 The biggest problem I have with email spam is that it comes in under
21014 false pretenses. I press @kbd{g} and Gnus merrily informs me that I
21015 have 10 new emails. I say ``Golly gee! Happy is me!'' and select the
21016 mail group, only to find two pyramid schemes, seven advertisements
21017 (``New! Miracle tonic for growing full, lustrous hair on your toes!'')
21018 and one mail asking me to repent and find some god.
21020 This is annoying. Here's what you can do about it.
21023 * The problem of spam:: Some background, and some solutions
21024 * Anti-Spam Basics:: Simple steps to reduce the amount of spam.
21025 * SpamAssassin:: How to use external anti-spam tools.
21026 * Hashcash:: Reduce spam by burning CPU time.
21027 * Filtering Spam Using spam.el::
21028 * Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)::
21031 @node The problem of spam
21032 @subsection The problem of spam
21034 @cindex spam filtering approaches
21035 @cindex filtering approaches, spam
21037 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21039 First, some background on spam.
21041 If you have access to e-mail, you are familiar with spam (technically
21042 termed @acronym{UCE}, Unsolicited Commercial E-mail). Simply put, it exists
21043 because e-mail delivery is very cheap compared to paper mail, so only
21044 a very small percentage of people need to respond to an UCE to make it
21045 worthwhile to the advertiser. Ironically, one of the most common
21046 spams is the one offering a database of e-mail addresses for further
21047 spamming. Senders of spam are usually called @emph{spammers}, but terms like
21048 @emph{vermin}, @emph{scum}, and @emph{morons} are in common use as well.
21050 Spam comes from a wide variety of sources. It is simply impossible to
21051 dispose of all spam without discarding useful messages. A good
21052 example is the TMDA system, which requires senders
21053 unknown to you to confirm themselves as legitimate senders before
21054 their e-mail can reach you. Without getting into the technical side
21055 of TMDA, a downside is clearly that e-mail from legitimate sources may
21056 be discarded if those sources can't or won't confirm themselves
21057 through the TMDA system. Another problem with TMDA is that it
21058 requires its users to have a basic understanding of e-mail delivery
21061 The simplest approach to filtering spam is filtering. If you get 200
21062 spam messages per day from @email{random-address@@vmadmin.com}, you
21063 block @samp{vmadmin.com}. If you get 200 messages about
21064 @samp{VIAGRA}, you discard all messages with @samp{VIAGRA} in the
21065 message. This, unfortunately, is a great way to discard legitimate
21066 e-mail. For instance, the very informative and useful RISKS digest
21067 has been blocked by overzealous mail filters because it
21068 @strong{contained} words that were common in spam messages.
21069 Nevertheless, in isolated cases, with great care, direct filtering of
21070 mail can be useful.
21072 Another approach to filtering e-mail is the distributed spam
21073 processing, for instance DCC implements such a system. In essence,
21074 @code{N} systems around the world agree that a machine @samp{X} in
21075 China, Ghana, or California is sending out spam e-mail, and these
21076 @code{N} systems enter @samp{X} or the spam e-mail from @samp{X} into
21077 a database. The criteria for spam detection vary - it may be the
21078 number of messages sent, the content of the messages, and so on. When
21079 a user of the distributed processing system wants to find out if a
21080 message is spam, he consults one of those @code{N} systems.
21082 Distributed spam processing works very well against spammers that send
21083 a large number of messages at once, but it requires the user to set up
21084 fairly complicated checks. There are commercial and free distributed
21085 spam processing systems. Distributed spam processing has its risks as
21086 well. For instance legitimate e-mail senders have been accused of
21087 sending spam, and their web sites have been shut down for some time
21088 because of the incident.
21090 The statistical approach to spam filtering is also popular. It is
21091 based on a statistical analysis of previous spam messages. Usually
21092 the analysis is a simple word frequency count, with perhaps pairs of
21093 words or 3-word combinations thrown into the mix. Statistical
21094 analysis of spam works very well in most of the cases, but it can
21095 classify legitimate e-mail as spam in some cases. It takes time to
21096 run the analysis, the full message must be analyzed, and the user has
21097 to store the database of spam analyses.
21099 @node Anti-Spam Basics
21100 @subsection Anti-Spam Basics
21104 @cindex unsolicited commercial email
21106 One way of dealing with spam is having Gnus split out all spam into a
21107 @samp{spam} mail group (@pxref{Splitting Mail}).
21109 First, pick one (1) valid mail address that you can be reached at, and
21110 put it in your @code{From} header of all your news articles. (I've
21111 chosen @samp{larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no}, but for many addresses on the form
21112 @samp{larsi+usenet@@ifi.uio.no} will be a better choice. Ask your
21113 sysadmin whether your sendmail installation accepts keywords in the local
21114 part of the mail address.)
21117 (setq message-default-news-headers
21118 "From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no>\n")
21121 Then put the following split rule in @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21122 (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21127 (to "larsi@@trym.ifi.uio.no"
21128 (| ("subject" "re:.*" "misc")
21129 ("references" ".*@@.*" "misc")
21135 This says that all mail to this address is suspect, but if it has a
21136 @code{Subject} that starts with a @samp{Re:} or has a @code{References}
21137 header, it's probably ok. All the rest goes to the @samp{spam} group.
21138 (This idea probably comes from Tim Pierce.)
21140 In addition, many mail spammers talk directly to your @sc{smtp} server
21141 and do not include your email address explicitly in the @code{To}
21142 header. Why they do this is unknown---perhaps it's to thwart this
21143 thwarting scheme? In any case, this is trivial to deal with---you just
21144 put anything not addressed to you in the @samp{spam} group by ending
21145 your fancy split rule in this way:
21150 (to "larsi" "misc")
21154 In my experience, this will sort virtually everything into the right
21155 group. You still have to check the @samp{spam} group from time to time to
21156 check for legitimate mail, though. If you feel like being a good net
21157 citizen, you can even send off complaints to the proper authorities on
21158 each unsolicited commercial email---at your leisure.
21160 If you are also a lazy net citizen, you will probably prefer complaining
21161 automatically with the @file{gnus-junk.el} package, available FOR FREE
21162 at @* @uref{http://stud2.tuwien.ac.at/~e9426626/gnus-junk.html}.
21163 Since most e-mail spam is sent automatically, this may reconcile the
21164 cosmic balance somewhat.
21166 This works for me. It allows people an easy way to contact me (they can
21167 just press @kbd{r} in the usual way), and I'm not bothered at all with
21168 spam. It's a win-win situation. Forging @code{From} headers to point
21169 to non-existent domains is yucky, in my opinion.
21174 @subsection SpamAssassin, Vipul's Razor, DCC, etc
21175 @cindex SpamAssassin
21176 @cindex Vipul's Razor
21179 The days where the hints in the previous section was sufficient in
21180 avoiding spam is coming to an end. There are many tools out there
21181 that claim to reduce the amount of spam you get. This section could
21182 easily become outdated fast, as new products replace old, but
21183 fortunately most of these tools seem to have similar interfaces. Even
21184 though this section will use SpamAssassin as an example, it should be
21185 easy to adapt it to most other tools.
21187 If the tool you are using is not installed on the mail server, you
21188 need to invoke it yourself. Ideas on how to use the
21189 @code{:postscript} mail source parameter (@pxref{Mail Source
21190 Specifiers}) follows.
21194 '((file :prescript "formail -bs spamassassin < /var/mail/%u")
21197 :postscript "mv %t /tmp/foo; formail -bs spamc < /tmp/foo > %t")))
21200 Once you managed to process your incoming spool somehow, thus making
21201 the mail contain e.g. a header indicating it is spam, you are ready to
21202 filter it out. Using normal split methods (@pxref{Splitting Mail}):
21205 (setq nnmail-split-methods '(("spam" "^X-Spam-Flag: YES")
21209 Or using fancy split methods (@pxref{Fancy Mail Splitting}):
21212 (setq nnmail-split-methods 'nnmail-split-fancy
21213 nnmail-split-fancy '(| ("X-Spam-Flag" "YES" "spam")
21217 Some people might not like the idea of piping the mail through various
21218 programs using a @code{:prescript} (if some program is buggy, you
21219 might lose all mail). If you are one of them, another solution is to
21220 call the external tools during splitting. Example fancy split method:
21223 (setq nnmail-split-fancy '(| (: kevin-spamassassin)
21225 (defun kevin-spamassassin ()
21227 (let ((buf (or (get-buffer " *nnmail incoming*")
21228 (get-buffer " *nnml move*"))))
21230 (progn (message "Oops, cannot find message buffer") nil)
21232 (if (eq 1 (call-process-region (point-min) (point-max)
21233 "spamc" nil nil nil "-c"))
21237 That is about it. As some spam is likely to get through anyway, you
21238 might want to have a nifty function to call when you happen to read
21239 spam. And here is the nifty function:
21242 (defun my-gnus-raze-spam ()
21243 "Submit SPAM to Vipul's Razor, then mark it as expirable."
21245 (gnus-summary-show-raw-article)
21246 (gnus-summary-save-in-pipe "razor-report -f -d")
21247 (gnus-summary-mark-as-expirable 1))
21251 @subsection Hashcash
21254 A novel technique to fight spam is to require senders to do something
21255 costly for each message they send. This has the obvious drawback that
21256 you cannot rely on that everyone in the world uses this technique,
21257 since it is not part of the internet standards, but it may be useful
21258 in smaller communities.
21260 While the tools in the previous section work well in practice, they
21261 work only because the tools are constantly maintained and updated as
21262 new form of spam appears. This means that a small percentage of spam
21263 will always get through. It also means that somewhere, someone needs
21264 to read lots of spam to update these tools. Hashcash avoids that, but
21265 instead requires that everyone you communicate with supports the
21266 scheme. You can view the two approaches as pragmatic vs dogmatic.
21267 The approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but as
21268 often in the real world, a combination of them is stronger than either
21269 one of them separately.
21272 The ``something costly'' is to burn CPU time, more specifically to
21273 compute a hash collision up to a certain number of bits. The
21274 resulting hashcash cookie is inserted in a @samp{X-Hashcash:}
21275 header. For more details, and for the external application
21276 @code{hashcash} you need to install to use this feature, see
21277 @uref{http://www.cypherspace.org/~adam/hashcash/}. Even more
21278 information can be found at @uref{http://www.camram.org/}.
21280 If you wish to call hashcash for each message you send, say something
21284 (require 'hashcash)
21285 (add-hook 'message-send-hook 'mail-add-payment)
21288 The @code{hashcash.el} library can be found at
21289 @uref{http://users.actrix.gen.nz/mycroft/hashcash.el}, or in the Gnus
21290 development contrib directory.
21292 You will need to set up some additional variables as well:
21296 @item hashcash-default-payment
21297 @vindex hashcash-default-payment
21298 This variable indicates the default number of bits the hash collision
21299 should consist of. By default this is 0, meaning nothing will be
21300 done. Suggested useful values include 17 to 29.
21302 @item hashcash-payment-alist
21303 @vindex hashcash-payment-alist
21304 Some receivers may require you to spend burn more CPU time than the
21305 default. This variable contains a list of @samp{(ADDR AMOUNT)} cells,
21306 where ADDR is the receiver (email address or newsgroup) and AMOUNT is
21307 the number of bits in the collision that is needed. It can also
21308 contain @samp{(ADDR STRING AMOUNT)} cells, where the STRING is the
21309 string to use (normally the email address or newsgroup name is used).
21313 Where the @code{hashcash} binary is installed.
21317 Currently there is no built in functionality in Gnus to verify
21318 hashcash cookies, it is expected that this is performed by your hand
21319 customized mail filtering scripts. Improvements in this area would be
21320 a useful contribution, however.
21322 @node Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21323 @subsection Filtering Spam Using spam.el
21324 @cindex spam filtering
21327 The idea behind @code{spam.el} is to have a control center for spam detection
21328 and filtering in Gnus. To that end, @code{spam.el} does two things: it
21329 filters incoming mail, and it analyzes mail known to be spam.
21331 So, what happens when you load @code{spam.el}? First of all, you get
21332 the following keyboard commands:
21342 @findex gnus-summary-mark-as-spam
21343 @code{gnus-summary-mark-as-spam}.
21345 Mark current article as spam, showing it with the @samp{H} mark.
21346 Whenever you see a spam article, make sure to mark its summary line
21347 with @kbd{M-d} before leaving the group.
21353 @findex spam-bogofilter-score
21354 @code{spam-bogofilter-score}.
21356 You must have bogofilter processing enabled for that command to work
21363 Gnus can learn from the spam you get. All you have to do is collect
21364 your spam in one or more spam groups, and set the variable
21365 @code{spam-junk-mailgroups} as appropriate. In these groups, all messages
21366 are considered to be spam by default: they get the @samp{H} mark. You must
21367 review these messages from time to time and remove the @samp{H} mark for
21368 every message that is not spam after all. When you leave a spam
21369 group, all messages that continue with the @samp{H} mark, are passed on to
21370 the spam-detection engine (bogofilter, ifile, and others). To remove
21371 the @samp{H} mark, you can use @kbd{M-u} to "unread" the article, or @kbd{d} for
21372 declaring it read the non-spam way. When you leave a group, all @samp{H}
21373 marked articles, saved or unsaved, are sent to Bogofilter or ifile
21374 (depending on @code{spam-use-bogofilter} and @code{spam-use-ifile}), which will study
21375 them as spam samples.
21377 Messages may also be deleted in various other ways, and unless
21378 @code{spam-ham-marks-form} gets overridden below, marks @samp{R} and @samp{r} for
21379 default read or explicit delete, marks @samp{X} and @samp{K} for automatic or
21380 explicit kills, as well as mark @samp{Y} for low scores, are all considered
21381 to be associated with articles which are not spam. This assumption
21382 might be false, in particular if you use kill files or score files as
21383 means for detecting genuine spam, you should then adjust
21384 @code{spam-ham-marks-form}. When you leave a group, all _unsaved_ articles
21385 bearing any the above marks are sent to Bogofilter or ifile, which
21386 will study these as not-spam samples. If you explicit kill a lot, you
21387 might sometimes end up with articles marked @samp{K} which you never saw,
21388 and which might accidentally contain spam. Best is to make sure that
21389 real spam is marked with @samp{H}, and nothing else.
21391 All other marks do not contribute to Bogofilter or ifile
21392 pre-conditioning. In particular, ticked, dormant or souped articles
21393 are likely to contribute later, when they will get deleted for real,
21394 so there is no need to use them prematurely. Explicitly expired
21395 articles do not contribute, command @kbd{E} is a way to get rid of an
21396 article without Bogofilter or ifile ever seeing it.
21398 @strong{TODO: @code{spam-use-ifile} does not process spam articles on group exit.
21399 I'm waiting for info from the author of @code{ifile-gnus.el}, because I think
21400 that functionality should go in @code{ifile-gnus.el} rather than @code{spam.el}.}
21402 To use the @code{spam.el} facilities for incoming mail filtering, you
21403 must add the following to your fancy split list
21404 @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or @code{nnimap-split-fancy}:
21410 Note that the fancy split may be called @code{nnmail-split-fancy} or
21411 @code{nnimap-split-fancy}, depending on whether you use the nnmail or
21412 nnimap back ends to retrieve your mail.
21414 The @code{spam-split} function will process incoming mail and send the mail
21415 considered to be spam into the group name given by the variable
21416 @code{spam-split-group}. Usually that group name is @samp{spam}.
21418 The following are the methods you can use to control the behavior of
21422 * Blacklists and Whitelists::
21423 * BBDB Whitelists::
21426 * Ifile spam filtering::
21427 * Extending spam.el::
21430 @node Blacklists and Whitelists
21431 @subsubsection Blacklists and Whitelists
21432 @cindex spam filtering
21433 @cindex whitelists, spam filtering
21434 @cindex blacklists, spam filtering
21437 @defvar spam-use-blacklist
21438 Set this variables to t (the default) if you want to use blacklists.
21441 @defvar spam-use-whitelist
21442 Set this variables to t if you want to use whitelists.
21445 Blacklists are lists of regular expressions matching addresses you
21446 consider to be spam senders. For instance, to block mail from any
21447 sender at @samp{vmadmin.com}, you can put @samp{vmadmin.com} in your
21448 blacklist. Since you start out with an empty blacklist, no harm is
21449 done by having the @code{spam-use-blacklist} variable set, so it is
21450 set by default. Blacklist entries use the Emacs regular expression
21453 Conversely, whitelists tell Gnus what addresses are considered
21454 legitimate. All non-whitelisted addresses are considered spammers.
21455 This option is probably not useful for most Gnus users unless the
21456 whitelists is very comprehensive. Also see @ref{BBDB Whitelists}.
21457 Whitelist entries use the Emacs regular expression syntax.
21459 The Blacklist and whitelist location can be customized with the
21460 @code{spam-directory} variable (@file{~/News/spam} by default). The whitelist
21461 and blacklist files will be in that directory, named @file{whitelist} and
21462 @file{blacklist} respectively.
21464 @node BBDB Whitelists
21465 @subsubsection BBDB Whitelists
21466 @cindex spam filtering
21467 @cindex BBDB whitelists, spam filtering
21468 @cindex BBDB, spam filtering
21471 @defvar spam-use-bbdb
21473 Analogous to @code{spam-use-whitelist} (@pxref{Blacklists and
21474 Whitelists}), but uses the BBDB as the source of whitelisted addresses,
21475 without regular expressions. You must have the BBDB loaded for
21476 @code{spam-use-bbdb} to work properly. Only addresses in the BBDB
21477 will be allowed through; all others will be classified as spam.
21482 @subsubsection Blackholes
21483 @cindex spam filtering
21484 @cindex blackholes, spam filtering
21487 @defvar spam-use-blackholes
21489 This option is disabled by default. You can let Gnus consult the
21490 blackhole-type distributed spam processing systems (DCC, for instance)
21491 when you set this option. The variable @code{spam-blackhole-servers}
21492 holds the list of blackhole servers Gnus will consult. The current
21493 list is fairly comprehensive, but make sure to let us know if it
21494 contains outdated servers.
21496 The blackhole check uses the @code{dig.el} package, but you can tell
21497 @code{spam.el} to use @code{dns.el} instead for better performance if
21498 you set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil. It is not recommended at this
21499 time to set @code{spam-use-dig} to nil despite the possible
21500 performance improvements, because some users may be unable to use it,
21501 but you can try it and see if it works for you.
21506 @subsubsection Bogofilter
21507 @cindex spam filtering
21508 @cindex bogofilter, spam filtering
21511 @defvar spam-use-bogofilter
21513 Set this variable if you want to use Eric Raymond's speedy Bogofilter.
21514 This has been tested with a locally patched copy of version 0.4. Make
21515 sure to read the installation comments in @code{spam.el}.
21517 With a minimum of care for associating the @samp{H} mark for spam
21518 articles only, Bogofilter training all gets fairly automatic. You
21519 should do this until you get a few hundreds of articles in each
21520 category, spam or not. The shell command @command{head -1
21521 ~/.bogofilter/*} shows both article counts. The command @kbd{S t} in
21522 summary mode, either for debugging or for curiosity, triggers
21523 Bogofilter into displaying in another buffer the @emph{spamicity}
21524 score of the current article (between 0.0 and 1.0), together with the
21525 article words which most significantly contribute to the score.
21529 @node Ifile spam filtering
21530 @subsubsection Ifile spam filtering
21531 @cindex spam filtering
21532 @cindex ifile, spam filtering
21535 @defvar spam-use-ifile
21537 Enable this variable if you want to use Ifile, a statistical analyzer
21538 similar to Bogofilter. Currently you must have @code{ifile-gnus.el}
21539 loaded. The integration of Ifile with @code{spam.el} is not finished
21540 yet, but you can use @code{ifile-gnus.el} on its own if you like.
21544 @node Extending spam.el
21545 @subsubsection Extending spam.el
21546 @cindex spam filtering
21547 @cindex spam.el, extending
21548 @cindex extending spam.el
21550 Say you want to add a new back end called blackbox. Provide the following:
21560 (defvar spam-use-blackbox nil
21561 "True if blackbox should be used.")
21566 (spam-use-blackbox . spam-check-blackbox)
21568 to @code{spam-list-of-checks}.
21573 Write the @code{spam-check-blackbox} function. It should return
21574 @samp{nil} or @code{spam-split-group}. See the existing
21575 @code{spam-check-*} functions for examples of what you can do.
21578 @node Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21579 @subsection Filtering Spam Using Statistics (spam-stat.el)
21580 @cindex Paul Graham
21581 @cindex Graham, Paul
21582 @cindex naive Bayesian spam filtering
21583 @cindex Bayesian spam filtering, naive
21584 @cindex spam filtering, naive Bayesian
21586 Paul Graham has written an excellent essay about spam filtering using
21587 statistics: @uref{http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html,A Plan for
21588 Spam}. In it he describes the inherent deficiency of rule-based
21589 filtering as used by SpamAssassin, for example: Somebody has to write
21590 the rules, and everybody else has to install these rules. You are
21591 always late. It would be much better, he argues, to filter mail based
21592 on whether it somehow resembles spam or non-spam. One way to measure
21593 this is word distribution. He then goes on to describe a solution
21594 that checks whether a new mail resembles any of your other spam mails
21597 The basic idea is this: Create a two collections of your mail, one
21598 with spam, one with non-spam. Count how often each word appears in
21599 either collection, weight this by the total number of mails in the
21600 collections, and store this information in a dictionary. For every
21601 word in a new mail, determine its probability to belong to a spam or a
21602 non-spam mail. Use the 15 most conspicuous words, compute the total
21603 probability of the mail being spam. If this probability is higher
21604 than a certain threshold, the mail is considered to be spam.
21606 Gnus supports this kind of filtering. But it needs some setting up.
21607 First, you need two collections of your mail, one with spam, one with
21608 non-spam. Then you need to create a dictionary using these two
21609 collections, and save it. And last but not least, you need to use
21610 this dictionary in your fancy mail splitting rules.
21613 * Creating a spam-stat dictionary::
21614 * Splitting mail using spam-stat::
21615 * Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary::
21618 @node Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21619 @subsubsection Creating a spam-stat dictionary
21621 Before you can begin to filter spam based on statistics, you must
21622 create these statistics based on two mail collections, one with spam,
21623 one with non-spam. These statistics are then stored in a dictionary
21624 for later use. In order for these statistics to be meaningful, you
21625 need several hundred emails in both collections.
21627 Gnus currently supports only the nnml back end for automated dictionary
21628 creation. The nnml back end stores all mails in a directory, one file
21629 per mail. Use the following:
21631 @defun spam-stat-process-spam-directory
21632 Create spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every file
21633 is treated as one spam mail.
21636 @defun spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory
21637 Create non-spam statistics for every file in this directory. Every
21638 file is treated as one non-spam mail.
21641 Usually you would call @code{spam-stat-process-spam-directory} on a
21642 directory such as @file{~/Mail/mail/spam} (this usually corresponds
21643 the the group @samp{nnml:mail.spam}), and you would call
21644 @code{spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory} on a directory such as
21645 @file{~/Mail/mail/misc} (this usually corresponds the the group
21646 @samp{nnml:mail.misc}).
21649 This variable holds the hash-table with all the statistics -- the
21650 dictionary we have been talking about. For every word in either
21651 collection, this hash-table stores a vector describing how often the
21652 word appeared in spam and often it appeared in non-spam mails.
21654 If you want to regenerate the statistics from scratch, you need to
21655 reset the dictionary.
21659 @defun spam-stat-reset
21660 Reset the @code{spam-stat} hash-table, deleting all the statistics.
21662 When you are done, you must save the dictionary. The dictionary may
21663 be rather large. If you will not update the dictionary incrementally
21664 (instead, you will recreate it once a month, for example), then you
21665 can reduce the size of the dictionary by deleting all words that did
21666 not appear often enough or that do not clearly belong to only spam or
21667 only non-spam mails.
21670 @defun spam-stat-reduce-size
21671 Reduce the size of the dictionary. Use this only if you do not want
21672 to update the dictionary incrementally.
21675 @defun spam-stat-save
21676 Save the dictionary.
21679 @defvar spam-stat-file
21680 The filename used to store the dictionary. This defaults to
21681 @file{~/.spam-stat.el}.
21684 @node Splitting mail using spam-stat
21685 @subsubsection Splitting mail using spam-stat
21687 In order to use @code{spam-stat} to split your mail, you need to add the
21688 following to your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21691 (require 'spam-stat)
21695 This will load the necessary Gnus code, and the dictionary you
21698 Next, you need to adapt your fancy splitting rules: You need to
21699 determine how to use @code{spam-stat}. In the simplest case, you only have
21700 two groups, @samp{mail.misc} and @samp{mail.spam}. The following expression says
21701 that mail is either spam or it should go into @samp{mail.misc}. If it is
21702 spam, then @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will return @samp{mail.spam}.
21705 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21706 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21710 @defvar spam-stat-split-fancy-spam-group
21711 The group to use for spam. Default is @samp{mail.spam}.
21714 If you also filter mail with specific subjects into other groups, use
21715 the following expression. It only the mails not matching the regular
21716 expression are considered potential spam.
21719 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21720 `(| ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21721 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21725 If you want to filter for spam first, then you must be careful when
21726 creating the dictionary. Note that @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} must
21727 consider both mails in @samp{mail.emacs} and in @samp{mail.misc} as
21728 non-spam, therefore both should be in your collection of non-spam
21729 mails, when creating the dictionary!
21732 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21733 `(| (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21734 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21738 You can combine this with traditional filtering. Here, we move all
21739 HTML-only mails into the @samp{mail.spam.filtered} group. Note that since
21740 @code{spam-stat-split-fancy} will never see them, the mails in
21741 @samp{mail.spam.filtered} should be neither in your collection of spam mails,
21742 nor in your collection of non-spam mails, when creating the
21746 (setq nnmail-split-fancy
21747 `(| ("Content-Type" "text/html" "mail.spam.filtered")
21748 (: spam-stat-split-fancy)
21749 ("Subject" "\\bspam-stat\\b" "mail.emacs")
21754 @node Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21755 @subsubsection Low-level interface to the spam-stat dictionary
21757 The main interface to using @code{spam-stat}, are the following functions:
21759 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-spam
21760 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new spam mail;
21761 use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21765 @defun spam-stat-buffer-is-no-spam
21766 called in a buffer, that buffer is considered to be a new non-spam
21767 mail; use this for new mail that has not been processed before
21771 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-spam
21772 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be normal
21773 mail but spam; use this to change the status of a mail that has
21774 already been processed as non-spam
21778 @defun spam-stat-buffer-change-to-non-spam
21779 called in a buffer, that buffer is no longer considered to be spam but
21780 normal mail; use this to change the status of a mail that has already
21781 been processed as spam
21785 @defun spam-stat-save
21786 save the hash table to the file; the filename used is stored in the
21787 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21791 @defun spam-stat-load
21792 load the hash table from a file; the filename used is stored in the
21793 variable @code{spam-stat-file}
21797 @defun spam-stat-score-word
21798 return the spam score for a word
21802 @defun spam-stat-score-buffer
21803 return the spam score for a buffer
21807 @defun spam-stat-split-fancy
21808 for fancy mail splitting; add the rule @samp{(: spam-stat-split-fancy)} to
21809 @code{nnmail-split-fancy}
21811 This requires the following in your @file{~/.gnus} file:
21814 (require 'spam-stat)
21820 Typical test will involve calls to the following functions:
21823 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21824 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21825 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21826 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21827 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21828 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21829 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21830 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21831 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21832 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21833 File size: (nth 7 (file-attributes spam-stat-file))
21834 Number of words: (hash-table-count spam-stat)
21835 Test spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21836 Test non-spam: (spam-stat-test-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21839 Here is how you would create your dictionary:
21842 Reset: (setq spam-stat (make-hash-table :test 'equal))
21843 Learn spam: (spam-stat-process-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/spam")
21844 Learn non-spam: (spam-stat-process-non-spam-directory "~/Mail/mail/misc")
21845 Repeat for any other non-spam group you need...
21846 Reduce table size: (spam-stat-reduce-size)
21847 Save table: (spam-stat-save)
21850 @node Various Various
21851 @section Various Various
21857 @item gnus-home-directory
21858 All Gnus path variables will be initialized from this variable, which
21859 defaults to @file{~/}.
21861 @item gnus-directory
21862 @vindex gnus-directory
21863 Most Gnus storage path variables will be initialized from this variable,
21864 which defaults to the @samp{SAVEDIR} environment variable, or
21865 @file{~/News/} if that variable isn't set.
21867 Note that Gnus is mostly loaded when the @file{.gnus.el} file is read.
21868 This means that other directory variables that are initialized from this
21869 variable won't be set properly if you set this variable in
21870 @file{.gnus.el}. Set this variable in @file{.emacs} instead.
21872 @item gnus-default-directory
21873 @vindex gnus-default-directory
21874 Not related to the above variable at all---this variable says what the
21875 default directory of all Gnus buffers should be. If you issue commands
21876 like @kbd{C-x C-f}, the prompt you'll get starts in the current buffer's
21877 default directory. If this variable is @code{nil} (which is the
21878 default), the default directory will be the default directory of the
21879 buffer you were in when you started Gnus.
21882 @vindex gnus-verbose
21883 This variable is an integer between zero and ten. The higher the value,
21884 the more messages will be displayed. If this variable is zero, Gnus
21885 will never flash any messages, if it is seven (which is the default),
21886 most important messages will be shown, and if it is ten, Gnus won't ever
21887 shut up, but will flash so many messages it will make your head swim.
21889 @item gnus-verbose-backends
21890 @vindex gnus-verbose-backends
21891 This variable works the same way as @code{gnus-verbose}, but it applies
21892 to the Gnus back ends instead of Gnus proper.
21894 @item nnheader-max-head-length
21895 @vindex nnheader-max-head-length
21896 When the back ends read straight heads of articles, they all try to read
21897 as little as possible. This variable (default 4096) specifies
21898 the absolute max length the back ends will try to read before giving up
21899 on finding a separator line between the head and the body. If this
21900 variable is @code{nil}, there is no upper read bound. If it is
21901 @code{t}, the back ends won't try to read the articles piece by piece,
21902 but read the entire articles. This makes sense with some versions of
21903 @code{ange-ftp} or @code{efs}.
21905 @item nnheader-head-chop-length
21906 @vindex nnheader-head-chop-length
21907 This variable (default 2048) says how big a piece of each article to
21908 read when doing the operation described above.
21910 @item nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21911 @vindex nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21913 @cindex invalid characters in file names
21914 @cindex characters in file names
21915 This is an alist that says how to translate characters in file names.
21916 For instance, if @samp{:} is invalid as a file character in file names
21917 on your system (you OS/2 user you), you could say something like:
21920 (setq nnheader-file-name-translation-alist
21924 In fact, this is the default value for this variable on OS/2 and MS
21925 Windows (phooey) systems.
21927 @item gnus-hidden-properties
21928 @vindex gnus-hidden-properties
21929 This is a list of properties to use to hide ``invisible'' text. It is
21930 @code{(invisible t intangible t)} by default on most systems, which
21931 makes invisible text invisible and intangible.
21933 @item gnus-parse-headers-hook
21934 @vindex gnus-parse-headers-hook
21935 A hook called before parsing headers. It can be used, for instance, to
21936 gather statistics on the headers fetched, or perhaps you'd like to prune
21937 some headers. I don't see why you'd want that, though.
21939 @item gnus-shell-command-separator
21940 @vindex gnus-shell-command-separator
21941 String used to separate two shell commands. The default is @samp{;}.
21943 @item gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21944 @vindex gnus-invalid-group-regexp
21946 Regexp to match ``invalid'' group names when querying user for a group
21947 name. The default value catches some @strong{really} invalid group
21948 names who could possibly mess up Gnus internally (like allowing
21949 @samp{:} in a group name, which is normally used to delimit method and
21952 @sc{imap} users might want to allow @samp{/} in group names though.
21960 Well, that's the manual---you can get on with your life now. Keep in
21961 touch. Say hello to your cats from me.
21963 My @strong{ghod}---I just can't stand goodbyes. Sniffle.
21965 Ol' Charles Reznikoff said it pretty well, so I leave the floor to him:
21971 Not because of victories @*
21974 but for the common sunshine,@*
21976 the largess of the spring.
21980 but for the day's work done@*
21981 as well as I was able;@*
21982 not for a seat upon the dais@*
21983 but at the common table.@*
21988 @chapter Appendices
21991 * XEmacs:: Requirements for installing under XEmacs.
21992 * History:: How Gnus got where it is today.
21993 * On Writing Manuals:: Why this is not a beginner's guide.
21994 * Terminology:: We use really difficult, like, words here.
21995 * Customization:: Tailoring Gnus to your needs.
21996 * Troubleshooting:: What you might try if things do not work.
21997 * Gnus Reference Guide:: Rilly, rilly technical stuff.
21998 * Emacs for Heathens:: A short introduction to Emacsian terms.
21999 * Frequently Asked Questions::
22006 @cindex Installing under XEmacs
22008 XEmacs is distributed as a collection of packages. You should install
22009 whatever packages the Gnus XEmacs package requires. The current
22010 requirements are @samp{gnus}, @samp{w3}, @samp{mh-e},
22011 @samp{mailcrypt}, @samp{rmail}, @samp{eterm}, @samp{mail-lib},
22012 @samp{xemacs-base}, and @samp{fsf-compat}. The @samp{misc-games}
22013 package is required for Morse decoding.
22020 @sc{gnus} was written by Masanobu @sc{Umeda}. When autumn crept up in
22021 '94, Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen grew bored and decided to rewrite Gnus.
22023 If you want to investigate the person responsible for this outrage,
22024 you can point your (feh!) web browser to
22025 @uref{http://quimby.gnus.org/}. This is also the primary
22026 distribution point for the new and spiffy versions of Gnus, and is
22027 known as The Site That Destroys Newsrcs And Drives People Mad.
22029 During the first extended alpha period of development, the new Gnus was
22030 called ``(ding) Gnus''. @dfn{(ding)} is, of course, short for
22031 @dfn{ding is not Gnus}, which is a total and utter lie, but who cares?
22032 (Besides, the ``Gnus'' in this abbreviation should probably be
22033 pronounced ``news'' as @sc{Umeda} intended, which makes it a more
22034 appropriate name, don't you think?)
22036 In any case, after spending all that energy on coming up with a new and
22037 spunky name, we decided that the name was @emph{too} spunky, so we
22038 renamed it back again to ``Gnus''. But in mixed case. ``Gnus'' vs.
22039 ``@sc{gnus}''. New vs. old.
22042 * Gnus Versions:: What Gnus versions have been released.
22043 * Other Gnus Versions:: Other Gnus versions that also have been released.
22044 * Why?:: What's the point of Gnus?
22045 * Compatibility:: Just how compatible is Gnus with @sc{gnus}?
22046 * Conformity:: Gnus tries to conform to all standards.
22047 * Emacsen:: Gnus can be run on a few modern Emacsen.
22048 * Gnus Development:: How Gnus is developed.
22049 * Contributors:: Oodles of people.
22050 * New Features:: Pointers to some of the new stuff in Gnus.
22054 @node Gnus Versions
22055 @subsection Gnus Versions
22057 @cindex September Gnus
22059 @cindex Quassia Gnus
22060 @cindex Pterodactyl Gnus
22064 The first ``proper'' release of Gnus 5 was done in November 1995 when it
22065 was included in the Emacs 19.30 distribution (132 (ding) Gnus releases
22066 plus 15 Gnus 5.0 releases).
22068 In May 1996 the next Gnus generation (aka. ``September Gnus'' (after 99
22069 releases)) was released under the name ``Gnus 5.2'' (40 releases).
22071 On July 28th 1996 work on Red Gnus was begun, and it was released on
22072 January 25th 1997 (after 84 releases) as ``Gnus 5.4'' (67 releases).
22074 On September 13th 1997, Quassia Gnus was started and lasted 37 releases.
22075 If was released as ``Gnus 5.6'' on March 8th 1998 (46 releases).
22077 Gnus 5.6 begat Pterodactyl Gnus on August 29th 1998 and was released as
22078 ``Gnus 5.8'' (after 99 releases and a CVS repository) on December 3rd
22081 On the 26th of October 2000, Oort Gnus was begun.
22083 If you happen upon a version of Gnus that has a prefixed name --
22084 ``(ding) Gnus'', ``September Gnus'', ``Red Gnus'', ``Quassia Gnus'',
22085 ``Pterodactyl Gnus'', ``Oort Gnus'' -- don't panic. Don't let it know
22086 that you're frightened. Back away. Slowly. Whatever you do, don't
22087 run. Walk away, calmly, until you're out of its reach. Find a proper
22088 released version of Gnus and snuggle up to that instead.
22091 @node Other Gnus Versions
22092 @subsection Other Gnus Versions
22095 In addition to the versions of Gnus which have had their releases
22096 coordinated by Lars, one major development has been Semi-gnus from
22097 Japan. It's based on a library called @sc{semi}, which provides
22098 @sc{mime} capabilities.
22100 These Gnusae are based mainly on Gnus 5.6 and Pterodactyl Gnus.
22101 Collectively, they are called ``Semi-gnus'', and different strains are
22102 called T-gnus, ET-gnus, Nana-gnus and Chaos. These provide powerful
22103 @sc{mime} and multilingualization things, especially important for
22110 What's the point of Gnus?
22112 I want to provide a ``rad'', ``happening'', ``way cool'' and ``hep''
22113 newsreader, that lets you do anything you can think of. That was my
22114 original motivation, but while working on Gnus, it has become clear to
22115 me that this generation of newsreaders really belong in the stone age.
22116 Newsreaders haven't developed much since the infancy of the net. If the
22117 volume continues to rise with the current rate of increase, all current
22118 newsreaders will be pretty much useless. How do you deal with
22119 newsgroups that have thousands of new articles each day? How do you
22120 keep track of millions of people who post?
22122 Gnus offers no real solutions to these questions, but I would very much
22123 like to see Gnus being used as a testing ground for new methods of
22124 reading and fetching news. Expanding on @sc{Umeda}-san's wise decision
22125 to separate the newsreader from the back ends, Gnus now offers a simple
22126 interface for anybody who wants to write new back ends for fetching mail
22127 and news from different sources. I have added hooks for customizations
22128 everywhere I could imagine it being useful. By doing so, I'm inviting
22129 every one of you to explore and invent.
22131 May Gnus never be complete. @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-emacs} and
22132 @kbd{C-u 100 M-x all-hail-xemacs}.
22135 @node Compatibility
22136 @subsection Compatibility
22138 @cindex compatibility
22139 Gnus was designed to be fully compatible with @sc{gnus}. Almost all key
22140 bindings have been kept. More key bindings have been added, of course,
22141 but only in one or two obscure cases have old bindings been changed.
22146 @center In a cloud bones of steel.
22150 All commands have kept their names. Some internal functions have changed
22153 The @code{gnus-uu} package has changed drastically. @xref{Decoding
22156 One major compatibility question is the presence of several summary
22157 buffers. All variables relevant while reading a group are
22158 buffer-local to the summary buffer they belong in. Although many
22159 important variables have their values copied into their global
22160 counterparts whenever a command is executed in the summary buffer, this
22161 change might lead to incorrect values being used unless you are careful.
22163 All code that relies on knowledge of @sc{gnus} internals will probably
22164 fail. To take two examples: Sorting @code{gnus-newsrc-alist} (or
22165 changing it in any way, as a matter of fact) is strictly verboten. Gnus
22166 maintains a hash table that points to the entries in this alist (which
22167 speeds up many functions), and changing the alist directly will lead to
22171 @cindex highlighting
22172 Old hilit19 code does not work at all. In fact, you should probably
22173 remove all hilit code from all Gnus hooks
22174 (@code{gnus-group-prepare-hook} and @code{gnus-summary-prepare-hook}).
22175 Gnus provides various integrated functions for highlighting. These are
22176 faster and more accurate. To make life easier for everybody, Gnus will
22177 by default remove all hilit calls from all hilit hooks. Uncleanliness!
22180 Packages like @code{expire-kill} will no longer work. As a matter of
22181 fact, you should probably remove all old @sc{gnus} packages (and other
22182 code) when you start using Gnus. More likely than not, Gnus already
22183 does what you have written code to make @sc{gnus} do. (Snicker.)
22185 Even though old methods of doing things are still supported, only the
22186 new methods are documented in this manual. If you detect a new method of
22187 doing something while reading this manual, that does not mean you have
22188 to stop doing it the old way.
22190 Gnus understands all @sc{gnus} startup files.
22192 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
22194 @cindex reporting bugs
22196 Overall, a casual user who hasn't written much code that depends on
22197 @sc{gnus} internals should suffer no problems. If problems occur,
22198 please let me know by issuing that magic command @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}.
22200 @vindex gnus-bug-create-help-buffer
22201 If you are in the habit of sending bug reports @emph{very} often, you
22202 may find the helpful help buffer annoying after a while. If so, set
22203 @code{gnus-bug-create-help-buffer} to @code{nil} to avoid having it pop
22208 @subsection Conformity
22210 No rebels without a clue here, ma'am. We conform to all standards known
22211 to (wo)man. Except for those standards and/or conventions we disagree
22219 There are no known breaches of this standard.
22223 There are no known breaches of this standard, either.
22225 @item Son-of-RFC 1036
22226 @cindex Son-of-RFC 1036
22227 We do have some breaches to this one.
22233 These are considered to be ``vanity headers'', while I consider them
22234 to be consumer information. After seeing so many badly formatted
22235 articles coming from @code{tin} and @code{Netscape} I know not to use
22236 either of those for posting articles. I would not have known that if
22237 it wasn't for the @code{X-Newsreader} header.
22242 USEFOR is an IETF working group writing a successor to RFC 1036, based
22243 on Son-of-RFC 1036. They have produced a number of drafts proposing
22244 various changes to the format of news articles. The Gnus towers will
22245 look into implementing the changes when the draft is accepted as an RFC.
22247 @item MIME - RFC 2045-2049 etc
22249 All the various @sc{mime} RFCs are supported.
22251 @item Disposition Notifications - RFC 2298
22252 Message Mode is able to request notifications from the receiver.
22254 @item PGP - RFC 1991 and RFC 2440
22257 RFC 1991 is the original PGP message specification, published as a
22258 Information RFC. RFC 2440 was the follow-up, now called Open PGP, and
22259 put on the Standards Track. Both document a non-@sc{mime} aware PGP
22260 format. Gnus supports both encoding (signing and encryption) and
22261 decoding (verification and decryption).
22263 @item PGP/MIME - RFC 2015/3156
22264 RFC 2015 (superceded by 3156 which references RFC 2440 instead of RFC
22265 1991) describes the @sc{mime}-wrapping around the RF 1991/2440 format.
22266 Gnus supports both encoding and decoding.
22268 @item S/MIME - RFC 2633
22269 RFC 2633 describes the @sc{s/mime} format.
22271 @item IMAP - RFC 1730/2060, RFC 2195, RFC 2086, RFC 2359, RFC 2595, RFC 1731
22272 RFC 1730 is @sc{imap} version 4, updated somewhat by RFC 2060 (@sc{imap} 4
22273 revision 1). RFC 2195 describes CRAM-MD5 authentication for @sc{imap}. RFC
22274 2086 describes access control lists (ACLs) for @sc{imap}. RFC 2359
22275 describes a @sc{imap} protocol enhancement. RFC 2595 describes the proper
22276 TLS integration (STARTTLS) with @sc{imap}. RFC 1731 describes the
22277 GSSAPI/Kerberos4 mechanisms for @sc{imap}.
22281 If you ever notice Gnus acting non-compliant with regards to the texts
22282 mentioned above, don't hesitate to drop a note to Gnus Towers and let us
22287 @subsection Emacsen
22293 Gnus should work on :
22301 XEmacs 20.4 and up.
22305 This Gnus version will absolutely not work on any Emacsen older than
22306 that. Not reliably, at least. Older versions of Gnus may work on older
22309 There are some vague differences between Gnus on the various
22310 platforms---XEmacs features more graphics (a logo and a toolbar)---but
22311 other than that, things should look pretty much the same under all
22315 @node Gnus Development
22316 @subsection Gnus Development
22318 Gnus is developed in a two-phased cycle. The first phase involves much
22319 discussion on the @samp{ding@@gnus.org} mailing list, where people
22320 propose changes and new features, post patches and new back ends. This
22321 phase is called the @dfn{alpha} phase, since the Gnusae released in this
22322 phase are @dfn{alpha releases}, or (perhaps more commonly in other
22323 circles) @dfn{snapshots}. During this phase, Gnus is assumed to be
22324 unstable and should not be used by casual users. Gnus alpha releases
22325 have names like ``Red Gnus'' and ``Quassia Gnus''.
22327 After futzing around for 50-100 alpha releases, Gnus is declared
22328 @dfn{frozen}, and only bug fixes are applied. Gnus loses the prefix,
22329 and is called things like ``Gnus 5.6.32'' instead. Normal people are
22330 supposed to be able to use these, and these are mostly discussed on the
22331 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus} newsgroup.
22334 @vindex mail-source-delete-incoming
22335 Some variable defaults differ between alpha Gnusae and released Gnusae.
22336 In particular, @code{mail-source-delete-incoming} defaults to @code{nil} in
22337 alpha Gnusae and @code{t} in released Gnusae. This is to prevent
22338 lossage of mail if an alpha release hiccups while handling the mail.
22340 The division of discussion between the ding mailing list and the Gnus
22341 newsgroup is not purely based on publicity concerns. It's true that
22342 having people write about the horrible things that an alpha Gnus release
22343 can do (sometimes) in a public forum may scare people off, but more
22344 importantly, talking about new experimental features that have been
22345 introduced may confuse casual users. New features are frequently
22346 introduced, fiddled with, and judged to be found wanting, and then
22347 either discarded or totally rewritten. People reading the mailing list
22348 usually keep up with these rapid changes, while people on the newsgroup
22349 can't be assumed to do so.
22354 @subsection Contributors
22355 @cindex contributors
22357 The new Gnus version couldn't have been done without the help of all the
22358 people on the (ding) mailing list. Every day for over a year I have
22359 gotten billions of nice bug reports from them, filling me with joy,
22360 every single one of them. Smooches. The people on the list have been
22361 tried beyond endurance, what with my ``oh, that's a neat idea <type
22362 type>, yup, I'll release it right away <ship off> no wait, that doesn't
22363 work at all <type type>, yup, I'll ship that one off right away <ship
22364 off> no, wait, that absolutely does not work'' policy for releases.
22365 Micro$oft---bah. Amateurs. I'm @emph{much} worse. (Or is that
22366 ``worser''? ``much worser''? ``worsest''?)
22368 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for... oops,
22374 Masanobu @sc{Umeda}---the writer of the original @sc{gnus}.
22377 Shenghuo Zhu---uudecode.el, mm-uu.el, rfc1843.el, webmail.el,
22378 nnwarchive and many, many other things connected with @sc{mime} and
22379 other types of en/decoding, as well as general bug fixing, new
22380 functionality and stuff.
22383 Per Abrahamsen---custom, scoring, highlighting and @sc{soup} code (as
22384 well as numerous other things).
22387 Luis Fernandes---design and graphics.
22390 Joe Reiss---creator of the smiley faces.
22393 Justin Sheehy--the FAQ maintainer.
22396 Erik Naggum---help, ideas, support, code and stuff.
22399 Wes Hardaker---@file{gnus-picon.el} and the manual section on
22400 @dfn{picons} (@pxref{Picons}).
22403 Kim-Minh Kaplan---further work on the picon code.
22406 Brad Miller---@file{gnus-gl.el} and the GroupLens manual section
22407 (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22410 Sudish Joseph---innumerable bug fixes.
22413 Ilja Weis---@file{gnus-topic.el}.
22416 Steven L. Baur---lots and lots and lots of bugs detections and fixes.
22419 Vladimir Alexiev---the refcard and reference booklets.
22422 Felix Lee & Jamie Zawinski---I stole some pieces from the XGnus
22423 distribution by Felix Lee and JWZ.
22426 Scott Byer---@file{nnfolder.el} enhancements & rewrite.
22429 Peter Mutsaers---orphan article scoring code.
22432 Ken Raeburn---POP mail support.
22435 Hallvard B Furuseth---various bits and pieces, especially dealing with
22439 Brian Edmonds---@file{gnus-bbdb.el}.
22442 David Moore---rewrite of @file{nnvirtual.el} and many other things.
22445 Kevin Davidson---came up with the name @dfn{ding}, so blame him.
22448 François Pinard---many, many interesting and thorough bug reports, as
22449 well as autoconf support.
22453 This manual was proof-read by Adrian Aichner, with Ricardo Nassif, Mark
22454 Borges, and Jost Krieger proof-reading parts of the manual.
22456 The following people have contributed many patches and suggestions:
22465 Jason L. Tibbitts, III,
22469 Also thanks to the following for patches and stuff:
22479 Alexei V. Barantsev,
22494 Massimo Campostrini,
22499 Jae-you Chung, @c ?
22500 James H. Cloos, Jr.,
22504 Andrew J. Cosgriff,
22507 Geoffrey T. Dairiki,
22513 Michael Welsh Duggan,
22518 Enami Tsugutomo, @c Enami
22522 Nelson Jose dos Santos Ferreira,
22530 Arne Georg Gleditsch,
22532 Michelangelo Grigni,
22536 Kenichi Handa, @c Handa
22538 Yoshiki Hayashi, @c ?
22540 Hisashige Kenji, @c Hisashige
22547 François Felix Ingrand,
22548 Tatsuya Ichikawa, @c ?
22549 Ishikawa Ichiro, @c Ishikawa
22551 Iwamuro Motonori, @c Iwamuro
22562 Peter Skov Knudsen,
22563 Shuhei Kobayashi, @c Kobayashi
22565 Koseki Yoshinori, @c Koseki
22566 Thor Kristoffersen,
22569 Seokchan Lee, @c Lee
22587 Morioka Tomohiko, @c Morioka
22588 Erik Toubro Nielsen,
22595 Masaharu Onishi, @c Onishi
22600 Jens-Ulrik Holger Petersen,
22604 John McClary Prevost,
22610 Lars Balker Rasmussen,
22615 Christian von Roques,
22618 Wolfgang Rupprecht,
22625 Philippe Schnoebelen,
22627 Randal L. Schwartz,
22641 Kiyokazu Suto, @c Suto
22646 Tozawa Akihiko, @c Tozawa
22662 Katsumi Yamaoka @c Yamaoka
22667 For a full overview of what each person has done, the ChangeLogs
22668 included in the Gnus alpha distributions should give ample reading
22669 (550kB and counting).
22671 Apologies to everybody that I've forgotten, of which there are many, I'm
22674 Gee, that's quite a list of people. I guess that must mean that there
22675 actually are people who are using Gnus. Who'd'a thunk it!
22679 @subsection New Features
22680 @cindex new features
22683 * ding Gnus:: New things in Gnus 5.0/5.1, the first new Gnus.
22684 * September Gnus:: The Thing Formally Known As Gnus 5.2/5.3.
22685 * Red Gnus:: Third time best---Gnus 5.4/5.5.
22686 * Quassia Gnus:: Two times two is four, or Gnus 5.6/5.7.
22687 * Pterodactyl Gnus:: Pentad also starts with P, AKA Gnus 5.8/5.9.
22690 These lists are, of course, just @emph{short} overviews of the
22691 @emph{most} important new features. No, really. There are tons more.
22692 Yes, we have feeping creaturism in full effect.
22695 @subsubsection (ding) Gnus
22697 New features in Gnus 5.0/5.1:
22702 The look of all buffers can be changed by setting format-like variables
22703 (@pxref{Group Buffer Format} and @pxref{Summary Buffer Format}).
22706 Local spool and several @sc{nntp} servers can be used at once
22707 (@pxref{Select Methods}).
22710 You can combine groups into virtual groups (@pxref{Virtual Groups}).
22713 You can read a number of different mail formats (@pxref{Getting Mail}).
22714 All the mail back ends implement a convenient mail expiry scheme
22715 (@pxref{Expiring Mail}).
22718 Gnus can use various strategies for gathering threads that have lost
22719 their roots (thereby gathering loose sub-threads into one thread) or it
22720 can go back and retrieve enough headers to build a complete thread
22721 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22724 Killed groups can be displayed in the group buffer, and you can read
22725 them as well (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22728 Gnus can do partial group updates---you do not have to retrieve the
22729 entire active file just to check for new articles in a few groups
22730 (@pxref{The Active File}).
22733 Gnus implements a sliding scale of subscribedness to groups
22734 (@pxref{Group Levels}).
22737 You can score articles according to any number of criteria
22738 (@pxref{Scoring}). You can even get Gnus to find out how to score
22739 articles for you (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
22742 Gnus maintains a dribble buffer that is auto-saved the normal Emacs
22743 manner, so it should be difficult to lose much data on what you have
22744 read if your machine should go down (@pxref{Auto Save}).
22747 Gnus now has its own startup file (@file{.gnus}) to avoid cluttering up
22748 the @file{.emacs} file.
22751 You can set the process mark on both groups and articles and perform
22752 operations on all the marked items (@pxref{Process/Prefix}).
22755 You can grep through a subset of groups and create a group from the
22756 results (@pxref{Kibozed Groups}).
22759 You can list subsets of groups according to, well, anything
22760 (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22763 You can browse foreign servers and subscribe to groups from those
22764 servers (@pxref{Browse Foreign Server}).
22767 Gnus can fetch articles, asynchronously, on a second connection to the
22768 server (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
22771 You can cache articles locally (@pxref{Article Caching}).
22774 The uudecode functions have been expanded and generalized
22775 (@pxref{Decoding Articles}).
22778 You can still post uuencoded articles, which was a little-known feature
22779 of @sc{gnus}' past (@pxref{Uuencoding and Posting}).
22782 Fetching parents (and other articles) now actually works without
22783 glitches (@pxref{Finding the Parent}).
22786 Gnus can fetch FAQs and group descriptions (@pxref{Group Information}).
22789 Digests (and other files) can be used as the basis for groups
22790 (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22793 Articles can be highlighted and customized (@pxref{Customizing
22797 URLs and other external references can be buttonized (@pxref{Article
22801 You can do lots of strange stuff with the Gnus window & frame
22802 configuration (@pxref{Window Layout}).
22805 You can click on buttons instead of using the keyboard
22811 @node September Gnus
22812 @subsubsection September Gnus
22816 \gnusfig{-28cm}{0cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/september,height=20cm}}
22820 New features in Gnus 5.2/5.3:
22825 A new message composition mode is used. All old customization variables
22826 for @code{mail-mode}, @code{rnews-reply-mode} and @code{gnus-msg} are
22830 Gnus is now able to generate @dfn{sparse} threads---threads where
22831 missing articles are represented by empty nodes (@pxref{Customizing
22835 (setq gnus-build-sparse-threads 'some)
22839 Outgoing articles are stored on a special archive server
22840 (@pxref{Archived Messages}).
22843 Partial thread regeneration now happens when articles are
22847 Gnus can make use of GroupLens predictions (@pxref{GroupLens}).
22850 Picons (personal icons) can be displayed under XEmacs (@pxref{Picons}).
22853 A @code{trn}-like tree buffer can be displayed (@pxref{Tree Display}).
22856 (setq gnus-use-trees t)
22860 An @code{nn}-like pick-and-read minor mode is available for the summary
22861 buffers (@pxref{Pick and Read}).
22864 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-mode-hook 'gnus-pick-mode)
22868 In binary groups you can use a special binary minor mode (@pxref{Binary
22872 Groups can be grouped in a folding topic hierarchy (@pxref{Group
22876 (add-hook 'gnus-group-mode-hook 'gnus-topic-mode)
22880 Gnus can re-send and bounce mail (@pxref{Summary Mail Commands}).
22883 Groups can now have a score, and bubbling based on entry frequency
22884 is possible (@pxref{Group Score}).
22887 (add-hook 'gnus-summary-exit-hook 'gnus-summary-bubble-group)
22891 Groups can be process-marked, and commands can be performed on
22892 groups of groups (@pxref{Marking Groups}).
22895 Caching is possible in virtual groups.
22898 @code{nndoc} now understands all kinds of digests, mail boxes, rnews
22899 news batches, ClariNet briefs collections, and just about everything
22900 else (@pxref{Document Groups}).
22903 Gnus has a new back end (@code{nnsoup}) to create/read SOUP packets
22907 The Gnus cache is much faster.
22910 Groups can be sorted according to many criteria (@pxref{Sorting
22914 New group parameters have been introduced to set list-addresses and
22915 expiry times (@pxref{Group Parameters}).
22918 All formatting specs allow specifying faces to be used
22919 (@pxref{Formatting Fonts}).
22922 There are several more commands for setting/removing/acting on process
22923 marked articles on the @kbd{M P} submap (@pxref{Setting Process Marks}).
22926 The summary buffer can be limited to show parts of the available
22927 articles based on a wide range of criteria. These commands have been
22928 bound to keys on the @kbd{/} submap (@pxref{Limiting}).
22931 Articles can be made persistent with the @kbd{*} command
22932 (@pxref{Persistent Articles}).
22935 All functions for hiding article elements are now toggles.
22938 Article headers can be buttonized (@pxref{Article Washing}).
22941 All mail back ends support fetching articles by @code{Message-ID}.
22944 Duplicate mail can now be treated properly (@pxref{Duplicates}).
22947 All summary mode commands are available directly from the article
22948 buffer (@pxref{Article Keymap}).
22951 Frames can be part of @code{gnus-buffer-configuration} (@pxref{Window
22955 Mail can be re-scanned by a daemonic process (@pxref{Daemons}).
22958 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fseptember,height=5cm}}
22963 Gnus can make use of NoCeM files to weed out spam (@pxref{NoCeM}).
22966 (setq gnus-use-nocem t)
22970 Groups can be made permanently visible (@pxref{Listing Groups}).
22973 (setq gnus-permanently-visible-groups "^nnml:")
22977 Many new hooks have been introduced to make customizing easier.
22980 Gnus respects the @code{Mail-Copies-To} header.
22983 Threads can be gathered by looking at the @code{References} header
22984 (@pxref{Customizing Threading}).
22987 (setq gnus-summary-thread-gathering-function
22988 'gnus-gather-threads-by-references)
22992 Read articles can be stored in a special backlog buffer to avoid
22993 refetching (@pxref{Article Backlog}).
22996 (setq gnus-keep-backlog 50)
23000 A clean copy of the current article is always stored in a separate
23001 buffer to allow easier treatment.
23004 Gnus can suggest where to save articles (@pxref{Saving Articles}).
23007 Gnus doesn't have to do as much prompting when saving (@pxref{Saving
23011 (setq gnus-prompt-before-saving t)
23015 @code{gnus-uu} can view decoded files asynchronously while fetching
23016 articles (@pxref{Other Decode Variables}).
23019 (setq gnus-uu-grabbed-file-functions 'gnus-uu-grab-view)
23023 Filling in the article buffer now works properly on cited text
23024 (@pxref{Article Washing}).
23027 Hiding cited text adds buttons to toggle hiding, and how much
23028 cited text to hide is now customizable (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23031 (setq gnus-cited-lines-visible 2)
23035 Boring headers can be hidden (@pxref{Article Hiding}).
23038 Default scoring values can now be set from the menu bar.
23041 Further syntax checking of outgoing articles have been added.
23047 @subsubsection Red Gnus
23049 New features in Gnus 5.4/5.5:
23053 \gnusfig{-5.5cm}{-4cm}{\epsfig{figure=ps/red,height=20cm}}
23060 @file{nntp.el} has been totally rewritten in an asynchronous fashion.
23063 Article prefetching functionality has been moved up into
23064 Gnus (@pxref{Asynchronous Fetching}).
23067 Scoring can now be performed with logical operators like @code{and},
23068 @code{or}, @code{not}, and parent redirection (@pxref{Advanced
23072 Article washing status can be displayed in the
23073 article mode line (@pxref{Misc Article}).
23076 @file{gnus.el} has been split into many smaller files.
23079 Suppression of duplicate articles based on Message-ID can be done
23080 (@pxref{Duplicate Suppression}).
23083 (setq gnus-suppress-duplicates t)
23087 New variables for specifying what score and adapt files are to be
23088 considered home score and adapt files (@pxref{Home Score File}) have
23092 @code{nndoc} was rewritten to be easily extendable (@pxref{Document
23093 Server Internals}).
23096 Groups can inherit group parameters from parent topics (@pxref{Topic
23100 Article editing has been revamped and is now actually usable.
23103 Signatures can be recognized in more intelligent fashions
23104 (@pxref{Article Signature}).
23107 Summary pick mode has been made to look more @code{nn}-like. Line
23108 numbers are displayed and the @kbd{.} command can be used to pick
23109 articles (@code{Pick and Read}).
23112 Commands for moving the @file{.newsrc.eld} from one server to
23113 another have been added (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23116 There's a way now to specify that ``uninteresting'' fields be suppressed
23117 when generating lines in buffers (@pxref{Advanced Formatting}).
23120 Several commands in the group buffer can be undone with @kbd{C-M-_}
23124 Scoring can be done on words using the new score type @code{w}
23125 (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23128 Adaptive scoring can be done on a Subject word-by-word basis
23129 (@pxref{Adaptive Scoring}).
23132 (setq gnus-use-adaptive-scoring '(word))
23136 Scores can be decayed (@pxref{Score Decays}).
23139 (setq gnus-decay-scores t)
23143 Scoring can be performed using a regexp on the Date header. The Date is
23144 normalized to compact ISO 8601 format first (@pxref{Score File Format}).
23147 A new command has been added to remove all data on articles from
23148 the native server (@pxref{Changing Servers}).
23151 A new command for reading collections of documents
23152 (@code{nndoc} with @code{nnvirtual} on top) has been added---@kbd{C-M-d}
23153 (@pxref{Really Various Summary Commands}).
23156 Process mark sets can be pushed and popped (@pxref{Setting Process
23160 A new mail-to-news back end makes it possible to post even when the @sc{nntp}
23161 server doesn't allow posting (@pxref{Mail-To-News Gateways}).
23164 A new back end for reading searches from Web search engines
23165 (@dfn{DejaNews}, @dfn{Alta Vista}, @dfn{InReference}) has been added
23166 (@pxref{Web Searches}).
23169 Groups inside topics can now be sorted using the standard sorting
23170 functions, and each topic can be sorted independently (@pxref{Topic
23174 Subsets of the groups can be sorted independently (@code{Sorting
23178 Cached articles can be pulled into the groups (@pxref{Summary Generation
23182 \marginpar[\mbox{}\hfill\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}]{\epsfig{figure=ps/fred,width=3cm}}
23187 Score files are now applied in a more reliable order (@pxref{Score
23191 Reports on where mail messages end up can be generated (@pxref{Splitting
23195 More hooks and functions have been added to remove junk from incoming
23196 mail before saving the mail (@pxref{Washing Mail}).
23199 Emphasized text can be properly fontisized:
23205 @subsubsection Quassia Gnus
23207 New features in Gnus 5.6:
23212 New functionality for using Gnus as an offline newsreader has been
23213 added. A plethora of new commands and modes have been added. See
23214 @pxref{Gnus Unplugged} for the full story.
23217 The @code{nndraft} back end has returned, but works differently than
23218 before. All Message buffers are now also articles in the @code{nndraft}
23219 group, which is created automatically.
23222 @code{gnus-alter-header-function} can now be used to alter header
23226 @code{gnus-summary-goto-article} now accept Message-ID's.
23229 A new Message command for deleting text in the body of a message
23230 outside the region: @kbd{C-c C-v}.
23233 You can now post to component group in @code{nnvirtual} groups with
23237 @code{nntp-rlogin-program}---new variable to ease customization.
23240 @code{C-u C-c C-c} in @code{gnus-article-edit-mode} will now inhibit
23241 re-highlighting of the article buffer.
23244 New element in @code{gnus-boring-article-headers}---@code{long-to}.
23247 @kbd{M-i} symbolic prefix command. See the section "Symbolic
23248 Prefixes" in the Gnus manual for details.
23251 @kbd{L} and @kbd{I} in the summary buffer now take the symbolic prefix
23252 @kbd{a} to add the score rule to the "all.SCORE" file.
23255 @code{gnus-simplify-subject-functions} variable to allow greater
23256 control over simplification.
23259 @kbd{A T}---new command for fetching the current thread.
23262 @kbd{/ T}---new command for including the current thread in the
23266 @kbd{M-RET} is a new Message command for breaking cited text.
23269 @samp{\\1}-expressions are now valid in @code{nnmail-split-methods}.
23272 The @code{custom-face-lookup} function has been removed.
23273 If you used this function in your initialization files, you must
23274 rewrite them to use @code{face-spec-set} instead.
23277 Canceling now uses the current select method. Symbolic prefix
23278 @kbd{a} forces normal posting method.
23281 New command to translate M******** sm*rtq**t*s into proper
23285 For easier debugging of @code{nntp}, you can set
23286 @code{nntp-record-commands} to a non-@code{nil} value.
23289 @code{nntp} now uses @file{~/.authinfo}, a @file{.netrc}-like file, for
23290 controlling where and how to send @sc{authinfo} to @sc{nntp} servers.
23293 A command for editing group parameters from the summary buffer
23297 A history of where mails have been split is available.
23300 A new article date command has been added---@code{article-date-iso8601}.
23303 Subjects can be simplified when threading by setting
23304 @code{gnus-score-thread-simplify}.
23307 A new function for citing in Message has been
23308 added---@code{message-cite-original-without-signature}.
23311 @code{article-strip-all-blank-lines}---new article command.
23314 A new Message command to kill to the end of the article has
23318 A minimum adaptive score can be specified by using the
23319 @code{gnus-adaptive-word-minimum} variable.
23322 The "lapsed date" article header can be kept continually
23323 updated by the @code{gnus-start-date-timer} command.
23326 Web listserv archives can be read with the @code{nnlistserv} back end.
23329 Old dejanews archives can now be read by @code{nnweb}.
23333 @node Pterodactyl Gnus
23334 @subsubsection Pterodactyl Gnus
23336 New features in Gnus 5.8:
23341 The mail-fetching functions have changed. See the manual for the
23342 many details. In particular, all procmail fetching variables are gone.
23344 If you used procmail like in
23347 (setq nnmail-use-procmail t)
23348 (setq nnmail-spool-file 'procmail)
23349 (setq nnmail-procmail-directory "~/mail/incoming/")
23350 (setq nnmail-procmail-suffix "\\.in")
23353 this now has changed to
23357 '((directory :path "~/mail/incoming/"
23361 More information is available in the info doc at Select Methods ->
23362 Getting Mail -> Mail Sources
23365 Gnus is now a @sc{mime}-capable reader. This affects many parts of
23366 Gnus, and adds a slew of new commands. See the manual for details.
23369 Gnus has also been multilingualized. This also affects too
23370 many parts of Gnus to summarize here, and adds many new variables.
23373 @code{gnus-auto-select-first} can now be a function to be
23374 called to position point.
23377 The user can now decide which extra headers should be included in
23378 summary buffers and @sc{nov} files.
23381 @code{gnus-article-display-hook} has been removed. Instead, a number
23382 of variables starting with @code{gnus-treat-} have been added.
23385 The Gnus posting styles have been redone again and now works in a
23386 subtly different manner.
23389 New web-based back ends have been added: @code{nnslashdot},
23390 @code{nnwarchive} and @code{nnultimate}. nnweb has been revamped,
23391 again, to keep up with ever-changing layouts.
23394 Gnus can now read @sc{imap} mail via @code{nnimap}.
23402 @section The Manual
23406 This manual was generated from a TeXinfo file and then run through
23407 either @code{texi2dvi}
23409 or my own home-brewed TeXinfo to \LaTeX\ transformer,
23410 and then run through @code{latex} and @code{dvips}
23412 to get what you hold in your hands now.
23414 The following conventions have been used:
23419 This is a @samp{string}
23422 This is a @kbd{keystroke}
23425 This is a @file{file}
23428 This is a @code{symbol}
23432 So if I were to say ``set @code{flargnoze} to @samp{yes}'', that would
23436 (setq flargnoze "yes")
23439 If I say ``set @code{flumphel} to @code{yes}'', that would mean:
23442 (setq flumphel 'yes)
23445 @samp{yes} and @code{yes} are two @emph{very} different things---don't
23446 ever get them confused.
23450 Of course, everything in this manual is of vital interest, so you should
23451 read it all. Several times. However, if you feel like skimming the
23452 manual, look for that gnu head you should see in the margin over
23453 there---it means that what's being discussed is of more importance than
23454 the rest of the stuff. (On the other hand, if everything is infinitely
23455 important, how can anything be more important than that? Just one more
23456 of the mysteries of this world, I guess.)
23462 @node On Writing Manuals
23463 @section On Writing Manuals
23465 I guess most manuals are written after-the-fact; documenting a program
23466 that's already there. This is not how this manual is written. When
23467 implementing something, I write the manual entry for that something
23468 straight away. I then see that it's difficult to explain the
23469 functionality, so I write how it's supposed to be, and then I change the
23470 implementation. Writing the documentation and writing the code goes
23473 This, of course, means that this manual has no, or little, flow. It
23474 documents absolutely everything in Gnus, but often not where you're
23475 looking for it. It is a reference manual, and not a guide to how to get
23478 That would be a totally different book, that should be written using the
23479 reference manual as source material. It would look quite differently.
23484 @section Terminology
23486 @cindex terminology
23491 This is what you are supposed to use this thing for---reading news.
23492 News is generally fetched from a nearby @sc{nntp} server, and is
23493 generally publicly available to everybody. If you post news, the entire
23494 world is likely to read just what you have written, and they'll all
23495 snigger mischievously. Behind your back.
23499 Everything that's delivered to you personally is mail. Some news/mail
23500 readers (like Gnus) blur the distinction between mail and news, but
23501 there is a difference. Mail is private. News is public. Mailing is
23502 not posting, and replying is not following up.
23506 Send a mail to the person who has written what you are reading.
23510 Post an article to the current newsgroup responding to the article you
23515 Gnus considers mail and news to be mostly the same, really. The only
23516 difference is how to access the actual articles. News articles are
23517 commonly fetched via the protocol NNTP, whereas mail messages could be
23518 read from a file on the local disk. The internal architecture of Gnus
23519 thus comprises a `front end' and a number of `back ends'. Internally,
23520 when you enter a group (by hitting @key{RET}, say), you thereby invoke
23521 a function in the front end in Gnus. The front end then `talks' to a
23522 back end and says things like ``Give me the list of articles in the foo
23523 group'' or ``Show me article number 4711''.
23525 So a back end mainly defines either a protocol (the @code{nntp} back end
23526 accesses news via NNTP, the @code{nnimap} back end accesses mail via
23527 IMAP) or a file format and directory layout (the @code{nnspool} back end
23528 accesses news via the common `spool directory' format, the @code{nnml}
23529 back end access mail via a file format and directory layout that's
23532 Gnus does not handle the underlying media, so to speak---this is all
23533 done by the back ends. A back end is a collection of functions to
23534 access the articles.
23536 However, sometimes the term `back end' is also used where `server'
23537 would have been more appropriate. And then there is the term `select
23538 method' which can mean either. The Gnus terminology can be quite
23543 Gnus will always use one method (and back end) as the @dfn{native}, or
23544 default, way of getting news.
23548 You can also have any number of foreign groups active at the same time.
23549 These are groups that use non-native non-secondary back ends for getting
23554 Secondary back ends are somewhere half-way between being native and being
23555 foreign, but they mostly act like they are native.
23559 A message that has been posted as news.
23562 @cindex mail message
23563 A message that has been mailed.
23567 A mail message or news article
23571 The top part of a message, where administrative information (etc.) is
23576 The rest of an article. Everything not in the head is in the
23581 A line from the head of an article.
23585 A collection of such lines, or a collection of heads. Or even a
23586 collection of @sc{nov} lines.
23590 When Gnus enters a group, it asks the back end for the headers of all
23591 unread articles in the group. Most servers support the News OverView
23592 format, which is more compact and much faster to read and parse than the
23593 normal @sc{head} format.
23597 Each group is subscribed at some @dfn{level} or other (1-9). The ones
23598 that have a lower level are ``more'' subscribed than the groups with a
23599 higher level. In fact, groups on levels 1-5 are considered
23600 @dfn{subscribed}; 6-7 are @dfn{unsubscribed}; 8 are @dfn{zombies}; and 9
23601 are @dfn{killed}. Commands for listing groups and scanning for new
23602 articles will all use the numeric prefix as @dfn{working level}.
23604 @item killed groups
23605 @cindex killed groups
23606 No information on killed groups is stored or updated, which makes killed
23607 groups much easier to handle than subscribed groups.
23609 @item zombie groups
23610 @cindex zombie groups
23611 Just like killed groups, only slightly less dead.
23614 @cindex active file
23615 The news server has to keep track of what articles it carries, and what
23616 groups exist. All this information in stored in the active file, which
23617 is rather large, as you might surmise.
23620 @cindex bogus groups
23621 A group that exists in the @file{.newsrc} file, but isn't known to the
23622 server (i.e., it isn't in the active file), is a @emph{bogus group}.
23623 This means that the group probably doesn't exist (any more).
23626 @cindex activating groups
23627 The act of asking the server for info on a group and computing the
23628 number of unread articles is called @dfn{activating the group}.
23629 Un-activated groups are listed with @samp{*} in the group buffer.
23633 A machine one can connect to and get news (or mail) from.
23635 @item select method
23636 @cindex select method
23637 A structure that specifies the back end, the server and the virtual
23640 @item virtual server
23641 @cindex virtual server
23642 A named select method. Since a select method defines all there is to
23643 know about connecting to a (physical) server, taking the thing as a
23644 whole is a virtual server.
23648 Taking a buffer and running it through a filter of some sort. The
23649 result will (more often than not) be cleaner and more pleasing than the
23652 @item ephemeral groups
23653 @cindex ephemeral groups
23654 Most groups store data on what articles you have read. @dfn{Ephemeral}
23655 groups are groups that will have no data stored---when you exit the
23656 group, it'll disappear into the aether.
23659 @cindex solid groups
23660 This is the opposite of ephemeral groups. All groups listed in the
23661 group buffer are solid groups.
23663 @item sparse articles
23664 @cindex sparse articles
23665 These are article placeholders shown in the summary buffer when
23666 @code{gnus-build-sparse-threads} has been switched on.
23670 To put responses to articles directly after the articles they respond
23671 to---in a hierarchical fashion.
23675 @cindex thread root
23676 The first article in a thread is the root. It is the ancestor of all
23677 articles in the thread.
23681 An article that has responses.
23685 An article that responds to a different article---its parent.
23689 A collection of messages in one file. The most common digest format is
23690 specified by RFC 1153.
23696 @node Customization
23697 @section Customization
23698 @cindex general customization
23700 All variables are properly documented elsewhere in this manual. This
23701 section is designed to give general pointers on how to customize Gnus
23702 for some quite common situations.
23705 * Slow/Expensive Connection:: You run a local Emacs and get the news elsewhere.
23706 * Slow Terminal Connection:: You run a remote Emacs.
23707 * Little Disk Space:: You feel that having large setup files is icky.
23708 * Slow Machine:: You feel like buying a faster machine.
23712 @node Slow/Expensive Connection
23713 @subsection Slow/Expensive NNTP Connection
23715 If you run Emacs on a machine locally, and get your news from a machine
23716 over some very thin strings, you want to cut down on the amount of data
23717 Gnus has to get from the @sc{nntp} server.
23721 @item gnus-read-active-file
23722 Set this to @code{nil}, which will inhibit Gnus from requesting the
23723 entire active file from the server. This file is often v. large. You
23724 also have to set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23725 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make sure that Gnus
23726 doesn't suddenly decide to fetch the active file anyway.
23728 @item gnus-nov-is-evil
23729 This one has to be @code{nil}. If not, grabbing article headers from
23730 the @sc{nntp} server will not be very fast. Not all @sc{nntp} servers
23731 support @sc{xover}; Gnus will detect this by itself.
23735 @node Slow Terminal Connection
23736 @subsection Slow Terminal Connection
23738 Let's say you use your home computer for dialing up the system that runs
23739 Emacs and Gnus. If your modem is slow, you want to reduce (as much as
23740 possible) the amount of data sent over the wires.
23744 @item gnus-auto-center-summary
23745 Set this to @code{nil} to inhibit Gnus from re-centering the summary
23746 buffer all the time. If it is @code{vertical}, do only vertical
23747 re-centering. If it is neither @code{nil} nor @code{vertical}, do both
23748 horizontal and vertical recentering.
23750 @item gnus-visible-headers
23751 Cut down on the headers included in the articles to the
23752 minimum. You can, in fact, make do without them altogether---most of the
23753 useful data is in the summary buffer, anyway. Set this variable to
23754 @samp{^NEVVVVER} or @samp{From:}, or whatever you feel you need.
23756 Set this hook to all the available hiding commands:
23758 (setq gnus-treat-hide-headers 'head
23759 gnus-treat-hide-signature t
23760 gnus-treat-hide-citation t)
23763 @item gnus-use-full-window
23764 By setting this to @code{nil}, you can make all the windows smaller.
23765 While this doesn't really cut down much generally, it means that you
23766 have to see smaller portions of articles before deciding that you didn't
23767 want to read them anyway.
23769 @item gnus-thread-hide-subtree
23770 If this is non-@code{nil}, all threads in the summary buffer will be
23774 @item gnus-updated-mode-lines
23775 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not put information in the buffer mode
23776 lines, which might save some time.
23780 @node Little Disk Space
23781 @subsection Little Disk Space
23784 The startup files can get rather large, so you may want to cut their
23785 sizes a bit if you are running out of space.
23789 @item gnus-save-newsrc-file
23790 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never save @file{.newsrc}---it will
23791 only save @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23792 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23795 @item gnus-read-newsrc-file
23796 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will never read @file{.newsrc}---it will
23797 only read @file{.newsrc.eld}. This means that you will not be able to
23798 use any other newsreaders than Gnus. This variable is @code{t} by
23801 @item gnus-save-killed-list
23802 If this is @code{nil}, Gnus will not save the list of dead groups. You
23803 should also set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} to @code{ask-server}
23804 and @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} if you set this
23805 variable to @code{nil}. This variable is @code{t} by default.
23811 @subsection Slow Machine
23812 @cindex slow machine
23814 If you have a slow machine, or are just really impatient, there are a
23815 few things you can do to make Gnus run faster.
23817 Set @code{gnus-check-new-newsgroups} and
23818 @code{gnus-check-bogus-newsgroups} to @code{nil} to make startup faster.
23820 Set @code{gnus-show-threads}, @code{gnus-use-cross-reference} and
23821 @code{gnus-nov-is-evil} to @code{nil} to make entering and exiting the
23822 summary buffer faster.
23826 @node Troubleshooting
23827 @section Troubleshooting
23828 @cindex troubleshooting
23830 Gnus works @emph{so} well straight out of the box---I can't imagine any
23838 Make sure your computer is switched on.
23841 Make sure that you really load the current Gnus version. If you have
23842 been running @sc{gnus}, you need to exit Emacs and start it up again before
23846 Try doing an @kbd{M-x gnus-version}. If you get something that looks
23847 like @samp{Gnus v5.46; nntp 4.0} you have the right files loaded. If,
23848 on the other hand, you get something like @samp{NNTP 3.x} or @samp{nntp
23849 flee}, you have some old @file{.el} files lying around. Delete these.
23852 Read the help group (@kbd{G h} in the group buffer) for a FAQ and a
23856 @vindex max-lisp-eval-depth
23857 Gnus works on many recursive structures, and in some extreme (and very
23858 rare) cases Gnus may recurse down ``too deeply'' and Emacs will beep at
23859 you. If this happens to you, set @code{max-lisp-eval-depth} to 500 or
23860 something like that.
23863 If all else fails, report the problem as a bug.
23866 @cindex reporting bugs
23868 @kindex M-x gnus-bug
23870 If you find a bug in Gnus, you can report it with the @kbd{M-x gnus-bug}
23871 command. @kbd{M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET}, and send
23872 me the backtrace. I will fix bugs, but I can only fix them if you send
23873 me a precise description as to how to reproduce the bug.
23875 You really can never be too detailed in a bug report. Always use the
23876 @kbd{M-x gnus-bug} command when you make bug reports, even if it creates
23877 a 10Kb mail each time you use it, and even if you have sent me your
23878 environment 500 times before. I don't care. I want the full info each
23881 It is also important to remember that I have no memory whatsoever. If
23882 you send a bug report, and I send you a reply, and then you just send
23883 back ``No, it's not! Moron!'', I will have no idea what you are
23884 insulting me about. Always over-explain everything. It's much easier
23885 for all of us---if I don't have all the information I need, I will just
23886 mail you and ask for more info, and everything takes more time.
23888 If the problem you're seeing is very visual, and you can't quite explain
23889 it, copy the Emacs window to a file (with @code{xwd}, for instance), put
23890 it somewhere it can be reached, and include the URL of the picture in
23894 If you would like to contribute a patch to fix bugs or make
23895 improvements, please produce the patch using @samp{diff -u}.
23898 If you want to debug your problem further before reporting, possibly
23899 in order to solve the problem yourself and send a patch, you can use
23900 edebug. Debugging lisp code is documented in the Elisp manual
23901 (@pxref{Debugging, , Debugging Lisp Programs, elisp, The GNU Emacs
23902 Lisp Reference Manual}). To get you started with edebug, consider if
23903 you discover some weird behaviour when pressing @kbd{c}, the first
23904 step is to do @kbd{C-h k c} and click on the hyperlink (Emacs only) in
23905 the documentation buffer that leads you to the function definition,
23906 then press @kbd{M-x edebug-defun RET} with point inside that function,
23907 return to Gnus and press @kbd{c} to invoke the code. You will be
23908 placed in the lisp buffer and can single step using @kbd{SPC} and
23909 evaluate expressions using @kbd{M-:} or inspect variables using
23910 @kbd{C-h v}, abort execution with @kbd{q}, and resume execution with
23911 @kbd{c} or @kbd{g}.
23913 If you just need help, you are better off asking on
23914 @samp{gnu.emacs.gnus}. I'm not very helpful.
23916 @cindex gnu.emacs.gnus
23917 @cindex ding mailing list
23918 You can also ask on the ding mailing list---@samp{ding@@gnus.org}.
23919 Write to @samp{ding-request@@gnus.org} to subscribe.
23923 @node Gnus Reference Guide
23924 @section Gnus Reference Guide
23926 It is my hope that other people will figure out smart stuff that Gnus
23927 can do, and that other people will write those smart things as well. To
23928 facilitate that I thought it would be a good idea to describe the inner
23929 workings of Gnus. And some of the not-so-inner workings, while I'm at
23932 You can never expect the internals of a program not to change, but I
23933 will be defining (in some details) the interface between Gnus and its
23934 back ends (this is written in stone), the format of the score files
23935 (ditto), data structures (some are less likely to change than others)
23936 and general methods of operation.
23939 * Gnus Utility Functions:: Common functions and variable to use.
23940 * Back End Interface:: How Gnus communicates with the servers.
23941 * Score File Syntax:: A BNF definition of the score file standard.
23942 * Headers:: How Gnus stores headers internally.
23943 * Ranges:: A handy format for storing mucho numbers.
23944 * Group Info:: The group info format.
23945 * Extended Interactive:: Symbolic prefixes and stuff.
23946 * Emacs/XEmacs Code:: Gnus can be run under all modern Emacsen.
23947 * Various File Formats:: Formats of files that Gnus use.
23951 @node Gnus Utility Functions
23952 @subsection Gnus Utility Functions
23953 @cindex Gnus utility functions
23954 @cindex utility functions
23956 @cindex internal variables
23958 When writing small functions to be run from hooks (and stuff), it's
23959 vital to have access to the Gnus internal functions and variables.
23960 Below is a list of the most common ones.
23964 @item gnus-newsgroup-name
23965 @vindex gnus-newsgroup-name
23966 This variable holds the name of the current newsgroup.
23968 @item gnus-find-method-for-group
23969 @findex gnus-find-method-for-group
23970 A function that returns the select method for @var{group}.
23972 @item gnus-group-real-name
23973 @findex gnus-group-real-name
23974 Takes a full (prefixed) Gnus group name, and returns the unprefixed
23977 @item gnus-group-prefixed-name
23978 @findex gnus-group-prefixed-name
23979 Takes an unprefixed group name and a select method, and returns the full
23980 (prefixed) Gnus group name.
23982 @item gnus-get-info
23983 @findex gnus-get-info
23984 Returns the group info list for @var{group}.
23986 @item gnus-group-unread
23987 @findex gnus-group-unread
23988 The number of unread articles in @var{group}, or @code{t} if that is
23992 @findex gnus-active
23993 The active entry for @var{group}.
23995 @item gnus-set-active
23996 @findex gnus-set-active
23997 Set the active entry for @var{group}.
23999 @item gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24000 @findex gnus-add-current-to-buffer-list
24001 Adds the current buffer to the list of buffers to be killed on Gnus
24004 @item gnus-continuum-version
24005 @findex gnus-continuum-version
24006 Takes a Gnus version string as a parameter and returns a floating point
24007 number. Earlier versions will always get a lower number than later
24010 @item gnus-group-read-only-p
24011 @findex gnus-group-read-only-p
24012 Says whether @var{group} is read-only or not.
24014 @item gnus-news-group-p
24015 @findex gnus-news-group-p
24016 Says whether @var{group} came from a news back end.
24018 @item gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24019 @findex gnus-ephemeral-group-p
24020 Says whether @var{group} is ephemeral or not.
24022 @item gnus-server-to-method
24023 @findex gnus-server-to-method
24024 Returns the select method corresponding to @var{server}.
24026 @item gnus-server-equal
24027 @findex gnus-server-equal
24028 Says whether two virtual servers are equal.
24030 @item gnus-group-native-p
24031 @findex gnus-group-native-p
24032 Says whether @var{group} is native or not.
24034 @item gnus-group-secondary-p
24035 @findex gnus-group-secondary-p
24036 Says whether @var{group} is secondary or not.
24038 @item gnus-group-foreign-p
24039 @findex gnus-group-foreign-p
24040 Says whether @var{group} is foreign or not.
24042 @item group-group-find-parameter
24043 @findex group-group-find-parameter
24044 Returns the parameter list of @var{group}. If given a second parameter,
24045 returns the value of that parameter for @var{group}.
24047 @item gnus-group-set-parameter
24048 @findex gnus-group-set-parameter
24049 Takes three parameters; @var{group}, @var{parameter} and @var{value}.
24051 @item gnus-narrow-to-body
24052 @findex gnus-narrow-to-body
24053 Narrows the current buffer to the body of the article.
24055 @item gnus-check-backend-function
24056 @findex gnus-check-backend-function
24057 Takes two parameters, @var{function} and @var{group}. If the back end
24058 @var{group} comes from supports @var{function}, return non-@code{nil}.
24061 (gnus-check-backend-function "request-scan" "nnml:misc")
24065 @item gnus-read-method
24066 @findex gnus-read-method
24067 Prompts the user for a select method.
24072 @node Back End Interface
24073 @subsection Back End Interface
24075 Gnus doesn't know anything about @sc{nntp}, spools, mail or virtual
24076 groups. It only knows how to talk to @dfn{virtual servers}. A virtual
24077 server is a @dfn{back end} and some @dfn{back end variables}. As examples
24078 of the first, we have @code{nntp}, @code{nnspool} and @code{nnmbox}. As
24079 examples of the latter we have @code{nntp-port-number} and
24080 @code{nnmbox-directory}.
24082 When Gnus asks for information from a back end---say @code{nntp}---on
24083 something, it will normally include a virtual server name in the
24084 function parameters. (If not, the back end should use the ``current''
24085 virtual server.) For instance, @code{nntp-request-list} takes a virtual
24086 server as its only (optional) parameter. If this virtual server hasn't
24087 been opened, the function should fail.
24089 Note that a virtual server name has no relation to some physical server
24090 name. Take this example:
24094 (nntp-address "ifi.uio.no")
24095 (nntp-port-number 4324))
24098 Here the virtual server name is @samp{odd-one} while the name of
24099 the physical server is @samp{ifi.uio.no}.
24101 The back ends should be able to switch between several virtual servers.
24102 The standard back ends implement this by keeping an alist of virtual
24103 server environments that they pull down/push up when needed.
24105 There are two groups of interface functions: @dfn{required functions},
24106 which must be present, and @dfn{optional functions}, which Gnus will
24107 always check for presence before attempting to call 'em.
24109 All these functions are expected to return data in the buffer
24110 @code{nntp-server-buffer} (@samp{ *nntpd*}), which is somewhat
24111 unfortunately named, but we'll have to live with it. When I talk about
24112 @dfn{resulting data}, I always refer to the data in that buffer. When I
24113 talk about @dfn{return value}, I talk about the function value returned by
24114 the function call. Functions that fail should return @code{nil} as the
24117 Some back ends could be said to be @dfn{server-forming} back ends, and
24118 some might be said not to be. The latter are back ends that generally
24119 only operate on one group at a time, and have no concept of ``server''
24120 -- they have a group, and they deliver info on that group and nothing
24123 Gnus identifies each message by way of group name and article number. A
24124 few remarks about these article numbers might be useful. First of all,
24125 the numbers are positive integers. Secondly, it is normally not
24126 possible for later articles to `re-use' older article numbers without
24127 confusing Gnus. That is, if a group has ever contained a message
24128 numbered 42, then no other message may get that number, or Gnus will get
24129 mightily confused.@footnote{See the function
24130 @code{nnchoke-request-update-info}, @ref{Optional Back End Functions}.}
24131 Third, article numbers must be assigned in order of arrival in the
24132 group; this is not necessarily the same as the date of the message.
24134 The previous paragraph already mentions all the `hard' restrictions that
24135 article numbers must fulfill. But it seems that it might be useful to
24136 assign @emph{consecutive} article numbers, for Gnus gets quite confused
24137 if there are holes in the article numbering sequence. However, due to
24138 the `no-reuse' restriction, holes cannot be avoided altogether. It's
24139 also useful for the article numbers to start at 1 to avoid running out
24140 of numbers as long as possible.
24142 Note that by convention, backends are named @code{nnsomething}, but
24143 Gnus also comes with some @code{nnnotbackends}, such as
24144 @file{nnheader.el}, @file{nnmail.el} and @file{nnoo.el}.
24146 In the examples and definitions I will refer to the imaginary back end
24149 @cindex @code{nnchoke}
24152 * Required Back End Functions:: Functions that must be implemented.
24153 * Optional Back End Functions:: Functions that need not be implemented.
24154 * Error Messaging:: How to get messages and report errors.
24155 * Writing New Back Ends:: Extending old back ends.
24156 * Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus:: What has to be done on the Gnus end.
24157 * Mail-like Back Ends:: Some tips on mail back ends.
24161 @node Required Back End Functions
24162 @subsubsection Required Back End Functions
24166 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-headers ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FETCH-OLD)
24168 @var{articles} is either a range of article numbers or a list of
24169 @code{Message-ID}s. Current back ends do not fully support either---only
24170 sequences (lists) of article numbers, and most back ends do not support
24171 retrieval of @code{Message-ID}s. But they should try for both.
24173 The result data should either be HEADs or @sc{nov} lines, and the result
24174 value should either be @code{headers} or @code{nov} to reflect this.
24175 This might later be expanded to @code{various}, which will be a mixture
24176 of HEADs and @sc{nov} lines, but this is currently not supported by Gnus.
24178 If @var{fetch-old} is non-@code{nil} it says to try fetching "extra
24179 headers", in some meaning of the word. This is generally done by
24180 fetching (at most) @var{fetch-old} extra headers less than the smallest
24181 article number in @code{articles}, and filling the gaps as well. The
24182 presence of this parameter can be ignored if the back end finds it
24183 cumbersome to follow the request. If this is non-@code{nil} and not a
24184 number, do maximum fetches.
24186 Here's an example HEAD:
24189 221 1056 Article retrieved.
24190 Path: ifi.uio.no!sturles
24191 From: sturles@@ifi.uio.no (Sturle Sunde)
24192 Newsgroups: ifi.discussion
24193 Subject: Re: Something very droll
24194 Date: 27 Oct 1994 14:02:57 +0100
24195 Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
24197 Message-ID: <38o8e1$a0o@@holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no>
24198 References: <38jdmq$4qu@@visbur.ifi.uio.no>
24199 NNTP-Posting-Host: holmenkollen.ifi.uio.no
24203 So a @code{headers} return value would imply that there's a number of
24204 these in the data buffer.
24206 Here's a BNF definition of such a buffer:
24210 head = error / valid-head
24211 error-message = [ "4" / "5" ] 2number " " <error message> eol
24212 valid-head = valid-message *header "." eol
24213 valid-message = "221 " <number> " Article retrieved." eol
24214 header = <text> eol
24217 If the return value is @code{nov}, the data buffer should contain
24218 @dfn{network overview database} lines. These are basically fields
24222 nov-buffer = *nov-line
24223 nov-line = 8*9 [ field <TAB> ] eol
24224 field = <text except TAB>
24227 For a closer look at what should be in those fields,
24231 @item (nnchoke-open-server SERVER &optional DEFINITIONS)
24233 @var{server} is here the virtual server name. @var{definitions} is a
24234 list of @code{(VARIABLE VALUE)} pairs that define this virtual server.
24236 If the server can't be opened, no error should be signaled. The back end
24237 may then choose to refuse further attempts at connecting to this
24238 server. In fact, it should do so.
24240 If the server is opened already, this function should return a
24241 non-@code{nil} value. There should be no data returned.
24244 @item (nnchoke-close-server &optional SERVER)
24246 Close connection to @var{server} and free all resources connected
24247 to it. Return @code{nil} if the server couldn't be closed for some
24250 There should be no data returned.
24253 @item (nnchoke-request-close)
24255 Close connection to all servers and free all resources that the back end
24256 have reserved. All buffers that have been created by that back end
24257 should be killed. (Not the @code{nntp-server-buffer}, though.) This
24258 function is generally only called when Gnus is shutting down.
24260 There should be no data returned.
24263 @item (nnchoke-server-opened &optional SERVER)
24265 If @var{server} is the current virtual server, and the connection to the
24266 physical server is alive, then this function should return a
24267 non-@code{nil} vlue. This function should under no circumstances
24268 attempt to reconnect to a server we have lost connection to.
24270 There should be no data returned.
24273 @item (nnchoke-status-message &optional SERVER)
24275 This function should return the last error message from @var{server}.
24277 There should be no data returned.
24280 @item (nnchoke-request-article ARTICLE &optional GROUP SERVER TO-BUFFER)
24282 The result data from this function should be the article specified by
24283 @var{article}. This might either be a @code{Message-ID} or a number.
24284 It is optional whether to implement retrieval by @code{Message-ID}, but
24285 it would be nice if that were possible.
24287 If @var{to-buffer} is non-@code{nil}, the result data should be returned
24288 in this buffer instead of the normal data buffer. This is to make it
24289 possible to avoid copying large amounts of data from one buffer to
24290 another, while Gnus mainly requests articles to be inserted directly
24291 into its article buffer.
24293 If it is at all possible, this function should return a cons cell where
24294 the @code{car} is the group name the article was fetched from, and the @code{cdr} is
24295 the article number. This will enable Gnus to find out what the real
24296 group and article numbers are when fetching articles by
24297 @code{Message-ID}. If this isn't possible, @code{t} should be returned
24298 on successful article retrieval.
24301 @item (nnchoke-request-group GROUP &optional SERVER FAST)
24303 Get data on @var{group}. This function also has the side effect of
24304 making @var{group} the current group.
24306 If @var{fast}, don't bother to return useful data, just make @var{group}
24309 Here's an example of some result data and a definition of the same:
24312 211 56 1000 1059 ifi.discussion
24315 The first number is the status, which should be 211. Next is the
24316 total number of articles in the group, the lowest article number, the
24317 highest article number, and finally the group name. Note that the total
24318 number of articles may be less than one might think while just
24319 considering the highest and lowest article numbers, but some articles
24320 may have been canceled. Gnus just discards the total-number, so
24321 whether one should take the bother to generate it properly (if that is a
24322 problem) is left as an exercise to the reader. If the group contains no
24323 articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1 and the
24327 group-status = [ error / info ] eol
24328 error = [ "4" / "5" ] 2<number> " " <Error message>
24329 info = "211 " 3* [ <number> " " ] <string>
24333 @item (nnchoke-close-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24335 Close @var{group} and free any resources connected to it. This will be
24336 a no-op on most back ends.
24338 There should be no data returned.
24341 @item (nnchoke-request-list &optional SERVER)
24343 Return a list of all groups available on @var{server}. And that means
24346 Here's an example from a server that only carries two groups:
24349 ifi.test 0000002200 0000002000 y
24350 ifi.discussion 3324 3300 n
24353 On each line we have a group name, then the highest article number in
24354 that group, the lowest article number, and finally a flag. If the group
24355 contains no articles, the lowest article number should be reported as 1
24356 and the highest as 0.
24359 active-file = *active-line
24360 active-line = name " " <number> " " <number> " " flags eol
24362 flags = "n" / "y" / "m" / "x" / "j" / "=" name
24365 The flag says whether the group is read-only (@samp{n}), is moderated
24366 (@samp{m}), is dead (@samp{x}), is aliased to some other group
24367 (@samp{=other-group}) or none of the above (@samp{y}).
24370 @item (nnchoke-request-post &optional SERVER)
24372 This function should post the current buffer. It might return whether
24373 the posting was successful or not, but that's not required. If, for
24374 instance, the posting is done asynchronously, it has generally not been
24375 completed by the time this function concludes. In that case, this
24376 function should set up some kind of sentinel to beep the user loud and
24377 clear if the posting could not be completed.
24379 There should be no result data from this function.
24384 @node Optional Back End Functions
24385 @subsubsection Optional Back End Functions
24389 @item (nnchoke-retrieve-groups GROUPS &optional SERVER)
24391 @var{groups} is a list of groups, and this function should request data
24392 on all those groups. How it does it is of no concern to Gnus, but it
24393 should attempt to do this in a speedy fashion.
24395 The return value of this function can be either @code{active} or
24396 @code{group}, which says what the format of the result data is. The
24397 former is in the same format as the data from
24398 @code{nnchoke-request-list}, while the latter is a buffer full of lines
24399 in the same format as @code{nnchoke-request-group} gives.
24402 group-buffer = *active-line / *group-status
24406 @item (nnchoke-request-update-info GROUP INFO &optional SERVER)
24408 A Gnus group info (@pxref{Group Info}) is handed to the back end for
24409 alterations. This comes in handy if the back end really carries all the
24410 information (as is the case with virtual and imap groups). This
24411 function should destructively alter the info to suit its needs, and
24412 should return a non-nil value.
24414 There should be no result data from this function.
24417 @item (nnchoke-request-type GROUP &optional ARTICLE)
24419 When the user issues commands for ``sending news'' (@kbd{F} in the
24420 summary buffer, for instance), Gnus has to know whether the article the
24421 user is following up on is news or mail. This function should return
24422 @code{news} if @var{article} in @var{group} is news, @code{mail} if it
24423 is mail and @code{unknown} if the type can't be decided. (The
24424 @var{article} parameter is necessary in @code{nnvirtual} groups which
24425 might very well combine mail groups and news groups.) Both @var{group}
24426 and @var{article} may be @code{nil}.
24428 There should be no result data from this function.
24431 @item (nnchoke-request-set-mark GROUP ACTION &optional SERVER)
24433 Set/remove/add marks on articles. Normally Gnus handles the article
24434 marks (such as read, ticked, expired etc) internally, and store them in
24435 @code{~/.newsrc.eld}. Some back ends (such as @sc{imap}) however carry
24436 all information about the articles on the server, so Gnus need to
24437 propagate the mark information to the server.
24439 ACTION is a list of mark setting requests, having this format:
24442 (RANGE ACTION MARK)
24445 RANGE is a range of articles you wish to update marks on. ACTION is
24446 @code{add} or @code{del}, used to add marks or remove marks
24447 (preserving all marks not mentioned). MARK is a list of marks; where
24448 each mark is a symbol. Currently used marks are @code{read},
24449 @code{tick}, @code{reply}, @code{expire}, @code{killed},
24450 @code{dormant}, @code{save}, @code{download}, @code{unsend},
24451 @code{forward} and @code{recent}, but your back end should, if
24452 possible, not limit itself to these.
24454 Given contradictory actions, the last action in the list should be the
24455 effective one. That is, if your action contains a request to add the
24456 @code{tick} mark on article 1 and, later in the list, a request to
24457 remove the mark on the same article, the mark should in fact be removed.
24459 An example action list:
24462 (((5 12 30) 'del '(tick))
24463 ((10 . 90) 'add '(read expire))
24464 ((92 94) 'del '(read)))
24467 The function should return a range of articles it wasn't able to set the
24468 mark on (currently not used for anything).
24470 There should be no result data from this function.
24472 @item (nnchoke-request-update-mark GROUP ARTICLE MARK)
24474 If the user tries to set a mark that the back end doesn't like, this
24475 function may change the mark. Gnus will use whatever this function
24476 returns as the mark for @var{article} instead of the original
24477 @var{mark}. If the back end doesn't care, it must return the original
24478 @var{mark}, and not @code{nil} or any other type of garbage.
24480 The only use for this I can see is what @code{nnvirtual} does with
24481 it---if a component group is auto-expirable, marking an article as read
24482 in the virtual group should result in the article being marked as
24485 There should be no result data from this function.
24488 @item (nnchoke-request-scan &optional GROUP SERVER)
24490 This function may be called at any time (by Gnus or anything else) to
24491 request that the back end check for incoming articles, in one way or
24492 another. A mail back end will typically read the spool file or query the
24493 POP server when this function is invoked. The @var{group} doesn't have
24494 to be heeded---if the back end decides that it is too much work just
24495 scanning for a single group, it may do a total scan of all groups. It
24496 would be nice, however, to keep things local if that's practical.
24498 There should be no result data from this function.
24501 @item (nnchoke-request-group-description GROUP &optional SERVER)
24503 The result data from this function should be a description of
24507 description-line = name <TAB> description eol
24509 description = <text>
24512 @item (nnchoke-request-list-newsgroups &optional SERVER)
24514 The result data from this function should be the description of all
24515 groups available on the server.
24518 description-buffer = *description-line
24522 @item (nnchoke-request-newgroups DATE &optional SERVER)
24524 The result data from this function should be all groups that were
24525 created after @samp{date}, which is in normal human-readable date format
24526 (i.e., the date format used in mail and news headers, and returned by
24527 the function @code{message-make-date} by default). The data should be
24528 in the active buffer format.
24530 It is okay for this function to return `too many' groups; some back ends
24531 might find it cheaper to return the full list of groups, rather than
24532 just the new groups. But don't do this for back ends with many groups.
24533 Normally, if the user creates the groups herself, there won't be too
24534 many groups, so @code{nnml} and the like are probably safe. But for
24535 back ends like @code{nntp}, where the groups have been created by the
24536 server, it is quite likely that there can be many groups.
24539 @item (nnchoke-request-create-group GROUP &optional SERVER)
24541 This function should create an empty group with name @var{group}.
24543 There should be no return data.
24546 @item (nnchoke-request-expire-articles ARTICLES &optional GROUP SERVER FORCE)
24548 This function should run the expiry process on all articles in the
24549 @var{articles} range (which is currently a simple list of article
24550 numbers.) It is left up to the back end to decide how old articles
24551 should be before they are removed by this function. If @var{force} is
24552 non-@code{nil}, all @var{articles} should be deleted, no matter how new
24555 This function should return a list of articles that it did not/was not
24558 There should be no result data returned.
24561 @item (nnchoke-request-move-article ARTICLE GROUP SERVER ACCEPT-FORM
24564 This function should move @var{article} (which is a number) from
24565 @var{group} by calling @var{accept-form}.
24567 This function should ready the article in question for moving by
24568 removing any header lines it has added to the article, and generally
24569 should ``tidy up'' the article. Then it should @code{eval}
24570 @var{accept-form} in the buffer where the ``tidy'' article is. This
24571 will do the actual copying. If this @code{eval} returns a
24572 non-@code{nil} value, the article should be removed.
24574 If @var{last} is @code{nil}, that means that there is a high likelihood
24575 that there will be more requests issued shortly, so that allows some
24578 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24579 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24581 There should be no data returned.
24584 @item (nnchoke-request-accept-article GROUP &optional SERVER LAST)
24586 This function takes the current buffer and inserts it into @var{group}.
24587 If @var{last} in @code{nil}, that means that there will be more calls to
24588 this function in short order.
24590 The function should return a cons where the @code{car} is the group name and
24591 the @code{cdr} is the article number that the article was entered as.
24593 There should be no data returned.
24596 @item (nnchoke-request-replace-article ARTICLE GROUP BUFFER)
24598 This function should remove @var{article} (which is a number) from
24599 @var{group} and insert @var{buffer} there instead.
24601 There should be no data returned.
24604 @item (nnchoke-request-delete-group GROUP FORCE &optional SERVER)
24606 This function should delete @var{group}. If @var{force}, it should
24607 really delete all the articles in the group, and then delete the group
24608 itself. (If there is such a thing as ``the group itself''.)
24610 There should be no data returned.
24613 @item (nnchoke-request-rename-group GROUP NEW-NAME &optional SERVER)
24615 This function should rename @var{group} into @var{new-name}. All
24616 articles in @var{group} should move to @var{new-name}.
24618 There should be no data returned.
24623 @node Error Messaging
24624 @subsubsection Error Messaging
24626 @findex nnheader-report
24627 @findex nnheader-get-report
24628 The back ends should use the function @code{nnheader-report} to report
24629 error conditions---they should not raise errors when they aren't able to
24630 perform a request. The first argument to this function is the back end
24631 symbol, and the rest are interpreted as arguments to @code{format} if
24632 there are multiple of them, or just a string if there is one of them.
24633 This function must always returns @code{nil}.
24636 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "You did something totally bogus")
24638 (nnheader-report 'nnchoke "Could not request group %s" group)
24641 Gnus, in turn, will call @code{nnheader-get-report} when it gets a
24642 @code{nil} back from a server, and this function returns the most
24643 recently reported message for the back end in question. This function
24644 takes one argument---the server symbol.
24646 Internally, these functions access @var{back-end}@code{-status-string},
24647 so the @code{nnchoke} back end will have its error message stored in
24648 @code{nnchoke-status-string}.
24651 @node Writing New Back Ends
24652 @subsubsection Writing New Back Ends
24654 Many back ends are quite similar. @code{nnml} is just like
24655 @code{nnspool}, but it allows you to edit the articles on the server.
24656 @code{nnmh} is just like @code{nnml}, but it doesn't use an active file,
24657 and it doesn't maintain overview databases. @code{nndir} is just like
24658 @code{nnml}, but it has no concept of ``groups'', and it doesn't allow
24661 It would make sense if it were possible to ``inherit'' functions from
24662 back ends when writing new back ends. And, indeed, you can do that if you
24663 want to. (You don't have to if you don't want to, of course.)
24665 All the back ends declare their public variables and functions by using a
24666 package called @code{nnoo}.
24668 To inherit functions from other back ends (and allow other back ends to
24669 inherit functions from the current back end), you should use the
24675 This macro declares the first parameter to be a child of the subsequent
24676 parameters. For instance:
24679 (nnoo-declare nndir
24683 @code{nndir} has declared here that it intends to inherit functions from
24684 both @code{nnml} and @code{nnmh}.
24687 This macro is equivalent to @code{defvar}, but registers the variable as
24688 a public server variable. Most state-oriented variables should be
24689 declared with @code{defvoo} instead of @code{defvar}.
24691 In addition to the normal @code{defvar} parameters, it takes a list of
24692 variables in the parent back ends to map the variable to when executing
24693 a function in those back ends.
24696 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24697 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24698 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24701 This means that @code{nnml-current-directory} will be set to
24702 @code{nndir-directory} when an @code{nnml} function is called on behalf
24703 of @code{nndir}. (The same with @code{nnmh}.)
24705 @item nnoo-define-basics
24706 This macro defines some common functions that almost all back ends should
24710 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24714 This macro is just like @code{defun} and takes the same parameters. In
24715 addition to doing the normal @code{defun} things, it registers the
24716 function as being public so that other back ends can inherit it.
24718 @item nnoo-map-functions
24719 This macro allows mapping of functions from the current back end to
24720 functions from the parent back ends.
24723 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24724 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24725 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0))
24728 This means that when @code{nndir-retrieve-headers} is called, the first,
24729 third, and fourth parameters will be passed on to
24730 @code{nnml-retrieve-headers}, while the second parameter is set to the
24731 value of @code{nndir-current-group}.
24734 This macro allows importing functions from back ends. It should be the
24735 last thing in the source file, since it will only define functions that
24736 haven't already been defined.
24742 nnmh-request-newgroups)
24746 This means that calls to @code{nndir-request-list} should just be passed
24747 on to @code{nnmh-request-list}, while all public functions from
24748 @code{nnml} that haven't been defined in @code{nndir} yet should be
24753 Below is a slightly shortened version of the @code{nndir} back end.
24756 ;;; nndir.el --- single directory newsgroup access for Gnus
24757 ;; Copyright (C) 1995,96 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
24761 (require 'nnheader)
24765 (eval-when-compile (require 'cl))
24767 (nnoo-declare nndir
24770 (defvoo nndir-directory nil
24771 "Where nndir will look for groups."
24772 nnml-current-directory nnmh-current-directory)
24774 (defvoo nndir-nov-is-evil nil
24775 "*Non-nil means that nndir will never retrieve NOV headers."
24778 (defvoo nndir-current-group ""
24780 nnml-current-group nnmh-current-group)
24781 (defvoo nndir-top-directory nil nil nnml-directory nnmh-directory)
24782 (defvoo nndir-get-new-mail nil nil nnml-get-new-mail nnmh-get-new-mail)
24784 (defvoo nndir-status-string "" nil nnmh-status-string)
24785 (defconst nndir-version "nndir 1.0")
24787 ;;; Interface functions.
24789 (nnoo-define-basics nndir)
24791 (deffoo nndir-open-server (server &optional defs)
24792 (setq nndir-directory
24793 (or (cadr (assq 'nndir-directory defs))
24795 (unless (assq 'nndir-directory defs)
24796 (push `(nndir-directory ,server) defs))
24797 (push `(nndir-current-group
24798 ,(file-name-nondirectory
24799 (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24801 (push `(nndir-top-directory
24802 ,(file-name-directory (directory-file-name nndir-directory)))
24804 (nnoo-change-server 'nndir server defs))
24806 (nnoo-map-functions nndir
24807 (nnml-retrieve-headers 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24808 (nnmh-request-article 0 nndir-current-group 0 0)
24809 (nnmh-request-group nndir-current-group 0 0)
24810 (nnmh-close-group nndir-current-group 0))
24814 nnmh-status-message
24816 nnmh-request-newgroups))
24822 @node Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24823 @subsubsection Hooking New Back Ends Into Gnus
24825 @vindex gnus-valid-select-methods
24826 @findex gnus-declare-backend
24827 Having Gnus start using your new back end is rather easy---you just
24828 declare it with the @code{gnus-declare-backend} functions. This will
24829 enter the back end into the @code{gnus-valid-select-methods} variable.
24831 @code{gnus-declare-backend} takes two parameters---the back end name and
24832 an arbitrary number of @dfn{abilities}.
24837 (gnus-declare-backend "nnchoke" 'mail 'respool 'address)
24840 The above line would then go in the @file{nnchoke.el} file.
24842 The abilities can be:
24846 This is a mailish back end---followups should (probably) go via mail.
24848 This is a newsish back end---followups should (probably) go via news.
24850 This back end supports both mail and news.
24852 This is neither a post nor mail back end---it's something completely
24855 It supports respooling---or rather, it is able to modify its source
24856 articles and groups.
24858 The name of the server should be in the virtual server name. This is
24859 true for almost all back ends.
24860 @item prompt-address
24861 The user should be prompted for an address when doing commands like
24862 @kbd{B} in the group buffer. This is true for back ends like
24863 @code{nntp}, but not @code{nnmbox}, for instance.
24867 @node Mail-like Back Ends
24868 @subsubsection Mail-like Back Ends
24870 One of the things that separate the mail back ends from the rest of the
24871 back ends is the heavy dependence by most of the mail back ends on
24872 common functions in @file{nnmail.el}. For instance, here's the
24873 definition of @code{nnml-request-scan}:
24876 (deffoo nnml-request-scan (&optional group server)
24877 (setq nnml-article-file-alist nil)
24878 (nnmail-get-new-mail 'nnml 'nnml-save-nov nnml-directory group))
24881 It simply calls @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} with a few parameters,
24882 and @code{nnmail} takes care of all the moving and splitting of the
24885 This function takes four parameters.
24889 This should be a symbol to designate which back end is responsible for
24892 @item exit-function
24893 This function should be called after the splitting has been performed.
24895 @item temp-directory
24896 Where the temporary files should be stored.
24899 This optional argument should be a group name if the splitting is to be
24900 performed for one group only.
24903 @code{nnmail-get-new-mail} will call @var{back-end}@code{-save-mail} to
24904 save each article. @var{back-end}@code{-active-number} will be called to
24905 find the article number assigned to this article.
24907 The function also uses the following variables:
24908 @var{back-end}@code{-get-new-mail} (to see whether to get new mail for
24909 this back end); and @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} and
24910 @var{back-end}@code{-active-file} to generate the new active file.
24911 @var{back-end}@code{-group-alist} should be a group-active alist, like
24915 (("a-group" (1 . 10))
24916 ("some-group" (34 . 39)))
24920 @node Score File Syntax
24921 @subsection Score File Syntax
24923 Score files are meant to be easily parseable, but yet extremely
24924 mallable. It was decided that something that had the same read syntax
24925 as an Emacs Lisp list would fit that spec.
24927 Here's a typical score file:
24931 ("win95" -10000 nil s)
24938 BNF definition of a score file:
24941 score-file = "" / "(" *element ")"
24942 element = rule / atom
24943 rule = string-rule / number-rule / date-rule
24944 string-rule = "(" quote string-header quote space *string-match ")"
24945 number-rule = "(" quote number-header quote space *number-match ")"
24946 date-rule = "(" quote date-header quote space *date-match ")"
24948 string-header = "subject" / "from" / "references" / "message-id" /
24949 "xref" / "body" / "head" / "all" / "followup"
24950 number-header = "lines" / "chars"
24951 date-header = "date"
24952 string-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24953 space date [ "" / [ space string-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24954 score = "nil" / <integer>
24955 date = "nil" / <natural number>
24956 string-match-t = "nil" / "s" / "substring" / "S" / "Substring" /
24957 "r" / "regex" / "R" / "Regex" /
24958 "e" / "exact" / "E" / "Exact" /
24959 "f" / "fuzzy" / "F" / "Fuzzy"
24960 number-match = "(" <integer> [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24961 space date [ "" / [ space number-match-t ] ] ] ] ] ")"
24962 number-match-t = "nil" / "=" / "<" / ">" / ">=" / "<="
24963 date-match = "(" quote <string> quote [ "" / [ space score [ "" /
24964 space date [ "" / [ space date-match-t ] ] ] ] ")"
24965 date-match-t = "nil" / "at" / "before" / "after"
24966 atom = "(" [ required-atom / optional-atom ] ")"
24967 required-atom = mark / expunge / mark-and-expunge / files /
24968 exclude-files / read-only / touched
24969 optional-atom = adapt / local / eval
24970 mark = "mark" space nil-or-number
24971 nil-or-number = "nil" / <integer>
24972 expunge = "expunge" space nil-or-number
24973 mark-and-expunge = "mark-and-expunge" space nil-or-number
24974 files = "files" *[ space <string> ]
24975 exclude-files = "exclude-files" *[ space <string> ]
24976 read-only = "read-only" [ space "nil" / space "t" ]
24977 adapt = "adapt" [ space "ignore" / space "t" / space adapt-rule ]
24978 adapt-rule = "(" *[ <string> *[ "(" <string> <integer> ")" ] ")"
24979 local = "local" *[ space "(" <string> space <form> ")" ]
24980 eval = "eval" space <form>
24981 space = *[ " " / <TAB> / <NEWLINE> ]
24984 Any unrecognized elements in a score file should be ignored, but not
24987 As you can see, white space is needed, but the type and amount of white
24988 space is irrelevant. This means that formatting of the score file is
24989 left up to the programmer---if it's simpler to just spew it all out on
24990 one looong line, then that's ok.
24992 The meaning of the various atoms are explained elsewhere in this
24993 manual (@pxref{Score File Format}).
24997 @subsection Headers
24999 Internally Gnus uses a format for storing article headers that
25000 corresponds to the @sc{nov} format in a mysterious fashion. One could
25001 almost suspect that the author looked at the @sc{nov} specification and
25002 just shamelessly @emph{stole} the entire thing, and one would be right.
25004 @dfn{Header} is a severely overloaded term. ``Header'' is used in
25005 RFC 1036 to talk about lines in the head of an article (e.g.,
25006 @code{From}). It is used by many people as a synonym for
25007 ``head''---``the header and the body''. (That should be avoided, in my
25008 opinion.) And Gnus uses a format internally that it calls ``header'',
25009 which is what I'm talking about here. This is a 9-element vector,
25010 basically, with each header (ouch) having one slot.
25012 These slots are, in order: @code{number}, @code{subject}, @code{from},
25013 @code{date}, @code{id}, @code{references}, @code{chars}, @code{lines},
25014 @code{xref}, and @code{extra}. There are macros for accessing and
25015 setting these slots---they all have predictable names beginning with
25016 @code{mail-header-} and @code{mail-header-set-}, respectively.
25018 All these slots contain strings, except the @code{extra} slot, which
25019 contains an alist of header/value pairs (@pxref{To From Newsgroups}).
25025 @sc{gnus} introduced a concept that I found so useful that I've started
25026 using it a lot and have elaborated on it greatly.
25028 The question is simple: If you have a large amount of objects that are
25029 identified by numbers (say, articles, to take a @emph{wild} example)
25030 that you want to qualify as being ``included'', a normal sequence isn't
25031 very useful. (A 200,000 length sequence is a bit long-winded.)
25033 The solution is as simple as the question: You just collapse the
25037 (1 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12)
25040 is transformed into
25043 ((1 . 6) (10 . 12))
25046 To avoid having those nasty @samp{(13 . 13)} elements to denote a
25047 lonesome object, a @samp{13} is a valid element:
25050 ((1 . 6) 7 (10 . 12))
25053 This means that comparing two ranges to find out whether they are equal
25054 is slightly tricky:
25057 ((1 . 5) 7 8 (10 . 12))
25063 ((1 . 5) (7 . 8) (10 . 12))
25066 are equal. In fact, any non-descending list is a range:
25072 is a perfectly valid range, although a pretty long-winded one. This is
25079 and is equal to the previous range.
25081 Here's a BNF definition of ranges. Of course, one must remember the
25082 semantic requirement that the numbers are non-descending. (Any number
25083 of repetition of the same number is allowed, but apt to disappear in
25087 range = simple-range / normal-range
25088 simple-range = "(" number " . " number ")"
25089 normal-range = "(" start-contents ")"
25090 contents = "" / simple-range *[ " " contents ] /
25091 number *[ " " contents ]
25094 Gnus currently uses ranges to keep track of read articles and article
25095 marks. I plan on implementing a number of range operators in C if The
25096 Powers That Be are willing to let me. (I haven't asked yet, because I
25097 need to do some more thinking on what operators I need to make life
25098 totally range-based without ever having to convert back to normal
25103 @subsection Group Info
25105 Gnus stores all permanent info on groups in a @dfn{group info} list.
25106 This list is from three to six elements (or more) long and exhaustively
25107 describes the group.
25109 Here are two example group infos; one is a very simple group while the
25110 second is a more complex one:
25113 ("no.group" 5 ((1 . 54324)))
25115 ("nnml:my.mail" 3 ((1 . 5) 9 (20 . 55))
25116 ((tick (15 . 19)) (replied 3 6 (19 . 3)))
25118 ((auto-expire . t) (to-address . "ding@@gnus.org")))
25121 The first element is the @dfn{group name}---as Gnus knows the group,
25122 anyway. The second element is the @dfn{subscription level}, which
25123 normally is a small integer. (It can also be the @dfn{rank}, which is a
25124 cons cell where the @code{car} is the level and the @code{cdr} is the
25125 score.) The third element is a list of ranges of read articles. The
25126 fourth element is a list of lists of article marks of various kinds.
25127 The fifth element is the select method (or virtual server, if you like).
25128 The sixth element is a list of @dfn{group parameters}, which is what
25129 this section is about.
25131 Any of the last three elements may be missing if they are not required.
25132 In fact, the vast majority of groups will normally only have the first
25133 three elements, which saves quite a lot of cons cells.
25135 Here's a BNF definition of the group info format:
25138 info = "(" group space ralevel space read
25139 [ "" / [ space marks-list [ "" / [ space method [ "" /
25140 space parameters ] ] ] ] ] ")"
25141 group = quote <string> quote
25142 ralevel = rank / level
25143 level = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25144 rank = "(" level "." score ")"
25145 score = <integer in the range of 1 to inf>
25147 marks-lists = nil / "(" *marks ")"
25148 marks = "(" <string> range ")"
25149 method = "(" <string> *elisp-forms ")"
25150 parameters = "(" *elisp-forms ")"
25153 Actually that @samp{marks} rule is a fib. A @samp{marks} is a
25154 @samp{<string>} consed on to a @samp{range}, but that's a bitch to say
25157 If you have a Gnus info and want to access the elements, Gnus offers a
25158 series of macros for getting/setting these elements.
25161 @item gnus-info-group
25162 @itemx gnus-info-set-group
25163 @findex gnus-info-group
25164 @findex gnus-info-set-group
25165 Get/set the group name.
25167 @item gnus-info-rank
25168 @itemx gnus-info-set-rank
25169 @findex gnus-info-rank
25170 @findex gnus-info-set-rank
25171 Get/set the group rank (@pxref{Group Score}).
25173 @item gnus-info-level
25174 @itemx gnus-info-set-level
25175 @findex gnus-info-level
25176 @findex gnus-info-set-level
25177 Get/set the group level.
25179 @item gnus-info-score
25180 @itemx gnus-info-set-score
25181 @findex gnus-info-score
25182 @findex gnus-info-set-score
25183 Get/set the group score (@pxref{Group Score}).
25185 @item gnus-info-read
25186 @itemx gnus-info-set-read
25187 @findex gnus-info-read
25188 @findex gnus-info-set-read
25189 Get/set the ranges of read articles.
25191 @item gnus-info-marks
25192 @itemx gnus-info-set-marks
25193 @findex gnus-info-marks
25194 @findex gnus-info-set-marks
25195 Get/set the lists of ranges of marked articles.
25197 @item gnus-info-method
25198 @itemx gnus-info-set-method
25199 @findex gnus-info-method
25200 @findex gnus-info-set-method
25201 Get/set the group select method.
25203 @item gnus-info-params
25204 @itemx gnus-info-set-params
25205 @findex gnus-info-params
25206 @findex gnus-info-set-params
25207 Get/set the group parameters.
25210 All the getter functions take one parameter---the info list. The setter
25211 functions take two parameters---the info list and the new value.
25213 The last three elements in the group info aren't mandatory, so it may be
25214 necessary to extend the group info before setting the element. If this
25215 is necessary, you can just pass on a non-@code{nil} third parameter to
25216 the three final setter functions to have this happen automatically.
25219 @node Extended Interactive
25220 @subsection Extended Interactive
25221 @cindex interactive
25222 @findex gnus-interactive
25224 Gnus extends the standard Emacs @code{interactive} specification
25225 slightly to allow easy use of the symbolic prefix (@pxref{Symbolic
25226 Prefixes}). Here's an example of how this is used:
25229 (defun gnus-summary-increase-score (&optional score symp)
25230 (interactive (gnus-interactive "P\ny"))
25235 The best thing to do would have been to implement
25236 @code{gnus-interactive} as a macro which would have returned an
25237 @code{interactive} form, but this isn't possible since Emacs checks
25238 whether a function is interactive or not by simply doing an @code{assq}
25239 on the lambda form. So, instead we have @code{gnus-interactive}
25240 function that takes a string and returns values that are usable to
25241 @code{interactive}.
25243 This function accepts (almost) all normal @code{interactive} specs, but
25248 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbol
25249 The current symbolic prefix---the @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol}
25253 @vindex gnus-current-prefix-symbols
25254 A list of the current symbolic prefixes---the
25255 @code{gnus-current-prefix-symbol} variable.
25258 The current article number---the @code{gnus-summary-article-number}
25262 The current article header---the @code{gnus-summary-article-header}
25266 The current group name---the @code{gnus-group-group-name}
25272 @node Emacs/XEmacs Code
25273 @subsection Emacs/XEmacs Code
25277 While Gnus runs under Emacs, XEmacs and Mule, I decided that one of the
25278 platforms must be the primary one. I chose Emacs. Not because I don't
25279 like XEmacs or Mule, but because it comes first alphabetically.
25281 This means that Gnus will byte-compile under Emacs with nary a warning,
25282 while XEmacs will pump out gigabytes of warnings while byte-compiling.
25283 As I use byte-compilation warnings to help me root out trivial errors in
25284 Gnus, that's very useful.
25286 I've also consistently used Emacs function interfaces, but have used
25287 Gnusey aliases for the functions. To take an example: Emacs defines a
25288 @code{run-at-time} function while XEmacs defines a @code{start-itimer}
25289 function. I then define a function called @code{gnus-run-at-time} that
25290 takes the same parameters as the Emacs @code{run-at-time}. When running
25291 Gnus under Emacs, the former function is just an alias for the latter.
25292 However, when running under XEmacs, the former is an alias for the
25293 following function:
25296 (defun gnus-xmas-run-at-time (time repeat function &rest args)
25300 (,function ,@@args))
25304 This sort of thing has been done for bunches of functions. Gnus does
25305 not redefine any native Emacs functions while running under XEmacs---it
25306 does this @code{defalias} thing with Gnus equivalents instead. Cleaner
25309 In the cases where the XEmacs function interface was obviously cleaner,
25310 I used it instead. For example @code{gnus-region-active-p} is an alias
25311 for @code{region-active-p} in XEmacs, whereas in Emacs it is a function.
25313 Of course, I could have chosen XEmacs as my native platform and done
25314 mapping functions the other way around. But I didn't. The performance
25315 hit these indirections impose on Gnus under XEmacs should be slight.
25318 @node Various File Formats
25319 @subsection Various File Formats
25322 * Active File Format:: Information on articles and groups available.
25323 * Newsgroups File Format:: Group descriptions.
25327 @node Active File Format
25328 @subsubsection Active File Format
25330 The active file lists all groups available on the server in
25331 question. It also lists the highest and lowest current article numbers
25334 Here's an excerpt from a typical active file:
25337 soc.motss 296030 293865 y
25338 alt.binaries.pictures.fractals 3922 3913 n
25339 comp.sources.unix 1605 1593 m
25340 comp.binaries.ibm.pc 5097 5089 y
25341 no.general 1000 900 y
25344 Here's a pseudo-BNF definition of this file:
25347 active = *group-line
25348 group-line = group spc high-number spc low-number spc flag <NEWLINE>
25349 group = <non-white-space string>
25351 high-number = <non-negative integer>
25352 low-number = <positive integer>
25353 flag = "y" / "n" / "m" / "j" / "x" / "=" group
25356 For a full description of this file, see the manual pages for
25357 @samp{innd}, in particular @samp{active(5)}.
25360 @node Newsgroups File Format
25361 @subsubsection Newsgroups File Format
25363 The newsgroups file lists groups along with their descriptions. Not all
25364 groups on the server have to be listed, and not all groups in the file
25365 have to exist on the server. The file is meant purely as information to
25368 The format is quite simple; a group name, a tab, and the description.
25369 Here's the definition:
25373 line = group tab description <NEWLINE>
25374 group = <non-white-space string>
25376 description = <string>
25381 @node Emacs for Heathens
25382 @section Emacs for Heathens
25384 Believe it or not, but some people who use Gnus haven't really used
25385 Emacs much before they embarked on their journey on the Gnus Love Boat.
25386 If you are one of those unfortunates whom ``@kbd{C-M-a}'', ``kill the
25387 region'', and ``set @code{gnus-flargblossen} to an alist where the key
25388 is a regexp that is used for matching on the group name'' are magical
25389 phrases with little or no meaning, then this appendix is for you. If
25390 you are already familiar with Emacs, just ignore this and go fondle your
25394 * Keystrokes:: Entering text and executing commands.
25395 * Emacs Lisp:: The built-in Emacs programming language.
25400 @subsection Keystrokes
25404 Q: What is an experienced Emacs user?
25407 A: A person who wishes that the terminal had pedals.
25410 Yes, when you use Emacs, you are apt to use the control key, the shift
25411 key and the meta key a lot. This is very annoying to some people
25412 (notably @code{vi}le users), and the rest of us just love the hell out
25413 of it. Just give up and submit. Emacs really does stand for
25414 ``Escape-Meta-Alt-Control-Shift'', and not ``Editing Macros'', as you
25415 may have heard from other disreputable sources (like the Emacs author).
25417 The shift keys are normally located near your pinky fingers, and are
25418 normally used to get capital letters and stuff. You probably use it all
25419 the time. The control key is normally marked ``CTRL'' or something like
25420 that. The meta key is, funnily enough, never marked as such on any
25421 keyboard. The one I'm currently at has a key that's marked ``Alt'',
25422 which is the meta key on this keyboard. It's usually located somewhere
25423 to the left hand side of the keyboard, usually on the bottom row.
25425 Now, us Emacs people don't say ``press the meta-control-m key'',
25426 because that's just too inconvenient. We say ``press the @kbd{C-M-m}
25427 key''. @kbd{M-} is the prefix that means ``meta'' and ``C-'' is the
25428 prefix that means ``control''. So ``press @kbd{C-k}'' means ``press
25429 down the control key, and hold it down while you press @kbd{k}''.
25430 ``Press @kbd{C-M-k}'' means ``press down and hold down the meta key and
25431 the control key and then press @kbd{k}''. Simple, ay?
25433 This is somewhat complicated by the fact that not all keyboards have a
25434 meta key. In that case you can use the ``escape'' key. Then @kbd{M-k}
25435 means ``press escape, release escape, press @kbd{k}''. That's much more
25436 work than if you have a meta key, so if that's the case, I respectfully
25437 suggest you get a real keyboard with a meta key. You can't live without
25443 @subsection Emacs Lisp
25445 Emacs is the King of Editors because it's really a Lisp interpreter.
25446 Each and every key you tap runs some Emacs Lisp code snippet, and since
25447 Emacs Lisp is an interpreted language, that means that you can configure
25448 any key to run any arbitrary code. You just, like, do it.
25450 Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp, and is run as a bunch of interpreted
25451 functions. (These are byte-compiled for speed, but it's still
25452 interpreted.) If you decide that you don't like the way Gnus does
25453 certain things, it's trivial to have it do something a different way.
25454 (Well, at least if you know how to write Lisp code.) However, that's
25455 beyond the scope of this manual, so we are simply going to talk about
25456 some common constructs that you normally use in your @file{.emacs} file
25459 If you want to set the variable @code{gnus-florgbnize} to four (4), you
25460 write the following:
25463 (setq gnus-florgbnize 4)
25466 This function (really ``special form'') @code{setq} is the one that can
25467 set a variable to some value. This is really all you need to know. Now
25468 you can go and fill your @code{.emacs} file with lots of these to change
25471 If you have put that thing in your @code{.emacs} file, it will be read
25472 and @code{eval}ed (which is lisp-ese for ``run'') the next time you
25473 start Emacs. If you want to change the variable right away, simply say
25474 @kbd{C-x C-e} after the closing parenthesis. That will @code{eval} the
25475 previous ``form'', which is a simple @code{setq} statement here.
25477 Go ahead---just try it, if you're located at your Emacs. After you
25478 @kbd{C-x C-e}, you will see @samp{4} appear in the echo area, which
25479 is the return value of the form you @code{eval}ed.
25483 If the manual says ``set @code{gnus-read-active-file} to @code{some}'',
25487 (setq gnus-read-active-file 'some)
25490 On the other hand, if the manual says ``set @code{gnus-nntp-server} to
25491 @samp{nntp.ifi.uio.no}'', that means:
25494 (setq gnus-nntp-server "nntp.ifi.uio.no")
25497 So be careful not to mix up strings (the latter) with symbols (the
25498 former). The manual is unambiguous, but it can be confusing.
25501 @include gnus-faq.texi
25521 @c Local Variables:
25523 @c coding: iso-8859-1
25525 % LocalWords: BNF mucho detailmenu cindex kindex kbd
25526 % LocalWords: findex Gnusae vindex dfn dfn samp nntp setq nnspool nntpserver
25527 % LocalWords: nnmbox newusers Blllrph NEWGROUPS dingnusdingnusdingnus
25528 % LocalWords: pre fab rec comp nnslashdot regex ga ga sci nnml nnbabyl nnmh
25529 % LocalWords: nnfolder emph looong eld newsreaders defun init elc pxref